SCT-54 (140-0673) Operation Faxback Doc. # 9921 Loading and Playing a Cassette Tape Loading a Cassette Tape We recommend you load the cassette tape to Deck 2 when you play a single tape, so you can use the pause and auto-reverse features. 1. Use your finger or pencil to turn the cassette's hub and take up any tape slack. Note: Do not touch the tape. Fingerprints attract dust and dirt. 2. Press the appropriate EJECT button (Deck 1 or Deck 2) to open the cassette compartment door. 3. Load the cassette with its open facing down. For Deck 1, insert the cassette with the side you want to play facing out. (Since Deck 2 can [play in either direction, it doesn't matter which side faces out.) 4. Gently close the compartment door. Playing a Cassette Tape 1. Set DOLBY NR to the same setting that was used when the tape was recorded. See "Dolby Noise Reduction." 2. If you use Deck 2, set REV MODE for one-side, two-side, two-side, or continuous two-side play. The cassette deck plays or records one side of the tape and stops. The cassette deck plays or records both sides of the tape and stops. Note: To play both sides, you must press > (not <). To record both sides, you must press < (not >). The cassette deck plays the entire tape up to eight times and stops. Note: During recording, this setting is the same as one-time auto- reverse. 3. Set the receiver/amplifier's volume to its lowest position. 4. Press > to play the tape in Deck 1 or the side facing you in Deck 2. Press < to play the side not facing you in Deck 2. 5. Adjust the receiver/amplifier's volume, tone, and balance. 6. Press STOP to stop playback. 7. Pres EJECT to open the cassette door and remove the cassette. 8. To turn off the cassette deck, press POWER. The STANDBY indicator lights. 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 systems at a higher level. When you play the tape, the circuit decreases the volume of these sections, restoring the music to its original level and reducing the level of tape noise. Dolby B NR reduces background noise by about 10 dB. Dolby C NR reduces background noise by about 10 dB. Dolby C NR reduces background noise by about 20 dB. Setting DOLBY NR for Playback When you play a cassette tape, set DOLBY NR for the system used when the tape was recorded. For prerecorded tapes, use these guidelines to set DOLBY NR. If DOLBY NR does not appear on the cassette tape's label, set the switch to OUT. If DOLBY NR or does appear, but the label does not specify Dolby C NR, set the switch to B. If Dolby C NR is specified on the label, set the switch to C. Setting DOLBY NR for Recording Set DOLBY NR for the system you want to use. Cassette tapes recorded with Dolby B or C NR can be played on cassette players that are not equipped with the same Dolby NR system. However, high-frequency sounds might seem overemphasized - especially in Dolby C NR recordings. Recording with the Dolby HX Pro System If the source you are recording contains many high-frequency signals, these signals can diminish the quality of the high-frequency sounds. During recording, the Dolby HX Pro system automatically adjusts for these signals, which improves the high-frequency response. This features is always turned on during recording. You can play a cassette tape recorded with the Dolby HX Pro system on any cassette player. Using Repeat Play You can load two cassette tapes to play one after the other. Notes: The cassettes you load should have the same Dolby NR type. If they do not, the tape that has different Dolby NR type than the DOLBY NR switch setting might sound distorted. You can start repeat play from either Deck 1 or Deck 2. You can replace the tape in the idle deck during repeat play. When a tape automatically begins playing during repeat play, it always starts from the forward (>) playback side. Be sure to set the tapes properly before starting repeat play. If the deck encounters an unrecorded portion of tape more than 15 seconds long, it fast forwards the tape until it finds another recorded portion, and resumes playback from that point (i.e., blank skip is automatically set). 1. Load a cassette tape in each tape compartment, then close the compartment doors. 2. Set DOLBY NR. 3. Set REV MODE to RELAY/SKIP. 4. Press > on Deck 1, or > or < on Deck 2. Playback starts. See "Play- back Sequence." 5. Adjust the volume, tone, and balance control on your receiver/ amplifier for the desired sound. 6. To stop repeat play before it automatically stops, press STOP any time during playback. Playback Sequence The repeat play playback sequence depends on which playback button you press first. When you press > on Deck 1, the cassette deck plays: Side A, Deck 1 Side A, Deck 2 (Deck 1 rewinds) Side B, Deck 2 The cassette deck repeats this cycle 8 times (24 sides). When you press > on Deck 2, the cassette deck plays: Side A, Deck 2 (Deck 1 rewinds, if necessary) Side B, Deck 2 Side A, Deck 1 The cassette deck repeats this cycle 8 times (24 sides). When you press < on Deck 2, the cassette deck plays: Side B, Deck 2 Side A, Deck 1 Side A, Deck 2 (Deck 1 rewinds) The cassette deck repeats this cycle 8 times (23 sides). Recording and Dubbing You can record from any component connected to the receiver/amplifier or dub (copy) cassette tapes. Notes: Tape quality greatly affects the quality of the recording. Your cassette deck can play Type I, Type II, and Type IV tape. We recommend Radio Shack brand tapes. 