Yamaha MT4X User manual

YAMAHA
MultitrackCassetteRecorder
User'sGuide

Precautions
1
Precautions
1Avoidexcessiveheat,humidity,dust,andvibration.
KeeptheMT4Xawayfromlocationswhereitislikelytobe
exposedtohightemperatures orhumidity,suchasdirect
sunlight,nearradiators,stoves,etc.Alsoavoidlocationswhich
aresubjecttoexcessivedustaccumulationorvibrationwhich
couldcausemechanicaldamage.
2Avoidphysicalshocks
Strongphysicalshockscancausedamage. Handletheunitwith
care.
3Cleanwithasoftdrycloth
Neverusesolventssuchasbenzineorthinnertocleanthe
MT4X.Wipeitcleanwithasoftdrycloth.
4Donotopenthecaseorattemptrepairsormodification
yourself
TheMT4Xcontainsnouser-serviceableparts.Forotherthan
routinecleaning,referallmaintenancetoqualifiedYAMAHA
servicepersonnel.Openingthecaseand/or tamperingwith the
internalcircuitrywillvoidthewarranty.
5Makesurepowerisoffbeforemakingorremoving
connections
AlwaysturnthepowerOFFpriortoconnectingor
disconnectingcables.ThiswillpreventdamagetotheMT4Xas
wellasother connectedequipment.
6Handlecablescarefully
Alwaysplugandunplugcables—includingtheAC cord—by
grippingthe connector,notthecord.
7Alwaysusethecorrectpowersupply
TheMT4Xissoldconfiguredtotheappropriatepower
specificationsfor thelocalarea.Thepowersupplyvoltageand
powerconsumptionarelistedonthebottompanel.Ifyoumove
toanareawithadifferentACmainsvoltage,besuretocheck
withyournearestYAMAHAdealerbeforeusingtheunit.
8Keep theheadsandtapepathclean
Toensureconsistenthighperformanceandsoundqualityfrom
theMT4X,itisimportanttocleantheheadsandtapepath
regularly—ideallybeforeeachrecordingsession.Usea
cleaningkitspecificallydesignedtousewith cassettetape
equipment.
9Useonlyhigh-qualitychromecassettetape
TheMT4XisdesignedtobeusedwithChrometape(CrO2tape
—Bias:HIGHorTYPEIIposition;EQ:70µs).Itwillnotwork
properlywithFerrichrometapeformulations.Youmay
experiencehighfrequency distortionifyou usesuchtapes.
Theuseoftapeslongerthan90minutes(C-120and longer)is
notrecommended.Thesetapesaremuchthinnerandtherefore
pronetopoorperformanceorfailure.
TDKSA46- 90and MaxellXLII46- 90arerecommended.
10Handlethecassettetapesproperly
Youshouldfastforwardandrewindnewtapesbeforeyou
recordonthem.Thiswillpreventanypossiblebindingthat
couldbecausedbythetapebeingtightlywoundatthefactory.
Itisbestnottousethefirstand last20secondsofa tape.The
splicebetweenthe leader and the tape cancausedistortion.
Whenloadingacassette,checkthatthetape isnotloose,then
loadthetape firmlyintothecassettecompartment.Ifthetapeis
notloadedproperly,theunitmayjamorotherwisemalfunction.
11Usethedbx™ switchcorrectly
Toobtainthebestpossiblesoundquality,youshouldalwaysuse
thedbx™noisereductionsystemtoplaybacktapesthatwere
recordedwiththedbx™ systemon.Ifthetapewasrecorded
withoutdbx™,turnthenoisereductionsystemoff.
Thedbx™noisereductionsystemwasmanufacturedbasedona
patentlicencefromTHATCorporation.dbxisatrademarkof
CarillionElectronicsCorporation.
Contents
User'sGuide
1
2
2
3
5
6
7
8
10
10
11
12
13
14
15
15
16
19
Precautions
Introduction
Features
StructureoftheMT4X
1ControlsandConnections
ChannelModules
MasterModule
Recorder Controls
TransportControls
Multi-functionDisplay
FrontPanelConnections
RearPanelConnections
PowerConnections
2Example System
3RecordingFunctions
Monitoring
Initialrecording
Overdubbing
21
29
32
34
35
36
39
41
41
42
42
44
44
45
46
48
49
49
51
Punch-in/outrecording
Ping-pongrecording
Mixdown
4Synchronization
FSK recording
Synchronizedplayback
Synchronizedmixdown
5Memory Functions
MemoFunction
RepeatFunction
RecordingLevelsFunction
Appendix
Troubleshooting
Maintenance
Specifications
BlockDiagram
Dimensions
TrackingSheet
Glossary

