MODULAR DIGITAL MULTITRACK RECORDER
page 1 of 6
DA-88 19" (482mm)
18" (456mm)
The Ideal Modular
Digital Multitrack System
Digital is the future of recording. Now personal,
project and major production studios can get into
digital multitrack recording at a cost previously
unheard of. The DA-88 is just one component of
a well thought out modular system that expands
as you need it.
The DA-88 is an eight track digital multitrack
recorder that utilizes the preferred Hi8 tape format
to provide one-hour, forty-eight minutes of crisp
digital audio on eight tracks. Combined with a
rugged transport, ergonomic design and a full
complement of production accessories, it is the
ideal multitrack for music recording, audio for
video post-production, live remote recording,
broadcast production and more.
CD-Quality Digital Masters
The sonic results you get with the DA-88 are simply
astounding. With a flat 20Hz to 20kHz frequency
response and dynamic range that exceeds 92dB, the
DA-88 is known to be the best sounding digital multitrack
on the market. That’s because of the DA-88’s premium
quality A/D and D/A converters that feature 16-bit linear
quantization at either 44.1 or 48kHz. You never have to
worry about sample rate conversion and are assured the
most faithful sound reproduction. The DA-88 delivers the
pure, clean digital sound you’ve come to expect from
professionally produced CDs.
14 7/8" (377mm)
4" (101.5mm)
7" (176mm)
As Simple To Operate
As An Analog Tape Deck
Making the move from analog to digital requires no
re-training. That’s because the DA-88’s transport controls
are just as simple to use as any commercial analog tape
deck. The PLAY, RECORD, FF, REW and STOP buttons
are right where you’d expect them to be. And they work
just as easily, too. Recording with the DA-88 is as simple
as inserting a Hi8 tape, feeding signal to any of the 8
tracks, setting proper recording levels on the 15-segment
LED peak displays and pushing PLAY and RECORD.
As an added bonus, you can take full advantage of the
accuracy and precision of digital audio with the DA-88’s
shuttle wheel. This allows you to advance or rewind the
tape at your own pace; from 1/4 speed to eight times the
normal playback rate.
Superior Format and Superior Transport
The DA-88 uses the latest tape and transport technology
to provide users with the best system on the market. Hi8
is a metal particle tape that provides higher density
recording which means safer and better sound. This
newer tape technology solves many of the problems of
older tape formats, where tape exposure and tracking
problems sacrifice reliability and sound quality.
The DA-88’s tape transport system is unmatched in any
other modular digital multitrack. Built to take a beating, the
transport features direct drive brushless motors. It is fast
and strong and made to handle continuous operation in a
studio environment. Plus, the DA-88 uses an exclusive,
write-after-read, 4-head interleave system of data
 MODULAR DIGITAL MULTITRACK RECORDER
DA-88 page 2 of 6

reading/writing. This interleaving design yields signifi- optional in/out footswitch when it’s time to punch in or
cantly more read area on Hi8 tape than on others. As out. Plus, the DA-88 offers a sophisticated rehearsal
a result, the DA-88 ensures better data integrity and mode allowing you to practice your punch in/out prior
provides superior dropout protection. to committing it to tape.

The Most Advanced All in all, the DA-88 is the latest generation of digital
multitrack technology. It results in a more reliable and
Tape-to-Head System superior format than any other modular digital multitrack
format available.
Only the Hi8 format, featured on the DA-88, provides
the safety and security of ATF (Auto Track Finding).
This system embeds timing information into the tape's Easy To Maintain, Service Or Upgrade
subcode area during the helical scan. This means there
The DA-88s modular circuit board design makes servic-
is no analog control track, such as on some systems,
ing and maintenance simple for qualified personnel.
which is subject to tape stretching, fraying or other
Transport, analog/digital and digital/analog PCB board
failure. However, with ATF on the DA-88 you are
sub-assemblies easily plug-in and out of the well-
guaranteed of perfect tape inter-changeability
shielded studio-ready, rack-mountable chassis. A further
between different DA-88s.
benefit to modular design is that future upgrades and
third party add-on products will be as easy to incorpo-
Precise Editing — Seamless rate to the DA-88 as a simple board swap.
Punching In/Out
Auto Locate Means Marking and
Because digital recording is so precise, you can select
tighter punch-in/out points than previously available in Finding Specific Selections Easy
the analog world. The DA-88’s variable digital crossfade
technology promotes seamless overdubbing and error If you need to loop a certain musical passage, or want to
correction. You can adjust the crossfade from 10 to 90 mark a certain point on the tape, use the DA-88’s
milliseconds in 10 millisecond increments. At the appro- MEMO and LOCate functions. Simply press the MEMO
priate time you either hit the track button or use the
Front Panel-DA88

