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

							 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
3–1 
3 - Menu items 
The selections that can be made using the MD-801’s 
menu system affect the operation of many other 
functions. We suggest that you take the time to look 
through this section and familiarize yourself with the 
basic contents, so that you have an idea of some of 
the options available to you. 
3.1 Basic principles of menu  
operations 
1 
The menu system is entered using the   
MENU  
 
key   
[15]  
. Pressing this key brings up a menu in 
the display. 
2 
The   
JOG/DATA  
 dial   
[12]  
 is used to select a 
menu. 
3 
The   
SHUTTLE  
 wheel   
[13]  
 is used to open the 
menu selected in step 2. 
4 
The   
JOG/DATA  
 dial is used to select parame-
ters and enter values for the menu. Turn the dial 
clockwise to increase values, and counterclock-
wise to decrease them.  
5 
“On” and “off” values are selected by turning 
the   
SHUTTLE  
 wheel clock wise and counter-
clockwise respectively (  
Y  
 and   
N  
).  
6 
A few menus have “sub-menus” which are 
selected using the   
JOG/DATA  
 dial, and opened 
with the   
SHUTTLE  
 wheel. 
7 
When a menu item has been set in step 4, turn 
the  
SHUTTLE  
 wheel to the right (  
Y  
) to enter 
the value and return to normal operation.
To “escape” from menu mode without making a set-
ting, turn the  
SHUTTLE  
 wheel to the left (  
N  
) or 
press the  
MENU 
 key. 
3.2 Pitch control 
Pitch control can be set ±9.9%, in 0.1% steps. The 
default setting is 0.0%.
After the menu has been opened with the  
SHUTTLE  
 
wheel, the display changes:
See 4.2.13, Varispeed mode for details of pitch 
control operations. 
3.3 Auto cue 
The auto cue facility allows you to cue the playback 
position automatically to the first frame where the 
audio level goes above a trigger threshold (see 
4.2.12, Cueing to the first audio position in a 
track). This menu allows you to set the threshold. 
The default setting is –54 dB.
After the menu has been opened with the   
SHUTTLE  
 
wheel, the display changes:
There are nine sensitivity levels available for use 
with this function: –24 dB, –30 dB, –36 dB, –42 dB, 
–48 dB, –54 dB, –60 dB, –66 dB and –72 dB.
This setting is also used with the Sound Synchro 
function as the threshold above which recording 
starts (or below which the unit drops into record 
ready mode). 
3.4 Frame display 
The frames part of the time display can be turned on 
or off. There are either 86 or 87 MD frames per sec-
ond. The default setting is on.
After the menu has been opened with the   
SHUTTLE  
 
wheel, the display changes:
The only two options here are on and off. 
3.5 Jog loop length 
As explained in 4.2.14, Jog mode, when locating a 
point using the   
JOG  
 dial, playback is looped, start-
ing at the provisional jog point.
This menu allows you to set the length of the jog 
loop. The default value is 16 frames (about 0.2 
second).
After the menu has been opened with the   
SHUTTLE  
 
wheel, the display changes: 
PITCH CONT ?
PITCH> 0.0%
A CUE LVL ?
A CUE> -54dB
FR DSPL SEL?
FR DSPL>ON
JOG LENGTH ?
JOG LG> 16f
R 
						

							 
3 - Resume setting 
3–2 
 TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II 
The minimum length for the jog loop is 12 frames, 
and the maximum value is 32 frames. The value is set 
in 1-frame steps. 
3.6 Resume setting 
When the resume setting is turned on, playback 
restarts from the point at which it was stopped (or the 
point at which playback was taking place when the 
power was cut off). The default is off, which means 
that when playback is stopped, it will start at the 
beginning of the disc, unless a track number is 
explicitly specified.
This function, when on, changes the function of the  
STOP 
 key  
[5] 
. When the resume function is on, and 
the  
STOP 
 key is pressed in play mode, the MD-801 
enters play ready mode. If the  
STOP 
 key is pressed 
once again, the MD-801 enters stop mode.
After the menu has been opened with the  
SHUTTLE 
 