Introduction2
Introduction
YourMT4XMultitrackCassetterecorderisapowerfulrecordingtoolthatwillallowyou
tocaptureyourmusicataveryhighlevelofsoundquality.Itisanadvancedtechnology,
easy-to-usefour-trackcassettetaperecorderwithacomprehensivefour-channelmixer.
InordertomakeuseofthemanyfeaturesoftheMT4Xandtoobtainthebestperformance,
pleasereadthismanualthoroughly—andkeepitinasafeplaceforfuturereference.
Features
General
TheMT4Xconsistsofafour-channelmixersectionandafour-trackcassettetaperecorder
sectioninsideacompactenclosure.Independentrecordingandplaybackispossiblefor
eachtrack.Thisallowsyoutocreatehigh-qualitymulti-trackrecordings.
Mixer
•Themixersectionisequippedwithindependentstereobusesfor greaterflexibility.
•Continuouslyvariablegaincontrolsareprovidedforeachinputchannel.Thesecanbe
usedwithanyinputsource,frommicrophonestoelectronicinstruments.
•Eachchannelhasathreebandequalizer(HIGH,MID,andLOW)givingyouflexible
tone-shapingcapabilities.
•DualAUXSENDandAUX RETURN (stereo)connectorsallowyoutoaddeffects from
externalsignalprocessors.YoucanassigntheAUXRETURNsignaltoeachchannelas
required.
Recorder
•Thedbx™noisereductionsystemprovidessubstantialnoisereductionandawide
dynamicrange.
•Anautomaticpunch-in/outrecordingfunctionandarehearsalfunctionmake
recordingeasierandmoreaccurate.Locatefunctions,suchasmemoryand
return-to-zeroareprovidedfor additionalconvenience.
•Alarge,multi-functionaldisplayshowstherecordingandplaybacklevels,alongwith
atapecounterandotherindicators,givingyouimmediateandhelpfulinformation
about thestatusoftheMT4X.
•Thepitchcontrolallowsyoutovarythetape speedwithinarangeofapproximately
±10%.Thiscanbeusefulwhenyouhavetocompensateforpitchvariationsduringan
overdub.
•Thetapetransportisafull-logicmechanism,makingrecordingandplaybackoperation
smoothandsimple.
•Thetransportofferstwo speeds:9.5cm/secand4.8cm/sec.
User'sGuide

3Introduction
Structure of the MT4X
User'sGuide

Introduction4
Structure of the MT4X
TheMT4Xcanbedividedintothreebasicsections-themixer,therecorder,andthebus
lineswhichconnectthem:
Mixer
Themixerhasfour input channels.Itadjuststheinput signalsateachrespectivechannel
andsendsthem tothebus lines.
Thesignalsinputtoeachchannelofthemixercanbe switchedtoeitherinputsignals
(MIC/LINE)orplaybacksignals(TAPE).WhenTAPEisselected,theplaybacksignalfrom
eachtrackisinputtothecorrespondingchannel.Thetoneofthesignalisadjusted
throughtheequalizerandthevolumeatthechannelfaders. Itisthensenttothebuslines
usingtheASSIGNkeysandPANcontrol.
BusLines
There are four main bus lines (group buses) which receive the input signals from each
respectivechannelofthemixer.Ifsignalsfromtwo ormoreinputchannelsaresenttoa
bus line,thesesignalsareoverlaidormixed.
ThereisalsoaSTEREObus(L,R),anAUXbus(1,2),andaCUEbus.
Recorder
Thesignalsfromthebuslinesarerecordedbythecassetterecorder.Italsosendsthesignal
totheTAPEOUTconnectorsandbacktothemixer(includingtheCUEbus).
Alsorefertothe"BlockDiagram"onpage48.
User'sGuide

