MX2424 Questions

[William]

Hi all. Just picked up 2x mx2424s. I'm wondering what cable can I use for the TL BUS? Also what type of internal cable is used for the internal drive the removable drive(glyph) and how do I mount multiple drives at boot up? I don't know how to set the SCSI id. Thank you all in advance. William

 

[witzendoz]

There are a few questions here that have long winded answers, go to the Tascam web site here http://tascam.com/product/mx-2424/downloads/ and download the manuals and set up info. There is a manual on scsi set up and cabling.

The TL Bus just needs a 9pin Male to female DB9 serial cable. The internal drive cable should just be a standard internal 68 pin scsi cable. Mine still has the factory one so I have never changed it but all my external scsi cases have the standard cable. I recommend having all the drives external anyway as it generates less heat and does not drain the MX's internal power supply as much.

Multiple drives all will boot from startup, but you need to ensure that the drives have different ID numbers, and if using external drives an active scsi terminator is required. Internal drives are fine as the MX has a terminator fitted.

Alan.

 

[mozaicman]

also just bought an mx2424 on ebay. excellent looking machine. I went right out and also purchased a beige mac g3 which is specifically mentioned in the mx view manual not to use. I tried to download the software into the classic os and was unable to load it or unpack it. any suggestions on the external gui software?

 

[witzendoz]

I don't know how to get the software to work with a mac, but it will work in windows up to 2000, I can tell you how with xp & vesta, and maybe also windows 7 (anyone tried it). What I suggest is to buy a $25 windows machine with xp or older and use that as the operating machine, network it to the mac for file transfers. The windows machine does not need to be fast as the mx has the operating software on board, the computer software is just a viewing/remote software.

Cheers
Alan

 

[mozaicman]

good looking out. I can barely remember win98. but xp I know i can locate,
will contact you when I get it all set up.

as a side note, I thought all the files remained inside the tascam unit while the editing features on the gui simply performed the editing operations like a remote no?

what do you have to do in xp? I saw a bunch of threads on this site in other forums about xp difficulties...

 

[William]

I purchased a Levono R61 laptop(READ IBM) for 50$ USD on eBay with a fresh install of XP. Hooked up an old router I had and it runs MX view beautifully. The reason I have a router in between the MX and the laptop is that I got 3x MX 2424. The third is for parts in case of problem with the first 2

 

[William]

Resolved the SCSI ID situation. All is well. Now time to TL BUS the both of them. Alan thanks for the help. William

 

[mozaicman]

affirmative on that xp alan, thx, more later

 

[witzendoz]

Resolved the SCSI ID situation. All is well. Now time to TL BUS the both of them. Alan thanks for the help. William

When I replied to the original question I was on air at the radio station, I meant to tell you to google the part number on the scsi drives to get the ID pin out positions. Most scsi models are the same anyway ID wise, so once you get your head around it you can almost guess.
Alan.

 

[mozaicman]

witzundoz,
could you be so kind and explain your detailed parameters on your mx2424 setup.
Im trying ot do a mmc chase from my computer sequencer through a USB midi patchbay. after extensive searching high and low, far and wide over the internet, I am unable to locate an os9 midi sequencer program. I do not like the USB protocal and was hoping to migrate my entire system back to serial parallel ports, but the legacy programs have been aggressively phased out.

specifically, master slave parameters. I read your other post about the offset time and tried that, but the transport functions are not activating from my midi sequencer.....any advice?

 

[witzendoz]

I do all my chases via smpte. If the MX is chasing my tape machine I have a smpte track on the tape that the MX locks too. In all other cases I get the other devices to chase the MX as the MX is the most stable device running. For example you may get word clock issues and cliches.

I have never tried to control or have the mx chase a computer. When I say control I am not talking about MX view on a computer which of course controls the MX.

Alan.

 

[mozaicman]

I was looking at tape machines before i went ahead and ebayed myself down the river. I bought an overpriced laptop at the pawnshop to get the mx view software up and running, which did in fact work. Im really nervous about it now becuase its not integrating through my motu 2408 that runs rock solid off of a 424 card. from my reading on this site, the tdif protocol is supposed to transmit word clock automatically, but I had no such luck.
a few questions you might be able to answer.....is the tcp/ip address on the mx view supposed to be identical, or are you supposed to give the ethernet connection a different address? Im having trouble with the bus slave command where the device automatically goes into master mode despite being highlighted in the bus menu.
I just hooked up a word clock cable, tried a spidf cable this morning, all coming out of the motu system, with no luck.

any thoughts? are you by any chance a tascam rep? you seem very knowledgeable....

 

[witzendoz]

Not a Tascam Rep, just a long time user of MX's. Having said that, I have not used the MX in every scenario so bear with me.

The tdif protocol should have transmitted word clock, and yes I have had that working as I used my second MX as a AD converter via a sound card recently with no clock problems recently. However if you have clock out on the motu I would plug in a clock cable to be safe.