wheel, the display changes:
The options available are on and off. 
3.7 EOM disc 
This menu item affects the output of the MD-801 to a 
device attached to the parallel port (see 7.1, 
REMOTE (PARALLEL) connector. When set on, 
an “EOM DISC” tally signal is transmitted from the 
parallel port when the end of the disc is reached in 
playback (or recording, in the case of the MD-801R).
When this message is transmitted, the  
EOM
 
 indicator 
flashes in the display.
In this menu, it is possible to select how many sec-
onds before the end of the disc this message is to be 
sent, or to turn the message off completely. The 
default setting is off.
After the menu has been opened with the  
SHUTTLE 
 
wheel, the display changes:
The time may be set from 1 to 99 seconds, in 1 sec-
ond steps, or set to off. 
NOTE  
The EOM tally signal is always transmitted 
when the U-TOC is updated as the result of a 
recording operation having been completed, 
unless this setting is set to off. It is also trans- 
mitted when recording is halted temporarily. 
3.8 EOM track 
The EOM track is similar to the EOM disc function, 
as described above. The EOM tally signal is trans-
mitted before the end of a track playback, and this 
menu allows the time before the end to be set, or the 
disabling of this function (default off).
When this message is transmitted, the  
EOM
 
 indicator 
flashes in the display.
After the menu has been opened with the  
SHUTTLE  
 
wheel, the display changes:
The time may be set from 1 to 99 seconds, in 1 sec-
ond steps, or set to off. 
3.9 Timer-controlled playback 
When this function is enabled, if a disc is in the unit, 
and the unit is powered up (e.g. from a timer-based 
switching unit), the TOC is read, and playback starts. 
The default setting is off.
If the resume function is switched on (3.6, Resume 
setting) playback will start from the point at which 
playback was last stopped, or at the playback point at 
which the power was last cut off.
If the resume function is off, playback will start from 
the beginning of the disc.
After the menu has been opened with the  
SHUTTLE  
 
wheel, the display changes:
The options available are on and off. 
RESUME SEL ?
RESUME> OFF
EOM DISC ?
EOM DISC>OFF
EOM TRACK ?
EOM TRK> OFF
TIMER PLAY ?
TMR PLY>OFF
R 
						

							 
3 - Incremental play 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
3–3 
3.10 Incremental play 
This function allows auto-cueing of the playback 
point to the start of the next track when the  
STOP 
 
key  
[5] 
 is pressed, or a fader stop command is 
received (on pin 8 of the parallel remote control port  
[47] 
).
When this mode is enabled, pressing the  
PLAY 
 key  
[6] 
 of the MD-801, or on an optional RC-801 or RC-
8 remote control unit (or the  
MONITOR 
 key of 
either of these units), or a PS/2-type keyboard con-
nected to the MD-801 will cue playback to the start 
of the track following the current track, and start 
playback from there. 
NOTES 
While this function is enabled, the  
TRACK NO.
 
 
indicator flashes, as a reminder that the func-
tion is enabled. 
The Auto Ready function (see 4.2.11, Cueing 
the next track automatically), together with 
the associated commands received at the 
serial remote control port) is disabled when  
this function is enabled. 
After the menu has been opened with the  
SHUTTLE 
 
wheel, the display changes:
Choose between on and off, with the default setting 
being off. 
3.11 Serial communications 
This menu allows the setting of parameters affecting 
the serial (RS-232C) control port  
[45] 
. This menu 
contains sub-menus, allowing the different parame-
ters to be accessed ( 
DATA 
 dial to show the sub-
menus,  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel to open them).  
3.11.1Baud rate 
From the main menu, the first sub-menu allows the 
setting of the communications speed (baud rate):When this sub-menu is opened, the baud rate can be 
selected and set. The default value is 9600.
When a sub-menu value has been set with the  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel, the unit returns to the normal set-
ting. 
3.11.2Word length 
The next sub-menu allows the setting of the word 
length in serial communications:
When this sub-menu has been opened, the word 
length can be set to 7 or 8 bits. The default is 8 bits. 
3.11.3Parity 
The next sub-menu allows the setting of the parity to 
be used in serial communications:
When this sub-menu has been opened, the parity can 
be selected from off, odd or even parity. The default 
is for off (no parity). 
3.11.4Stop bits 
The final sub-menu allows the setting of the number 
of stop bits:
When this sub-menu is opened, thje number of stop 
bits can be set to 1 or 2. The default is 1. 
3.12 Check items 
These are not settable menu items, but allow the 
checking of various aspects of the MD-801 system.
When the following menu item appears, use the  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel to enter the menu, and the  
DATA  
 
