You do realize that Bias with white noise is calibrated at -20dB, right? Because at 0dB, you are oversaturating the high frequencies far beyond anything even the best Type IVs can take. You can use 0dB for a 315 Hz sensitivity calibration, but never for treble. Usually, on a 3-head deck, you feed white noise into the line input, record that at -20dB and then adjust the Bias until the comparison between source and tape have the same coloration in the treble. It's best to use headphones for that.
Rays RCs and Tech No, software set to amplitude "1", not 0.8. Then the VU meter on the deck should be 0 db as well. It should match the source. But as Sven stated, you should calibrate the bias at -20 db.
Hi, I have a Pioneer CT-S420 and would like to calibrate it for Maxell UD XL II, adjust the bias and optimize Dolby B and C. I have a Nakamichi audio analyzer but since I am new to electronics I don't know how to adjust the calibration. Can anyone help me? I made pictures of the PCB that I can send, but which one is for what?
Great to see your method! As others have pointed out, I calibrate to -20dB too. I have a method I use with 2 head decks such as my Nakamich DR-3. What I did was actually record the calibration tones from a Sony TCK-611S for reference. These are short alternating bursts of 400Hz and ~9200Hz tones (about 0.1 second for each). So in Audacity, using the repeat effect, I recreated these tones as eleven 2 second sequences (with a 2 second gap between) to match the eleven bias positions on the Nak. Then I set the bias to the far left, and start recording the sequence. In the gap between bursts I turn the bias knob to the next marked position. I repeat for all eleven settings, then playback the recording and capture that into Audacity. Then I choose the bias level that corresponds to the burst in which both frequences are at the same amplitude. It's pretty easy to spot the best setting by eye, especially if you switch to viewing amplitude by dB in Audacity instead of linear. Sometimes the left and right bias are different - and in that case I choose a mid point. Finally I confirm by ear with some music.
You can do so much with Audacity, especially when your knowledge of cassette and audio grows. Thanks for growing mine! 👍. I'm still a hobbyist but it's people like you who enlighten us further! 🤗
0dB on an adjusted level meter of an adjusted sound track is a certain voltage level in aux input. If your audio card output exceeds it (afair .4V) that will be +6dB or even +12dB. So, pls ignore those dBs
Calibrate a Tapedeck is always challange, it starts with having a REFERENCE Tape , then adjusting the OUTPUT LEVEL, then the VU-Meters. After that you can callibrate Recording level ...🙂😘👍🏻
So so interesting thing calibrate cassette deck with audacity, you are really interesting 🙂i am so curious what will be? I love the videos of this type of technique but the stuff that people forget. i loved your caset deck collection just like teyp heaven 😍
Hi, I was going to suggest this too. I have downloaded some pink noise off the internet and burnt it using iTunes (now called Music), so I can just play a CD with pink noise, record this at -20dB and toggle between Tape and Source until I can hear no difference (or virtually none).
@@mariogambrelli this is a super easy way to do it. I just have a PC next to my stereo set up that I find it easier to use my PC as the source, lol. These days, I enjoy using my PC as another audio source for both recording and playing back to my stereo stack. It's a great way to calibrate, test, digitize analog media, or record digital audio to tape.
@@TechieZeddie Yes, I'm finding this useful too, especially with the Behringer 222 module (external USB sound card which converts USB to line output/input).
Thank u again for some useful info! I been wondering the proper way to go about this for some time so I am going to try this using adobe audition and my denon drm700 and drm700a sometime soon!
Not exactly "proper". Just something I do before I record. Someone informed me the white noise needs to be at -20 db to not saturate the high frequency response of the cassette. That makes sense, so I may have to amend my video. Other than that, it's a good use for balancing the stereo image, and with the correct level, assist in calibration.
Thanks! If your Sony ES is a 3-head deck (Sony started using the ES badge on not-so-high-end stuff in the late 90s - take a look at my Sony TC-WR701ES video), and you can switch between monitoring the tape and the source, you can calibrate your deck to the cassette using this method. If you don't, you'd need to rewind the tape and play it back to compare the sound with the source (use headphones) and adjust the bias, re-record, and repeat until it sounds right. It's more tedious with a 2-head deck or a any deck that doesn't have a tape monitoring feature (yes, there are 3-head decks without a tape monitoring feature like the entry level Nakamichi 3-head decks).
@@TechieZeddie Yes mine is a 3 head TC-K677ES so I can monitor tape, it just does not have the calibrate function, thats why I'm interested in your vid, thanks for the replies.
