Tascam Double Auto Reverse Cassette Deck 202mkiv Owners Manual

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
TASCAM  202MKIV 11

2 − Features of the 202MKIV

Display
1	Peak level meter	
This	shows	recording	and	playback	levels.
2	SYNC REV	
This	indicator	lights	when	the	synchro	reverse	dub
-
bing	function	is	switched	on.
3	PARALLEL	
This	indicator	lights	to	indicate	parallel	recording	is	
taking	place.
4	BLANK SCAN	
This	indicator	lights	to	indicate	the	corresponding	
function	is	switched	on.	
5	Playback /recording direction indicator of TAPE 1 deck
6	Pause indicator	
This	indicator	lights	when	the	TAPE	1	deck	is	tem
-
porarily	stopped.
7	Tape counter of TAPE 1 deck	
The	tape	counter	indicates	the	relative	position	of	
the	tape.	You	can	reset	the	counter	to	zero	whenever	
you	want.
	 During	a	CPS	function,	the	tape	counter	shows	
CP	
and	your	specified	number	of	songs	to	skip	ahead	or	
back.
8	Record indicator	
This	indicator	lights	when	the	TAPE	1	deck	is	in	
record	mode.
9	Play indicator	
This	indicator	lights	when	the	TAPE	1	deck	is	in	
play	mode.
0	Dubbing indicator	
NORMAL DUB	lights	during	normal	speed	dubbing,	and	
HIGH DUB	lights	during	high	speed	dubbing.
q	Play indicator	
This	indicator	lights	when	the	TAPE	2	deck	is	in	
play	mode.
w	Record indicator	
This	indicator	lights	when	the	TAPE	2	deck	is	in	
record	mode.
e	Tape counter of TAPE 2 deck	
The	tape	counter	indicates	the	relative	position	of	
the	tape.	You	can	reset	the	counter	to	zero	whenever	
you	want.
	 During	CPS	operation,	the	tape	counter	shows	
CP	
and	the	number	of	songs	you	have	specified	to	skip	
ahead	or	back.
r	Pause indicator	
This	indicator	lights	when	the	TAPE	2	deck	is	tem
-
porarily	stopped.
t	Playback /recording direction indicator of TAPE 2 deck
123 4
567 89 0q wer t 
						

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
1 TASCAM 202MKIV

Playback 1 (either TAPE 1 or TAPE 2)
1.	 Switch	on	the	POWER.
2.	 Load	a	pre-recorded	tape	into	the	TAPE	1	or	2	
deck.
	 Press	the	
EJECT	key	(ø)	to	open	the	cassette	
compartment.	Insert	the	cassette	tape	with	its	
open	edge	facing	down,	the	desired	side	facing	
you.	Then,	close	the	cassette	compartment	by	
pushing	on	its	front	part.
Side “A” facing you
	This cassette deck can play back Normal (Type I), 
Chrome (Type II) and Metal (Type IV) tapes.
  For the sake of simplicity, we refer to the tape side 
facing you as Side “A” and to the tape side facing 
away as Side “B”. When you insert a cassette with 
Sides “A” and “B” reversed, Side “A” should read 
Side “B” and Side “B” should read Side “A”.
3.	 Select	a	reverse	mode	setting	using	the	
REV 
MODE	switch.
You	have	a	choice	of	three	settings:
	Ä:	One	way	mode
	Set the switch to this position to playback 
only one side.
	Ë:	Two	way	mode
	 	 Set the switch to this position to play back  
  both sides of the tape in one session. When  
  playback reaches the end of side “A”, the  
  playback direction is automatically reversed,   
  and playback continues on side “B”.
	ä:	Repeat	mode
	 	 Set the switch to this position. Both sides  
  of the tape in the Tape 1 deck is played back 
continuously until you stop the operation, 
and both sides of the tape in the Tape 2 deck 
is played back as many as 5 times.
4.	 Set	the	
DOLBY NR	switch.
  Set the switch to the ON position when playing 
back tapes recorded with Dolby NR.
  To play tapes recorded without Dolby NR, set the 
switch to the OFF position.
5.	 Press	the	
PLAY	key	(˙	or	¥).
	 Pressing	the	¥	key	starts	playback	from	side	
“A”.
	Playback stops when reaching the end of side “A” 
if the reverse mode is set to Ä. If the reverse 
mode is set to Ë, playback continues on side 
“B”, stopping at the end of side “B”. If the reverse 
mode is set to ä, playback cycles through both 
tape sides 5 times.
	 Pressing	the	
˙	key	starts	playback	from	side	
“B”.
	Playback stops when reaching the end of side “B” 
if the reverse mode is set to either Ä or Ë. If 
the reverse mode is set to ä, side “B” is played 
back, and then playback cycles through both tape 
sides 4 times.
3 − Playback 
						

