Teac A3440/Revox B77,swap/help

[Bev and Andy]

I have aTeac A3440 4 track and a Revox B77(i think).The revox records and functions well and seems in good nick .I have been trying to use them to record guitar etc,and getting nowhere.The revox is a 2 track stereo and I don,t think suitable for what Ineed.I havn,t got a manual for either,so it may be my ignorence.Can anyone advise me or maybe do a swap for something more for my needs (an eight track possibly)?

[Chris_C]

As with all of this type of posting, it might help if you can give some idea of your location. There may be someone close by who can help.

[Bev and Andy]

Thanks Chris,for your input,tis much apprieciated.I live in Rutland (Leicstershire)

[Top Cap]

Hi, You can get circuits etc for the Teac A3440 here:-

http://arafel.org/audio/manuals/

I acquired an A3440 and I found the main drive belt had turned to stringy goo and was stuck to the main flywheel, fortunately they are easily available.
Both microswitches on the take up spool arm had broken, I manged to fit standard types despite the size difference but the only drawback here is the amount of pressure required to operate them. It took some time to get springs etc adjusted to enable the operating cam for them to work properly.
If the capstan motor does not turn when you lift this lever then suspect a failure in either of the above.Are the main rectangular switches ok? The machine I acquired had loose plastic parts which was due to plastic membrane failure. I managed to super glue the old membrane to some thin flexible plastic sheet and despite my fears, it seems to have solved the problem. However, I did get a remote control box for the machine,mmm just in case

[reel-to-reel-man]

Hello, if your interested in a more proffesional recorder, let me know and I may be able to help.
Cheers!

[Bev and Andy]

to reel to reel man,sounds interesting,what had you in mind?What I am trying to do is record one instrument at a time ,Ive tried to use the Teac but am unsure how to use properly.I am feeding everything through a small 6 track Tascam mixer.Re:drive belts,I managed to replace the capstan belt on the Teac by cutting down an old inner tube off a pushbike and glueing it with vulcanising solution from repair kit.Works fine.

[Top Cap]

Well I think the Teac is worth having a proper flywheel belt as any home made belt could give slight variations in the capstan speed and spoil the pitch of your recorded instruments. The Sync facility is handy and ensures that each subsequent track is aligned, I mainly use it for synchronising vocals to backing tracks. While it may not be the ultimate in tape recorders, I am more than happy with my particular machine which is believed to have come from Abbey Road Studios in London.

[Bev and Andy]

to Top Cap:re diy drive belts.Your,e dead right,I tried to record on the Teac yesterday,the sound came out slurred,so it must be my diy belt.The other problem Ive got is I cant record when using inputs in the back,but can using mic inputs infront??Any ideas?Thanks for your input so far Andy

[Top Cap]

Hi Andy, Well you should be able to record from Line Input because it joins the main circuit AFTER the Mic amplifier, I have attached that part of the circuit for you to see. It is necessary of course to set the front panel switches to LINE as opposed to MIC ATT or MIC. When you set the machine to RECORD you will see all four FUNCTION SELECT lamps flashing, simply press-in the ones relevant to the channel you want to record on. For normal 2-track Stereo recordings you would select 1 and 3. You can of course select just any one of the four channels or the whole lot together but remember that if you record on all four tracks you can only use the tape one way i.e. one side of the tape only. If you record on Tracks 1 and 3 you can turn the reels over when the tape has gone through and record on the other side using the same tracks (1 and 3).
The line inputs are as shown on the other attachment, sorry about the small size but they should be ok. Make sure that all eight DBX jumpers are installed unless of course you are using a DBX unit.
The other thing to remember is that the INPUT control on each channel works for both MIC and LINE input. Also to hear the input signal prior to recording, make sure you have the OUTPUT SELECT switches set to SOURCE.
Hope this helps, Les