More DP24 file errors

[tanstaafl49]

Has anyone out there got a DP 24SD which doesn't throw up endless file errors? Mine is just going back for Tascam to look at as it seems impossible to do any recording on it without at least one file error, and on the last one three plus a "recording failed" message. Each time the machine crashed and had to be unplugged to restart it. I'm using Sandisk Extreme Pro cards - tried two of them and a Kingston.

 

[hilltopstudios]

Before you send the unit back I have to ask one question. Did you buy the SD cards from a reputable seller or get them for a good price online?

I have been told the number of counterfeit cards on ebay are greater than the number of legit ones. Even Amazon has had complaints of selling counterfeits. Best way to find out is to test them with a free program called H2testw. Be sure to test the entire capacity of the card.

 

[David Porter]

And have you updated firmware and then fully reformatted a card that is known to be reliable?

 

[-mjk-]

@tanstaafl49 we all have working machines. The SD card issue had been dealt with extensively on this forum. Sending your unit back to Tascam is a waste of time and money. Buy an approved SD card from a reputable dealer so you can exchange it if it turns out to be bad, or a fake. In my own case, I bought an older used machine, and it had 2 issues: the SD card was N/G plus the latest firmware had an issue with file errors. About 2 weeks later, a new firmware revision was released and that solved all my issues. Now, my machine is completely reliable and has never failed since. As David said, you must reformat the SD card after a firmware update. You will get this sorted out!

I suggest reading this thread: http://www.tascamforums.com/threads/compatible-sd-cards-for-dp-32sd.5759/

 

[tanstaafl49]

Read that, all three cards I ve used are full price from reputable sellers. Firmware has been updated. Machine has now been returned to where I got from. Hope its fixed as when it works the quality is great. Looks like it'll be ok in the long run.

 

[tanstaafl49]

Checked both the cards (can't find the first one I used) with the program above - both are fine with no errors. It's gone back to Gear4Music where I got it from and we'll see what happens next. From earlier threads on here it looks like some machines did have problems in the past - maybe this was one of them.

 

[tanstaafl49]

Right. The dealer says they've checked the machine and can't find anything wrong and are sending it back. I've sent them an example of a duff file it wrote, which was called ZZ022_1.WAV and had saved itself with zero bytes. I have my doubts they've bothered to test it, but have asked for details of what card they used.
In themeantime, the two cards I've got here are both SanDisk, one is Extreme Plus 90MB/s, the other Extreme Pro 95 MBs. Both seems to have written on them V30, HC1, then a 3 in a U shape and a 10 in a near circle. Both 32 Gb. Both have been checked and show as fine.
These are what I've been getting the errors on. Do they look OK to you, before I try them again if the firm send me the machine back this week, or have I missed something?

 

[Sam Trenholme]

Tascam has reported issues with lower capacity versions of the card on the left, and MJK has had an issue with this kind of card (it might had been an Extreme instead of an Extreme Plus). I have used a card like the left one without issue (I recorded an entire album on it); the card will probably work, but it might not.

The card on the right is known to be reliable and not have issues. We have not had an issue caused by someone using the type of card on the right (one person using the card on the right reported an issue with the mastering compressor, but they have also had the exact same issue with other cards, so we know the problems is elsewhere). I have recorded most of an album on a card like the one on the right without problem; Mark Richards has also used several of these cards without problem.

Note that, with the card on the right, the write protect tab (that little piece of plastic on the upper left side of the card) is grey. This is the color used for that little tab on genuine cards; at one point, a counterfeiter on Amazon was selling cards where this little tab was yellow.

 

[tanstaafl49]

Thanks for your response.

I don't understand how this can be regarded as a satisfactory machine if, virtually at any time, you may have to write off days or weeks of work because of a machine failure. mjk above says you all have working machines, but has had card failures. It's ludicrous to have to buy card after card in the hope that sooner or later you'll get one that works happily on everything else but on this just destroys your data for you.

I suspect the shop has actually done no testing and will just send it back. I'll rerun the software update (this appears to be 105 for the DP24), have one more go with the RH card and one more that is advised on here and then demand my money back.