dial to choose the different options.
Exit the menu system by turning the  
SHUTTLE  
 
wheel. 
INCR PL SEL?
INCR PL> OFF
SERIAL SET ?
BAUD SEL ?
BAUD> 9600
LENGTH SEL ?
LENGTH>8bits
PARITY SEL ?
PARITY> OFF
STOP BIT ?
STOP BIT> 1
CHECK ? 
						

							 
3 - Auto track numbering level 
3–4 
 TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II 
3.12.1Spindle motor time 
Use this to check how many hours the spindle motor 
has been in operation. 
3.12.2Laser pickup time 
This indicates how many hours the laser pickup has 
been used for recording. 
3.12.3System software version 
This allows you to check the current system software 
version. 
3.13 Auto track numbering level 
This allows the setting of the threshold above which 
a signal received at the  
AES/EBU 
 jack or either of 
the analog connectors triggers the start of a new track 
(see 4.3.4, Track number incrementing). This value 
can be off, or one of nine values, as detailed below.
There should be a period of relative silence (i.e. 
below the trigger level) of at least three seconds 
between “tracks” in the source material for this func-
tion to operate. 
NOTE 
Bear in mind that some classical material, 
spoken word, etc. may include such periods 
of silence, and this may cause spurious track 
divisions. Also, some analog material may be 
noisy, and the noise may go above the track 
division threshold. Adjust the threshold level  
taking these factors into consideration. 
After the menu has been opened with the  
SHUTTLE 
 
wheel, the display changes:
The available settings are: –24 dB, –30 dB, –36 dB, 
–42 dB, –48 dB, –54 dB, –60 dB, –66 dB, –72 dB 
and off. The default value is –54 dB. 
3.14 Copy ID 
When recording an MD on the MD-801, the copy ID 
of the recorded MD can be set for different purposes.
The three settings available are:
• Copy Free—( 
Free 
) allows unlimited digital 
copies to be made from the digital recording made 
on the MD-801
• First-generation copy only—( 
1 gen 
) allows 
only one digital copy to be made from the digital 
recording produced on the MD-801
• Copy prohibit—( 
Proh 
) means that no further 
digital copies can be made from the digital record-
ing produced on the MD-801.
After the menu has been opened with the  
SHUTTLE  
 
wheel, the display changes:
The default setting is for free copying. The restric-
tions apply only to digital copies produced through 
the  
COAXIAL 
 port. The copy bit is ignored if the 
recording is made when the disc is played back 
through the  
AES/EBU 
 connector. 
3.15 Post-script recording 
As explained in 4.3.5, “Post-Script” recording, 
recording can start either from the beginning of the 
disc (when this function is turned off), or from the 
beginning of the free space available, i.e. after the 
last recorded track (when this function is turned on).
This function also controls the operation of the 
replace recording function (see 4.3.6, Replace 
recording).
After the menu has been opened with the  
SHUTTLE  
 
wheel, the display changes:
The available options are on and off, with the default 
being on. 
S_TIME> 121
R_TIME> 43
SYS> 01.00
A_TRK LVL ?
A_TRK> -54dB
R
R
 
