ADAT help please

[dickhauser]

Light weight hobby user here.

Son in law gave me a used DAT (he borrowed from someone) and 15 tapes. Tapes are masters and rough mixes of his band, mostly recorded in the early 90's. Most of the tapes would have been done at professional studios. The object is two fold. First, archive to CD/DVD. Second, comb though the material for loops and such that he might use in DP for remixes.

The ADAT is a Sony DTC700.

I'm using MOTU 1224/2408 mkII MTPAV into DP4.61 on a dual 2GHz.

He doesn't know whether the tapes are multi track or just stereo.

I ran a light pipe from the ADAT to the 2408 and pushed play. Got signals on eight channels - just static. Well, its static of different types. I don't have the experience to know what types of static.

I tried setting the word sync (clock?) to different places (default is the PCI424). 2408 in didn't work.

The tape deck does not have word connections. However, it does have RCA connectors for the Digital In/OUT section that are labeled coaxial. They're right above the light pipe connections that I'm using. I only tried the one (out on the deck to in on the 2408).

I downloaded a manual for the tape deck, but have not found (after a briief glance) any reference to word clock. I'm going to go back and read more carefully now.

If I just lead the audio out of the deck to audio in on my system, I can record a nice clean stereo signal which would be ok. However, individual tracks would be cooler.

Two questions:

1) What are the odds that the tapes are multi track?

2) What proceedure would you suggest for trying to sync the deck and the 2408.

TIA

Dick H
Olympia Wa

[Jim]

The DAT format is two tracks. You can do an analog transfer as you described, or you could try the SPDIF port from the DAT to your 2408.

Check the DAT machine to see what sample rate it's playing back. I believe they're only 16 bits at 44.1 or 48KHz. Make sure you have the same settings in DP and for your interface.

[dickhauser]

The DAT format is two tracks. You can do an analog transfer as you described, or you could try the SPDIF port from the DAT to your 2408.

Check the DAT machine to see what sample rate it's playing back. I believe they're only 16 bits at 44.1 or 48KHz. Make sure you have the same settings in DP and for your interface.

Thanks so much, Jim, just what I needed to find out. Two tracks. In that case, I'm off running.

Oh, and it seems to me that since I'm just using audio out from the deck, the sample rates don't matter.

[Jim]

Oh, and it seems to me that since I'm just using audio out from the deck, the sample rates don't matter.

Yes, that's correct, if you're coming out the DAT through the analog outs.

The sample rate would only matter if you're doing a digital transfer throught the SPDIF.