If the other person has issues with the mastering compressor, again, presumably this is yet another machine fault. All in all, it's a very disappointing Tascam experience, and, if as I suspect, nothing has been resolved, probably my last.

 

[David Porter]

Both of these have been trouble free cards. For years.

 

[Mark Richards]

tanstaafl49, It's too bad you've lost faith in the DP-24/32. I can't even begin to guess what the issue might be with your particular unit.

With over 6 years of heavy use operating completely within my DP-24 environment, I've never had a read/right failure (or any hardware issues for that matter) other than those I induced specifically for test purposes on non-approved SD cards, or because of a mismatch between card and FW version. Certain cards (not the Extreme Pro) approved for prior FW versions misfired with the previous FW update. This has never been the case with the Extreme Pro in my experience, and the latest FW update addressed the previous FW glitch (with the other approved cards I've tried).

If you have the misfortune of having a card misfire, you won't lose your work. My testing of non-approved cards was designed specifically to help with file recovery, and the results can be found in the Equipment Tips Sticky of this forum. Prudent risk management practice would also suggest backing up the SD card to a computer using the DP USB function (and not by putting the SD card into the computer's card reader). The DP-24/32 is, after all, just a dedicated computer also subject to power failures and unintended user "oops" errors.

 

[tanstaafl49]

I'm hoping that it's a software problem in that maybe the 105 update hasn't gone through properly. When I get the machine back, I'll install the 102, then reinstall the 105, which is the one that's supposed to have cured these problems on the 24SD. It's dated October 2018, so there were obviously software problems before that. Then I'll do some quick nonsense recordings of six or seven tracks and see what happens.

When I get a result, I really do like the machine and what it produces. And I have all my successful recordings backed up and at least I've learned how to fix a crash and reload the files! Fingers crossed... and thanks to david above for the card recemmendations. I'll be getting a couple of them too.

 

[Sam Trenholme]

A read error can also be caused by an issue with the card reader, or any of the connectors between the card reader and the motherboard. Personally, I think the device is defective.

 

[-mjk-]

Once I got rid of the gold card, and got the black Extreme Pro, I have not experienced a single error that wasn't attributable to the operator. The first thing I would do is run a test to confirm the authenticity of that card. It should work flawlessly. I'm using my DP-32 like an analog tape machine, pushing it hard on the punch-ins and overdubs. I use Mixdown mode for submixing stems, and Mastering tools on those stems, and import back to the machine. I work for hours at a time before Deleting Unused, often going over 1gb of data on any given song. I'm using this machine like a professional record producer. It has exceeded my expectations.

 

[tanstaafl49]

I've asked for the DP24 back as I'm not actually convinced that the company I bought it from (Gear4music in York) actually has a technical department capable of testing anything. I think the DP24SD might be a fairly recent cut down of the 32 (which most of you seem to have) as the update that says it solves the file error problem only came out in late October 2018 and I bought this in September, so I may only have installed the previous update. I did ask the shop to check this but got no response which is why I've asked for it back. I've also bought one of the Lexar cards advised above to try.
Plan is, if I have installed the 105 update and it's still glitching, to take it back to the 102, then reinstall the 105, then try a few recordings with a camera on it to record any problems.
Fingers crossed.

 

[-mjk-]

I'm going to find one of these and try a USB stick:

 

[Mark Richards]

I think the DP24SD might be a fairly recent cut down of the 32 .

The DP-24/32 had been in production since 2012; the SD versions since 2015.

I can assure you no sawsalls were involved.

 

[tanstaafl49]

This is partly what I don't understand. The 105 update is dated October 2018 - that's the one that is supposed to cure file errors. the only other one on the site is dated 2017 and doesn't mention them. Did it really take them 3 years from production to sort out file errors? Or did the 2017 update (numbered 102) actually cause them in the first place, which might actually explain things, if it does turn out that that's the only one I've loaded?

 

[tanstaafl49]

Finally got it back. I don't think they'd even opened the box - however, the OS was 1.04, which must have been the last one before I sent it back. So I've updated to 1.05 and will get stuck in to it tomorrow. There's no info as to when 104 came out, but 105 is supposed to solve this problem.
Will a quick format do after the update, or do they need a full format?

 

[-mjk-]

Always do a full format. Seriously, it's too easy not to do it.