Tascam Digital Multitrack Recorder DA-98 Owners Manual

							Section 8 – Advanced operations  
8-2 – 1.00 – 06/97
exact location point) and 59 minutes, 59 seconds, 
in 1 second increments.
1) Go to menu group 0, move the cursor to 
Loc
Pre
, and press ENTER.
2) Use the 
LEFT and RIGHT keys to select the field 
you wish to edit (minutes or seconds) and the 
UP and DOWN keys to change the value.
You can also use the function keys to enter the 
value directly, as described in 5.2.2, “Using the 
function keys as number keys”.
When you go to a location point, the tape will now 
locate to the location point, minus the value you 
have just entered. For instance, if the location point 
is at “00:12:04:03” and you have set a location 
pre-roll time of 5 seconds, the tape will locate to 
“00:11:59:03”.
8.1.4 Moving to MEMO 1 and MEMO 2
When you have set the location memories as 
described above, you simply need to press the 
LOC 1 or LOC 2 keys ([22] or [23]) to move the 
tape to these location points.
The display will show the location memory value 
and the pre-roll time.
The tape will locate to the location memory minus 
the location pre-roll time, as described above.
8.2 Function key location 
memories
As explained earlier, the ten “soft” function keys 
can be assigned to locate to memorized positions.
8.2.1 Storing a function key location 
memory
In addition to the MEMO 1 and MEMO 2 memo-
ries, you can also assign 10 additional memories 
to the function keys. 
The function keys must be in “location memory” 
mode (see 5.2, “Function key modes”).
The tape transport can be in any function (play, 
record, stop, shuttle) when you store a memory 
and assign it to a function key.
1) Press the 
SHIFT key.
The SHIFT indicator will start to flash.
2) Press the LOC 2/PRESET key [14]
3) Press the function key to which you want to 
assign a memory.
The display screen will show the time of the loca-
tion memory after you have stored it to a function 
key.
You can continue to press function keys to add 
location memory points. If you are recording a 
song, for example, you could run the tape from the 
beginning of the song and use the function key 
memories to mark the beginning of verses, cho-
russes, instrumental breaks, etc. In post-production 
work, you could use this feature to mark important 
points in the video soundtrack.
4) To use the function keys for their preset 
functions as written on the front panel, press 
SHIFT again so that the SHIFT indicator goes 
out.
8.2.2 Editing function key memories
Function key memories can be edited in the same 
way as the MEMO 1 and MEMO 2 memories.
NOTE
This pre-roll time is independent of the punch pre-roll 
time (see 6.6.4, “Editing the pre-roll and post-roll 
times”).
Locate Pre-roll
00min06sec
Locate Preroll
Point Time
10:02:23:08 00m03s
Function Preset
PUSH FUNCTION KEY
Locate Position 
						

							Section 8 – Advanced operations
06/97 – 1.00 – 8-3
1) Go to menu group 7, move the cursor to Loc
(Func)
, and press ENTER:
2) Move the cursor to the function key number, 
and use the 
UP and DOWN keys to select the 
number of the function key memory that you 
want to change.
3) Use the 
LEFT and RIGHT keys to select the field 
(hours, minutes, seconds or frames) and use the 
UP and DOWN keys to change the value of the 
field.
There is an “invisible” field to the right of the 
number. Moving the cursor to this field and press-
ing the 
UP and DOWN keys will “fine-tune” the 
whole time value.
8.2.3 Locating to a function key memory
Once a location has been assigned to a function 
key, this is the procedure for location to the mem-
ory position:
1) Press the 
SHIFT key.
The SHIFT indicator will start to blink.
2) Press the function key corresponding to the 
memory to which you want to locate.
The display will show the location point and the 
pre-roll time, and the tape will start to locate to the 
appropriate location memory. 
3) To use the function keys for their preset 
functions as written on the front panel, press 
SHIFT again so that the SHIFT indicator goes 
out.
8.2.4 Location and playback
If you press the PLAY key while the tape is locat-
ing (the 
PLAY key will flash), the tape will start 
playing when it reaches the location point.
