Tascam Md Recorder/player MD-801RmkII, MD-801Pmkii Owners Manual

							 
1 - Hookup Examplel 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
1–5 
1.5 Hookup Examplel 
						

							 
2–1 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
2 - Front and rear panel features 
						

							 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
2–2 
2 - Front and rear panel features 
This section, as well as giving a description of the 
controls and features of the MD-801, also provides 
many descriptions of basic operations.
The section on the rear panel also contains advice on 
setting up and connecting the MD-801 as part of an 
audio system. 
2.1 Front panel 
The following provides details of the basic functions 
associated with the front panel controls of the unit. If 
further information on the use of a particular control 
is provided elsewhere in the manual, this is indicated. 
[1] POWER switch 
Press once to turn on the unit, and again to turn the 
unit off. 
NOTE 
You should not turn the unit off while the U-
TOC (1.1.3, Random access and U-TOC) is 
being written. If power is disconnected from 
the unit the U-TOC is being written, the disc 
data will be corrupted, and the disc may 
become unreadable.
Always remember to press the  
TOC WRITE 
 
key  
[19] 
 before turning off power to the unit, in  
order to save your edits to disc. 
[2] Disc drive 
Insert MiniDiscs into this slot, label uppermost, and 
with the arrow pointing into the drive.
Use the  
EJECT 
 key  
[3] 
 to eject discs. 
[3] EJECT key 
Press this key to eject discs from the drive. 
NOTE 
If you press the  
EJECT 
 key when the  
TOC 
WRITE 
 indicator  
[19] 
 is lit, indicating that 
there are edits that have been made, but not 
yet saved to disc as part of the U-TOC, the 
display will show  
TOC Edited! 
. If you 
press the  
EJECT 
 key again, you can eject the 
disc, but all edits made since the last U-TOC 
writing operation will be lost. If you want to 
save the edits to disc, press the  
TOC WRITE 
  
key. 
[4] TRACK keys 
These keys are used to move the playback position 
backwards or forwards a track at a time. Their use is 
detailed in 4.2, Playback of discs. 
[5] STOP key 
This key stops playback or recording (MD-801R 
only). It is also used to cancel other operations. 
[6] PLAY key and indicator 
Used to start playback or recording (MD-801R only). 
When the operation is taking place, the key’s indica-
tor lights. 
[7] READY key and indicator 
Used to put the unit into play ready or record ready 
(MD-801R only) mode. The indicator lights when 
the unit is ready.
To start the operation, press the  
PLAY  
 key   
[6]  
.
If recording is taking place while the  
READY  
 key is 
pressed, the unit goes into record ready mode. The 
current track number is incremented by one, to show 
that the next recording will start a new track, if Post-
script recording is turned on (see 3.15, Post-script 
recording).
To cancel a ready operation, press the  
STOP  
 key   
[5]  
. 
[8] RECORD key and indicator 
If the unit is stopped, pressing the  
RECORD  
 key 
will enter “input monitor” mode (the  
RECORD   
indicator lights) and  
Input Mon 
 appears on 
the display. This is valid whether or not a disc is 
loaded in the drive.
In input monitor mode, the signals received at the 
appropriate connectors, as selected with the input 
switches ( 
[28] 
,  
[29] 
 and  
[31] 
) are routed to the out-
puts for monitoring as well as to the  
PHONES 
 jack   
[9] 
, and the unit’s meters are used to display the sig-
nal levels. If the selected digital signal is not avail-
able, the  
D-IN UNLOCK! 
 message is 
displayed.
The input level of the signals input at the analog 
jacks may be adjusted using the  
INPUT LEVEL 
 
controls  
[27] 
.
If the  
RECORD 
 key is pressed and held down, and 
the  
READY 
 key is pressed, the unit enters record 
ready mode (a disc must be in the drive). Both the  
RECORD 
 and  
READY 
 indicators will light.
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2 - Front panel 
2–3 
 TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II 
To start recording, press the  
PLAY 
 key  
[6] 
. To stop 
recording, press the  
STOP 
 key  
[5] 
. After  the  
STOP 
 
