Newbie can't turn off reverb DP32sd

[DoctorFine]

OK I'm stumped.
I plugged in two channel audio from my laptop out to the DP32sd to set up my monitor speakers.
There is reverb on the output of the DP32sd even with both effects send one and two off (not post or pre) and both send masters and effects sends set to zero.
I have gone into the effects button and turned off reverb.
I STILL have what sounds like a loud plate reverb echo along with the test music.
I see all kinds of tips on how to use reverb but no mention of how to get rid of it when you don't want it.
The DP32sd is brand new but sat for three years while I was selling my old house etc.
Perhaps it is broken?
More likely I am just not too used to using my new recorder...
I just want to play an audio signal into two channel strips and have it come out with NO reverb on it.
I can't really set the monitors correctly when all that echo is on my audio signal.
Help!

 

[Mark Richards]

Watch Phil Tipping's free video in the Sticky section on doing a reset to a known state and creating a default setup. That should get everything where it needs to be.

 

[DoctorFine]

I watched Phil for several hours.
I set up a "!factory" setting.
Did nothing to shut up the darn reverb.
There is no part of the reset process that addresses reverb settings by the way.
The "!factory" reset just gets some screen dimming and so forth adjusted.
It does NOT have a provision to turn down the reverb and have it remain as a preset "!factory" memory and set to zero which is what I WANT.
What am I doing wrong?

 

[DoctorFine]

Also I have the original firmware on this machine.
I read in an older post that somebody else had trouble clearing out the old effects setting using "initialize" until he upgraded his firmware.
Could this be it?
How do you update the firmware?
I have the proper USB cable.
Do I plug this into the DP32sd and the other end into my laptop?
How do I then download the firmware upgrade?
May not be the reason i am having problems but I KNOW my machine is using the original very old firmware so an update can't HURT...

 

[DoctorFine]

When building the "reset" song that Phil suggests do all the reverb settings turn "off" simply by re-initializing the machine?
If so then my machine is broken because it is NOT turning off the reverb even though I hit "initialize" when setting up the reset song.

 

[DoctorFine]

I have upgraded the software!
Now I shall reinstall the DP32sd in my monitoring position and see if the problems magically disappear!
Will report right back.

 

[Mark Richards]

Watch Video 2 starting at about 7:00. Phil shows how to use the "!factory" initialize reset as the starting point for a custom "!reset".

He demonstrates how to turn on/off all the parameters for all the Inputs and all the Tracks, (the Effects Sends, EQ, Pan, etc), Dynamic Effects, and the Reverb/Delay/Chorus Effects and save those settings as a default template.

Working through that process should get you the result you want. If it doesn't then you have something else going on like a feedback loop or a setting on your computer.

 

[DoctorFine]

Thank you Mark.
I will watch it.
But for whatever reason doing the firmware upgrade download took a lot of the excess reverb away.
Now I simply have a little residual.
Perhaps the tutorial will fix what's still hung up.
Thanks again.
Will report back after trying the new settings suggested by Phil.
ll the best.

 

[DoctorFine]

OK I watched that part again.
I HAVE gone through all the effects settings for every possible combination of source, fader and set everything "off" including all the chorus, reverb all the post-pre-"off" stuff too etc etc .
But the slight bit of reverb is STILL on so I am unable to set up a dummy template screen with everything "off."
I can tell by starting to play a song from my laptop on Spotify and then hitting pause on my Spotify player---and the reverb tail still hangs over and you hear the slight splash it is making AFTER I hit pause and the music stops.
Is this NORMAL?
Is the unit doing this simply because of the conversion process involved in its ADC?
Am I just hearing the input being recorded and when I put it in pause is the sloppy tail simply a snippet of recorded fecal matter?
Or does the Tascam DP32sd "leak" some reverb no matter even if you have all the send/return knobs turned off?
I know this is a cheap little machine but really, I am not happy if it doesn't work properly no matter what the low price.
I am done for now and will simply continue setting things up and studying how it all works.
I haven't done any songs with it and there is some indication on here and from Phil that the tracks will print "dry" even if I am hearing reverb when tracking.
So perhaps this is just a problem when NOT recording but simply using the DP-32sd as a mixer.
I don't know, but I'm a newbie so there's a TON of stuff I don't know yet, ha ha.
If any of you that are more familiar with the machine have a comment--I'm all ears.
I know Phil speaks about how the machine can fool a newbie with leftover commands still running a "mystery" reverb you don't realize is turned on.
But I thought I watched his section on how to reset to "everything off" and I still am living with a mystery.
But what else is new?

 

[-mjk-]

Doctorfine, what you're describing is absolutely not normal. A very quick way to make sure that the internal send FX are not doing anything, is to press the Mixer screen button. It doesn't matter what channel is selected just press the Mixer screen button to display the Mixer, and turn the Master Send 1 and 2 levels all the way down.