If you press 
PLAY twice while the tape is locating, 
the 
PLAY key will light steadily, the tape will stop 
and playback will start immediately.If you have pressed the 
AU TO  P LAY key [12] 
before pressing the 
SHIFT key in step 1, (the AU TO  
PLAY
 indicator is on), replay will start automati-
cally when the location point is reached.
8.2.5 Repeat function
You can repeat playback continuously between 
the two location memory points (
Memo 1 and 
Memo 2). 
The tape will wind to a little before the first point 
(if it is not there already) and start playing. The 
off-tape monitoring will start at the first memory 
location and continue until the second location is 
reached. The tape will then stop playing, and 
rewind to a little before the first point and start 
playing again.
8.2.6 To start repeat play
1) When the two location points have been set, 
press the 
REPEAT key [21] . 
2) The tape will locate to the first location point 
and start playing until the second location 
point, rewind to the first location point, and 
play again. This process will be repeated.
While the tape position is between the two location 
points, the 
REPEAT indicator will be lit steadily. It 
will flash while the tape position is outside the two 
location points.
3) Stop the repeat function by pressing the 
REPEAT key.
The REPEAT indicator will go out.
 If the tape is playing, it will continue playing (past 
the second location point). 
Locate Position
(Function Key)
ABS
F. 1 10:04:23:15
NOTE
When we talk about the “first” and the “second” loca-
tions here, we are referring to the earlier and later loca-
tion times. 
Memo 1 could be at a later time than 
Memo 2, and hence we would refer to it in this sec-
tion as the “second location point”. 
						

							Section 8 – Advanced operations  
8-4 – 1.00 – 06/97If the tape is rewinding to the first location point 
when the 
REPEAT key is pressed, it will stop.
8.3 Track delay
The DA-98 allows you to delay tracks relative to 
the other tracks, either when recording or playing 
back. You can use this function for post-produc-
tion “slip”, compensate for delays caused by 
external processing equipment, allow for propaga-
tion delay in multi-microphone sessions or add 
special effects.
The track delay can be set from –200 samples to 
+7200 samples. A negative number means that the 
track on which the “delay” setting is made is 
advanced in time relative to the other tracks. How-
ever, this does not mean that the DA-98 includes a 
time machine! Since the monitoring head is a “vir-
tual” head, made of a composite of delayed off-
tape and input source signals, the “position” of the 
recording head can be adjusted in both directions.
The track delay, expressed in seconds, is between 
–4 to +150 milliseconds. At a typical sound propa-
gation rate, the maximum value corresponds to 
about 50 meters (about 160 feet) of distance.
8.3.1 To set the track delay:
1) Select menu group 0, and move the cursor to 
Delay. Press the ENTER key:2) To select the track whose delay time you want 
to change, move the cursor to the number at 
the bottom left of the screen and use the 
UP and 
DOWN keys to select the track.
If the function keys are in number entry mode (see 
5.2.2, “Using the function keys as number keys”), 
you can use keys 
F 1 through F 8 to select tracks 1 
through 8 directly.
You can select tracks 
1 through 8 or all (all 
can be selected using function keys 9 or 10).
3) By moving the cursor to the bottom right 
parameter (shown here as “
Sample”), and 
using the 
UP and DOWN keys, you can display 
and set the track delay in either samples or 
milliseconds (
msec).
4) Move the cursor to the central number. The 
UP 
and 
DOWN keys will change the delay value for 
the selected track(s).
Remember that you can reset the value to zero by 
pressing and holding the 
UP key and then pressing 
the 
DOWN key. If “all” has been selected for the 
track, then all track delays will be reset to zero.
You can also use the function keys to enter the 
value directly, as described in 5.2.2, “Using the 
function keys as number keys”.
8.4 Crossfade times
As we mentioned earlier (see 6.6, “Punch-in and 
punch-out”), digital punch recording requires that 
the original and new signal be crossfaded over a 
short period of time.
The factory default crossfade time for the DA-98 
is 10 ms, and this can be adjusted in 10 millisec-
ond steps to a maximum of 200 ms.
For the most part, 10ms is an adequate value and 
will produce seamless punches, but there may be 
times (matching reverb settings, etc.) when a 
longer crossfade is required.