COPY ID SEL?
COPY ID>Free
PS REC ?
PS REC>ON
R
R 
						

							 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
4–1 
4 - Basic operations 
This section gives you informstion about the basic 
operations using the MD-801.
It assumes that you have connected the MD-801 to 
all the other equipment that you will be using. If you 
have not already made these connections, read 2.3, 
Rear panel for details of the rear panel connections, 
and connect the other equipment appropriately. 
4.1 Inserting and ejecting discs 
Discs are inserted label side uppermost, in the direc-
tion of the arrow marked on the disc. The display 
shows:
if the MD-801 is turned on without a disc in the 
drive.
As the disc is loaded, the display shows:
When the disc has been loaded, the disc title, number 
of tracks, total running time, etc. are displayed.
Use the   
EJECT  
 key   
[3]  
 to eject discs.
Discs do not have to be ejected when the power to 
the MD-801 is turned off. No damage will be caused 
to discs if they are left in the unit at power-off or 
power on. 
NOTE  
Never turn the power off when the U-TOC is 
being written to disc ( 
UTOC Writing 
).  
If you do, the disc may become unreadable. 
When the MD-801 is turned on with a disc already 
loaded in the drive, the display will show:
before showing the disc title, running time, number 
of tracks, etc. 
4.2 Playback of discs 
The following instructions apply to both pre-
recorded and recordable MD media. 
4.2.1 Playing back a whole disc 
When the disc has been loaded, and the TOC has 
been read, use the   
PLAY MODE  
 key so that the 
playback mode is not set to  
SINGLE
 
 or  
A-B
 
 (see   
[22]  
).Press the   
PLAY  
 key   
[6]  
. Playback will start from the 
beginning of the disc.
Stop playback with the   
STOP  
 key   
[5]  
.
Pause playback with the   
READY  
 key   
[7]  
 and restart 
it with the   
PLAY  
 key. 
NOTE  
If the tracks being played back are less than 
three seconds in length, playback will be dis- 
continuous (“jumpy”). 
4.2.2 Playback outputs 
There are two sets of outputs provided on the MD-
801: the   
LINE  
 balanced XLR-type at +4 dBu   
[40]  
, 
and the   
MONITOR  
 unbalanced RCA at –10 dBV   
[38]  
.  
OUTPUT MODE  
 DIP switch 2   
[39]  
 on the rear 
panel is used to synchronize these outputs so that 
material is always played back through both sets of 
outputs (off), or individually (on).
If the individual output option is chosen, the   
PLAY  
 
key on the MD-801 itself or the   
MONITOR  
 key on 
the RC-801 will start playback through the   
MONITOR  
 outputs only. In this case, the   
LINE  
 out-
puts are activated following a play or online com-
mand from a remote controller (keyboard, RC-801, 
RC-8 or the serial or parallel controller).
If the the   
LINE  
 outputs are used for playback, the   
MONITOR  
 outputs may also be used for simulta-
neous playback.   
OUTPUT MODE  
 DIP switch 3 
controls this. When set to off, the   
MONITOR  
 out-
puts are muted when the   
LINE  
 outputs are in use. 
When set on, the   
MONITOR  
 outputs are always 
used.
The   
PHONES  
 jack   
[9]  
 is always used.
The above applies to the analog outputs only, and 
does not refer at all to the digital outputs, which are 
always in use, regardless of the origin of the play-
back command. 
4.2.3 Monaural playback 
OUTPUT MODE  
 DIP switch 1   
[39]  
 is used to com-
bine the left and right tracks and output them from 
both the left and right outputs equally.
The outputs affected are the   
LINE  
   
[40]  
,   
MONITOR  
   
[38]  
 and   
PHONES  
 outputs. The digital outputs are 
not affected by the position of this switch. 
NO DISC
Disc Loading
TOC Reading 
						

							 
4 - Playback of discs 
4–2 
 TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II 
4.2.4 Playing back a single track 
When the disc has been loaded and the TOC has been 
read, use the  
PLAY MODE 
 key to select the  
SINGLE
 
 
play mode (see  
[22] 
).
Use the  
TRACK 
 keys  
[4] 
 to move the playback posi-
tion to the start of the desired track.
Press the  
PLAY 
 key  
[6] 
. Playback will start from the 
beginning of the track.
Stop playback with the  
STOP 
 key  
[5] 
. Playback will 
restart at the start of the disc, unless you move the 
playback position to the start of the next track to be 
played back.  
NOTE 
The above function can be overridden with 
the resume function, which turns the  
STOP 
 
key into a “PAUSE” key and allows playback 
to continue from where it was paused using 
the STOP key. See 3.6, Resume setting for  
details. 
Pause playback with the  
READY 
 key  
[7] 
 and restart 
it with the  
PLAY 
 key. 
4.2.5 Entering the A and B location points 
1 
Press the  
MEMO IN/CAPS 
 key  
[23] 
 so that the 
indicator lights. 
2 
Locate the playback point to the first location, 
and press  
LOC A/DEL 
  