Great video. Can this process be used to setup at tape deck as best as possible to use it to record some test tapes for future tape deck repairs.? I set up decks, but difficult to buy good test tapes.
I don't trust consumer decks to record test tapes but it should come close. I did make a mistake though. The high frequency needs to be at -20db if I recall. There are people more knowledgeable about this than I and some have commented in this video.
Right now I don't have a computer can I run white noise from my cell phone plugged into my input of my cassette deck or you don't recommend this nice video by the way I have seen some white noise videos on CZcams I have a jvc td v 621. A pretty decent machine
Your focus problem may have been because there was glass, and at least one surface behind the glass. My Samsung S8+ has a "selective focus" camera option, which sometimes can help with such a situation. btw I am a Google Fi subscriber...
Should be the same. Most decks from the 90s has automatic tape type selection, so you don't need to do anything different. If yours don't (the Nakamichi doesn't), you need to select the tape type and bias (120 vs 70μs) for that tape, and calibrate as usual (like using this video with Audacity, or FM radio tuned to empty station).
I picked up a used cassette deck a Yamaha KX 800u three head deck with Dolby B and c. And. Dbx. Has a built-in bias test button so you can easily adjust your bias this is a beautiful cassette deck I paid 75 bucks I think I got a pretty good deal it looks like it was used very little in excellent shape
Bias adjustment should always be carried out at -20dB relative to 0dB on the meters to take tape saturation out of the equation. For a full internal recalibration... A service manual will nearly always tell you how many millivolts RMS of input signal are needed for the meters to reach either 0dB or the Dolby reference markers on the meters with the record level set to maximum and the balance control centred at a frequency of usually either 315Hz or 400Hz (sinewave). Setting Audacity at 0dB is irrelevant as you need a DMM that measures AC volts RMS to tell you what the input voltage level actually is. Then you can adjust the internal recording level pots for the correct metering level. Any other method is just plain wrong as you're not calibrating against a known reference voltage. You can generally leave internal meter gains alone as they seldom drift by more than a percent or two with age. Then you can adjust the internal playback level pots for 0dB/Dolby level with your new 0dB/Dolby level 315Hz/400Hz reference recording. In summary: Apart from head azimuth calibration, you can achieve everything else with just the service manual, Audacity and a decent DMM.
Yes pretty much. Frequency response is different depending on tape. So being able to record and reproduce the same frequency at the same db is how you calibrate.
I feel Audacity strikes a good balance of ease of use and functionality. I personally use tools like that including Windows Movie Maker and MS Paint lol. Like I said, I'm not a pro.
I HAVE A SONY TC-WE825S AND I TEST MORE TAPES IN THE SERIES NORMAL. CHROME. AND METAL. WITH TO TONES. SO IT PUTS THE LEVEL METERS IN THE RIGHT POSITION. EVEN WHEN I RECORD AT TOP LEVEL. THE DECK DOESN'T DO THAT. AND THE GREATEST IS. IT'S A DUBBEL DECK TO.
I'm just surprised this double deck has the ES name on it. It sure doesn't seem to be built like an ES. Maybe because it has Dolby S? But there's a sister deck that is basically the same including Dolby S that doesn't carry the ES badge. 🤷♀️
What do you mean? I said the ZX-7 have separate levels for L and R, so it's hard to balance just by sight. Hence using Audacity to produce a mono signal (equal level on both channels) and adjusting the L and R inputs based on that. On other decks they have a separate balance knob as well as L and R level adjustments.
@@TechieZeddie Not so expensive. U can use any meter app on pc, lterally any app that displays input level signal on a meter is more accurate than the deck s meter
You do realize that Bias with white noise is calibrated at -20dB, right? Because at 0dB, you are oversaturating the high frequencies far beyond anything even the best Type IVs can take. You can use 0dB for a 315 Hz sensitivity calibration, but never for treble.
Usually, on a 3-head deck, you feed white noise into the line input, record that at -20dB and then adjust the Bias until the comparison between source and tape have the same coloration in the treble. It's best to use headphones for that.
yes there are some oversights in this video. she's calibrating it for overmudulation - could suit a purpose I guess
So in the software use 0.8 and still let the audio hit 0db on decks meters ?
Thank you, you are correct. The level should be at -20 db. I am pinning this comment. Thank you again.
Rays RCs and Tech No, software set to amplitude "1", not 0.8. Then the VU meter on the deck should be 0 db as well. It should match the source. But as Sven stated, you should calibrate the bias at -20 db.
