TASCAM 122MkIII Three Head Cassette Deck

The 122MKIII is the industry standard for production and broadcast facilities. TASCAM's best cassette deck features smooth faultless tape handling mechanisms, a 3-head transport with high-performance Cobalt Amorphous record and playback heads, and precision servo direct-drive capstan motors. The 122MKIII also has convenience built in, with bias controls right on the front panel, as well as oscillators on board. The 122MKIII is the very best available.

Features
Ý 3-head high performance design, offering Confidence Monitoring
Ý Gear and clutch coupled input level control Dolby B and C noise reduction with HX Pro headroom extension
Ý Return to Zero function
Ý 2 locate points
Ý ±12% pitch control
Ý Parallel port for external or fader start control
Ý XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced I/O
Ý Bias and level calibration accessible from front panel
Ý 400Hz and 10kHz oscillators built in
Ý Advanced HTSC servo control system
Ý Optional wired remote (RC134)

The Sound Choice for Sound Production Facilities
The 122MKIII is the flagship of the quality TASCAM deck line. Extremely high standards of reproduction quality and overall performance earmark this system: Cobalt Amorphous record and play heads, independent head azimuth adjustment, precision FG servo direct drive capstan motor, and uncompromised electronics. All this in a studio-ready, 19 in., 2-unit rackmountable package that immediately finds a home in any sound production environment: from cassette mastering recorded material… read more to radio broadcast production to masters of audio/visual and multimedia soundtracks.

Smooth, Faultless Tape Handling Mechanisms
The 122MKIII features a 3-head transport with separate high-performance record and playback heads, manufactured from resilient Cobalt Amorphous materials. The 3 independently-operating heads, combined with precision FG servo direct-drive capstan motors, combine to provide the highest standards of reproduction quality and performance — frequency response as great as 25 Hz to 20 kHz, and less than 1% total harmonic distortion. To virtually eliminate wow and flutter, the 122MKIII is equipped with the Hysteresis Tension Servo Control (HTSC) system. This high-tech servo control system maintains consistent back tension on the tape all through the reel, combating inconsistencies brought on by tape shift and extreme temperatures and humidity.

Front-Access Bias and Level Calibration Controls
For full control of bias levels when recording material with critical high frequency components, the 122MKIII offers Bias and Level fine tuning for each channel. These fine tuners can be used in conjunction with the 400 Hz/10 kHz calibration oscillator button (OSC) to get proper VU calibration before or during each recording session. Proper bias type is automatically selected when a tape is placed in the deck; then, with a few turns from the front panel, even more precise bias and level tuning can be dialed in for both the left and right channels.

Stereo VU Meters and Input/Output Dials Ensure Optimal Sound Levels
The input dials are gear-interdependent, allowing you to dial in stereo VU calibration with one dial. Or, for channel-specific calibration, hold one dial while adjusting the other. Either way, you get consistent, optimal recording levels without distortion.

Dolby HX Pro Headroom Extension
For maximum high-range clarity and reproduction precision, the 122MKIII is equipped with the Dolby HX Pro headroom extension system. HX pro is an active biasing system that minimizes the effect of high frequency music signals on the deck's bias signal, achieving up to 6 dB greater headroom at the higher music frequencies. What's more, HX Pro is a record-only process, so tapes recorded with HX Pro can be played back on any other cassette deck. The 122MKIII also engages your choice of popular Dolby B or C noise reduction when recording, to further position your tape for best results from other playback decks.

3-Point Memory Features Speed Editing/Review
When editing program material or engaging in critical listening, the 122MKIII offers 2 Autolocator buttons (LOC 1 and LOC 2) and a MEMO IN control. These intuitive controls allow editors to select 2 points on any tape for 1 button forward/reverse to wherever the action is. Once the 2 points are set, the REPEAT button allows you to loop between the points with 1-touch convenience. Additionally, Return-to-Zero (RTZ) quickly spools the tape back to 000 on the real-time Tape Counter.

Easy Integration into Project and Production Studios
The 122MKIII features balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs, selectable with the flip of a back-panel switch. On the front panel, 1/4 in. inputs allow simple, direct plug-in of line-level gear.

Parallel Port for External Control
For hands-off mastering in professional recording environments, you'll find a 25-pin D sub connector on the 122MKIII back panel. This connects the tape deck to optional RC134 remote control unit or for fader start from an external mixer that also uses the 25-pin D sub protocol.

Excels In Radio/Music Production Environments
Ý Separate VU meter for each channel
Ý Independently or simultaneously adjustable stereo input dials
Ý Accepts either -10 dB unbalanced RCA or +4 dBm jacks for balanced input and output
Ý MPX Filter button eliminates pilot and sub carrier broadcast tones that can interfere with Dolby noise reduction
Ý One-touch 400 Hz or 10 kHz Oscillator Adjustment signals for VU meter high bias/level reference
Ý Record/Mute autospacer automatically inserts 4 seconds of silence between songs or broadcast segments for pro quality tapes
Ý Remote-controllable via remote unit (RC134) or fader start from an external mixer

Quality Sound Reproduction Every Time
Ý Dolby HX PRO for cleaner, more dynamic high frequency performance and minimized distortion
Ý Dolby-B and Dolby-C noise reduction technologies
Ý ±12% pitch variation control
Ý 4-digit LED tape counter with visual tape format indicators
Ý Twin Auto-Locator and Memo buttons allow you to "mark" the tape at 2 separate points for easy, repeatable overdubbing/review
Ý Front and rear panel inputs
Ý Independent level-adjustable headphone input
Ý Return-to-Zero on the counter with the touch of a button
Ý Bias/Level trimmers for precise bias/record calibration read less