[24] 
. The indicator will 
light, showing that a value has been entered into 
the location, and the  
MEMO IN/CAPS 
 indica-
tor will go out. 
3 
Locate the playback point to the second loca-
tion, and press the  
MEMO IN/CAPS 
 key  
[23] 
 
again so that the indicator lights. 
4 
Press  
LOC B/INSERT 
  
[24] 
. The indicator will 
light, showing that a value has been entered into 
the location, and the  
MEMO IN/CAPS 
 indica-
tor will go out.
Clear the location points by stopping playback, 
pressing the  
MEMO IN/CAPS 
 key, and pressing the 
appropriate location key ( 
LOC A/DEL 
 or  
LOC B/
INSERT 
) so that the indicator goes out. 
4.2.6 Playback between two location 
points 
1 
Enter the location points as described above. 
2 
Press the  
PLAY MODE 
 key  
[22] 
 so that the 
display shows  
A-B
 
. 
3 
Press  
LOC A/DEL 
  
[24] 
. The unit will locate to 
the first point, and start playing until it reaches 
the second point, and then stop.
If the location points are in the wrong order (i.e. B 
precedes A), the display will show  
A-B Error 
 
when playback is attempted. 
4.2.7 The CALL function 
The CALL key  
[10] 
 is used for easy location to a 
marked point 
1 
Put the MD-801 into play ready mode at the 
point you want to mark (the  
READY 
 indicator  
[7] 
 should be lit). 
2 
Press the  
READY 
 key. The current point is now 
marked. 
3 
You can now play back, or perform the next 
operation. 
4 
To return to the marked point, press the  
CALL 
 
key  
[10] 
.
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. 
4.2.8 Relative time display 
The call point set in the way described above (4.2.7, 
The CALL function) can also be used as a zero 
point for relative time display (all times are displayed 
relative to this point, with times before the point 
being displayed as negative values), To enter the rel-
ative time mode: 
1 
Make sure that the MEMO IN/CAPS indicator 
[23] is lit.
2Press the TIME key [17] to show the different 
display modes. The relative display mode 
appears as follows:
where 
xxx represents the “minutes” portion of the 
elapsed time since the call point, and 
yy represents 
the “seconds” portion of the elapsed time. Times 
before the call point are prefixed with a minus sign.
NOTE
If no call point has been set, the “relative time” 
will be from the start of the disc.
rel xxxm yys
R 
						

							 
4 - Playback of discs 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
4–3 
4.2.9 Repeat playback 
Use the  
REPEAT 
 key  
[26] 
 to enable the repeat mode 
as shown in the display ( 
REPEAT
 
).
The three different repeat modes available corre-
spond to the three playback modes set with the  
PLAY MODE 
 key  
[22] 
 (whole disc,  
SINGLE
 
 track or  
A-B
 
 points, as set above). 
NOTE 
For A-B repeat to be effective, location point A 
must be before location point B, otherwise A- 
B repeat cannot take place. 
4.2.10Track search operations 
While playing back, it is possible to press the  
TRACK 
 keys  
[4] 
 in order to move forward or back-
ward a number of tracks, corresponding to the num-
ber of times the key is pressed.
After locating to the start of the track (the start of the 
track start cue point if  
AUTO CUE 
 is off (4.2.12, 
Cueing to the first audio position in a track) or the 
first audio frame if it is on), the deck will park in play 
ready mode.
Pressing the “previous”  
TRACK 
 key at the first track 
will move to the last track on the disc, and pressing 
the “next”  
TRACK 
 key at the last track will move to 
the first track on the disc. 
4.2.11Cueing the next track 
automatically 
When playing back a single track, it is often useful to 
cue the next track ready for playback.
Use the  
AUTO READY 
 key  
[20] 
 to enable the unit 
to enter play ready mode automatically when the 
start of a track is reached. This is the start of the track 
as determined by the digital subcode, not the start of 
the audio signal, unless  
AUTO CUE 
 is on (see 
4.2.12, Cueing to the first audio position in a 
track).
Depending on the play mode (when no repeat is 
active), the unit will enter stop mode in  
SINGLE
 
 or  
A-
B
 
 play mode, and play ready in the “continue” mode, 
after the location has taken place.
If repeat is active, the unit will enter play ready mode 
at the start of the next track ( 
REPEAT 
 