5ControlsandConnections
1ControlsandConnections
PowerConnections
RearPanelConnections
ChannelModulesMasterModuleRecorderControls
TransportControls
Front Panel
Connections
User'sGuide

ControlsandConnections6
User'sGuide
PAN control
Thisrotarycontrolsetsthestereopanpositionofthechannelsignal.Itisalsoused
toselecttheindividualtrackgroupsfor recording.
UsethePANcontroltoselecttheindividualtrackgroups.
selectsthefirsttrackgroup-groups1 and2.
selectsthesecondtrackgroup- groups3 and4.
l-ASSIGN-2
3-ASSIGN-4
ASSIGNkeys
Thesekeysareusedtoselectthegroupbus.
AUXcontrols
Thisrotarycontrolisusedtosendthechannelsignalafterthefader
to the
auxiliarysendbuses.Rotatedfullycounter-clockwisesendsthesignaltotheAUX1
bus,fullyclockwisetotheAUX 2bus.Inthecentre-detent"0"position,no signalis
senttoeitherbus.
Equalizercontrols
Theserotary controlsareusedtoadjustthehigh,middle
andlowbandfrequencylevels.Tohelpyouselectthe
"flat"settingeasily,eachcontrolhasacentre-detentatthe
"0"position.
HIGH±12dB at12kHz-shelving
MID±12dB at1kHz-peaking
LOW±12dB at80Hz-shelving
GAINcontrol
Thisrotarycontroladjuststhelevelofthesignalfroma
microphoneorinstrumentpluggedintotheMIC/LINE
INPUTconnector
Channel Modules

7ControlsandConnections
User'sGuide
ODD/L:Rotatedfullycounter-clockwisesendsthesignaltotheodd(1or3)
numberedtrackoftheselectedtrackgroup(ASSIGNkeys
channeloftheSTEREObus.
andtotheleft
trackoftheselectedtrackgroup(ASSIGNkeys)andtotherightchannelofthe
STEREObus.
Inputselect(TAPE- MIC/LINE)key
Thiskeyselectstheinputsourceforthe channel.Pressedin
trackcorrespondingtothechannelmodule(forexample,thechannel1 keyselects
Channelfader
Thislinearcontrolisusedtosetthechannellevel.Foroptimalperformance and
signalbalance,thefader shouldbepositionedbetween7 and8.
AUX RETURN- ASSIGNkeys
ThesekeysassignthesignalfromtheAUX
RETURN connectors
bus.
to theselectedgroup
AuxiliaryreturnLEVELcontrols
Theserotarycontrolsadjustthelevelofthe
auxiliaryreturn signal.
MONITORSELECTkeys
Thesekeysareusedtoselectthegroupbuses,
thestereobus,and thecuebus signals.The
signalsareroutedtotheMONITOROUT
connectorsontherearpaneland thestereo
connectoronthefrontofthe
PHONES
MT4X.
GROUP:Thesekeysselectgroups1and3and
groups2 and4respectively.Ifyouselectboth
keys,groups1 and3willbesenttotheleft
channelandgroups2 and4willbe senttothe
rightchannel.
STEREO:Thiskeyselectsthestereobussignal.
CUE:Thiskeyselectsthecuebussignals.These
aretheplaybacksignalsdirectfromthecassette
tracks.Whenyouarerecording,therecord
signalismonitored.
CUELEVELcontrols
Theserotarycontrolsadjustthelevelofthe
signalfromeachtrackbeforeitissenttothecue
bus.
itselectsthetape
track1). Intheoutposition,thesourceistheMIC/LINEINPUTconnector
EVEN/R:Rotatedfullyclockwisesendsthesignaltotheeven(2or4)numbered