NOTES
• The two location points must be at least 5 seconds apart 
for the repeat facility to be operational.
• If you have only set one location point, the repeat will 
be between “00:00:00:00” and the location point.
• Pressing any transport control while repeat play is in 
progress will stop the replay, but will not cancel the 
repeat mode. To restart the repeat playback, locate to 
either location point, and while the tape is winding, 
press 
PLAY. Alternatively, press PLAY while the 
tape is before the second location point.
Track Delay Time
Track
1 0000 Sample
NOTE
When any track is set to be delayed, the DELAY indica-
tor by the tape counter [2] will light. 
						

							Section 8 – Advanced operations
06/97 – 1.00 – 8-5
1) Select menu group 1, move the cursor to X-
Fade
 and press ENTER.
2) Use the 
UP and DOWN keys to adjust the 
crossfade time.
You can also use the function keys to enter the 
value directly, as described in 5.2.2, “Using the 
function keys as number keys”
8.5 Vari speed (pitch control)
The speed of recording and playback (and hence 
the pitch) of the DA-98 can be adjusted to 6% 
above or below normal speed in 0.1% steps.
8.5.1 To set a non-standard speed
1) Select menu group 0, move the cursor to Vari
Spd
, and press ENTER:
2) Use the 
LEFT and RIGHT keys to move the 
cursor by the left parameter (
Vari or Fix).
3) Use the 
UP and DOWN keys to select Vari 
rather than 
Fix.
The VARI SPEED indicator by the tape counter [2] 
will light.
4) Move the cursor to the value setting and use the 
UP and DOWN keys to alter the speed in 0.1% steps.
Playback and recording will now take place at the 
new speed.
8.5.2 Resetting the speed to standard
1) Select menu 0, move the cursor to Vari Spd, 
and press 
ENTER:
2) Move the cursor to the 
Vari field.
3) Use the 
UP and DOWN keys to changeVari
toFix.
The VARI SPEED indicator by the tape counter [2] 
will go out.
8.6 Shuttle operations
The shuttle switch, indicator and knob [26] are 
used to simulate the “rock and roll” location 
method on open-reel tape decks, allowing you to 
locate a point on tape through audible cues.
As the knob is moved from the center detented 
position, the shuttle speed becomes higher.
The variation in speed is not continuous; but as 
you turn the knob from the center position, the 
shuttle speed changes, following these values (rel-
Crossfade Time
10ms
NOTE
You cannot operate the pitch control when the DA-98 is 
slaved to another unit, or synchronized to an external 
word clock (see 4.2.3, “Word clock connections”) or to 
a video clock (see 4.2.2, “Video connections”).
Vari Speed
Fix + 0.0%
NOTES
•The VARI SPEED indicator by the tape counter [2] 
will light whenever the setting is Vari, even if the 
speed is set to0.0%.
• If pull up or pull down (Fs shift) is enabled (see 10.3.1, 
“Pull up and pull down (Fs shift)”, vari speed cannot be 
enabled.
Vari Speed
Vari + 1.4%
NOTE
Remember that the VARI SPEED indicator reflects the 
status of the 
Vari/Fix parameter, not the value of 
the variable speed. If the speed is set to a value other 
than 
0.0%, and the status is Fix, the speed will 
remain at the standard value until 
Fix is changed to 
Vari. 
						

							Section 8 – Advanced operations  
8-6 – 1.00 – 06/97
ative to normal speed): 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0. 
The 1.0 speed is only available when shuttling in 
the forward direction.
Shuttle operations are only possible when the 
SHUTTLE indicator is lit (press the SHUTTLE 
switch).
8.6.1 Shuttle monitoring
This is also covered in 7.1.3, “Shuttle monitor-
ing”.
The default behavior of the DA-98 is that when 
shuttling the tape, you can choose whether to 
monitor off-tape or source when shuttling, using 
the tracks’
 INPUT MONITOR switches.
When 
AU TO  M O N  [19] is on, the monitoring of 
any armed tracks will be off-tape, unless the 
SHTL 
MON
 [20] is on, in which case, the monitoring of 
armed tracks will be source input. The monitoring 
of all other (unarmed) tracks can still be switched 
on a track-by-track basis using the tracks’
 INPUT 
MONITOR
 switches.
