Tascam 112rmkiii Technical Documentation Manual

							Technical Documentation
122mkIII
When only the best will do, call on TASCAMs122mkIII. The 122mkIII is the de-factostandard for cassette mastering and pla ybackin studios, broadcast, and live applications,and with good reason.  Few products receivethis much attention to detail during ev eryaspect of the production.  The advanceddirect drive motor, Cobalt Amorphous heads,built in test tones and front panel bias and gear/clutch coupled record lev el controls combine to make the 122mkIII the industry standard recorder that professionals depend on.
                                       7733 T elegraph R oad    •   Montebello , CA 90640    •   (323) 726-0303    •   http://www .tascam.comAll features and specifications are subject to change without notice.  C\
ontact y our local TASCAM representativ e for the latest information.
The 122mkIII is designed to offer con venience and reliabilit y tothose who need it all when working in demanding en vironments.If your facilit y has a need for high qualit y recording to cassette,there is nothing better than the 122mkIII.
Recording Studio Mixdown DeckCassettes produced on the 122mkIII will absolutely be referencequality.  The adv anced FG serv o direct drive capstan motor pro vides very stable recordings, with almost no wow and flutter effects.  The three head design allows the user to listen to the recording fromtape.  Y ou wont ha ve to listen to the tape in another pass to mak esure the tape didnt oversatur ate.  The built in tone gener ators and front panel bias controls mak e adjusting the machine to suit the specific tape a breeze.  
Live TheaterSound quality is important, but in liv e productions, there is no tak etwo.  Ev erything has to work right the first time.  T ASCAMs legendary reputation didnt dev elop overnight; it w as the result ofconsistent deliv ery of robust products that nev er let the user down.
Broadcast Applications - Radio StudiosLets face it, we arent always polite when we press PLA Y.  R adio stations work 24 hours a da y.  Three seconds of dead air can costy ou a substantial listener base, with ten seconds losing almost all of it.  The 122mkIII is designed to withstand the beating giv en by engineers under pressure.  Solid controls with status LEDs offer immediate intuitiv e readout of exactly what is going on.  Plus, theparallel in control enables the user to directly interface the122mkIII with broadcast consoles for ev ent starts or recordingwarning lights outside the studio .
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Performance Specifications:Track S ystem:Heads:Type of T ape:Tape Speed:Pitch Control:Motors:
Frequency R esponse:
Total Harmonic Distortion:Signal to Noise R atio:
Wow and Flutter:
Bias/Er ase Frequency:Input RCA & 1/4:Input XLR:Line Output RCA:Line Output XLR:Headphone Output:
General Specifications:Power R equirements:
Power Consumption:Dimensions:
W eight:Optional Accessories:
122mkIII_TECHDOC.pdf032500
4 tr ack, 2 channel stereo(1) Er ase, (1) R ecord, (1) R eproduceCassette C-60, C-901 7/8 ips, 4.76 cm/secApprox ±12%1 FG DC serv o direct-drive capstan motor1 DC reel motor1 DC ancillary motor25Hz -20kHz  ±3dB Metal25Hz -19kHz  ±3dB CrO225Hz -17kHz  ±3dB Normal80dB Dolb y C, 1kHz, 3% THD wtd>70dB Dolby B, 5kHz, 3% THD wtd>60dB Dolb y off
						