Variable-speed shuttle dial 15-segment record level LEDs

Hour, Minutes, Seconds, for pinpoint song section mimic those of many mixing consoles,
Frames LED tape counter location and cueing for easy matching of recording levels

DA-88 CASSETTE IN EJECT

POWER Fs
OVER OVER OVER OVER OVER OVER OVER OVER
FORMAT
44.1k 48k 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
• • • • • • • •
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
• • • • • • • •
12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

ABS MEMO 1 MEMO 2 PITCH WARNING SHUTTLE • • • • • • • •

H M S F 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
REC
VARI SPEED TC OFFSET GEN DIFF INHIBIT ERROR • • • • • • • •
30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30
• • • • • • • •
AUTO
DIGITAL IN DISPLAY PLAY MEMO 1 MEMO 2 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
-dB -dB -dB -dB -dB -dB -dB -dB
ALL AUTO AUTO
REMOTE INPUT INPUT INSERT RHSL IN/OUT CLEAR REPEAT LOC 1 LOC 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

REW F FWD STOP PLAY RECORD

REC FUNCTION

CHASE CLOCK TC GENERATE TC REC

INT WORD VIDEO

Familiar tape deck controls Dual Locate and Memo points save time
during punch-in rehearsing and overdubbing
 MODULAR DIGITAL MULTITRACK RECORDER
DA-88 page 3 of 6

button when tape is rolling or standing still, and you elec-
tronically mark that point on tape. To quickly go back to
that point simply press LOCate. A REPEAT button allows
you to continuously play a loop of tape between two
MEMO points.
8 to 128 Tracks
The DA-88 modular digital multitrack gives you eight
simultaneously recordable tracks with which to create
your musical masterpieces. But if your plans are ambi-
tious or a client requires more tracks, it’s easy to expand.
You can easily link up to 16 DA-88s for expansion of up
to 128 synchronized tracks. Best part is, they lock up
lightening fast.
SMPTE/MIDI/Chase Lock
Synchronization
The SY-88 is a single add-in card solution that allows
you to chase lock one or more DA-88s to wide variety
of audio/video and MIDI gear. Simply plug it into a slot on
the rear panel of the DA-88, and the SY-88 generates and
reads SMPTE timecode formats based on an internal or
external clock reference (video or word). It also provides
full implementation of the MIDI machine control (MMC)
protocol, and VTR (Sony 9 pin/RS-422) interface and
emulation. The SY-88 turns the DA-88 into a production
powerhouse for film, video and project studios.

Optional Equipment And Accessories

Complete The Modular System
The DA-88 is well-supported with optional accessories
and equipment that allows you to get more from your
DA-88, make some operations quicker and easier, and Remote Control Unit-RC-808
allows you to integrate with analog, video, MIDI equip-
ment, hard disk systems and more.
142mm

The RC-808 Basic

Transport Controller
The RC-808 allows you to control all the basic func-
tions of the DA-88 from across the room — includ-
ing transport, record, 2-point autolocator, monitor
REC FUNCTION
switching and auto punch-in/out controls. The 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
RC-808 is ideal when you’re both the engineer
and the performer.
ALL AUTO
INPUT INPUT INSERT REPEAT MEMO 1 MEMO 2