Hi, I have a Pioneer CT-S420 and would like to calibrate it for Maxell UD XL II, adjust the bias and optimize Dolby B and C. I have a Nakamichi audio analyzer but since I am new to electronics I don't know how to adjust the calibration. Can anyone help me? I made pictures of the PCB that I can send, but which one is for what?
Great to see your method! As others have pointed out, I calibrate to -20dB too. I have a method I use with 2 head decks such as my Nakamich DR-3. What I did was actually record the calibration tones from a Sony TCK-611S for reference. These are short alternating bursts of 400Hz and ~9200Hz tones (about 0.1 second for each). So in Audacity, using the repeat effect, I recreated these tones as eleven 2 second sequences (with a 2 second gap between) to match the eleven bias positions on the Nak. Then I set the bias to the far left, and start recording the sequence. In the gap between bursts I turn the bias knob to the next marked position. I repeat for all eleven settings, then playback the recording and capture that into Audacity. Then I choose the bias level that corresponds to the burst in which both frequences are at the same amplitude. It's pretty easy to spot the best setting by eye, especially if you switch to viewing amplitude by dB in Audacity instead of linear. Sometimes the left and right bias are different - and in that case I choose a mid point. Finally I confirm by ear with some music.
You can do so much with Audacity, especially when your knowledge of cassette and audio grows. Thanks for growing mine! 👍. I'm still a hobbyist but it's people like you who enlighten us further! 🤗
0dB on an adjusted level meter of an adjusted sound track is a certain voltage level in aux input. If your audio card output exceeds it (afair .4V) that will be +6dB or even +12dB. So, pls ignore those dBs
Thank you so much, I never knew you could do this with Audacity. I was previously using a pink noise video on youtube.
You're welcome!
The user manual for my Aiwa AD F850 says to calibrate bias at -25db and EQ at 0db.
Follow your manual.
You have to go inside the deck and find record level pot's and adjust that...look in the service manual and it will show you which one to adjust.
Calibrate a Tapedeck is always challange, it starts with having a REFERENCE Tape , then adjusting the OUTPUT LEVEL, then the VU-Meters. After that you can callibrate Recording level ...🙂😘👍🏻
So so interesting thing calibrate cassette deck with audacity, you are really interesting 🙂i am so curious what will be? I love the videos of this type of technique but the stuff that people forget. i loved your caset deck collection just like teyp heaven 😍
Could you burn that to audio CD and do the same thing using just your CD player, will that work ?
Yes you can. But make sure your CD player is outputting the same db level and is balanced.
@@TechieZeddie Good point, guess for the first test I could see if the level from the CD matches the computer then I will know.
Hi, I was going to suggest this too. I have downloaded some pink noise off the internet and burnt it using iTunes (now called Music), so I can just play a CD with pink noise, record this at -20dB and toggle between Tape and Source until I can hear no difference (or virtually none).
@@mariogambrelli this is a super easy way to do it. I just have a PC next to my stereo set up that I find it easier to use my PC as the source, lol. These days, I enjoy using my PC as another audio source for both recording and playing back to my stereo stack. It's a great way to calibrate, test, digitize analog media, or record digital audio to tape.
@@TechieZeddie Yes, I'm finding this useful too, especially with the Behringer 222 module (external USB sound card which converts USB to line output/input).
Welcome back Zeddie!
Thanks!
Thank u again for some useful info! I been wondering the proper way to go about this for some time so I am going to try this using adobe audition and my denon drm700 and drm700a sometime soon!
Not exactly "proper". Just something I do before I record. Someone informed me the white noise needs to be at -20 db to not saturate the high frequency response of the cassette. That makes sense, so I may have to amend my video. Other than that, it's a good use for balancing the stereo image, and with the correct level, assist in calibration.
Nice video, useful I don't have a calibration button on my Sony ES
Thanks! If your Sony ES is a 3-head deck (Sony started using the ES badge on not-so-high-end stuff in the late 90s - take a look at my Sony TC-WR701ES video), and you can switch between monitoring the tape and the source, you can calibrate your deck to the cassette using this method. If you don't, you'd need to rewind the tape and play it back to compare the sound with the source (use headphones) and adjust the bias, re-record, and repeat until it sounds right. It's more tedious with a 2-head deck or a any deck that doesn't have a tape monitoring feature (yes, there are 3-head decks without a tape monitoring feature like the entry level Nakamichi 3-head decks).
