12 – Troubleshooting

When working with any new piece of equipment like the unit, it’s sometimes difficult to work out why something isn’t happening the way you expect. The main thing is to take your time—after all, you’re not paying hourly studio rates! Stop and think. Ask yourself questions, like the ones below, and you can usually find the answer.

Also, see the “Messages” section on page 79 for the meaning of messages that may pop up on the display. Consult this table when a message appears when an operation cannot be completed by the unit.

Why can’t I hear any sound when I play back?

•• Are the LEVEL knobs of the tracks set to high enough?

•• Is the MASTER LEVEL knob set to high enough?

•• Have you connected the PHONES or LINE OUT jack to your monitoring system prop- erly, and is your monitoring system set up correctly?

•• Is the VOLUME control set to high enough?

Why does the sound I'm recording sound distorted?

•• Are the TRIM knobs of the INPUT A or INPUT B on the top panel of the unit set too high? Is the input source too loud?

•• Isn’t the monitor system distorted as the monitor level is too high?

Why can’t I record?

•• You must have at least one track armed (REC indicator flashing) before you start recording by pressing the PLAY (¥) key while pressing the RECORD (–)key.

•• Are input channels assigned to tracks (see “Assigning input” on page 43)?

Why can’t my computer “see” the unit files?

•• Is the unit connected to the computer via the USB terminal (see “Connecting with a computer” on page 71)?

•• Before making the USB connection, songs, tracks, or stereo master tracks are backed

up or exported to the FAT partition? (Files on the MTR partition cannot directly be read.)

When using the AC adaptor, noise occurs if I connect a passive guitar or bass directly.

•• Connecting another device to the unit’s line output (LINE OUT) jacks might reduce the noise.

•• This might be caused by interference noise from another device. If there is a power amplifier or other device that uses a large transformer, a fluorescent light or something similar nearby, you might be able to reduce the noise by changing the distance and orientation of this unit in relation to such equipment.

78 TASCAM DP-008