RC-848 Remote Control Unit REHEARSAL

AUTO
IN/OUT CLEAR LOC 1 LOC 2
149mm

The RC-848 coordinates the simultaneous operation

of up to six DA-88 units from one space-saving high- REW F FWD STOP PLAY RECORD
tech control station. With one RC-848 you can drive
an entire rack full of DA-88s, maintaining complete
transport and track control in perfect synchroniza-
tion. It controls all transport functions, provides 99
tape location memory points, a dedicated master RC-808 REMOTE CONTROL UNIT

shuttle wheel and dual LED tape position counter

that details current tape position and an alternate
locate point. It can also address track delay, locate
preroll time and many other functions. It also con-
trols parallel port devices such as the TASCAM
38mm
MSR-16, Otari MTR-90 and other non RS-422
VTRs via the EXT 1 (Accessory 1) port.
 MODULAR DIGITAL MULTITRACK RECORDER
DA-88 page 4 of 6

OVER OVER OVER OVER

MU-8824 METER UNIT
2 2 2 2

4 4 4 4
RELEASE TIME • • • •
SLOW FAST
8 8 8 8

• • • •

12 12 12 12

PEAK HOLD • • • •
OFF ON
20 20 20 20

• • • •

30 30 30 30
AUTO
• • • •
CONT RESET
40 40 40 40

50 50 50 50
–dB –dB –dB –dB

MACHINE
1 2 3 REC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 REC 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 REC 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 REC

Meter Board-MU-8824

Remote Control Unit-RC-848

CONTRAST EXT 1 EXT 2 EXT 3 REMOTE OUT

(ACCESSORY 1) (ACCESSORY 2) (RS-422) (TO DA-88)

14 5/8" (372mm) 2 1/2" (63mm)

RC-848 REMOTE CONTROL UNIT

REC FUNCTION

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

CLOCK
ALL REC ALL INPUT AUTO INPUT INSERT CHASE MACHINE TC REC
SAFE READY INT WORD VIDEO

AUTO PUNCH
AUTO
PRE POST REPEAT START END
8 11/16" (220mm)

MACHINE MEMORY POINT TAPE TIME PLAY

1 2 3 4 5 6 E1 E2 E3
IN OUT
LOCK STATUS
PRE POST
1 2 3 4 5 6
START END IN OUT
H M S F
MEMORY NO. MEMEORY NO. ABS TC
7 8 9 STR

AUTO
H M S F
RHSL
IN/OUT 4 5 6 RCL

GROUP – + DOWN UP

1 2 3 CLR
CLEAR

+- CUE
ESCAPE SHIFT MENU
0 STR

ENTER JOG/SHUTTLE

REW F FWD STOP PLAY REC

LOC

JOG
• SHUTTLE
 MODULAR DIGITAL MULTITRACK RECORDER
DA-88 page 5 of 6

ACCESSORY TIME CODE VIDEO MIDI SYNC

(RS-422) IN OUT IN OUT THRU
IN OUT

Back Panel-SY-88

MMC-88 MIDI Machine Control Interface The DA-88 interfaces easily with a myriad of digital
equipment with simple interface units:
The MMC-88 is an optional MIDI accessory designed to
connect directly to the SYNC port of a DA-88. It provides • IF-88AE for AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital interfacing
two-way communication and allows information to be • IF-88SD a digital interface that enables connection to
transferred to the slave DA-88s. If you’d like more infor- DASH machines.
mation on the MMC-88, please call our FaxBack number
and request document #9150.
The Best Value in Digital
MU-8824 24-Channel Meter Bridge Multitrack Recording
The MU-8824 24-Channel Meter Bridge centralizes 24-
• Total 108 minutes of recording time on low-cost Hi8
tracks of 15-segment LED peak meter displays of three
tape (over twice the recording time of others
DA-88 units. It can either be rack mounted (RM-8824)
• 92 dB dynamic range
or can be mounted to the RC-848 (MK-8824). Because
• Auto Track Finding constantly realigns tracks and
it’s a vertically modular bridge you can easily stack two
eliminates tape skew and distortion
MU-8824s to handle level display for a 48-track (six
• 16-bit linear D/A and A/D quantization for error free
DA-88s) master recording suite. PW-88M cables handle
sound reproduction
connections between DA-88s and the meter bridges.
• Simple one cable (PW-88M) interface locks
up to 16 DA-88s (one cable required for each machine)