“continue”), the 
start of the track which is being repeated ( 
REPEAT 
SINGLE
 
) or the A repeat point ( 
REPEAT A-B
 
). 
4.2.12Cueing to the first audio position in 
a track 
To cue the playback position to the first point where 
the audio level exceeds a preset threshold, make sure 
that playback is stopped, press the  
AUTO CUE   
key 
so that the indicator is lit, and then press the  
READY  
 
key.
The playback point will then locate to the start of the 
audio portion of the track (the  
PLAY 
 indicator will 
flash while it is locating).
If the  
AUTO CUE 
 indicator is lit, the playback point 
will automatically locate to the first audio point of 
the destination track when searching and locating.
There are nine “trigger” levels which may be 
selected through the menu system (see 3.3, Auto 
cue) for the  
AUTO CUE 
 operation. Select the 
appropriate level depending on the source material. 
4.2.13Varispeed mode 
The MD-801 is capable of playing back material in 
varispeed mode. 
The speed can be altered to ±9.9% relative to normal 
speed, and can be changed using the menu system 
(see 3.2, Pitch control). 
NOTE  
While the MD-801 is in varispeed mode, care 
must be taken that it is not set to use an exter- 
nal word clock ( 
[43] 
). 
4.2.14Jog mode 
To use the  
JOG  
dial to locate a playback point pre-
cisely (to frame accuracy): 
1 
Press the  
JOG 
 key  
[11] 
 to light the indicator. 
2 
Turn the  
JOG 
 dial  
[12] 
 (clockwise to move the 
jog point forwards, counterclockwise to move it 
backwards). Monitoring is at normal speed. 
When you stop turning the  
JOG 
 dial, the sec-
tion that has been “highlighted” by the jog 
action will be repeatedly looped.
You can set the length of the jog loop from a menu 
item (see 3.5, Jog loop length). 
3 
Press the  
READY 
  
[7] 
 key to set the call point, 
at the end of the jog loop. 
4 
Locate to the call point by pressing  
CALL [10] 
. 
						

							 
4 - Recording operations 
4–4 
 TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II 
NOTE 
The point at which the JOG key was pressed 
will not be included in the jog loop. To include 
this point in the loop, you must turn the  
JOG 
  
dial counterclockwise. 
4.2.15Shuttle mode 
The  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel  
[13] 
 allows you to perform 
fast cue or review operations, moving forwards or 
backwards through the program material at high 
speed.
The further the wheel is moved from the central posi-
tion, the faster the cue or review speed.
Since the MD-801 is a digital recorder, playback in 
cue and review is not continuous. 
4.2.16Displaying track titles during 
playback 
When the MD-801 is in play or play ready (or in 
record or record ready) mode, pressing the  
TITLE 
 
key  
[16] 
 shows the current track title.
If the track does not have a title entered, the display 
briefly shows:
If the display is too long to fit on the display, it can 
be scrolled by pressing the  
TITLE 
 key once more. 
NOTE 
If the MD-801 is in stop mode, pressing the  
TITLE 
 key displays the disc, rather than the 
current track, title. Remember also that the  
MEMO IN/CAPS 
 key can also be used to  
affect the display (see  
[16] 
). 
The entry and editing of titles is described in 5.11, 
Track and disc title entry 
4.2.17Displaying the recording date 
If the current track has been “date- and time-
stamped”, the date and time can be displayed: 
1 
While the MD-801 is in play or play ready (or 
record or record ready) mode, press the  
MEMO 
IN/CAPS 
 key  
[23] 
 so that the indicator is lit. 
2 
Press the  
TITLE 
 key  
[16] 
. The word  
DATE
 