The 
SHTL MON key is only enabled when AU TO 
MON
 is on. When AUTO M ON is off, it has no 
effect.
8.6.2 Shuttle muting
As explained above, shuttling the tape will usually 
allow off-tape monitoring. However, there may be 
times when you will want to mute all off-tape sig-
nals when shuttling.1) Enter menu group 2, move the cursor to 
Shtl
Mute
 and press ENTER:
2) Use the 
UP and DOWN keys to set the shuttle 
mute 
on or off.
8.7 Reference levels
The value of reference level (for analog inputs and 
outputs) on the DA-98 can be selected from 
among three standard values: TASCAM, SMPTE 
and European reference levels, depending on the 
application. The meanings of these three levels 
are:
To set the reference level, perform the following 
steps:
1) Enter menu group 2, move the cursor to 
Ref
Level
, and press ENTER:
2) Use the 
UP and DOWN keys to select between 
the following: 
-16d BFS, -18d BFS and
 
-20d BFS.
NOTE
If the SHUTTLE knob remains untouched at the 
center position for 10 seconds, the shuttle mode is dis-
abled, and the indicator goes off.
NOTE
When monitoring in shuttle mode, the monitor signal is 
attenuated by 12 dB (to avoid possible damage to ears 
and speakers ).
Shuttle Mute
off
StandardReference 
level 
(0dBFs)Nominal 
levelMaximum 
level
TASCAM –16dB +4dBu +20dBu
European –18dB +4dBu +22dBu
SMPTE –20dB +4dBu +24dBu
Analog In/Out
Reference Level
-16 dB 
						

							Section 8 – Advanced operations
06/97 – 1.00 – 8-7 The 
REF LEVEL indicators [7] will light in the 
following way to show the level selected:
8.8 Meter modes
The DA-98 peak bargraph meters can be custom-
ized to suit your working preferences. Both the 
peak hold time and the “ballistics” of the meters 
can be adjusted.
8.8.1 Peak hold time
1) Enter menu group 2, move the cursor to 
Meter Mode and press ENTER:
2) Use the 
LEFT and RIGHT keys to select the 
Peak Hold parameter and the UP and DOWN 
keys to set the value for the peak signal level 
hold time.
This value can be set to values between 0 seconds 
(peak levels are not held at all) and 9 seconds. 
There is another value, 
Continue, which will 
permanently display the maximum peak signal 
level. This can be useful if you are doing a “dry 
run” rehearsal, but you cannot keep your eyes on 
the meters all the time that the rehearsal is going 
on.
You can also use the function keys in the number 
key mode (see 5.2.2, “Using the function keys as 
number keys”) to enter the peak time directly.
8.8.2 Meter ballistics
Use the same menu (Level Meter Mode) as 
described above to change the “fall-back” ballis-
tics of the peak meters. You cannot change the rise 
time of the meters, which are fixed with peak 
meter characteristics.
1) Move the cursor to the 
Release parameter 
and use the 
UP and DOWN keys to select 
between 
Slow, Medium and Fast.
8.9 Sine oscillator
The DA-98 incorporates a digital oscillator for 
lineup and signal tracing purposes. This oscillator 
is a sine-wave oscillator at either the standard tun-
ing frequency of 440Hz or the standard tape line-
up frequency of 1kHz.
The oscillator signal level is at the nominal signal 
level of +4dBu (but note that since the oscillator is 
a constant sine wave, it cannot truly be compared 
with “real-world” transient signals).
To operate the oscillator:
1) Enter menu 2, move the cursor to 
Sine Osc.
and press ENTER:
2) Use the 
UP and DOWN keys to turn the 
oscillator between 
off, 440 Hz and 1kHz.
When the oscillator is turned on, it overrides all 
other track inputs.
8.9.1 Recording the oscillator 
As mentioned above, the oscillator overrides all 
other track inputs, regardless of whether digital or 
analog input has been selected.
Recording the oscillator test tone is therefore sim-
ilar to any other recording operation.