key has been pressed, the words  
TOC EDIT
 
 will flash 
on the display, which will also show  
UTOC 
Writing 
 as the U-TOC is written to disc.
To cancel record ready mode, press the  
STOP 
 key  
[5] 
. 
[9] PHONES jack and level control 
Connect a pair of standard stereo headphones to this 
1/4” jack. Adjust the level with the  
LEVEL 
 control. 
The maximum output power is 50 mW per channel, 
and the impedance is 32  
W 
. 
[10] CALL key 
This key allows you to return to the point where the  
READY 
 key  
[7] 
 was last pressed while the unit was 
in play ready mode. The unit will return to this point, 
and enter play ready mode ( 
READY 
 and  
PLAY 
 indi-
cators lit). See also 4.2.7, The CALL function.
The MD-801R also automatically sets the call point 
at the point where recording last started. This enables 
easy return to the point where the recording started, 
using the  
CALL 
 key, in order to check a take, etc.
It may also be used to locate to the point which has 
been located with the  
JOG 
 dial  
[12] 
. 
[11] JOG key and indicator 
Use this key for precise positioning of the playback 
point, in combination with the  
JOG/DATA 
 dial  
[12] 
. 
When the jog mode is active, the  
JOG 
 indicator 
above this key is lit. 
[12] JOG/DATA dial 
When the  
JOG 
 indicator  
[11] 
 is lit, this dial func-
tions as a jog dial, allowing precise positioning of the 
playback point (confirmed with the  
READY 
 key  
[7] 
). See 4.2.14, Jog mode for full details of this 
process.
When the  
JOG 
 indicator is not lit, the dial is used as 
a data entry dial for entering values, titling charac-
ters, etc. Typically, turning this dial clockwise 
increases the data value, and turning it counterclock-
wise decreases the value. 
[13] SHUTTLE wheel 
This wheel can be used for shuttle playback (for-
wards or backwards) when the unit is in play or play 
ready mode. Since the MD-801 is a digital audio 
device, the sound output during shuttle play is not continuous.
The further the shuttle wheel is turned from the cen-
ter position, the faster the shuttle playback speed. 
When the unit is in menu mode, this wheel is used in 
the MD-801’s menu system. Turning it clockwise 
generally confirms an action, and turning it counter-
clockwise acts as an “escape” action. It is also used 
as a cursor control in titling operations. 
[14] Display 
See 2.2, Display below for details of the different 
components that make up the display. 
[15] MENU key 
The  
MENU 
 key is used to cycle through the different 
menus that allow the setting of different parameters 
affecting the operation of the MD-801. See 3, Menu 
items for full details of the menus and the different 
options available in them. 
[16] TITLE key 
The  
TITLE 
 key is used to show both disc and track 
titles. It is also used to display the date and time 
when the  
MEMO IN/CAPS 
 key indicator  
[23] 
 is lit.
See 4.2.16, Displaying track titles during playback 
and 4.2.17, Displaying the recording date for 
details. 
[17] TIME key 
The  
TIME 
 key is used to cycle through the folloiwng 
time display modes on the upper 7-segment numeric 
indicators of the display during playback or in play 
ready mode:
• (no indication)—the time elapsed from the start of 
the current track
• 
REMAIN
 
—the playback time remaining in the cur-
rent track
• 
TOTAL
 
—the total elapsed time from the start of the 
disc
• 
TOTAL REMAIN
 
—the total time remaining on the 
disc
It is also possible to make a time display which is rel-
ative to a “zero point” (see the section on 4.2.8, Rel-
ative time display).
When the unit is in record or record ready mode, the 
meanings change slightly, as shown below:
• (no indication)—the time elapsed from the start of 
the track currently being recorded
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2 - Front panel 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
2–4 
• 
REMAIN
 
—the total time remaining on the disc for 
further recording (the length of the blank portion of 
the disc)
• 
TOTAL
 
—the total elapsed time from the start of the 
disc
• 
TOTAL REMAIN
 
—the total time remaining on the 
disc for further recording (the same as  
REMAIN
 