 

[Mark Richards]

Another simple test:
Instead of using your laptop as a signal source, plug a mic into an input, assign the input to the stereo bus, and listen to the result. If the Effects (Reverb/Delay/Chorus) are off and the Guitar Effects are off, then you should have just the dry voice.

 

[DoctorFine]

MJK ---so I went to mixer screen and the master sends (and send one and two) are OFF.
Yet the reverb is still ON.
So.
My unit is defective---right?

 

[DoctorFine]

OK Mark, thanks...will try with a mike.
But I think I know the answer.
My last test was my laptop playing an announcer speaking outside and clearly was NOT supposed to have a strong echo/plate/reverb on it.
Yet there it WAS.

 

[-mjk-]

No. Digital stuff pretty much works or not. That's not a failure mode.

How are you feeding audio to the DP? USB interface to 2 inputs, I presume. Did you assign to tracks and arm record? Did you assign to the stereo bus? I would use the Monitor Select function and listen to see if there is any audio on those busses (but I would not expect there to be, based on your reply).

We'll get to the bottom of this.

 

[Mark Richards]

Remember, the 8 Inputs (Source) and the 24 Tracks (Select) each can be set to send a signal to the Reverb/Delay/Chorus Effects. The Guitar Effects only work with one Track at a time, but can be set to On or Off, and then to Record or Play.

Adding to mj's suggestion, you can use Monitor Select to listen to the outgoing signal on Send 1 or Send 2. If there's no signal on Send 1, then nothing is reaching the Reverb/Delay/Chorus Effects. That would narrow it down to the Guitar Effects for further investigation.

If no Track is assigned to Guitar Effects, then the culprit is external to your DP-24.

 

[DoctorFine]

You guys are terrific.
I will continue to work on making pristine audio as I set up the monitors.
Mysteries like this typically turn out to be "operator error" on my part.
I will think about what has been said and keep digging into this machine trying to make friends with it.
Meanwhile thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I have had one side trip after another waiting to see this project studio come alive over the last years.
Even broken I feel like finally something good is happening.
My automated mixer (for extra instrument inputs) bought years ago has had two inputs die of old age before IT got put into action.
This project goes back at least 20 years!
Thank goodness I finally made retirement.
Just being able to work on my own stuff is like heaven.
Still I feel a bit like that old Dutch guy who awoke to find things changed....
Oh yeah.
Rip Van Winkle.
Ha!

 

[DoctorFine]

Reverb still on no matter what I do so far.
Audio coming in from line out of my laptop as analog, not usb digital.
Default assignments to tracks and stereo bus.
No signal when monitoring effect sends---signal only on stereo and output is coming from monitor jacks to my amps and speakers which have no other reverb or other processing.
So the reverb HAS to be in the DP as there isn't any other source in the room.
I play a song from my laptop and hit pause on the laptop---and you hear the reverb tailing off.
Plus you hear it all the time while monitoring.
I think maybe my machine is broken and leaking reverb.
It's tough to swallow never having used it that it has a problem now after sitting in the box all these years.
I usually immediately check new stuff I buy for defects but this time life interrupted my plans.
Looks like I get to eat a defective unit.
I was afraid they might stop making it but at this point I'd be better off looking for an old Ampex tape machine and having it restored.
At least it wouldn't come with built in reverb!

I'm done.
If I EVER find out there is a better answer I will report immediately.
For now. Peace

 

[Mark Richards]

Reverb still on no matter what I do so far...So the reverb HAS to be in the DP as there isn't any other source in the room.

What happened when you plugged in the mic directly?

You still haven't ruled out your computer/media player enhancement effects. Have they all been turned off?

 

[-mjk-]

Once I heard reverb on my bluetooth monitors that I couldn't explain. Turns out that somehow, reverb was turned on in my Samsung Music player. I eliminated all other factors and that was the only thing left. I had never turned that on, but, there it was. Assume nothing.

So the reverb HAS to be in the DP as there isn't any other source in the room.

Unless you specifically check the audio source, the above statement, and everything based on that assumption is flawed. You've already proven that the reverb is not coming from the DP machine. So, why do you assume that the machine is broken?

Feed your studio monitors directly from the computer and bypass the machine. That will tell the story.

 

[DoctorFine]

NOW I get what you're all saying.
I have never heard this laptop play a reverb effect in the last eight years but anything is possible.
Now I'm checking it.
OMG!!!
My LAPTOP somehow decided to go into Realtek Audio Manager AND TURN ON A REVERB!!!
ALL BY ITSELF!!!!!!
Thank you all.

YOU FIXED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mark and mjk to the RESCUE!!!!!!!

WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!