Level Indicators
-16dBFS16 indicator is lit
-18dBFSNeither indicator is lit
-20dBFS20 indicator is lit
NOTE
Any tapes produced with the TASCAM DA-88 or DA-
38 will conform to the TASCAM standard.
Level Meter Mode
Peak Hold Release
0 sec Fast
NOTE
To turn off the peak hold display if Continue has 
been set, change the peak hold value to 
0 seconds and 
the meter segments will “drop back”.
Sine Oscillator
off
WARNING
When using the oscillator, you should turn down the 
monitor levels in the control room and studio to avoid 
damage to your ears (and the speakers). 
						

							Section 8 – Advanced operations  
8-8 – 1.00 – 06/97
8.10 Digital recording
The DA-98 is able to accept (and output) digital 
signals at the 
DIGITAL I/O connector [45] in TDIF-
1 format. The IF-88AE and IF-88SD interface 
units provide conversion to and from AES/EBU 
(and SP-DIF) and SDIF-2 formats.
The DA-98 should be connected to other TDIF-1 
equipment using a PW-88D or PW-88DL connec-
tor cable.
The DA-98 should be set to be either a word clock 
master or a word clock slave when connected to 
other digital equipment. There can only be one 
word clock master in a setup.
Since the TDIF-1 format carries a word clock as 
part of the interface, there is no need to make a 
word clock connection when recording through 
the 
DIGITAL I/O connector.
8.10.1 Changing between digital and 
analog inputs
To change between digital and analog inputs, sim-
ply press the 
DIGITAL IN switch [15]. The DIGITAL 
IN
 indicator will light.
8.10.2 Selecting word length
When data is accepted through the DIGITAL I/O 
connector, the word length of the incoming data 
must be set. This can be selected from between 
16-bit, 20-bit or 24-bit. To set the word length:1) Select menu 2, move the cursor to 
Word Len, 
and press 
ENTER:
2) Use the 
UP and DOWN keys to change the value 
between 
16, 20 and 24 bits.
We suggest that you experiment with the dither 
settings (see 8.13, “Dither”) if you find you are 
recording quantization noise at low levels when 
the input word length is set to 20 or 24 bits. 
Though you will lose a little in the signal-to-noise 
ratio, total harmonic distortion figures will be 
improved.
8.11 Routing digital inputs
When recording analog signals, it’s usual to route 
them through a console’s sub-grouping system or 
if the number of groups is not sufficient, through 
an external patchbay. 
Neither of these is an easy option with digital sig-
nals, and so the DA-98 provides a kind of internal 
patchbay in the form of the Track Copy function 
(see 8.11.1, “Track Copy (channel-to-track rout-
ing)”). 
The default setting for this feature is “straight 
through”, as shown below.
WARNING
Only use a TASCAM digital cable when making digital 
audio connections to the DA-98. Other types of cable 
may cause damage to the system, and the warranty will 
be voided if such damage is caused by use of the wrong 
cables.
NOTE
If you attempt to record digitally from a digital source 
which has a different frequency from that previously 
recorded as the DA-98’s tape format, the Fs indicator 
corresponding to the tapes sampling frequency will start 
to flash. This indicates a frequency mismatch.
Recording with different sampling frequencies is not 
recommended – problems will certainly occur on replay 
of such a recording.
TDIF Word Length
16 bit
NOTE
If you are dubbing tracks from a DA-88, this value must 
always be set to 16 bits.
3456782112345678
3456782112345678
Track Copy
Input 12345678 (Dig)
Tape
Track 12345678 on
Inputs
Tape
tracks 
						

							Section 8 – Advanced operations
06/97 – 1.00 – 8-9
However, each track can be patched internally to 
take its input from any one of the eight inputs or 
from any one of the other tape tracks. Note that in 
the example below, it is possible for a track to act 
as an input source to another track at the same 
time that it is recording from an external input. 
This allows great flexibility in dubbing situations.
Naturally since the DA-98 tracks are digital, there 
is no loss of quality incurred when tracks are 
transferred.
