Yamaha MT 400 manual

MULTITRACK CASSETTE RECORDER Owner’s Manual 4 4TR 4 STEREO +6 +3 0 –5 –10 +6 +3 0 –5 –10 POWER AUX SEND STEREO INPUT METER SELECT REC SELECT MONITOR/PHONES ZERO STOP PITCH NOISE REDUCTION SYSTEM T APE SPEED CONTROL 3 2 1 R L REC REC PLA Y REW FF STOP P A USE OFF R 3 OFF L 2 OFF R 1 OFF L ON OFF ON OFF SYNC STEREO ST+CUE CUE MULTITRA CK CA[...]

1 —Owner’s Manual Important Read the Following Before Operating MT400 W arnings • Do not locate MT400 in a place subject t o ex cessive heat or in dir ect sunlig ht. This could be a fire hazar d. • Do not place MT400 in a place subject t o excessi ve humidity or dust. This c ould be a fire and electrical shock hazard. • Do not place hea[...]

2 —Owner’s Manual Contents Welcome to the MT400 .......................... 3 MT400 Features .............................................. 3 Mixer .................................................................3 Recorder ...........................................................3 Buying Cassette Tapes for the MT400 .......... 4 MT400 Recordi[...]

3 —Owner’s Manual W elcome to the MT400 MT400 Features The MT400 consists of three major sections: a Mix er section that enables you to mix sounds (with eig ht inputs and one stereo output): a Recor der section that rec ords and pla ys sound (with four tr acks and four channels): and utility sections including meters, power switch, etc. Mixer ?[...]

4 —Owner’s Manual Buying Cassette T apes for the MT400 It is important that you bu y the correct type of cassette tape for use w ith your MT400. Y ou should buy high-quality T ype II (High Bias, 70 µ s EQ) chrome cassett es of 90 minutes or less, such as TDK SA or MAXELL CDXL II. At normal speed, a 60-minute cassette pr ovides about 15 minutes[...]

5 —Owner’s Manual About dbx Noise Reduction The MT400 uses the dbx noise reduction system t o reduce tape hiss and keep y our recordings clean and crisp. For the best performance, it is recommended that y ou use the dbx noise reduction for all y our rec ordings. Y ou should alwa ys use the dbx noise reduction system to correctly pla y back tape[...]

6 —Owner’s Manual T ouring the MT400 This section takes y ou on a tour of the MT400, identifying the various parts to familiarize you with your new recor der . Input Channels A GAIN control This rotary control adjusts the sensitivity of the MIC/LINE INPUT jack d so that both microphone and line-level (suc h as a synthesizer) signals can be hand[...]

7 —Owner’s Manual E INPUT -FLIP switch This switch is used to select the destination of the sig nal input from the MIC/LINE INPUT jacks and the tape signal. W ith the switch in the MIC/LINE position ( ), the MIC/LINE input signal is fed to the ST bus via the input channel and the tape signal is fed to the CUE bus. W ith the sw itch in the T APE[...]

8 —Owner’s Manual Stereo Inputs H LEVEL controls These rotary controls are used t o adjust the le vel of the stereo input signals that are input at the STEREO INPUT jacks 5 and 6 or 7 and 8. These sig nals are usually sent to the Ster eo bus for mixing w ith Input Channel 1–4 signals and tape signals. Monitor/Master Section I MONITOR LEVEL co[...]

9 —Owner’s Manual Recorder Section L PITCH control This rotary control adjusts the tape speed in the range of ± 10%. M T ape speed switch This switch is used to select 4.8 cm/second or 9.5 cm/seco nd for the tape speed. Set the switch to 9.5 ( ) for normal rec ording, and 4.8 ( ) for playback of a tape recor ded w ith a normal cassette tape re[...]

10 —Owner’s Manual Q ZERO STOP switch U se this sw itch t o turn on and off the Zero St op function. W ith this switch set to on (ON), the tape rewind automatically stops when the tape c ounter returns to just before “000” . R T ape counter This 3-digit tape counter indicates the tape position. S Counter reset button This button resets the [...]

11 —Owner’s Manual Meter Section a Level meters These meters sho w the signal levels from –10 dB to +6 dB . When the METER SELECT switch O is set to “ ” , they show the track signal levels during recording and pla yback. When the METER SELECT switch is set to “STEREO” , they show the STEREO OUT signal levels. b REC SELECT indicator Th[...]

12 —Owner’s Manual Front Panel h PHONES A pair of stereo headphones can be c onnected here for monitoring. The headphone signal is the same as the MONIT OR OUT sig nal. i PUNCH I/O An optional footswitch, such as the Y amaha FC5, can be connect ed here for foot-c ontrolled punch in/out. Rear Panel j POWER ON/OFF switch U se this sw itch t o tur[...]