)
If the  
MEMO IN/CAPS 
 indicator  
[23] 
 is lit, the unit 
is in play or play ready mode, and the  
TIME 
 key is 
pressed, the lower (alphanumeric dot-matrix) part of 
the display may be used to give timing information. 
This is represented as follows:
• 
elp 
—the time elapsed from the start of the cur-
rent track
• 
rem 
—the playback time remaining in the current 
track
• 
tel 
—the total elapsed time from the start of the 
disc
• 
tre 
—the total time remaining on the disc
• 
rel 
—the time relative to a user-settable “zero 
point” (see 4.2.8, Relative time display)
When the unit is in record or record ready mode, and 
the  
MEMO IN/CAP 
 indicator  
[23] 
 is lit, and the  
TIME 
 key is pressed, the lower (alphanumeric dot-
matrix) part of the display may be used to give tim-
ing information. This is representated as follows:
• 
elp 
—the time elapsed from the start of the track 
currently being recorded
• 
rem 
—the total time remaining on the disc for 
further recording (the length of the blank portion of 
the disc)
• 
tel 
—the total elapsed time from the start of the 
disc
• 
tre 
—the total time remaining on the disc for 
further recording (the same as  
rem 
)
• 
rel 
—the time relative to a user-settable “zero 
point” (see 4.2.8, Relative time display)
It is therefore possible to have two separate time indi-
cators shown simultaneously. Note that if both the 
upper and lower parts of the display are set to the 
same time indication, there may be occasions where 
the two values shown do not always match exactly.
To turn off the time display in the lower part of the 
display, press the  
TIME 
 key until the disc or track 
title is shown, rather than the time display.
In the play and play ready, as well as the record and 
record ready modes, the  
TIME 
 key can also be used to display the following:
• 
aay bbm ccd 
—where  
aa 
 is the year,  
bb 
 is the month, and  
cc 
 is the day of the date 
according to the MD-801’s internal clock.
• 
eeh ffm ggs 
—where  
ee 
 is the hour (in 
24-hour format),  
ff 
 the minutes and  
gg 
 the sec-
onds of the time of day according to the MD-801’s 
internal clock.
If the internal clock needs to be adjusted, follow the 
procedure described in 4.2.18, Setting the time and 
date. 
[18] EDIT key 
The  
EDIT 
 key is used to access various data and disc 
editing modes, as detailed below.
When the  
EDIT 
 key is pressed, the  
JOG/DATA 
 dial  
[12] 
 is used to cycle through the various editing 
options as detailed below.
When an editing mode is shown, followed by a ques-
tion mark, turning the  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel  
[13] 
 clock-
wise will enter that editing mode.
To exit the editing mode, the  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel can 
be turned counterclockwise, the  
EDIT 
 key can be 
pressed once again, or the  
STOP 
 key  
[5] 
 can be 
pressed.
The following is a list and brief description of the 
editing functions available. Full details are given in 
5, Editing operations:
• 
DIVIDE?
—Divides a track into two tracks
•
ERASE TRK?—Erases a track
•
COMBINE?—Joins two tracks into one
•
MOVE?—Moves tracks in a sequence
•
ERASE A-B?—Erases data between the A 
and B points
•
INSERT A-B?—Commits an insertion to 
disc
•
RESTORE?—Restore an erased track or sec-
tion (can be regarded as an “undo” function)
•
TRK ATTR?—Sets track attributes
•
ERASE DISC?—Erases the contents of the 
disc
•
TITLE?—Enters a track or disc title
NOTE
It is possible to perform editing operations on 
pre-recorded (read-only) discs. However, 
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2 - Front panel 
2–5 
 TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II 
these edits cannot be committed to disc using  
the  
TOC WRITE 
 function (see below). 
[19] TOC WRITE key and indicator 
After an edit operation has been selected and per-
formed from the  
EDIT 
 key  
[18] 
, the  
TOC WRITE 
 
indicator will light, and the  
TOC EDIT
 
 indicator in the 
display will be lit. This is a reminder that the disc 
should not be ejected before the U-TOC has been 
written to disc.
Press the  
TOC WRITE 
 key, and the editing data will 
be written to disc, during which time the  
TOC EDIT
 
 
indicator in the display will flash.
See the explanation of the  
EJECT 
 key  
[3] 
 for details 
of how to eject a disc without writing the U-TOC, if 
this is required. 
[20] AUTO READY key and indicator 
Use this key to put the unit into auto ready mode (the 
indicator will light). The auto ready mode provides 
automatic “track at a time” playback.
When in auto ready mode, the unit will go into play 
ready mode when the start of a track is reached in 
playback. See 4.2.11, Cueing the next track auto-
matically for full details. 
[21] AUTO CUE key and indicator 
Use this key to put the unit into auto cue mode (the 
indicator will light). The auto cue mode allows the 
elimination of “dead time” at the start of tracks, 
allowing easy pre-cuing of commercials, jingles, 
Foley effects, etc.
When the unit is in auto cue mode and stopped, and 
the  
READY 
 key  
[7] 
 is pressed, the unit will search 
forward for the first audio frame above a given 
threshold level, and cue itself to that location. It will 
then enter play ready mode. 
A similar process occurs when a track search opera-
tion has occurred.
See 4.2.12, Cueing to the first audio position in a 
track for further details. 
[22] PLAY MODE key 
Use this key to cycle between the different playback 
modes. This key is enabled in the stop and the play 
ready modes.
Both the display preset indicators and the alphanu-
meric part of the display are used to show the current 
playback mode status, as follows:• 
SINGLE
 