Rear Panel-DA-88

REMOTE IN/SYNC IN SYNC OUT WORD SYNC REMOTE IN REMOTE MACHINE ID

SYS SYS
(FROM RC-848/DA-88) (TO DA-88) IN OUT PUNCH IN/OUT

(FROM RC-808)

METER UNIT DIGITAL I/O

TDIF-I DSP DSP

SYNC

IN
A/D A/D
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BALANCED (1-8)

D/A D/A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BALANCED (1-8)

Unbalanced RCA-type and balanced

25-pin D-sub input and output jacks
 MODULAR DIGITAL MULTITRACK RECORDER
DA-88 page 6 of 6

Channel Separation: Better than 90 dB at 1 kHz

Precision Features Wow & Flutter: Unmeasurable
Analog Audio Input: RCA x 8 (-10 dBV/50 kohms,
• Advanced variable crossfade technology unbalanced)
• Programmable track playback delay (-4 to +150 ms) D-sub 25 pin x 1 (+4 dBm/10
lets you allow for signal processor delays, phase kohms, balanced)
alignment anomalies or to add subtle special effects Analog Audio Output: RCA x 8 (-10 dBV/250 ohms,)
• 8-digit multi-function display shows absolute time, D-sub 25 pin x 1 (+4 dBm/75
locate time, variable speed, offset and other parameters ohms, balanced)
• Pitch control ±6% at either 44.1 or 48kHz sampling Digital Audio I/O: D-sub 25 pin x 1 (TDIF-1 format)
frequencies Power consumption: 74W
• Auto Punch In/Out capability Weight: 14kg

The DA-88 Modular Digital Multitrack System includes these

Rugged Construction optional system enhancements:
• Direct drive brushless transport motors RC-808: Basic Remote Control
• Super-rugged, reliable transport built to take years of RC-848: Remote Control for up to
constant stopping, starting and shuttling six DA-88
• Moderate speed rotary transport head minimizes tape
SY-88: SMPTE/Midi/Chase Locke
stress
Synchronization Card
• Modular sub-assembly design aids in qualified servic-
ing and maintenance and minimizes down time. MU-8824: 24-Channel Meter Bridge;
Centralizes 24-tracks of
15- Segment LED peak
SPECIFICATIONS meter displays
IF-88E: AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital
Tape: Hi8 video tape interfacing
Recording Time: 108 min. (NTSC "120" tape) IF-88SD: Digital interface enables
113 min. (PAL/SECAM "90" tape) connection to DASH machines
Fast Winding: 80 sec. (100 x play speed)
PW-SD1: DASH output cable to IF-88SD
Tracks: 8
PW-SD2: DASH input cable from
Quantization Bit: 16-bit linear
Sampling Rate: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz IF-88SD
Pitch Control: ± 6% (in 0.1% step) HC-8: Head cleaning tape
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz (± 0.5 dB)
Dynamic Range: More than 92 dB Specifications and features subject to change without
Total Harmonic notice or obligation.
Distortion: Less than 0.00496%

For more information about other TASCAM

FAXBACK literature, call 1-800-827-2268.

©1997 TEAC America, Inc. All rights reserved. 7733 Telegraph Road, Montebello, CA 90640 (213) 726-0303
TEAC Canada Ltd., 5939 Wallace Street, Mississauga, Ontario L4Z 1Z8 Canada (905) 890-8008
TEAC Mexico, S.A. de C.V., Priva de Colina #18, Colonia del Carmen, Coyoacan, Mexico, D.F. 04100 (525) 658-1943
FAXBACK Index# 2550 2/97