13 —Owner’s Manual The First Session This chapter e xplains how t o reco rd four tracks individually and mix your first MT400 session onto a master r ecor der . Preparation Quick-Start System 4 4TR 4 STEREO +6 +3 0 – 5 – 10 +6 +3 0 – 5 – 10 POWER A U X S E N D STEREO INPUT METER SELECT REC SELECT MONITOR/PHONES ZERO STOP PITCH NOISE RE[...]

14 —Owner’s Manual T urning On the MT400 1. Make sure that the plug of the supplied AC adapter is securely connected to the DC12V jack on the rear of the MT400. 2. Plug the other end of the AC adapter into a suitable AC outlet. 3. Press the POWER switch on the rear panel of the MT400. The POWER indicator in the meter section lights up. Loading [...]

15 —Owner’s Manual Selecting a recording track 1 Connect a sound source to MIC/LINE INPUT 1. It is best to r ecord a rh ythm inst rument, such as a rhythm machine, dr ums, or a rhythm guitar , first. 2 Set the [INPUT -FLIP] switch on Input Channel 1 to “MIC/LINE ( )”. This switch setting sends the MIC/LINE INPUT signal to the co rrespondin[...]

16 —Owner’s Manual The First T ake Starting recording 1 Press the counter reset button to set the tape counter to “000”. 2 Press the [P AUSE] button to cancel pause mode. This starts recording. Play the sound sourc e for rec ording. 3 Press the [STOP] button to stop recording. The T rack 1 REC SELECT indicator flashes. Listening to the fi[...]

17 —Owner’s Manual Signal flow during trac k recording Note: Be sure to turn the [REC SELECT] switch on Track 1 to “OFF”. Otherwise, recording on Track 1 will be erased when you record the next track. GAIN HIGH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 LINE MIC – 12 +12 MID – 12 +12 LOW – 12 +12 AUX 1 01 0 AUX 2 MIX CUE 01 0 01 0 PA N INPUT -FLIP TA P [...]

18 —Owner’s Manual Overdubbing Y ou may recor d a different sound source t o another track while listening to the sound reco rded on T rack 1. The basic procedur e for ov erdubbing is the same as the first tak e. Selecting a recording track 1 Connect a sound source to MIC/LINE INPUT 2. 2 Set the [INPUT -FLIP] switch on Input Channel 2 to “MI[...]

19 —Owner’s Manual Start recording 7 Press the [P AUSE] button to start recording. Pr ess the [ST OP] button to stop rec ording. Listening to the recording 8 Press the [REW] button to rewind the tape to the beginning and press the [PLA Y] button to start playback. 9 If you are satisfied with your recording, set the [REC SELECT] switch on T rac[...]

20 —Owner’s Manual Mixdown After y ou have r ecorded all tracks, you ar e ready to mix them into a st ereo mix, whic h you will reco rd to a st ereo master r ecorder . Connecting a master recorder 1 Connect the STEREO OUT jacks on the rear panel of the MT400 to the input jacks of a master recorder , and connect the output jacks of the master re[...]

21 —Owner’s Manual 5 Raise the STEREO fader to the 7–8 mark. 6 Press the [REW] button to rewind the tape, and press the [PLA Y] button to start playback. 7 While listening to the headphones or the monitor speakers, adjust the faders, P AN controls, and EQ controls on Input Channel 1–4. First use the faders to adjust level balanc e between t[...]

22 —Owner’s Manual Advanced Recording T echniques This chapter intr oduces y ou to various advanced r ecording techniques using the MT400. Simultaneous Multi-Channel Recording In addition to r ecording four tracks individually as explained earlier , you may sometimes wish to rec ord multiple sound sourc es to a track or two . (F or example, you[...]

23 —Owner’s Manual 5 Press the [P AUSE] button, then the button. T racks 1 and 2 REC SELECT indicators light up contin- uously and the MT400 enters r ecording pause mode. 6 Set the fader on each input channel and the STEREO fader to the 7–8 mark. 7 While checking the level meters, adjust the recording level using the GAIN controls and faders [...]

24 —Owner’s Manual Ping-Pong Recording The ping-pong reco rding tec hnique allows y ou to mix and recor d several tracks onto another empty tr ack. This is often used to free up tracks for more rec ording, sinc e those orig inal tracks are then used for further recor ding . This technique is useful when y ou w ish to rec ord man y different ins[...]

25 —Owner’s Manual 3 Set the monitor select switch to “STEREO”. The Stereo bus signal is selected as a monit or ing source, which enables you to listen t o the playback on T racks 1–3 through the headphones or the audio system. 4 Set the [METER SELECT] switch to “STEREO”. 5 Set the STEREO fader to the 7–8 mark. 6 T urn the P AN cont[...]