Ethernet connections: If plugging the MX directly into a laptop without a hub, a crossover cable should be used. If using a hub a standard cable must be used. The MX must have a fixed dedicated IP address. There cannot be 2 devices/computers using the same IP address. This should have nothing to do with Master slave modes. Have a read of the MX-view manual Chapter 2 as this tells you how to set it up.

One thing they don't tell you in the manual is that when the MX is to slave I am sure you have to press the "on line" button.

Cheers
Alan.

 

[mozaicman]

no dice on any of that, peculiarly, the slave selection field in the setup menu automatically reverts the unit into mastermode.

I bought this unit off of ebay thinking it would clink right into my setup, and be able to do my editing off of the desktop, but that appears a no go.

the mx view is recognizing and making ammendments to the unit via the gui so I dont think the ip addresses are conflicting.

the most frustrating aspect is that it responds to no incoming signal at all. the manual says that clock sync timecode keeps the light indicator on the unit solid while no incoming clock signal blinks the indicator. after more than one hour plowing through every meny more than once, I was able to reduce the blinking no signal clock down to TC chase indicator continuing to blink.

complicating matters further still, the drive is locked into the bay as the seller on ebay failed to mention that there was no key to swap out the drive.

is there a lithium battery in there or something that can get the unit refreshed or some hard reset feature?

thanks again for your appreciated comments

 

[witzendoz]

The more I read the questions the more I don't get what you expect the MX to do? If you are trying to get the MX to chase word clock, that is not what word clock does. The MX chases time code or midi. I have never chased midi but I have had it chase smpte time code many times. There is synchronisation info in the MX tutorial.

Does the MX work on its own? Does it record and playback? What exactly are you trying to get the mx to do and how do you think it is going to fit in with your set up, just asking as it is a bit puzzling. With the mx and a computer with mx view you can do basic editing to the internal recording in the mx. You can also export the files that you have recorded on the mx into the computer and then edit the files in other software.

If you remove the battery you will loose the operating software and then another whole problem will appear. If the MX starts and loads the hard drive the operating system is working fine.

The key for the drive bay is a standard drive bay key that a computer shop should be able to help with, but you may need to take the mx in as there are 2 or 3 versions of the bay key.

Alan.

 

[mozaicman]

the motu 2408 should have locked the mx2424 to my computer sequencer, but didnt. the more I read about the 2408, the more i believe its designed to handle incoming signals, and not produce stable outgoing clock signals, as they have an entire line of midi interfaces that do that work. Further still, the motu web site has an offering of newer usb interfaces that are compatible with their proprietary software that routes and coverts the LTC(literal time code) into midi timecode for machines such as the MX to read.

I have a newer USB bottom of the line interface from motu that is not compatible with their clockworks software where all of this is supposed to take place before a stable signal is produced for an outboard destination. I bought another hard disk recorder and was able to send midi time code, but i experienced significant drift, which is leading me to believe that its the midi interface, and not the software on the computer or the mx 2424, although I have my suspicians, I spent the evening rereading the manual and found it to be as vague as the motu literature (i.e. I smell ripoff....)

anyway, a newer motu midi interface that is fully compatible with their proprietary clockworks software can be had for an additional 250.00 american dollars (I see your located out of the states). Ive already spent like 100 on a used laptop that is murderously slow, and a host of cables including a dsub25 cable after purchasing the tascam unit that I expected to have up and running within a few minutes after purchasing. very angry, my money is running out and Ive had no results and I dont want to use a desktop solution for esoteric reasons.

I do appreciate your suggestions and further reading of the manual has eased my concerns, but only slightly. Im still bleeding out money with no real end in sight so I may put the whole box back up for sale having never operated it correctly and trying to pass it off onto someone else. after reviewing the selection of used mx2424s on ebay, they are not exactly flying off of the shelf any longer so Im just disappointed thus far but still hopeful there could be a solution.

thanks again for your attention

 

[mozaicman]

no recording or playback, but Im still working through all the menus, I did try and record a signal but got nothing to display on the meters through the tdif cable (no analog card)

Im still grappling with the transport syncing, the most important feature that I bought it for, and after I get it all running together with the computer then Ill move to recording and playback, but a quick answer to your question is no, no signals are being relayed from the motu 2408, which is supposed to act as a standalone digital patch bay.

Ill include some pictures of the problem and perhaps you can lend me some more help at your leisure of course

 

[witzendoz]

Just check that the digital input has been selected, menu 400. Also check that the sample rate and bit rate are the same between devices.

Alan.

 

[mozaicman]

box is a lemon.....
the tdif proprietary input should have worked

I dont know the age of this one, but I would suspect something is amiss with the circuitry

 

[witzendoz]

When you turn it on is the hard drive mounting OK? I ask because nothing works until there is a hard drive mounted.

Also check the internal wiring to make sure that everything is properly connected.

Alan