Adding External Drives to the System
Up to five additional SCSI drives can be added to each MMR-8. The drives must be assigned unique SCSI ID numbers. Two SCSI ID numbers (7 and 0) are already taken by the MMR-8 SCSI controller card and the removable drive in the internal Kingston carrier of the MMR-8. The external drives should be added to the system while the MMR-8 is powered down (off).
Formatting Disks
The MMR-8 uses the WaveFrame disk format for recording, so disks from that system are compatible with the MMR-8, and disks can be formatted on the MMR-8 for use with the WaveFrame. There are two formatting options: Disk Initialize (menu 710), which is the typical formatting option; and Disk Low Format (menu 711), which would be used on a brand new (unformatted at the factory) disk, a (software) damaged disk, or a disk that has been formatted for use on a non-Intel based system using an incompatible formatter.
When a new disk is added to the system, and you wish to initialize it, place the disk into the default system disk location. Go to Setup menu 710, and press STO to select Disk Format. A warning message will show in the display, asking if you wish to format the disk. Press STO to answer yes (or RCL to answer no, returning you to Setup Menu 710). A further message will appear, asking if you are sure. Again, use STO for yes, RCL for no. If a password has been set, then the Enter Password: message will be displayed and you will have to enter the password to continue with the format.
On disks that have been (software) damaged, or incompatibly formatted, repeat the above operation using menu 711 instead. Keep in mind that a low-level format can take from 20 minutes to an hour, during which time the MMR-8 cannot be used for normal operation.
Using Removable Media
The MMR-8 currently supports two types of removable media: SCSI hard drives, and SCSI MOs (Magneto Optical) drives. The only type of SCSI hard drives that should be used are those specifically recommended by Tascam, or drives and media that have been specified for use with high-demand applications such as audio/video systems. These disks typically have faster access times (12 ms or faster average seek time is required), larger storage capacities (2.4 GB or larger), and thermal compensation that is only active when the drive is not being accessed. A list of approved removable media drives is given in Appendix B of this manual. Contact Tascam for the most current list of recommended SCSI hard drives for the MMR-8. This list is also available on the Tascam Web site at www.Tascam.com.
For archiving and for transferring 4-track reels between the WaveFrame editor and the MMR-8, the Tahiti 3 or similar optical drive may be used. The MMR-8 can format, backup to, or play back up to four tracks off of 620 MB, 1.3 GB, or 2.6 GB MO media. The latest generation of LIM/DOW optical drives (such as the Nikon Beluga A/V drive) offer the best removable optical disk performance.