26 —Owner’s Manual Multi-Sour ce Mixing The mix er section of the MT400 enables you t o control input signals and tape playback signals simultaneously . For e xample, you can mix external sound sourc es w ith tape tracks. This technique is useful when y ou w ish to add pad or decorativ e notes to the introductory par t of a complet ed song. Thi[...]

27 —Owner’s Manual 6 Press the [REW] button to rewind the tape, and press the [PLA Y] button to start playback. 7 While listening to the headphones or the monitor speakers, adjust the faders, P AN controls, and EQ controls on Input Channel 1–4. Also, use the CUE controls on Input Channels 1 and 2 to adjust the level of signals from MIC/LINE I[...]

28 —Owner’s Manual Using Effects This section explains how t o connect external effects pr ocessors and apply effects to MT400 signals during recording or mixdo w n. Y ou may use either the INSER T I/O jacks or the A UX SEND jacks to apply effects to input c hannel signals and tape tr acks. Using INSERT I/O Input Channels 1 and 2 of the MT400 f[...]

29 —Owner’s Manual Eff ects processor connection with an inser t cable Once c onnected, operation is the same as nor mal rec ording and mixdo w n. Effects ar e applied to the MIC/LINE INPUT 1 or 2 signal with the [INPUT -FLIP] switch set to “MIC/LINE ( )” . If the [INPUT -FLIP] sw itch is set to “ T APE ( )” , effects ar e applied to th[...]

30 —Owner’s Manual As y ou turn up the A UX 1/2 controls on the input channels with this configuration, channel signals are mix e d into monaural and output from A UX SENDs 1 and 2 to the connected external effects pr ocessors. Proc essed sig nals output from the effects pr ocessors ar e returned to the Ster eo bus v ia STEREO INPUT s 5L/6R or[...]

31 —Owner’s Manual 1 Connect AUX SENDs 1 and 2 to the inputs of external effects processors. 2 Connect the outputs of the effects processors to STEREO INPUT s 5L/6R or 7L/8R. 3 Set the effects processors so that they will output only processed signals. 4 Connect sound sources to MIC/LINE INPUT s 1 – 4. 5 Set the [INPUT -FLIP] switches on Inpu[...]

32 —Owner’s Manual Applying Effects to Only a Monitor Signal U sing a direct reco rding and the monitor select switch enables y ou to apply effects to only a monitoring signal while recor ding the unprocessed sound on a track. For example, you can reco rd a dry vocal on a track, while monit oring the vocalist with reverb effects applied. This s[...]

33 —Owner’s Manual Applying Effects at Mixdown One of the ty pical uses of external effects proc essors connect ed to A UX SENDs is to apply reve rb effects to track sig nals during mixdown. I n this case, you can adjust the amount of effects for each track individually using the A UX 1 and A UX 2 controls. 1 Connect AUX SEND 1 to the input of [...]

34 —Owner’s Manual Punch In/Out Recording This section explains MT400 punch in/out r ecor ding techniques. The punch in/out function allows y ou to re-rec ord specific sections of a tr ack. Y ou can correct mistak es by starting to reco rd y our perfor mance at a ce rtain point (punch in) and stopping the reco rding (punch out). The MT400 allo[...]

35 —Owner’s Manual 1 Connect a sound source to MIC/LINE 4. 2 Set the [INPUT -FLIP] switches on Input Channels 1 – 4 to “ MIC/LINE ( ) ” . 3 Set the [REC SELECT] switches on T racks 1 – 3 to “ OFF ” , and set the [REC SELECT] switch on T rack 4 to “” . 4 Set the monitor select switch to “ CUE ” . The monitor select switch sho[...]

36 —Owner’s Manual 1 Connect a sound source to punch in to MIC/ LINE 4. 2 Connect a footswitch to the PUNCH IN/OUT jack. 3 Set the [INPUT -FLIP] switches on Input Channels 1 – 4 to “ MIC/LINE ( ) ” . 4 Set the [REC SELECT] switch on T racks 4 to “” . The T rack 4 REC SELECT indicator flashes. 5 Set the [METER SELECT] switch to “”[...]

37 —Owner’s Manual MIDI Synchronization The MT400 is ideal for rec ording v o cal, guitar , and other ac oustic sounds and can easily be integrated into a MIDI system that includes a MIDI sequenc er or sequencer softwar e on a comput er . This section describes how t o synchroniz e the MT400 to a MIDI sequencer . Synchronizing the MT400 with a [...]

