DP-32 Arrived Today

[-mjk-]

my DP-32 that i got from Holland arrived today, and it's in perfect visual condition. here are some interesting things about it that i'd like to share and get feedback on.

1. the stereo select button does not appear to be working when pressed. it does however, light up when using the cursor to select the stereo bus in the ASSIGN screen. it would appear that the button is not working.

2. i made a RESET template song (thanks Phil!) and the DP-32 does actually recall the resolution settings when creating a new song. cool! The photo was taken immediately after create new song was selected, and 24/48 was already selected.

3. i've already laid tracks using my drum machine under MIDI control, and it works great. but, there is absolutely NO pre-roll! i had to add a lead-in measure in the song structure to have a click count-in.

4. ASSIGN: looking at Phil's DP-32SD videos, i got the impression (perhaps wrongly so) that one did not actually have to open the ASSIGN screen to assign inputs to tracks. it looked like simply pressing destination and then source did the assignment. on this machine, i must open the ASSIGN screen to make assignments.

the machine is great!

 

[-mjk-]

i found that the stereo select button does work when the assign screen is on, but i have to press it harder than i'm comfortable with. also, the mixdown/mastering button seems to require a hard press. to my finger, it feels like a "double-press" on both buttons, meaning that the button goes down with an audible click, and when pressed harder, goes down a bit further with an inaudible click.

is this normal?

 

[Mark Richards]

mjk, Buttons should only require a light touch. First thing I would try for the buttons is a squirt or two of Deoxit. It's most likely a dust problem.

Yes on the Assign screen. It's the only way to pair input and track.

 

[Phil Tipping]

Thanks for sharing MJ.
Update - this confirmation has been rescinded: see post #13 below.
Have just confirmed your findings re. the song resolution settings. This is good news as I can now edit my templates to include the higher resolution as my 'default'. I'm pretty sure this didn't work when I made the videos, so it could be due to later firmware... wish Tascam would add more details to their release notices!

Yes, the Assign screen has to be open in order for assignments to work - let me know which video suggested otherwise and I'll try and correct it. The track Select and input Source buttons behave very differently depending on what mode the machine is in, which can be very confusing... a common misconception is that you have to select a track in order to record on it.
A few people have suggested Deoxit switch cleaner on the buttons, but have not tried it - not had a problem with mine as yet (seems Mark just beat me to it!)

 

[-mjk-]

Oh, I'm glad I mentioned the resolution issue! Phil, I wouldn't change a thing in your videos - it was my own assumptions that lead to the confusion.

I played around with the machine for awhile and then updated to the latest firmware. My guess is that you are correct about the resolution settings carrying over now because of a firmware update - because you clearly demonstrated in your video that it definitely did NOT.

I built my broadcast engineering career on Caig products. Here in Taiwan we can get a German spray cleaner that smells EXACTLY like Cramolin R5, which is now banned in the USA. The German stuff works wonders. My usual SOP with used gear is a complete disassembly and cleaning of all contacts and controls. I'll probably be doing that this weekend.

In another forum, I'll tell you the story of Boston's channel 7 (WNEV at the time) and how I used several Caig products to solve an elusive audio problem with their Neve console.

 

[-mjk-]

Mark, a fine suggestion that I will implement very soon. Thanx.

 

[David Porter]

In another forum, I'll tell you the story of Boston's channel 7 (WNEV at the time) and how I used several Caig products to solve an elusive audio problem with their Neve console.

Silly observation: WNEV has a "Neve" console.

 

[-mjk-]

hahah David! no one i worked with ever noticed that!

One thing that I'm still wrapping my head around is, there seems to always be at least one single track select light on, as there apparently is no way to deselect that last track. it just looks funny with the one light on all the time. but i do understand why.

 

[-mjk-]

Thanks for sharing MJ. Have just confirmed your findings re. the song resolution settings. This is good news as I can now edit my templates to include the higher resolution as my 'default'. I'm pretty sure this didn't work when I made the videos, so it could be due to later firmware... wish Tascam would add more details to their release notices!
Yes, the Assign screen has to be open in order for assignments to work - let me know which video suggested otherwise and I'll try and correct it. The track Select and input Source buttons behave very differently depending on what mode the machine is in, which can be very confusing... a common misconception is that you have to select a track in order to record on it.
A few people have suggested Deoxit switch cleaner on the buttons, but have not tried it - not had a problem with mine as yet (seems Mark just beat me to it!)

Phil, i upgraded to the latest firmware, 1.09, and now it seems that my template resolution settings no longer carry over to new song creation. not such a big deal, but i wonder why it did with version 1.05 and not 1.09? not a deal breaker and probably not enough for me to revert, but it's a bit unsettling.... thought you'd want to know.

