SCT-49 HIGH-SPEED DUBBING STEREO CASSETTE DECK (140-0664) Operation Faxback Doc. # 32527 BASIC OPERATION AUTOMATIC TAPE SELECTOR SYSTEM The automatic tape selector system automatically selects the bias and equalization settings corresponding to the type of tape you use. The cassette deck chooses the tape setting according to the shape of the holes on the spine of the cassette. The following types of tape can be used with this deck. Type I tape Type II tape Type IV tape LOADING A CASSETTE TAPE NOTES: Do not use endless tapes. Do not use C-120 tapes because they are thin and can easily tangle and jam the tape mechanism. Follow these steps to load a cassette tape. 1. Use your finger or a pencil to turn the cassette's hub and take up any tape slack. CAUTION: Do not touch the tape. Fingerprints attract dust and dirt. 2. Press STOP/EJECT to open the cassette compartment on DECK 1 or DECK 2. 3. Insert the cassette tape into the guides on the door with its open ledge facing down. If you are using Deck 2, insert the cassette with the side you want to play facing out. NOTE: Since DECK 1 can play in either direction, it doesn't matter which side faces out. 4. Close the compartment door. PLAYING A CASSETTE TAPE 1. Press POWER to turn on the cassette deck. 2. Set DOLBY NR to IN if the cassette was recorded with DOLBY NR (see "Dolby Noise Reduction", below). 3. If you loaded a tape in DECK 1, press DIRECTION to select the tape direction. > or < lights to indicate the tape direction. > FORWARD - plays the tape side that is facing out REVERSE < - plays the opposite side 4. Press REVERSE MODE to select one-cycle or continuous playback on DECK 1. (SYMBOL) - plays both sides of the tape and stops. NOTE: To play both sides, you must set the tape direction to > FORWARD. (SYMBOL) - plays the entire tape continuously until you press STOP/ EJECT on DECK 1. 5. Turn on your receiver/amplifier and set its input selector to the proper position. To protect your hearing, first set the receiver/ amplifier's volume to its lowest position. 6. Press PLAY on DECK 1 or DECK 2 to play the tape. NOTE: To temporarily stop the tape in DECK 2 during playback or recording, press PAUSE. To restart it, press PAUSE again. 7. Adjust the receiver/amplifier's volume, tone, and balance. 8. On DECK 2, the cassette deck automatically stops at the end of the tape. When the tape in DECK 1 reaches the end, the cassette deck automatically stops or automatically reverses the side depending on the setting of REVERSE MODE. Press STOP/EJECT to stop the tape at any time. Press STOP/EJECT again to open the cassette door and remove the cassette. USING FAST FORWARD OR REWIND On DECK 1, to rapidly advance or rewind the tape, press >> or <<. On DECK 2, the cassette deck automatically stops at the end of the tape. SPECIAL FEATURES TAPE COUNTER You can use the tape counter to quickly locate a specific section on the tape. At the beginning of a tape or selection, press the reset button to reset the counter to 000. As you play or record a tape in DECK 2, the tape counter advances. You can then note what the tape counter reads at the desired section and easily return to it later. CONSECUTIVE PLAY You can load two cassette tapes to play one after the other. NOTE: The cassettes you load should have the same Dolby NR type. If they do not, the tape that has a different Dolby NR type than the DOLBY NR switch setting might sound distorted. 1. Load cassette tapes in DECK 1 and DECK 2. 2. Set DOLBY NR to the desired setting. 3. Press REVERSE MODE on DECK 1 to select the one-cycle mode. 4. Press DIRECTION on DECK 1 to select the tape direction. NOTE: You must set DIRECTION to > FORWARD to play both sides. 5. Press PLAY on DECK 1. 6. Press PAUSE, then PLAY on DECK 2. When DECK 1's cassette tape ends, DECK 1 automatically stops and DECK 2's cassette tape plays. When DECK 2's cassette tape ends, DECK 2 automatically stops. RECORDING AND DUBBING You can record from any source connected to the L and R LINE IN jacks or connected to the receiver/amplifier. Or, you can dub (copy) cassette tapes. NOTE: Before recording or dubbing, be sure the cassettes onto which you want to record or dub have their erase-protection tabs in place. To prevent accidental erasure of a tape, remove the erase-protection tabs. For more information, see "Erase-Protection Tabs", below. DOLBY NOISE REDUCTION The Dolby Noise Reduction (NR) system reduces tape hiss and background noise. When you record, the Dolby NR circuit listens to the program for places where you might later hear tape noise. The Dolby NR system records these sections at a higher level. When you play a tape, the circuit decreases the volume, restoring the music to its original level and reducing the level of tape noise. Dolby B NR reduces background noise by about 10 dB. RECORDING FROM LINE IN SOURCES Follow these steps to record from the source connected to the cassette deck's L and R LINE IN jacks. 