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." To record at the beginning of a cassette, turn the cassette's hub with your finger or a pencil until the dark part of the tape enters the opening in the edge of the cassette. Before dubbing, position both tapes this way. Recording from Line-In Sources To record from the device connected to the cassette deck's LINE INPUT jacks, follow these steps. 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 for the noise-reduction system you want to use. See "Setting Dolby NR for Recording". 4. Set REV MODE . See "Loading and Playing a Cassette Tape." 5. Press RECORD. The cassette deck enters the record pause mode. 6. Play the loudest part of the selection you want to record. If you are using Dolby NR, adjust REC LEVEL so the LEVEL meter goes to 0 dB most of the time. Momentary levels of up to +3 dB at peaks do not hurt the recording. When you record without Dolby NR, set REC LEVEL so the LEVEL meter goes to -3 dB most of the time and to 0 dB occasionally at peaks. This gives the recording a high signal-to-noise ratio with minimum distortion. 7. To begin recording, press > on Deck 2. 8. To stop recording, press STOP on Deck 2. Recording Blank Spaces Between Selections Some cassette decks search for the blank spaces between selections so you can quickly locate specific selections. If the original program does not have blank spaces, you can add them when you make a new recording. While the cassette deck is set to record or pause, press REC MUTE. The cassette deck records 4 1/2 seconds of silence and pauses. To begin recording again, press PAUSE (||). To record a blank space of more than 4 1/2 seconds, press REC MUTE again after the cassette deck pauses, or press and hold REC MUTE for the desired length of time. To begin recording again, press PAUSE (||). To record a blank space of more than 4 1/2 seconds, press REC MUTE again after the cassette deck pauses, or press and hold REC MUTE for the desired length of time. To begin recording again, press PAUSE (||). To record a blank space of less than 4 1/2 seconds, press PAUSE before the 4 1/2 seconds have passed. To begin recording again, press PAUSE (||). Copying a Cassette Tape (Dubbing) Notes: If the original recording has Dolby B NR or DOLBY C NR, the copy will also have it, regardless of the position of DOLBY NR. If the original does not have Dolby NR, you cannot add it to the tape you are dubbing. REC LEVEL does not affect the recording level during dubbing. Each deck automatically stops when the tape reaches the end of the side. We recommend you dub onto a tape that is the same length as the same length as the original, so the decks stop at the same time. To copy a cassette tape: 1. Press POWER to turn on the cassette deck. 2. Load the cassette tape you want to copy into Deck 1. Be sure the side you want to copy is facing you and the full reel is to the left. 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. Press > on Deck 2 to set the tape direction and then press STOP. 5. To begin dubbing, press the appropriate COPY button: NORMAL to dub at normal playback speed. HI-SPEED to dub at twice the normal speed. 6. Each deck automatically stops when the tape reaches the end. To manually stop dubbing, press STOP on either deck; this stops both cassette decks. CD-Deck Synchro Recording If your CD player has a compatible CD Synchro function, you can automatically record your CDs. Connect the CD player's and cassette deck's CD SYNCHRO jacks as described in "Connecting the CD-Deck Synchro Control Cable." Notes: If your CD player has a program function, program the desired selections before beginning this operation. The cassette deck automatically creates a 4 1/2-second blank space between selections. 1. Load a compact disc in the CD player. 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. Press > on Deck 2 to set the tape direction and then press STOP. 4. Set REV MODE and DOLBY NR. 5. Press RECORD. 6. Begin play on the CD player. 7. Adjust REC LEVEL to set the recording level. 8. Press the stop buttons on the cassette deck and the CD player. 9. Press CD SYNCHRO RECORD. Recording automatically starts when you start the CD player. When the compact disc finishes playing, the CD player stops and the cassette deck pauses. Within 1 minute, change the disc and start play on the CD player to resume recording. If the CD player does not start play within 1 minute, the cassette deck stops. When the CD player changes discs (multi-disc CD players), the cassette deck pauses, then resumes recording when the CD player begins playing the next disc. If the cassette deck reaches the end of the tape and stops while the CD plays, the CD returns to the start of the current track, then pauses. To resume recording, load another tape and ensure the tape is moving in the desired direction. If it is not, press the playback (> or <) button on the cassette deck to change the tape direction, then immediately press STOP. You can resume recording by pressing CD SYNCHRO RECORD again. (Press the button within 1 minute after the CD player pauses. If more than 1 minute elapses, the CD player stops. If REV MODE is set to automatically switch to the other side of the tape while the CD player is playing, the CD player returns to the beginning of the current track and pauses. A 41/2-second blank space is automatically created on the reverse side of the tape, then the CD player resumes playback and the deck resumes recording. Demo Mode The cassette deck has a demonstration mode that alternately turns on all indicators and meters. To turn on the demonstration mode, press DEMO. To cancel the mode, press STOP on Deck 1. (LB/all-03/01/95)