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
TASCAM  202MKIV 1 

3 − Playback

Playback 2 (either TAPE 1 or TAPE 2)
A.	 To	stop	playback,	press	the	STOP	key	(ª).
B.	 To	stop	playback	temporarily,	press	the	PAUSE	
key.	To	resume	playback,	press	the	
PAUSE	key	
again,	or	press	the	
PLAY	key	(˙	or	¥).
 While playback is paused, pressing the PLAY key 
whose direction is opposite to the indicator (˙	or 
¥) on the display, will switch the playback direc-
tion. This does not release the pause function. 
Press PAUSE or the same play key (˙ or ¥) again 
to start playback on the other side of the tape.
C.	 Fast	forward/Rewind
	 Press	the	
Ô	or	,	key	while	in	stop	mode	to	
fast	wind	the	tape.
	 To	stop	the	fast	winding	tape,	press	the	STOP	
key	(
ª).
D.	 Tape	counter
	 Press	the	
COUNTER RESET key	to	reset	the	
tape	counter	to	
0000.	You	can	use	this	func-
tion	for	easy	relocation	of	any	desired	point	on	
the	tape.
E.	 Pitch	control	(TAPE	1	deck	only)
	 This	control	varies	the	pitch	of	the	music	dur
-
ing	playback	(This	control	does	not	work	dur
-
ing	recording	or	dubbing)
.
	Turning the PITCH CONTROL knob clockwise 
increases the playback speed and raises the pitch 
up to +10%.
  Turning the 
PITCH CONTROL knob counter-
clockwise reduces the playback speed and lowers 
the pitch by a maximum of –10%.
F.	To	listen	through	headphones
W A R N I N G
	 Ther e 	is 	no 	level 	control 	for 	the 	headphones	
output . 	Beware 	that 	sudden 	loud 	sounds 	may	
o c c u r 	d e p e n d i n g 	o n 	r e c o r d e d 	m at e r i a l . 	Yo u	
should 	avoid 	prolonged 	exposure 	to 	high 	vol
-
ume	sound	as	this	can	damage	your	hearing.
	 Plug	your	headphones	into	the	PHONES	jack,	
and	put	on	the	headphones.
	Plugging into the PHONES jack does not disable 
the line outputs. 
						

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
1 TASCAM 202MKIV

3 − Playback

3
3

Continuous playback can be performed between 
TAPE 1 and TAPE 2. When one tape is played back to 
the end, the other tape automatically starts playback, 
in a relay fashion.
1.	 Load	pre-recorded	tapes	into	the	TAPE	1	and	
TAPE	2	compartments.
2.	 Set	the	
DOLBY NR	switch.
	Always set the DOLBY NR switch to the same 
position that was used for recording.
3.	 Set	the	
REV MODE	switch	to	the	ä	(CONT 
PLAY)	position.
4.	 Press	the	PLAY	key	(˙ or ¥)	of	the	deck	you	
want to start first.
	You can start continuous playback from either 
TAPE 1 or TAPE 2.
  Playback cycles through four tape sides as fol
-
lows, and will continue until you stop the opera-
tion.
  TAPE 1  Side“A” 
∑ Side “B”
   ™  ≈
 TAPE 2  Side “B” ß Side “A”
 
Continuous playback
Blank scan
The Blank Scan function detects 10 seconds or more 
of blank and skips over it.
To activate this function, press the BLANK SCAN key 
followed by the desired play key (˙ or ¥).
The BLANK SCAN indicator lights when this function is 
activated.
To disable this function, press the BLANK SCAN key 
again. The indicator turns off.
Very quiet passages in music are likely to be identified 
as blanks. If you are worried about this, switch off 
Blank Scan. 
						