@@TechieZeddie Yes mine is a 3 head TC-K677ES so I can monitor tape, it just does not have the calibrate function, thats why I'm interested in your vid, thanks for the replies.
Great video. Can this process be used to setup at tape deck as best as possible to use it to record some test tapes for future tape deck repairs.? I set up decks, but difficult to buy good test tapes.
I don't trust consumer decks to record test tapes but it should come close. I did make a mistake though. The high frequency needs to be at -20db if I recall. There are people more knowledgeable about this than I and some have commented in this video.
Right now I don't have a computer can I run white noise from my cell phone plugged into my input of my cassette deck or you don't recommend this nice video by the way I have seen some white noise videos on CZcams I have a jvc td v 621. A pretty decent machine
Using a smartphone will work too. It's pretty much a portable computer!
@@TechieZeddie thank you for the quick reply
Your focus problem may have been because there was glass, and at least one surface behind the glass. My Samsung S8+ has a "selective focus" camera option, which sometimes can help with such a situation. btw I am a Google Fi subscriber...
Yeah, reflections are hard on the autofocus.
Instructive! How do you set the Bias for Normal, Chrome and Metal tapes? Will you please do a video?
Should be the same. Most decks from the 90s has automatic tape type selection, so you don't need to do anything different. If yours don't (the Nakamichi doesn't), you need to select the tape type and bias (120 vs 70μs) for that tape, and calibrate as usual (like using this video with Audacity, or FM radio tuned to empty station).
I picked up a used cassette deck a Yamaha KX 800u three head deck with Dolby B and c. And. Dbx. Has a built-in bias test button so you can easily adjust your bias this is a beautiful cassette deck I paid 75 bucks I think I got a pretty good deal it looks like it was used very little in excellent shape
That's a really good deal actually! I paid about $100 for my JVC at the time.
Bias adjustment should always be carried out at -20dB relative to 0dB on the meters to take tape saturation out of the equation.
For a full internal recalibration...
A service manual will nearly always tell you how many millivolts RMS of input signal are needed for the meters to reach either 0dB or the Dolby reference markers on the meters with the record level set to maximum and the balance control centred at a frequency of usually either 315Hz or 400Hz (sinewave).
Setting Audacity at 0dB is irrelevant as you need a DMM that measures AC volts RMS to tell you what the input voltage level actually is. Then you can adjust the internal recording level pots for the correct metering level. Any other method is just plain wrong as you're not calibrating against a known reference voltage.
You can generally leave internal meter gains alone as they seldom drift by more than a percent or two with age.
Then you can adjust the internal playback level pots for 0dB/Dolby level with your new 0dB/Dolby level 315Hz/400Hz reference recording.
In summary: Apart from head azimuth calibration, you can achieve everything else with just the service manual, Audacity and a decent DMM.
Can I calibrate a Reel to Reel, shoud be much the same. I think
Yes pretty much. Frequency response is different depending on tape. So being able to record and reproduce the same frequency at the same db is how you calibrate.
nice
Thanks
I didn't understand anything :/
Audacity so hard to use I never get it 😂
I feel Audacity strikes a good balance of ease of use and functionality. I personally use tools like that including Windows Movie Maker and MS Paint lol. Like I said, I'm not a pro.
👍
I HAVE A SONY TC-WE825S AND I TEST MORE TAPES IN THE SERIES NORMAL. CHROME. AND METAL. WITH TO TONES. SO IT PUTS THE LEVEL METERS IN THE RIGHT POSITION. EVEN WHEN I RECORD AT TOP LEVEL. THE DECK DOESN'T DO THAT. AND THE GREATEST IS. IT'S A DUBBEL DECK TO.
I'm just surprised this double deck has the ES name on it. It sure doesn't seem to be built like an ES. Maybe because it has Dolby S? But there's a sister deck that is basically the same including Dolby S that doesn't carry the ES badge. 🤷♀️
It does not have a balance input level..... wtf, the button is right there. 4:59
What do you mean? I said the ZX-7 have separate levels for L and R, so it's hard to balance just by sight. Hence using Audacity to produce a mono signal (equal level on both channels) and adjusting the L and R inputs based on that.
On other decks they have a separate balance knob as well as L and R level adjustments.
Use Nak T 100, lots more accuracy.
Also very $$$. 😬
@@TechieZeddie Not so expensive.
U can use any meter app on pc, lterally any app that displays input level signal on a meter is more accurate than the deck s meter
🫃🏼