8.11.1 Track Copy (channel-to-track 
routing)
1) Select menu group 0, move the cursor to Trk
Copy
 and press ENTER:
2) Use the 
LEFT and RIGHT keys to move the 
cursor to the 
off on the bottom line of the 
display and change it to 
on.
The TRACK COPY indicator will light.
3) Use the LEFT and RIGHT keys to move the 
cursor to the track you want to route. 
You can also use the function keys as number keys 
for direct selection of the track (see 5.2.2, “Using 
the function keys as number keys”).
4) Use the UP and DOWN keys to change the track 
input between inputs 1 through 8 and tracks 1 
through 8.
5) To re-route a track to its input, press and hold 
down the 
UP key and then press the DOWN key.
8.12 REC MUTE (recording 
silence)
There may be times when you wish to prevent any 
signal from reaching an armed track (in other 
words, when you record, you are recording silence 
onto the track.
1) Enter menu group 1, move the cursor to 
Rec
mute
and press ENTER:
In the screen above, tracks 7 and 8 are muted (no 
input signal is routed to them). 
2) Use the LEFT and RIGHT cursor keys to 
navigate between tracks. Use the 
UP and DOWN 
keys to switch the track muting of individual 
tracks on or off.
Pressing and holding the UP key and then pressing 
the 
DOWN key will reset the REC MUTE settings 
of all tracks.
8.13 Dither
Dither is the technique of adding a known noise to 
low-level signals, especially when converting 
from a high number of bits (for instance 24 or 20 
NOTE
It is not possible to combine tracks (as in conventional 
“ping-pong”) using the Track Copy function. Combin-
ing of tracks must be carried out through an external 
mixing console. You can bounce a track to itself, but it is 
not a particularly meaningful process!
Track Copy
Input 12345678 (Ana)
Tape
Track 12345678 off
3456782112345678
3456782112345678
Track Copy
Input 1234 (Dig)
Tape 1234
Track 12345678 on
Inputs
Tape
tracks
NOTE
If you change from analog to digital input (see 8.10.1, 
“Changing between digital and analog inputs”) or vice 
versa, the display will change between
(Ana) and 
(Dig) as appropriate.
Rec Mute
On
»»
Off»»»»»»
trk 12345678 
						

							Section 8 – Advanced operations  
8-10 – 1.00 – 06/97
input bits, as in the case of the DA-98) to a lower 
number (for instance 16, the DA-98’s tape word 
length) to improve quantization. 
Paradoxically, this technique of adding noise 
removes quantization noise and distortion at low 
signal levels and improves the overall distortion 
figures.
1
Though quantization noise is reduced, there is a 
loss of a few dB in the signal-to-noise ratio. For 
this reason, the DA-98 does not implement dither 
as a standard, but allows you to choose between 
no dither, rectangular or triangular (the shapes 
refer to the distribution of values in the digital 
noise). Rectangular gives about 3dB better signal-
to-noise ratio than triangular, but there is noise 
modulation, which may be audible when record-
ing and playing back low-level program sources.
8.13.1 Selecting dither settings
1) Select menu group 1, move the cursor to 
Dither and press ENTER.
2) Use the 
UP and DOWN keys to select the dither 
function you want, and press 
ENTER to confirm 
the setting.
1  A full discussion of dither and other digital audio tech-
niques is outside the scope of this manual. However, a 
good starting point for learning about this, and other 
aspects of digital audio, is John Watkinson’s The Art of 
Digital Audio
, pub Focal Press.
8.14 Setting the power-on 
message
You can set a power-on message of up to 20 char-
acters (letters, numbers and some punctuation) 
which will be displayed when the DA-98 is turned 
on.
The default message is 
TASCAM.To set a message 
other than this:
1) Select menu group 2, move the cursor to 
PwrOn Msg and press ENTER:
2) To clear the current message, use the 
LEFT and 
RIGHT keys to move the cursor to CLEAR and 
press 
the ENTER key.
3) Use the 
LEFT and RIGHT keys to move the 
cursor to the left field, and press the 
UP and 
DOWN keys to select a character.
Characters available are: A through Z, -, ., 
[space] and
1 through9 (you can use the letter 
“
O” for the “0” (zero) character).
