DP24SD Question about card errors

[Tony Robinson]

Hi. Reaching out to see have any thoughts about cards and file errors. Know there are some historic posts but just wander if anyone ever got to the bottom of random file errors when recording I love the dp24 but on quite a few occasions I will be a few hours into recording and suddenly I will go to record and it will say File Full, or other error messages. Just can't do anything with it from that point. Only way of rescuing it is to copy the whole project to another song which is a very laborious. A few people seemed to think it was the machine being picky about cards, and others saying the machine was faulty. Anybody any thoughts? I am using a San Disk Extreme Pro 95mb SDHC (3) class 10.. Is that a recommended one? Would I be better just having the one that originally shipped with the machine albeit it no doubt be a smaller memory? And if so does anyone know what that was? I have uploaded a picture of my card. I looked up the recommended cards list and I find one which says the exact things that are printed on my card. But I don't have a scooby about the technicalities of an sd card to be honest. Any replies appreciated. Cheers

 

[-mjk-]

Volumes have been written about this topic on this forum. The sticky (pinned) posts are indexed and list all of the SD card related issues. What it comes down to is this:

1. You must use an approved card. That does not necessarily mean the one that the unit ships with.

2. You must keep your firmware up to date.

Those of us who keep those 2 rules have zero issues with SD cards/file errors.

 

[Tony Robinson]

Thanks. My card looks very similar but not identical to the ones on the list. Perhaps I ought to sourcing one that is identical. Other thing, I did notice I hadn't ever updated the firmware and was on first version. I updated to the 2nd from last one(couldn't do the latest as if say no valid file). Still got the error yesterday. But that was me trying to add to a recording made before the update. Not sure if that makes a difference

 

[-mjk-]

@Tony Robinson the problem is once you start getting SD card errors then you have to fix the problem that was causing the errors, but you also have to repair the SD card itself. By that I do not mean using your computers operating system to repair the card.

Update your machine to the very latest firmware version. Make sure that you have an approved SD card available. Sometimes manufacturers update cards and they don't match the numbers on the list. The recommendation from Tascam is that you contact the manufacturer and ask them for the card that would be the upgraded model for the one that's suggested.

Take the SD card that you have been using, and one by one, export all of the tracks to the Audio Depot for each song. This may take a considerable amount of time. You'll need to load each song individually and go to the Audio Depot menu and manually select all the tracks and export them.

Make a backup copy of that entire SD card on your PC.

Install the new SD card if that is the case, or keeping your current approved card in the machine, format the SD card using the machine and the latest firmware.

At that point, you should copy the contents of the Audio Depot from the copy on your PC over to the Audio Depot on the newly formatted SD card in the machine.

You'll have to create all new songs with the proper resolution but once you have imported all those tracks into those newly created songs on a freshly formatted SD card, you will find that your problems are solved.

Resist the urge to simply copy the contents of the old card onto the newly formatted card because most likely you will propagate the errors. Please don't ask me how I know this, lol.

 

[Tony Robinson]

Thanks. I won't bother with the stuff I have recorded already. I just want a reliable card moving forward if it is the card that is causing the problems. I will have to make do with the 2nd from last firmware update as the current on didn't work--it just said file not found or something whereas the previous one installed fine. Obviously I carried out the instructions word for word and did everything the same. The fact it would not work with v9 but was fine with v8 tells me it was nothing to do with me. I'll have to contact Tascam and ask them what they are currently shipping the units with. Or should I say what they they were shipping the unit with when it was V8

 

[Phil Tipping]

...it just said file not found

The latest firmware should work. I don't have that specific model, but I'm sure others would have complained if there was a faulty file on Tascam's site.
Assuming you definitely have the DP-24SD model and not the DP-24 (they both have sd-cards), the latest version is 1.09.
The 2nd file shown in this screenshot is the file downloaded from Tascam's site. You need to unzip this first to extract the other files.



The first file highlighted in red is the actual firmware, and is the only one you need to copy to the UTILITY folder on the sd-card. You can use the USB link to do this, or physically move the sd-card to the computer.
Either way, you don't need any other files in the UTILITY folder so you can delete anything else.
Once you've copied the file, make sure you terminate the process in the correct way, i.e. do a 'safe remove' or 'un-mount' before disabling the USB link or removing the card.

When you power-on the machine with the magic button combination held down, it will display all the files found in the UTILITY folder. If there are several files, you have to select the one you want before proceeding, so having just the one file avoids any confusion.
Have another go, and let us know how you get on.... and as MJ said, make sure you format your card(s) after you've upgraded the firmware.

 

[Brody]

> My card looks very similar but not identical to the ones on the list.

@Tony Robinson Is that in reference to the "Tested Media List" PDF downloadable at https://tascam.com/us/product/dp-24sd/download ?

I'll add on some details that I find helpful. The manual states that any card made to SD/SDHC standards should work, but only those in the "Tested Media List" have actually been verified by Tascam themselves. So these are the best to use if you want to be a stickler.

It is important to note that SDXC cards, which are increasingly common today, are not SDHC cards and will not work.

The card you mentioned ("San Disk Extreme Pro 95mb SDHC (3) class 10") is an SDHC card so it should work just fine. But it is not on the tested media list, so Tascam has not verified that it works. Nevertheless, a class 10 card is a great choice, because "class" refers to how fast the card can write. A class 10 card can write 10 mb/s and a fast write time is a good thing.

Long story short, that card should work just fine, assuming you use and store it correctly. Most importantly, an SD card should never be removed from the unit while it is on. And it should never be removed from a computer unless the eject option on the card has been exercised prior to removal.

An SD card should never be stored in bright sunlight, extreme temperatures, or high humidity. If you suspect that any of these things has happened to a card, replace it.

Here's my last idea. You can try the "Full Format" option on the card. (Beware: this erases everything, so be sure to have all of it backed up.) When "full format" is performed, the unit not only formats the card, but also checks it for errors. So if you think a card might have been corrupted, it can be a good idea to back up everything off the card and try a full format. That might resolve any issues. But if it doesn't, replace the card. Cards are cheap. The top option off the tested media list is on BestBuy.com for $17 right now.

Hope it helps.

 

[Mark Richards]

Reaching out to see any thoughts about cards and file errors...
...I am using a San Disk Extreme Pro 95mb SDHC (3) class 10.. Is that a recommended one?...
...My card looks very similar but not identical to the ones on the list. Perhaps I ought to source one that is identical...I hadn't ever updated the firmware and was on first version...
...I just want a reliable card moving forward if it is the card that is causing the problems.

To expand/supplement -mjk-'s post #2 and post #4; and Phil Tipping's post #6:
Relevant information memorialized in the "Equipment Related Tips" sticky thread:

• Updating Firmware
• Tascam Approved/Tested SD cards
• How to interpret Sandisk product numbers
• Putting the Cap on SD cards, with a link to the March 2019 post by Sam Tremholme on buying SD cards.

 

[Brody]

@Tony Robinson You also mentioned "suddenly I will go to record and it will say File Full" ... the manual has a portion that outlines the error messages the unit can return and "File Full" is not one of them. I'm guessing it was, "Card full" ? If it is the "Card Full" message you are seeing you can avoid this by checking Menu > Information for remaining size on the card before attempting to record. If you record enough material to fill up the card, then you will see "Card Full." Check the manual section on General Messages for other _______ Full messages you might see and how to address them.

 

[Logrinn]

I’ll just add to this something I’ve mentioned before - and that is that there is also a risk of getting a counterfeit card.
There are loads of Youtube videos highlighting this problem but many also show ways to find out if the card you’ve got is indeed a fake one.