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Gaps + dropouts that make me wanna smash my machine

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Malcolm Tent

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Hey, all-

Who can help me with this vexing problem? When recording live in the field, my recorded material will have gaps in the sound. The gaps vary in length from microseconds to sometimes more than a second. There's no apparent pattern to their appearance or duration. They appear at every point in the program from start to finish. It doesn't matter if the recorder is in a stationary position or if it's being moved around.

As far as I can tell, the mic input jack is not loose and the mic plug is making good contact. (I've had problems in the past with a loose input jack and it resulted in severely out of phase recordings rather than gaps.) I've tried using a cleaning disc and it offers temporary relief, usually about a single recording session's worth.

If anybody has any input regarding this issue, I'd love to hear it. Your advice just might save the life of a minidisc recorder.

-mt

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If Bobt is right, you can fix the ribbon cable to the overwrite head. I just did such surgery and it is very painful (to the surgeon!) but it works.

If he's not right, have you considered turning off the Synch record setting?

It's also possible that the recording is "jumping inputs" if you read about the priority of inputs (Page 32, top of right hand column).

Another thing to try is to see if the same happens when you record with the recorder plugged into its charger (not the charge stand, use the yellow tip from the power source direct into the 707). Many record functions require more power than a rechargeable battery supplies, so if this always works, you can try using a real alkaline battery for those critical field recordings.

Disclaimer: I have not owned a 707, so I cannot speak directly. However I have seen many of the above behaviours at different times. On the whole MD's are pretty reliable.

Welcome to MDCF!

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