4) Press ENTER to confirm the character and add 
it to the end of the power-on message.
5) Press 
ESCAPE when all characters have been 
entered.
NOTES
• We suggest using the confidence mode of off-tape mon-
itoring when recording using dither in order to be able to 
check the effect instantly (see 7.2, “Confidence mode”).
• Dither can be turned on and off while recording is tak-
ing place. However, there will probably be an audible 
change in the sound quality. We suggest making a test 
recording before a session using confidence mode. In 
this way you will be able to make an instant assessment 
of the effects of the different dither settings on your pro-
gram material.
Dither
Rectangular
Power-on Message
ROCKJOE STUDIOS
S CLEAR INIT
NOTE
To reset the message to TASCAM, move the cursor 
to INIT and press the ENTER key. The current 
message will be erased and replaced. 
						

							Section 9 – Synchronization with other DTRS units
06/97 – 1.00 – 9-1
9 – Synchronization with other 
DTRS units
This section describes the techniques and methods 
to be followed when the DA-98 is linked to other 
DTRS units (e.g. TASCAM DA-38, DA-88 and of 
course other DA-98 units).
Up to 16 DTRS units can be linked, for a total of 
128 digital tracks.
If you are connecting DTRS units of different 
types to the DA-98, use the DA-98 as the master 
unit and the other units as slave units.
9.1 Synchronization 
connections
As described in 4.4.1, “Multiple DTRS units”, the 
cable to be used when connecting the DA-98 to 
other DTRS units for synchronization purposes 
should be a PW-88S cable. This is 1 meter (3 ft.) 
long. If you require a longer cable, please consult 
your TASCAM dealer.
The synchronization connections form a “daisy-
chain”, with the master unit at the head of the 
chain, and the last slave at the tail.
Connections are made from the 
SYNC OUT [44] of 
one unit to the 
REMOTE IN/SYNC IN [43] of the 
next. 
You do not need to change the 
CLOCK setting from 
INT [30] or to connect the WORD SYNC 
connectors [39].
9.2 Machine ID and master/
slave settings
Each DTRS unit in the chain must be assigned a 
machine ID. The unit at the head of the chain (the 
master) should have ID number 1. 
Though not strictly necessary, we suggest, that 
IDs are assigned in a consecutive sequential order 
from the head of the chain.
9.2.1 Differences between DTRS models
The DA-98 and DA-38 both use machine IDs that 
are set by software (the machine must be turned 
on for the ID to be set). The values for the IDs of 
these models start at “1” and go up to “16”. 
The switch on the back of the DA-88 is only oper-
ative when the unit is turned off. It is marked from 
“0” through “F”. 
When including DA-88s and DA-98s in the same 
chain, add 1 to the number shown on the DA-88’s 
rear panel machine ID switch to make the DA-
88’s machine ID match the series of the DA-98 
(and DA-38) IDs. Any DA-88 whose Machine ID 
is not 1 (the switch has been set to a value other 
than 0) will show its Slave ID briefly at power-on.
Therefore, for a chain of three units; a DA-98 as 
master, with a DA-88 and DA-38 as slaves, the 
machines’ IDs should be set as follows:
WARNINGS
• Be sure to use only the optional PW-88S sync cables. 
The use of any other cables could damage the DA-98.
• Be sure to connect the termination plug that comes with 
the PW-88S cable to the last slave’s SYNC OUT con-
nector [44], or else incorrect functions may occur.
• Turn on all the DTRS units in your system, regardless of 
whether you actually use all of them. A unit or units 
turned off will make synchronization impossible.
• To synchronize multiple DTRS units, use a pre-format-
ted tape in the master unit, and also in the slave units. 
Since the DTRS system uses ABS time to achieve syn-
chronization, tapes without ABS time recorded on them 
make synchronization impossible.
• To synchronize multiple DTRS units, all the tapes in 
each unit must be formatted at the same sampling rate, 
or synchronization is impossible.
WARNING
Always make and break all synchronization connections 
with the power to all units in the chain turned OFF.
UnitHow the ID is 
set
DA-98 1 1 Menu system (see 
below)ON
DA-88 1 2 Rotary switch on 
rear panelOFF