Appendix B: Troubleshooting
ADAT XT Reference Manual 77
should also be aware that it is extremely easy to damage your heads and other
sensitive parts of your ADAT. Do not open up your ADAT to clean the heads.
What it comes to is this: ADAT is a very sophisticated piece of digital technology. It is
going to be used for your important projects so take the best care of your ADAT and
your ADAT heads possible.
ADAT HEAD MAINTENANCE
The heads of each ADAT are pre-aligned at Alesis. No user adjustment is
necessary.
Over the course of time, depending on the quality of the tapes used and
the environmental conditions where the ADAT and its tapes are stored, head cleaning
may become necessary. Unlike analog or even video tape recorders, the actual
sound quality of an ADAT recording will not be affected until there is quite a bit of dirt
on the drum and heads. When the Interpolation Indicator (the sunburst at the end of
the location display) starts appearing frequently, even on brand new tapes, we
recommend that you bring your ADAT to an authorized Alesis Service Center for
cleaning. If the indicator is not appearing and the unit is performing normally, there is
no reason to clean the heads. Periodic or preventative maintenance should not be
over done to prevent premature wear on the headstack.
If head cleaning is necessary and you are unable to bring your ADAT to a service
center, you may try using a DRY VHS head cleaning cassette. We recommend
3M VHSHC Black Watch Head Cleaner Video Cassette or 3M ASD HC Digital Audio
Head Cleaning Cassette.
• Do NOT use any other type of head cleaning cassette. They are abrasive and
will damage or wear out your heads.
• Do NOT use head cleaning cassettes that require any kind of liquid.
• Do not use the Black Watch cassette any more often than necessary. Over-
cleaning the heads wears them down, reducing their life span.
• Do NOT attempt to clean the heads yourself unless you are a skilled technician
experienced in the maintenance of video cassette recorders. Information for
such technicians is available from Alesis Product Support. ADAT head cleaning
requires different materials and procedures from analog head cleaning, similar to
VCR maintenance. Cleaning the heads with a cotton swab, or rubbing in the
wrong direction, will destroy them. Opening the case of your ADAT will
void the warranty.
Maintenance of the ADAT should be based on the Interpolation Indicator (or Error
Count Display, see p. 74) or if the unit begins to behave erratically. To determine if
these symptoms are caused by dirty heads, (not a defective or worn tape), keep a
“benchmark” tape from the first weeks of operation set aside in a safe place (see
page 40). If the Interpolation Indicator lights frequently when playing back this tape, it
is likely that head cleaning is needed, particularly if several hundred drum-on hours
have elapsed since the last cleaning (see page 74).
Call Alesis Product Support for more information about head cleaning and authorized
Alesis Service Centers.