DAT Tapes Static Noise

[TrvisBckle63]

Got A load of DAT tapes loaned to me but when I play them there is a lot of noise on them, I can fast forward and rewind a few times and it gets rid of some of it but there is still some noise on the tapes.....Any idea how I can get rid of this?

[Jay]

Have you pressed the Dolby button?

[Audioarchivist]

How old / clean is your playback DAT deck? Dirty or worn heads will cause mistracking that you're hearing as "static". Maybe it's time to start looking for a different DAT deck to archive those tapes before you can't find a working DAT deck anymore to do it... Good luck!

[dorrcoq]

Or...before you ruin the tapes!

[TrvisBckle63]

I have a Tascam DA 30MKII hardly any use and I just got a head cleaner tape as well, I know absolutely zero about DAT but does seem strange to me and I could ruin the tapes?

[dorrcoq]

I have a Tascam DA 30MKII hardly any use and I just got a head cleaner tape as well, I know absolutely zero about DAT but does seem strange to me and I could ruin the tapes?

If you played them on a deck with bad or dirty heads, you certainly could ruin the tapes. Or that noise might be caused by someone already doing just that.

[Audioarchivist]

...and, I wouldn'tput too much faith in those head cleaner tapes - they're somewhat abrasive and they kinda grind off a layer of the super fragile heads when they "clean" them! You're better off with some 99% isopropanol alcohol and some q-tips and a steady hand. Kepping in mind that DAT heads have a limited amount of hours that they'll properly work before they start to die. How much was this deck used before this? Maybe it's past it's prime?

Also, keeping in mind that if you play the tapes on a dead deck, it could re-distribute dirt and debris from the crusty dead heads and spread it all over your tapes, causing them to have dropouts and "static" of mis-tracking. Or, worse, those damaged heads could eat your tape!

So, my best advice is to get a different deck, clean it manually, and don't play the tapes that you want to transfer until you're 100% sure that you've got a good working deck that won't wipe the music that you wanna save...

[TrvisBckle63]

The deck is fine it's brand new, literally left in a box and never used, the connection is coax my soundcard is optical and I have a little connector to connect the two and that is faulty just bought brand new from Amazon as well!! Have ordered another one different model will be here tomorrow hopefully, If....It fixes my issues I will update the thread. Thanks for everyones kind words.

[TrvisBckle63]

Works fine with a new connector.
Would anyone care to tell me if I should be recording the tapes 24/48 or what they were originally recorded in 16/48?
Thanks