							122mkIII Technical Documentation
                                       7733 Telegraph R oad    •   Montebello , CA 90640    •   (323) 726-0303    •   http://www .tascam.comAll features and specifications are subject to change without notice.  C\
ontact y our local TASCAM representativ e for the latest information.Page 2 of 3122mkIII_TECHDOC.pdf032500
The 122mkIII has long been rev ered as the standard for cassette mastering, with few changes made to the original product design.  
The original 122 cassette deck w as in 1980.  The 122 was TASCAMs first professional, r ack mounted, 3 head cassette deck with 2 speeds (1 7/8 and 3 3/4). A y ear after the product was first introduced, NBC standardized their entire oper ation using the TA SCAM 122.  The reason NBC made the change w as because the 122 had all the capabilities for adjustments, and spectacular performance char acteristics.  Aided b y NBCs practical endorsement of the T ASCAM 122, ABC and CBS followed, and before long the 122 became the industry standard. 
In 1987 the 122MKII continued T ASCAMs leadership in the professional cassette mark et. The new features included Dolby HX PRO, the ability to find locate points, a z ero return function, and pitch control.
The 122mkIII was introduced in 1993 incorporating a new and impro ved tr ansport assembly utilizing the Hysteresis T ensionServo Control S ystem, further impro ving thereliability and stabilit y of the legendary 122 heritage.
PRODUCT HISTORY
Not all cassette decks are created equal.  While most cassette decks off\
erDolby Noise R eduction of some sort, here are some features y ou wont find on most run-of-the-mill cassette decks:
Balanced, Unbalanced, and Front Panel Line Connectorsinto any studio , anytime.  The rear panel I/O accepts both balanced andunbalanced signals, and a front panel Line In pro vides simple patching ofancillary gear for reference copies, submixes, or spontaneous dubs.
2 Locate Points and Return To Zerocomparing multiple mixes in quick sequential order , or for marking cues.Return T o Zero is alw ays handy when recording multiple passes.
Dolby HX Profrequency content.  HX Pro recordings do not require an y decoding on playback, so the user can freely apply this system to their recordings.
MPX Filtercan sometimes be compromised b y information around the pilot tone at19kHz, or the sub carrier note at 38kHz.  The MPX Filter remo ves thesetroublesome frequencies.
Oscillators, Front Panel Bias & Recording Level Controlsbr and of tape responds to recordings differently .  Adjusting the bias controls on the recorder can help compensate for this.  The 122mkIIIs three head design allows for real time monitoring of the test tones as they are adjusted.  For additional convenience, the test tone oscillatorsare built right in, so theres no extr a test equipment to track down.  Front panel bias and recording lev el controls make biasing the 122mkIIIeffortless.  Proper bias settings will result in more reliable sonic characteristics in most situations.
THE 122mkIII ADVANTAGE
ARCHITECTS SPECIFICATIONS
The cassette pla yer/recorder shall utiliz e a three head cassette mechanism, using separ ate heads for erase, record, and reproduce.  The tr ansport shall be a directdrive mechanism and emplo y the Hysteresis Tension Servo Control S ystem for increased stabilit y.
Inputs and balanced XLR plugs on the rear panel.  An additional pair of 1/4 inputs shall be located on the front panel.  Lev els shall be displa yed on large VU meters with peak 
LEDs for accur ate display of levels.  The input lev el shall be controlled by large gear/clutched controls on the front panel.  Stereo output lev el shall also be provided on the front panel for convenience.  Headphone output with lev el control shall be pro vided on the front panel.
Monitor panel for selection between input monitor mode and automatic monitor mode.  Dolb y™  B and C noise reduction shall be implemented and switched from the front panel.  An MPX filter shall be switchable from the front panel.
A pitchof pitch control, with a dedicated on/off control. 
Individualaccessible on the front panel, as well as 400Hz and 10kHz oscillators for con venient biasing of the machine.
The the R TZ function (R eturn to Zero) and two locate points.  An additional separ ate button shall trigger the repeat function which will loop between locate 1 and locate 2.  
A 
location with a readout displa ying minutes and seconds.
A parallelremote control and tallies, and it shall be compatible withthe TASCAM RC -134 remote control.
The form, taking three r ack spaces.  The cassette mechanismshall have dimensions of 19 x 5 1/4 x 14 (W x H x D). Metric measurements : 482 x 132 x 356mm (W x H x D).
The 
NOTE:Sound Contractor CD-ROM.  Contact TASCAM for details. 
						

							122mkIII Technical Documentation
                                       7733 Telegraph R oad    •   Montebello , CA 90640    •   (323) 726-0303    •   http://www .tascam.comAll features and specifications are subject to change without notice.  C\
ontact y our local TASCAM representativ e for the latest information.Page 3 of 3122mkIII_TECHDOC.pdf032500
FRONT AND BACK PANEL
OPTIONAL REMOTE (RC-134)PARALLEL I/O
Pin12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
SignalPLA Y InFFWD InREW InPA USE InST OP InREC In   NO T USED   NOT USEDTAPE DIRECTION T ally   NOT USEDPLAY TallyFF T allyREW T allyPA USE T allySTOP T allyREC T ally   NOT USED   NOT USEDREEL PULSE   NOT USEDRTZ InFADER ST ART In   NO T USEDGROUND+5V (Max 50mA)
Control I/O Legend
161820151719212422142325
13572468911131012
Parallel Control Notes:
All command the chart at left.  The commands are activ e when brought to ground for more than 50 milliseconds or longer.
FADER ST ARTfunction.  Pla yback begins when the pin is brought to ground for more than 50 msec, and stops when the ground is released for more than 50 msec.
Tally outputs tr ansport function when the pin is broughtto ground.