/ 
SINGLE MODE 
—Single-track play-
back mode is selected
• (blank)/ 
CONTINUE 
—Continuous play of a 
disc, from the start to the end
• 
A-B
 
/ 
A-B MODE 
—If the A and B points have 
been set (see  
[24] 
), playback will loop between 
these points
Once a playback mode has been selected, the  
REPEAT 
 key  
[26] 
 can be used to repeat the portion 
of the disc being played back (track, disc or A-B 
portion). 
[23] MEMO IN/CAPS key and indicator 
This key is used for a variety of functions: entering 
memory location points, acting as a “caps lock” key 
when entering disc and track titles, and as a display 
mode selector (see  
[17] 
), etc.
Its uses are described more fully in the various sec-
tions dealing with the functions that it controls. 
[24] LOC A/DEL & LOC B/INSERT keys 
and indicators 
These keys are used to set memory location points, 
which are used for location, repeat play, editing pur-
poses, etc. These points are retained until the disc is 
ejected (including at power-off). See 4.2.5, Entering 
the A and B location points for details of how to set 
these positions.
These keys may also be used for locating to the 
points which have been set.
In title editing mode, the A and B keys are used to 
delete and insert characters, respectively. See 5.11, 
Track and disc title entry. 
[25] PITCH CONT key and indicator 
Use this key to enter the pitch control mode (the indi-
cator lights when this mode is active). When pitch 
control is active, the speed (and pitch) of playback 
can be altered by ±9.9%. 
NOTE  
Pitch control is not possible when the MD-801 
is receiving its word clock from an external  
source (see  
[43] 
). 
The exact amount of pitch control is set through a 
menu item (see 3.2, Pitch control for details). 
[26] REPEAT key and indicator 
Use this key to start repeat play of the selected play-
back portion of the disc (see  
[22] 
). When in repeat  
						

							 
2 - Display 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
2–6 
mode, the  
REPEAT
 
 indicator will be shown on the dis-
play. See 4.2.9, Repeat playback for further details 
of this mode. 
[27] INPUT LEVEL controls 
These controls adjust the level of the signal at the 
analog connectors selected using the  
INPUT 
 selec-
tion switch  
[28] 
 (either the balanced inputs  
[36] 
 or 
the unbalanced inputs  
[37] 
) when the  
ANALOG 
INPUT 
 switch  
[31] 
 is set to  
UNCAL 
. 
When these controls are at about the “12 o’clock” 
position, they represent a nominal level for the unbal-
anced inputs (and for the balanced inputs if the trim-
mer potentiometers of the balanced inputs are still at 
the factory positions).
If the  
REC MODE 
 switch  
[30] 
 is set to the  
MONO 
 
position, the  
L (MONO) INPUT 
 control is used to 
control the level of the monaural signal. 
NOTE 
The level of signals received at the digital  
inputs  
[32] 
 and  
[34] 
 cannot be adjusted. 
[28] INPUT selection switch 
Use this switch to choose between the unbalanced 
analog inputs ( 
UNBAL 
  
[37] 
), the balanced analog 
inputs ( 
BAL 
  
[36] 
) or digital input ( 
DIGITAL 
). 
[29] DIGITAL INPUT switch 
Use this switch to choose between the  
AES/EBU 
 