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
TASCAM  202MKIV 1 

3 − Playback

Song search
This cassette deck is equipped with the Computomatic 
Program Search (CPS) function. This function detects 
blank spaces (longer than 4 seconds) between songs 
and fast-winds the tape in the forward or backward 
direction skipping over the specified number of songs, 
thus allowing direct access to the beginning of a 
desired song. CPS can skip up to 20 songs ahead of or 
behind the current song.
When you press the Ô or , key during playback, 
the tape counter reads CP 01 and the tape starts 
running at high speed in the pressed direction. Each 
time you press the same direction key, the displayed 
number increases by one integer. The number decreas-
es as you press the opposite direction key.
If you are listening to a song and want to go back to 
the previous song, press the locator key opposite to 
the playback direction twice. Pressing it just once will 
take you back to the beginning of the current song. 
Each additional press of the key will take you back 
one song.
Display of TAPE 1:
The search range varies depending on REV MODE 
switch settings.
  Ä:	 Only	one	side	of	tape.
	Ê:	 Both	sides	of	the	tape	when	searching	in	the		
	 same	direction	as	playback.	Or,	only	one	side		
	 of	the	tape	when	searching	in	the	opposite		
	 direction	as	playback.
  ä:	 Both	sides	followed	by	the	first	side	(side	“A”		
	∑	side	“B”	∑	side	“A”	if	CPS	is	started	when	 the	tape’s	forward	side	(facing	you)	is	playing;	or	
side	“B”	
∑	side	“A”	∑	side	“B”	if	CPS	is	started	
when	the	tape’s	reverse	side	(facing	away)	is	play
-
ing)
N O TE
	 T h e 	C P S 	f u n c t i o n 	m ay 	n o t 	w o r k 	p r o p e r l y 	i f	
blanks 	between 	songs 	are 	less 	than 	4 	seconds	
long	or	contain	noise. 
						

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
1 TASCAM 202MKIV

3 − Playback
Intro Check plays the first 15 seconds of each song, 
allowing you to quickly find the song you are looking 
for.
Press the INTRO CHECK key during playback or 
stop. The tape will fast wind in the same direction as 
playback. When you find the desired song, press the 
INTRO CHECK key again to start playback.
The tape counter reports how many songs have been 
intro-checked so far.
The Intro Check range varies depending on REV 
MODE switch settings:
  Ä:	 Checks	one	side	of	the	tape.
 Ê:	 Checks	both	sides	of	the	tape.
 ä:	 Checks	both	sides	of	tape	then	double	checks		
	 the	first	side		(side	“A”	
∑	side	“B”	∑	side	“A”	 	
	 if	Intro	Check	is	started	on	the	tape’s	forward		
	 side	(facing	you);	or	side	“B”	
∑	side	“A”	∑		
	 side	“B”	if	Intro	Check	is	started	on	the	tape’s		
	 reverse	side	(facing	away).
Activating the Intro Check function during normal 
playback will cause it to skip to the next song: play-
back of the current song is interrupted midway.
The tape automatically stops upon completion of the 
check operation.
N O TE
Make	 sure	that	the	TAPE	 1	compartment	 is	emp-
ty	when	starting	Intro	Check	on	TAPE	2.
The	 Intro	 Check	 function	 may	not	work	 properly	
if	 blanks	 between	 songs	are	less	 than	 4	seconds	
long	or	contain	noise.•
•
Intro check 
						

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
TASCAM  202MKIV 1 
TASCAM  202MKIV 1 
Recording (either TAPE 1 or TAPE 2)
1.	 Turn	on	the	power.
2.	 Load	a	tape	for	recording.
Side “A” facing you
	 Press	the	EJECT	key	(ø)	to	open	the	cassette	
compartment.	Insert	the	cassette	tape	with	its	
open	edge	facing	down,	side	“A”	facing	you.	
Then	close	the	cassette	compartment	by	push
-
ing	in	the	cassette	door	until	it	clicks	shut.
N O TE
If	 the	 erasure	 prevention	 tabs	of	the	 loaded	 cas-
sette	 tape	have	 been	 broken	 off,	stick	 a	piece	 of	
adhesive	tape	over	the	hole(s).
With 	this 	cassette 	deck 	you 	can 	use 	Normal 	(Type	
I)	and	Chrome	(Type	II)	tapes	for	recording.
3.	 Set	the	REV MODE	switch.
  Ä:	 Set	to	this	position	to	record	on	one	side	
	 only.
 Ê	or	ä:	 Set	to	either	of	these	positions	to	
	 record	on	both	sides.
•
• 4.	 Set	the	
DOLBY NR	switch.
	Set the switch to ON to record with Dolby Noise 
Reduction.
  Set to 
OFF to record without Dolby Noise Reduc-
tion. 
5.	 Press	the	
RECORD	key.
	The deck enters the record-pause mode. π and 
 will light on the display.
6.	 Adjust	the	recording	level.
	Start playback of your recording source and set 
the REC LEVEL control knob so that the level 
meter indicates “0 dB” at peaks.
7.	 Set	the	recording	direction.
	Recording is made in the direction indicated by 
the play/record direction indicator (˙/¥). To 
change this direction, press the opposite direction 
play key (˙ or ¥).
N O TE
	 Be 	careful 	not 	to 	press 	play 	key 	whose 	arrow	
points 	in 	the 	same 	direc tion 	as 	the 	indicator.	
Doing	so	will	start	recording.
4 − Recording 
						