1. Press POWER to turn on the cassette deck. 2. Load a blank tape (or one you want to record over) into DECK 2. Be sure the side you want to record on is facing you and the full reel is to the left. 3. Set DOLBY NR to IN to record with DOLBY NR to IN to record with Dolby Noise Reduction (see "Dolby Noise Reduction", above). 4. Press PAUSE on DECK 2. 5. Press RECORD on DECK 2. PLAY on DECK 2 automatically goes down and the RECORD indicator lights. 6. Start the recording source. 7. Adjust the LEFT and RIGHT INPUT LEVEL controls for the desired channel balance and recording level. For the best recording level, set the controls so the level meter readings occasionally reach 0 dB during recording. NOTE: Recording levels that constantly peak in the +3 dB range can result in distortion and poor high frequency response. Recording levels that reach only -8 dB (or lower) have excessive noise. 8. Press PAUSE on DECK 2 to begin recording. 9. Press STOP/EJECT on DECK 2 to stop recording. COPYING A CASSETTE TAPE (DUBBING) NOTES: If the original recording has Dolby NR, the copy will also have it, regardless of the position of DOLBY NR. If the original does not have Dolby NR. If the original does not have Dolby NR, you cannot add it to the tape you are dubbing. The INPUT LEVEL setting does not affect the recording level during dubbing. 1. Press POWER to turn on the cassette deck. 2. Load the cassette tape you want to copy into DECK 1. 3. Load a blank tape (or one you want to record over) into DECK 2. Be sure the side you want to record on is facing you and the full reel is to the left. 4. Set DUBBING SPEED as follows: NORM - to record at normal speed for quality sound. HIGH - to record in half the normal recording time. CAUTION: Do not change the dubbing speed during dubbing. Doing so might damage the tape or cause a distorted recording. 5. Press PAUSE on DECK 2. 6. Press RECORD on DECK 2. PLAY on DECK 2 automatically goes down and the RECORD indicator lights. 7. Press PLAY on DECK 1. PAUSE on DECK 2 releases and dubbing (copying) begins. The HIGH SPEED DUBBING indicator lights if you select high speed dubbing. 8. To stop dubbing, press STOP/EJECT on both decks. NOTES: If the cassette tape in DECK 2 stops before the tape in DECK 1 stops, the cassette tape in DECK 1 continues to play at normal speed. If the cassette tape in DECK 1 stops before the tape in DECK 2 stops, DECK 2 records silence. Press STOP/EJECT on DECK 2 when DECK 1 stops. TAPE HINTS RESTORING TAPE TENSION AND SOUND QUALITY After you play a cassette tape several times, the tape might become tightly wound on the reels. This can cause playback sound quality to deteriorate. To restore the sound quality, fast-forward the tape from the beginning to the end of one side, then completely rewind it. Then loosen the tape reels by gently taping each side of the cassette's outer shell on a flat surface. CAUTION: Be careful not to damage the cassette when tapping it. Do not touch the exposed tape or allow any sharp objects near the cassette. ERASING A CASSETTE TAPE If you no longer want a recording, you can record over it or erase it. To record over a cassette tape, simply record as usual. The cassette deck records over the previous recording. To erase a cassette tape, set both LEFT and RIGHT INPUT LEVEL to 0, and press RECORD. To erase the entire cassette tape, let the tape record to the end. You can quickly erase both sides of a cassette tape using a bulk tape eraser, available at your local Radio Shack store. ERASE-PROTECTION TABS Most cassette tapes have two erase-protection tabs - one for each side of the tape. When a tab is in place, you can erase or record on that tape side. To protect your recordings from being accidentally erased or recorded over, carefully break off the erase-protection tabs, using a screwdriver. NOTE: This does not prevent a bulk tape eraser from erasing the cassette tape. If you later decide to erase or record over the tape, you can place a piece of strong tape over the holes. NOTE: When covering the holes, cover only the place that was originally protected by the plastic tab. (BR/EB 4/19/96)