digital input  
[32] 
 and the  
COAXIAL 
 digital input  
[34] 
 when the  
INPUT 
 selection switch  
[28] 
 is set to 
the  
DIGITAL 
 position. 
[30] REC MODE switch 
Use this switch to choose between monaural and ste-
reo recording. 
In monaural recording mode, the left and right sig-
nals are combined, and only the left  
INPUT 
 level 
control  
[27] 
 is used to control the level of the analog 
signals.
In monaural recording, twice the recording time is 
available on a disc than when recording in stereo. 
[31] ANALOG INPUT switch 
When an analog input has been selected using the  
INPUT 
 selection switch  
[28] 
, you can use this 
switch to bypass the  
INPUT 
 level controls  
[27] 
.
When this switch is in the  
CAL 
 position, these con-
trols are bypassed, and have no effect. Signals are neither boosted nor attenuated, and a nominal signal 
will be received at the standard level of either +4 dBu 
(balanced,  
[36] 
) or –10 dBV (unbalanced,  
[37] 
).
A signal at the nominal analog level (0 dB) will show 
as a reading of –16 dB on the unit’s meters (put 
another way, there is 16 dB of headroom available on 
the MD-801 relative to the nominal 0dB point). 
2.2 Display 
The different indicators and parts of the display are 
shown here. We refer to the parts of the display 
which light and show preset messages as “preset 
indicators” or simply “indicators”. 
(1) RESUME indicator 
Lights when the resume mode is enabled from a 
menu (see 3.6, Resume setting). 
(2)
   indicator 
Lights when the entry of Japanese  
katakana  
 charac-
ters (
  is the word “katakana” written in 
 
katakana 
 characters) is enabled, and will light if the  
TITLE 
 key  
[16] 
 is pressed when the  
MEMO IN/
CAPS  
indicator  
[23] 
 is lit. Press the  
TITLE  
 key once 
more to turn this off, and return to the entry of alpha-
numeric characters. 
(3) CAPS indicator 
Lights when capital (uppercase) letters are being 
used for title entry and editing (see  
[23]  
). 
(4) EDIT indicator 
Lights when the unit is in EDIT mode. See 5, Edit-
ing operations for details of editing operations. 
(5) DATE indicator 
Lights when the unit is displaying the date on which 
a recording was made (the MD-801R records the 
date automatically). See 4.2.18, Setting the time and 
date for details of facility.
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2 - Rear panel 
2–7 
 TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II 
(6) TRACK TITLE  indicator 
Lights when track titles are being entered or dis-
played. See 5.11, Track and disc title entry for 
details. 
(7) DISC TITLE  indicator 
Lights when the title of the disc is being entered or 
displayed. See 5.11, Track and disc title entry for 
details. 
(8) TRACK NO. display and indicator 
This 3-digit 7-segment display usually shows the cur-
rent track. It may also be used to show a track num-
ber other than the current one, depending on the 
mode.
When the incremental play mode is on (see 3.10, 
Incremental play), this indicator will flash. 
(9) Time display and indicators 
Shows the elapsed or remaining time using a 7-digit 
7-segment display (3 digits for minutes, 2 for sec-
onds and optionally 2 for frames). See the explana-
tion of the  
TIME 
 key  
[17] 
 for details of the different 
time display modes. 
(10) PGM NO. 
Lights in programmed play mode (see 6.2.1, Enter-
ing programmed playback) and is used with the last 
2 digits of the time display  
(9) 
. 
(11) Dot-matrix alphanumeric display 
These dot-matrix elements are used to display alpha-
numeric information: track and disc titles, time dis-
play, menu options, etc.
Note that the term “alphanumeric” is not strictly 
accurate here, as these elements can also display 
some punctuation as well as Japanese  
katakana 
  
(2) 
. 
(12) TOC EDIT indicator 
Lights in the U-TOC editing modes and after a disc 
U-TOC has been edited (see  
[19] 
) until it is written 
to disc. 
(13) EOM 
Lights briefly at the end of each track, or at the end of 
the disc. 
(14) Peak level meters 
Display the signal level on playback or when record-
ing (MD-801R only). 
NOTE  
The  
OVER
 