ControlsandConnections8
User'sGuide
Note:Thetapespeedcannotbechangedwhilethetapetransportisinmotion.Pressthe
STOPkey
then press the tape speed select key.
Thetape speed(4.8/9.5)selectkeyisusedtoswitchthetape speedbetween9.5cm/
secand4.8cm/sec.9.5cm/sec willbe selectedautomaticallywhen thepoweris
turned on.
Cassette
tapecom-
partment
Multi-
function
display
This FLD
(Fluorescent
Light
Display)
showsthe
operating
modesand
signallevelsof
theMT4X.See
"Multi-
function
Display"on
page 11.
TAPESPEED
CONTROL
Thesecontrols
consistofa
rotary PITCH
controlanda
tapespeed
(4.8/9.5)select
key.
ThePITCH
controlcan
adjustthetape
speedby
approximately
±10%.
Recorder Controls
Masterfader
Thislinearcontrolisusedtosetthelevelofthemasterstereobus.Foroptimal
performanceandsignalbalance,thefadershouldbepositionedbetween7and8.
MONITOR/PHONESlevelcontrol
ThisrotarycontroladjuststhevolumelevelofthestereoPHONES
connector
andtheMONITOROUT connectors.

9ControlsandConnections
User'sGuide
RECSELECTkeys
Thesekeysareusedtoarmthetracksforrecording.WhenyoupressaRECSELECT
key/therecordselectindicatorforthecorrespondingtrackflashesonthe
multi-functiondisplay
REPEAT key
Thiskeyisusedtostartandcanceltherepeatfunction.Whentherepeatfunctionis
active,theMT4Xwillrepeatedlyplaybackaselectionbetweentwomemorypoints
.See"RepeatFunction"onpage42.
setwith theMEMO keys
Whentheautomaticpunch-in/outfunctionisactive,theREPEATkeycausesthe
MT4Xtoimmediatelystarttherehearsalmode.See"Usingtheautomaticpunch-in/
outfunction"onpage21.
Note:The repeat intervalmust be more than three counts on the tape counter
RETURNTOZERO key
Thiskeyrewindsthetapetothepointwherethetapecounter
Thetapecounterflasheswhilethetaperewinds.reads"0000".
dbxkey
Thiskeyisusedtoturnthedbxnoisereductionsystemonandoff.Bydefault,the
dbx™ systemisturned onwhen theMT4Xisfirst poweredon.
Thedbx™ systemhas no effect ontrack 4 when theSYNCkey
recording"onpage35.ison.See
"FSK
SYNCkey
Thiskeydefeatsthedbx™ noisereductionsystemontrack4.Thisallowsyouto
recordFSKsignalsontothetrack.See"FSKrecording"onpage35.
CLEARkey
Thiskeyclearsthestoredmemorypoints.Whenautomaticpunch-in/outisactive
(theAUTO PUNCHindicator
(butdoesnotclearthememorypoints).
isilluminated),thiskeyclearsthecurrentsetting
AUTOPUNCHI/Okey
Thiskeyisusedtostartandcanceltheautomaticpunch-in/outfunction.See
"Usingtheautomaticpunch-in/outfunction"onpage21.
CHECKkey
Thiskeyisusedtoverifythememorypoints.Pressandholdthiskeyandthepress
oneoftheMEMO keys
ThecorrespondingMEMOindicator
willflash
andthestoredvaluewillbeshownonthetapecounter
MEMO(1,2)keys
Thesekeysstorethecurrenttapecounter
pressoneofthesekeys,thecorrespondingMEMOindicator
pointstored.
valueasmemorypoints.Whenyou
willlightandthe
YoucanclearthememorypointsbypressingtheCLEARkey
cassettetape,orturningoffthepower.removingthe