 

[-mjk-]

Uh-oh! Using the included 2g SD card, I experienced a write error, which resulted in the whole song becoming corrupted. I'm not sure if this is caused by the firmware upgrade I just made, or the fact that it's a really old SD card. So I went out and bought the fastest 32 gig card that I could find. We'll see what happens.

 

[Phil Tipping]

Well that's weird mj. I'd only just upgraded my dp32sd to the latest (v1.06 for that model), and that was the one which confirmed the resolution settings are carried over! (update: confirmation rescinded, see post #13 below). Maybe the midi models aren't keeping in step with the sd ones?
By the way, I always do a full reformat on all my cards after any upgrades - not sure if it's necessary but am now wary as according to some users, this seemed to fix glitches which started occurring after one of the earlier upgrades. The time spent reformatting is worth the peace of mind

 

[-mjk-]

Hi Phil. I read that about formatting the SD cards immediately after a firmware upgrade, and that's exactly what I did. So, with the new card I started over did a full format. Then I did a factory reset, and made adjustments and then a new reset template song. Lo and Behold, when I created a new song, it carried over the resolution settings. So I can only conclude that the issue is MOE (Machine Operator Error) on the resolution settings issue (I always keep a towel handy for wiping egg off my face).

I will say this about the machine though, I'm getting tracks that sound at least as good as tracks I did in my old studio in Boston. I've use the MIDI function to sync three or four tracks during record, and it works flawlessly.

Thanks for the feedback, Phil!

 

[Phil Tipping]

Well I've just tried re-checking as you've sown the seeds of doubt ... and it looks like it does not carry forwards resolutions from the current song!! It does remember the resolution you used to create a song during that session, so if you create more songs they will default to that resolution, but as soon as you switch off & on, then create a song, it reverts to the lowest resolution of 16/44.1 regardless of the current song. This means there's no point changing the templates. I'll amend my previous posts in this thread.

 

[Phil Tipping]

One thing that I'm still wrapping my head around is, there seems to always be at least one single track select light on, as there apparently is no way to deselect that last track. it just looks funny with the one light on all the time. but i do understand why.

The 'select' light indicates which track will be affected by the knobs, so it seems a reasonable design decision. If nothing was selected, the knobs wouldn't do anything.

 

[Mark Richards]

I will say this about the machine though, I'm getting tracks that sound at least as good as tracks I did in my old studio

I agree. Tracks recorded and mastered on my DP-24 sound just as good if not better than my studio's master recordings from the 70's and 80's. That also says something for the quality of the pro gear of that era. DBX'd analog at 15 and 30 ips gave some pretty good results in the right hands.

 

[-mjk-]

Well I've just tried re-checking as you've sown the seeds of doubt ... and it looks like it does not carry forwards resolutions from the current song!! It does remember the resolution you used to create a song during that session, so if you create more songs they will default to that resolution, but as soon as you switch off & on, then create a song, it reverts to the lowest resolution of 16/44.1 regardless of the current song. This means there's no point changing the templates. I'll amend my previous posts in this thread.

Ahhh! So it remembers what you have last set on previous song creation operations during the same session, but doesn't carry loaded settings forward. That explains why I had mixed results! Good to know, thanks Phil.

 

[-mjk-]

Yesterday, I decided to put the DP-32 on the bench and do a disassembly and cleaning. After I saw how the unit was put together, I decided not to take the mainboard out because I did not want to have to remove all the knobs which, in many cases appear to be stuck on the shafts rather tightly . I broke a couple of controls on one of my VOX amplifiers by simply trying to take the knobs off the potentiometer shafts. plus this unit has 13 encoders and those would be a major headache to have to repair. Looking at the construction of the trim pots though I realized that I could spray them from the top and the cleaner would make it down inside into the control body. This worked very well, and the controls completely freed up and became extremely easy to turn thus indicating that the cleaner had done its job. Then I methodically sprayed all the switch assemblies from the top, something I normally would not do. However, this seemed to have worked well also, because now all the switches respond to the lightest touch. The trim pots are no longer scratchy and have lost the noise that used to occur on adjustment. the only real complaint that I have, is that the play and record buttons are rather large, and it required more liquid to make it down into the switch assembly. But the contact cleaner stained the back of the switch so you can see a ring when the switch is backlit. I can live with that, but I really wish that had not happened. If it bothers me enough in the future, I will take it apart and somehow fix it. After spraying with contact cleaner, I cleaned the entire surface with alcohol wipes and polished it with a soft towel. It looks brand-new and functions probably just about as good as brand-new.