 indicator indicates digital clipping. 
Digital clipping is a harsh-sounding form of 
distortion, unlike, say, analog tape saturation,  
and should be avoided. 
When connected to analog equipment, the nominal 
analog level is referenced to a reading of –16 dB on 
the meters (see  
[31] 
). 
(15) REPEAT indicator 
Lights when the unit is in repeat playback mode (see  
[26] 
). 
(16) SINGLE indicator 
Lights when a single track has been selected for play-
back (see  
[22] 
). 
(17) A–B indicator 
Lights when the A-B playback mode has been 
selected (see  
[22] 
). 
2.3 Rear panel 
This section gives details of the connections which 
should be made to and from the MD-801. 
NOTES  
When making or breaking connections 
between the MD-801 and other units, make 
sure the power is turned off to all units. This 
will avoid possible damage to monitoring 
equipment, etc. caused by transients.
The use of analog cables is not recom-
mended for digital audio use, and TASCAM 
cannot guarantee reliable performance if such  
cables are used for digital audio connections. 
[32] DIGITAL INPUT (AES/EBU) 
This XLR-type connector accepts digital audio data 
in AES3-1992  format.
It also accepts balanced data in the IEC 60958 (con-
sumer) format (SPDIF).
The input sampling frequency can be 32 kHz, 
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. The MD-801’s internal sam-
pling frequency converter will convert them all to 
44.1 kHz for recording.
If switch 4 of the  
MODE SET 
 DIP switch bank  
[43]  
 
is set off, the signals input here are echoed at the dig-
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2 - Rear panel 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
2–8 
ital outputs  
[33] 
 and  
[35] 
 without passing through 
the frequency converter. 
[33] DIGITAL OUTPUT (AES/EBU) 
This XLR-type connector outputs digital audio data 
in AES3-1992  format.
The output sampling frequency will always be 
44.1 kHz, ±9.9%, as determined by the pitch control 
(see both 4.2.13, Varispeed mode and 3.2, Pitch 
control). 
[34] DIGITAL INPUT (COAXIAL) 
This RCA connector accepts digital audio data in 
IEC 60958 (consumer) format (SPDIF).
The input sampling frequency can be 32 kHz, 
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. The MD-801’s internal sam-
pling frequency converter will convert them all to 
44.1 kHz for recording.
If switch 4 of the  
MODE SET 
 DIP switch bank  
[43] 
 
is set off, the signals input here are echoed at the dig-
ital outputs  
[33] 
 and  
[35] 
 without passing through 
the frequency converter. 
[35] DIGITAL OUTPUT (COAXIAL) 
This RCA connector outputs digital audio data in 
IEC 60958 (consumer) format (SPDIF).
The output sampling frequency will always be 
44.1 kHz, ±9.9%, as determined by the pitch control 
(see both 4.2.13, Varispeed mode and 3.2, Pitch 
control). 
[36] ANALOG INPUTS and trimmers 
(BALANCED) 
These XLR-type connectors accept balanced analog 
signals at professional (+4 dBu) levels.
The wiring is, as marked on the rear panel: 
1=ground, 2=hot (+), 3=cold (–).
The nominal impedance is 2.2 k 
W 
.
The trimmer potentiometers by each connector may 
be turned counterclockwise or clockwise to cut or 
boost respectively the level of the signal received at 
the inputs. The maximum cut achievable (relative to 
nominal) is –4 dB and the maximum boost is +7 dB.
As shipped, the trimmers are set to the standard 
+4 dBu level. 
[37] ANALOG INPUTS (UNBALANCED) 
These RCA connectors accept unbalanced signals at 
the –10 dBV level.
The nominal impedance is 8 k 
W 
. 
[38] ANALOG OUTPUTS (MONITOR) 
These RCA unbalanced connectors provide output 
signals at the –10 dBV level.
The nominal impedance is 220  
W  
. 
[39] Analog output function DIP switch 
bank 
This bank of four DIP switches is used to control the 
outputs from the  
MONITOR  
 and   
LINE  
 analog out-
puts  
[38] 
 and  
[40] 
.
They have the following meanings: 
NOTE  
The  
PHONES 
 output  
[9] 
 is always active, 
regardless of the settings made using these  
switches. 
[40] ANALOG OUTPUTS (LINE) and 
trimmers 
These XLR-type connectors output balanced analog 
signals at professional (+4 dBu) levels.
R
R
R
 
No
OFF 
(up)ON 
(down)
 
1 
STEREO
MONO
 
Allows the output mode from both 
the  
LINE
 
 and the  
MONITOR
 
 out-
puts to be set to  
MONO
 
 or  
STEREO
 
, as well as output from 
the  
PHONES
 
 jack.
2 
SYNCHRONIZE
INDIVIDUAL
 
When set to  
SYNCHRONIZE
 
, the  
LINE
 
 and  
MONITOR
 
 outputs are 
paralleled. When set to  
INDIVIDUAL
 
, signals are output 
from the  
MONITOR
 
 outputs only 
when the  
PLAY
 
 key on the MD-801 
itself, or the  
MONITOR 
 key on the 
optional RC-801 is pressed. To out-
put signals from the  
LINE
 
 outputs 
when this switch is set to  
INDIVIDUAL
 
, use the  
ONLINE  
key on the optional RC-801, or 
send a “play” command from a 
remote controller connected to the 
serial or parallel interface.
3 
LINE MON OFF
LINE MON ON
 