 will 
light in the display, and the date will be shown 
(for example  
98y 12m 25d 
), followed by the time (e.g.  
10h 34m 12s 
) in 24-
hour format.
If the track has not been time-stamped, the display 
briefly shows: 
NOTE 
If the MD-801 is in stop mode, this operation 
shows the disc’s time and date, rather than  
those of the current track. 
4.2.18Setting the time and date 
Since the MD-801 leaves TASCAM with the date 
and time pre-set, there should be little need for you to 
set the time and date of the internal clock.
However, if you move the MD-801 across time-
zones, etc., you may need to reset the date and time 
following the procedure below: 
1 
Eject any disc and power off the MD-801 (this 
step is not strictly necessary, but simplifies the 
procedure). 
2 
Press and hold down the  
TIME 
 key  
[17] 
 while 
turning on the power. The display shows: 
3 
Turn the  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel clockwise to start 
setting the time and date. 
4 
Use the  
DATA 
 dial as a data entry wheel, and 
the  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel as a cursor to move 
between the year ( 
y 
), month ( 
m 
) and day ( 
d 
) 
fields, as described in 3.1, Basic principles of 
menu operations. 
5 
After entering the value for the day, turn the  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel: 
6 
You can set the hours ( 
h 
) and minutes ( 
m 
) 
here. 
7 
When these have been entered, press the  
TIME 
 
key to set the time (the seconds value is set to 
zero as you press the key) and return to normal 
operation. 
4.3 Recording operations 
Naturally, these recording operations refer to the  
No Title
No Date
CLOCK SET ?
__y __m __d
__h __m --s
R 
						

							 
4 - Recording operations 
  TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II  
4–5 
MD-801R model only. 
4.3.1 General notes on recording using 
the MD format 
Because the MD method of recording is somewhat 
different to a linear recording method, such as tape, 
you should note the following points.
• The message  
Disc Full 
 may appear on the 
display before the available recording time on the 
disc has all be used. 
This may be because more than 255 tracks have been 
recorded on the disc.
• The sum of the total recorded time, and the dis-
played remaining available time may not equal the 
theoretical total capacity of the disc.
This is because of the nature of the MiniDisc track 
structure. At least two seconds are used for every 
MiniDisc track, regardless of the audio structure. In 
addition, “bad sectors”, caused by dirt, scratches, etc. 
are automatically skipped and ignored, which means 
that they are unavailable for recording. We always 
suggest that you leave some “safety net”, and do not 
attempt to record a program of exactly 74 minutes on 
an MD marked as 74 minutes.
• Erasing a track will not make the time the exact 
length of the erased track available for recording.
This is on account of the nature of the MD recording 
format, and has to do with block size, etc. If you are 
familiar with computer systems, you may be aware 
of a simiular limitation with regard to file size on 
some operating systems. 
4.3.2 Rebuilding the TOC 
It is possible to rebuild the TOC, which will free up 
recording space if a heavily-edited disc is being used. 
1 
With the MD-801 stopped, press the  
EDIT 
 key  
[18] 
. 
2 
Turn the  
DATA 
 dial  
[12] 
 until the display 
shows: 
3 
Turn the  
SHUTTLE 
 wheel  
[13] 
 clockwise to 
rebuild the TOC (counterclockwise to cancel 
the operation). 
4 
When the display shows  
Complete 
, and 
the  
TOC WRITE 
 indicator  
[19] 
 lights, press the  
TOC WRITE 
 key to write the new TOC to disc. 
NOTE  
Depending on the condition of the disc (how 
many edits have been performed, etc.), it may 
take a considerable amount of time for the 
TOC to be rebuilt. In rare cases, the recording 
capacity of the disc may not be increased, 
even after the TOC has been rebuilt in this  
way. 
• The number of tracks that have been intentionally 
recorded, and the number of tracks displayed may 
not match.
When the transport encounters dirt or scratches, etc., 
the current track is ended, and a new track is started. 
This automatically-created track is marked by the let-
ters “ 
Cont !! 
” being added to the end of the 
track title. This “track” cannot be combined using the 
editing methods available. To avoid the occurence of 
such “tracks”, it is important to keep the MD media 
clean and dust-free. 
NOTE  
Every time recording is halted, the TOC is 
updated. As always, avoid turning off the 
power while the TOC is being written. In addi-
tion, you should be aware that if you have 
performed editing operations that you do not 
want to commit to disc, and then do some 
recording, the edit operations will be saved to 
disc when recording stops. You may want to 
eject the disc without writing the edits (see  
[3] 
) before recording, to avoid this situation. 
Like most other forms of recordable media, MDs 
incorporate a write-protect tab, which can prevent 
you from accidentally overwriting precious record-
ings. If you try recording with a disc that has had the 
tab set to the “protect” position (open), the display 
will show:
If you want to record on this disc, you must eject the 
disc, close the write-protect tab and record again. 
4.3.3 Basic recording 
This gives the basic instructions on how to record. 
There are a number of different recording-related 
options which may be selected, as described else-
where in this section. 
TOC REBUILD?
W_Protected! 
						