38 —Owner’s Manual Connecting the MT400 to a MIDI System FSK/MIDI system In this system, an FSK/MIDI con verter is used to generate the FSK signal that is recor ded onto T rack 4 of the MT400. During playback, the FSK sig nal is output from SYNC OUT (dedicated T rack 4 output) and con verted to a MIDI Clock signal. When the rh y thm machine and[...]

39 —Owner’s Manual SMPTE/MTC system In this system, a SMPTE/MIDI con verter is used to generate the SMPTE timecode that is reco rded ont o T rack 4 of the MT400. During pla yback, the SMPTE timecode is output from SYNC OUT (dedicated T rack 4 output) and con verted to a MIDI timecode. An example belo w uses a MIDI interface that has two MIDI IN[...]

40 —Owner’s Manual Recording a SYNC Signal on the T ape 1 Connect the MT400 to the FSK/MIDI converter or the SMPTE/MTC converter as shown in the diagrams on pages 38 and 39. 2 Set the [INPUT -FLIP] switch on Input Channel 4 to “ MIC/LINE ( ) ” . 3 Set the [REC SELECT] switch on T rack 4 to “” . The T rack 4 REC SELECT indicator flashes[...]

41 —Owner’s Manual 9 Stop the MIDI sequencer , or the SMPTE/MTC converter . 0 Set the [dbx] switch to “ SYNC ” . The dbx reduction system is canc elled only on the sync track ( T rack 4). A Press the [P AUSE] button to start recording. The T rack 4 REC SELECT indicator lights up contin uously . B After about fi ve seconds, start the MIDI s[...]

42 —Owner’s Manual 1 Connect the MT400 to the FSK/MIDI converter or the SMPTE/MTC converter as shown in the diagrams on pages 38 and 39. 2 Connect the sound source you wish to record on T rack 1 to MIC/LINE INPUT 1, and connect the MIDI sound source to STEREO INPUT s 5L and 6R. 3 Set the [INPUT -FLIP] switch on Input Channel 1 to “ MIC/LINE ([...]

43 —Owner’s Manual Synchronized Mixdown After sync hronized r ecording with the MT400 and the MIDI sequencer , y ou can mix the tape tracks w ith the MIDI performance data and rec ord them onto the mast er recorder . This section explains how t o mix tape T racks 1–3 w ith the MIDI sound sources c onnected at MIC/ LINE INPUT s 1–4. 1 Connec[...]

44 —Owner’s Manual Appendix T roubleshooting If you are ha ving difficult y operating the MT400 or it does not seem to work as expect ed, look up the symptoms in the following table and note the offered ad vice. Symptom Advice MT400 cannot be turned on. Make sure the AC adapter is connected to a suitable AC wall outlet securely and plugged int[...]

45 —Owner’s Manual Maintaining the MT400 The MT400 requires r egular maintenance to remain in t op working condition for a long period of time. Cleaning the Record-Play Head, Erase Head, Capstan, and Pinch Roller As the tape passes ov er the recor d-play head, a tiny amount of mag netized particles and dust is left on the head. If you don ’t [...]

46 —Owner’s Manual Specifications T ape T ransport Mixer Recorder Connections I/O Specifications T ape Type C46 – 90 cassette tapes (T ype II) T rack Configuration 4-track/4-channel, One-way Record-Play T ape Heads 4-track Record-Play , Hard Permalloy x 1, 4-track Erase, Ferrite x1 Motor DC servo motor x1 T ape Speed 4.8 cm/s, 9.5 cm/s Pit[...]

47 —Owner’s Manual Control Jack General 0 dB=0.775 V r ms. Dimensions Specifications and appearance are subject t o change without notice. STEREO OUT L, R Output Impedance: 1 k Ω Rated Load Impedance: 10 k Ω or higher Rated Output Level: – 10 dB (10 k Ω load) AUX SEND Output Impedance: 1 k Ω Rated Load Impedance: 10 k Ω or higher R[...]

48 —Owner’s Manual Block Diagram REC SELECT REC SELECT REC SELECT REC SELECT Ch4 : Same as Ch1 except without INSER T I/O except without INSER T I/O Ch3 : Same as Ch1 Ch2 : Same as Ch1 except SYNC OUT Same as T r1 Recorder T r4 Recorder T r3 Same as T r1 Same as T r1 Recorder T r2 R R 4 3 2 OFF OFF L OFF 4 3 1 OFF 4TR STEREO METER SELECT INPUT [...]

Input Source: Input Source: Input Source: Input Source: Input Source: Input Source: 12 34 Tracking Sheet Title: Start Stop Effect Effect Session Info Position Track List Mixer Setup Date: Step: Process: Notes: dbx Tape speed control MONITOR/PHONES LEVEL STEREO 7 L – 8 R 01 0 LEVEL 5 L – 6 R 01 0 LEVEL MIN MAX 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 GAIN HIGH 10[...]