When  
OFF
 
, whether the  
MONITOR
 
 
outputs output a signal depends on 
the setting of switch 2 in this bank 
(i.e. if switch 2 is on, the  
MONITOR
 
 outputs are only active 
when the MD-801’s  
PLAY
 
 key has 
been pressed). When  
ON
 
, monitor-
ing is always on, regardless of from 
where the play command origi-
nated.
4 Reserved—leave in the  
OFF
 
 position 
						

							 
2 - Rear panel 
2–9 
 TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II 
The wiring is, as marked on the rear panel: 
1=ground, 2=hot (+), 3=cold (–).
The nominal impedance is 11  
W 
.
The trimmer potentiometers by each connector may 
be turned counterclockwise or clockwise to cut or 
boost respectively the level of the signal sent from 
these connectors. The maximum cut achievable (rela-
tive to nominal) is –7 dB and the maximum boost is 
+4 dB.
As shipped, the trimmers are set to the standard 
+4 dBu level. 
[41] WORD SYNC IN 
This BNC connector accepts a 44.1 kHz word clock 
(impedance 75  
W 
) at 44.1 kHz (±6%). 
[42] WORD SYNC THRU 
This self-terminating BNC connector echoes the 
word clock signal received at  
[41] 
. 
[43] MODE SET DIP switch bank 
This switch bank allows the setting of various local 
parameters. 
[44] KEYBOARD connector 
This connector is used to connect a PS/2-type com-
puter keyboard which can be used for the direct 
alphanumeric entry of titles, etc. as well as for con-
trolling playback operations.
Depending on the setting of  
MODE SET  
 bank DIP 
switch 1  
[43]  
, either a US-type or a Japanese-type 
keyboard can be used. See 6, Use of a keyboard 
with the MD-801 for details of keyboard-based 
operations. 
[45] REMOTE (SERIAL) connector 
This RS-232 interface allows control by a computer 
or by other serial controllers. 
Consult your TASCAM dealer for details of this port 
if you wish to use it. 
[46] REMOTE CONTROL connector 
Use this connector to attach either an optional RC-
801 remote contoller or an optional RC-FS10/20 
remote controller. Consult your TASCAM dealer for 
details of availability. 
[47] REMOTE (PARALLEL) connector 
Use this connector to attach an optional RC-8 remote 
control unit or to control the deck from a controlling 
device using parallel protocol. 
[48] ~ IN (power in connector) 
Connect the supplied power cord to this inlet. Make 
sure that your AC voltage matches the voltage 
expected by the MD-801, as printed on the rear 
panel. 
No
OFF 
(up)ON 
(down)
 
1 
JAPAN KBD
US KBD 
 
Allows the selection of a Japanese 
(106-key) keyboard ( 
JAPAN 
KYBD
 
) or an American-style (101-
key) keyboard ( 
US KBD
 
) to be 
connected to  
[44] 
 for titling, etc.
2 
FAIL SAFE OFF
FAIL SAFE ON
 
When set  
OFF
 
, all front panel oper-
ational controls are enabled.
When set  
ON
 
, only the  
STOP
 
 key 
on the front panel are enabled when 
the MD-801 is playing as the result 
of e command received from an 
external controller (RC-801, etc.).
3 
EXT CLK INTERNAL
EXT CLK EXTERNAL
 
When  
OFF
 
, any word clock signals 
received at  
[41] 
 are not used, and 
the unit uses its own internal 
clocking.
When set to  
ON
 
, the unit clocks to 
the signal received at the  
WORD 
SYNC IN
 
  
[41] 
.
4
 
D-IN NORMAL
D-IN THRU
 
When  
OFF
 
, digital signals received 
at either  
[32] 
 or  
[34] 
 are not 
directly retransmitted.
When the switch is set to  
ON
 
, 
received digital signals are retrans-
mitted directly from the digital out-
puts  
[33] 
 and  
[35] 
. This allows 
autonumbering, etc. to take place 
using multiple MD-801 units 
“daisy-chained” together. 
No
OFF 
(up)ON 
(down)