							 
4 - Recording operations 
4–6 
 TASCAM MD-801R/P Mk II 
1 
Select the recording method (digital or analog) 
and the appropriate input source. 
2 
Make sure the unit is stopped. 
3 
Press and hold down the  
RECORD 
 key  
[8] 
 and 
press the  
READY 
 key  
[7] 
. 
4 
Adjust the recording level (analog,  
UNCAL 
 
only) so that the meters do not read  
OVER
 
, even 
in the loudest passages. 
5 
Start recording by pressing the  
PLAY 
 key  
[6] 
. 
6 
When recording is finished, press the  
STOP 
 
key  
[5] 
. 
After recording is finished, the TOC is updated.
The date is automatically recorded (as taken from the 
internal clock).
The  
STOP 
 key may also be used to cancel the record 
ready mode entered in step 3. 
4.3.4 Track number incrementing 
When recording, the track numbers are incremented 
automatically in the following cases:
• When making digital recordings from another unit 
through the  
COAXIAL 
 input  
[34] 
, the PQ code is 
used when making a recording from a CD player or 
an MD player, and START IDs are used when 
recording from a DAT.
• When making digital recordings through the  
AES/
EBU 
 input  
[32] 
 or analog recordings, the Auto 
track numbering level may be used. The first time 
that a signal exceeding the selected threshold is 
encountered after recording is started, the start of a 
track is marked, and the track number is incre-
mented. While recording is taking place, if the 
level drops below the selected threshold for three 
consecutive seconds or more, and then rises above 
the threshold, the start of a new track is marked, 
and the track number is incremented. See 3.13, 
Auto track numbering level for details.
When recording from AES/EBU or analog sources, 
the auto track numbering function may be turned off 
completely. There are then two options:
• Record the whole of the material in one take, and 
use the editing functions at a later time to divide 
the material into tracks.
• While recording is taking place, press the “next”  
TRACK 
 key  
[4] 
. Recording will continue, but the 
track number is incremented by one, and the track 
division is written at the point where the “next”  
TRACK 
 key was pressed. 
4.3.5 “Post-Script” recording 
There are two ways of cueing the disc when record-
ing. One is “post-script” recording, where recording 
starts immediately following the last recorded mate-
rial. Unlike a linear recorder (tape, etc.) there is no 
need to cue the medium to the last track.
The other is non post-script, which starts recording 
from the start of the disc, overwriting the whole disc, 
except for the title.
Post-script recording is set using the menu system, 
described in 3.15, Post-script recording. 
4.3.6 Replace recording 
This function allows recordings to be made on an 
existing track, if the MD-801 is in ready mode in the 
middle or at the start of an existing track.
Recording in replace mode allows recording on that 
track. Since the MD format is non-linear, the length 
of the track does not matter.
Recording from the start of the track will replace the 
existing track, keeping the same track number and 
title (if any). The whole of the existing track will be 
erased, even if the replacement material is shorter 
than the existing track.
Recording from part of the way through the track 
will add a new track with the number of the current 
track plus one. If you start recording part of the way 
through the track, the part of the original track from 
the point at which recording started, to the end of the 
original track, will be erased, even if the new track is 
shorter than this portion. 
NOTE  
If you want to keep the start of a track on 
which you are making a replace recording 
from the middle, use the Track Divide editing 
function, and start replace recording from the 
newly-created second track. You can, of 
course, keep the second part by replace  
recording the newly-created first track. 
1 
Make sure that the post-script recording mode is 
on (3.15, Post-script recording). 
NOTE  
If post-script recording is turned off, you will  
erase the whole disc (except for the disc title).