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
1 TASCAM 202MKIV

4 − Recording

8.	 When	everything	is	ready,	start	recording	by	
pressing	the	
PAUSE	key	or	the	play	key	whose	
arrow	points	in	the	same	direction	as	the	indi
-
cator.
 To record on both tape sides, set the REV MODE	
switch to Ê or ä and press the forward play 
key (y). If you press the reverse PLAY key (h), 
recording will be done only on side “B”.
 To stop recording, press the stop key (ª). A	 To	stop	recording	temporarily
	Press the PAUSE key to stop recording temporarily.
  A second press of the key resumes recording.
To erase recordings
When you make a recording, the tape is overwritten 
(previous recording is erased). To erase a tape without 
making a new recording, set the REC LEVEL control 
to the minimum (0) position and press the RECORD 
key followed by the PLAY  key (h or y).
Quick record start
Hold down the RECORD key and press the PLAY key 
(h or y) corresponding to the direction you want the 
tape to run.  
						

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
TASCAM  202MKIV 1 

4 − Recording
TASCAM  202MKIV 1 

Use this function to create blanks between songs 
for proper operation of the Computamatic Program 
Search (CPS) function.
Press the REC MUTE key when recording reaches the 
desired point. No signal is recorded for about 4 sec-
onds and then the deck enters the record-pause mode. 
To resume recording, press the PAUSE key.
To create a blank of more than 4 sec-
onds long
Hold down the REC MUTE key for the desired length 
of time. When you release the key, the deck enters the 
record-pause mode.
To create a blank of less than 4 sec-
onds long
Press the PAUSE key within 3 seconds of pressing the 
REC MUTE key.
N O TE
	If	 you	 press	 the	REC	 MUTE	 key	when	 the	deck	 is	
in	 the	 record-pause	 mode,	no	signal	 is	recorded	
for 	about 	4 	seconds, 	and 	then 	the 	deck 	shif ts	
back	to	the	record-pause	mode.	
ª
ª
Recording silence
Mic mixing recording
This function allows you to record your voice and 
another audio source together on a cassette tape.
The mic sound is fed into both the Left and Right 
channels so it is located in the center of the stereo 
image.
You have the choice of either selecting the audio 
source you want on the amplifier connected to the 
LINE IN jacks of the deck, or plugging the desired 
source directly into the deck’s LINE IN jacks.
N O TE
To 	p r e v e n t 	f e e d b a c k 	( h o w l i n g ) , 	d i s a b l e 	t h e	
speaker 	outputs 	from 	the 	amplifier. 	Use 	head
-
phones	to	monitor	recording.
This	 cassette	 deck	is	not	 compatible	 with	stereo	
mics.	Always	use	a	mono	mic.
•
• 
						

							
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
0 TASCAM 202MKIV

4 − Recording

To record a mix of voice and another audio source, 
you need to adjust the mic input level and then fine 
tune the overall recording level.
1.	 Plug	your	microphone	into	the	
MIC	jack	on	the	
front	panel.
2.	 Start	playing	the	audio	source,	switch	the	deck	 into	the	record-pause	mode	(by	pressing	the	
RECORD	key),	and	temporarily	adjust	the	REC 
LEVEL	control	to	a	relatively	low	level.
3.	 Speak	into	the	mic	and	adjust	the	
MIC	level	
control	to	get	the	optimum	balance	between	
your	voice	and	the	other	source.
4.	 Fine	tune	the	overall	recording	level	using	 the	
REC LEVEL	control	so	that	the	level	meter	
reads	0	dB	at	peaks.
5.	 When	everything	is	ready,	start	recording	as	 instructed	earlier	in	this	manual.
Audio source
Adjustment of 
mic input levelAdjustment of overall 
recording level
Adjusting mix recording level
This function allows you to make uninterrupted 
recordings on both sides of two tapes.
1.	 Load	cassette	tapes	for	recording	into	the	TAPE	1	and	TAPE	2	compartments.
Side “A” facing you
2.	 Set	the	REV MODE	switch	to	the	ä	(CONT 
REC/PLAY)	position.
	Set the DOLBY NR switch to the ON position if 
you want to.
3.	 Press	the	TAPE	1	deck’s	
RECORD	key.
	The deck enters the record-pause mode. π and 
 will light on the display. Now adjust the 
recording level and any other settings, as re-
quired.
Continuous recording