This is troubling to say indeed. You are looking at input source monitoring but nothing on playback. So you're not sure if anything is being recorded on tracks 4, 5, 6, 7. It's easy to find out. You record stuff on those tracks. You stop the tape and you turn the reels upside down on the recorder. That way, track 7 is being played back by track 2. Tract 6 is being played back on track 3. Track 5 will be played back on track 4. So if you don't see anything on those tracks with the exception of track 4, that ain't recording anything. If you do see and hear backwards music, it's a playback issue and not a record issue. If the tracks appear blank with the tape upside down, it's a record issue not a playback issue. And that's where you need to start your troubleshooting.

I hate to say this but it sounds like your service center has a guy working on reel to reel recorders who's not terribly up to speed on reel to reel recorders?

The heads are plugged in to the back of the electronics package I believe on that machine? Unplug and plug back in to ensure that you are not suffering from intermittent contacts from airborne air pollution particulates.

You might also want to note if the machine is off and you switch it on, do all eight meters jump? See if it does that when the machine is switched to input monitor and then when the machine is switched to playback monitor.

Report back
Mx. Remy Ann David

Problem sorted now thanks. It was a combination of some crackly gain pots on the two eight channel mixers I use with it, and a couple of faulty patch leads. Phew!!

You're lucky, Frosty; it could have been a lot worse. There's a bunch of relays that can go bad, too. I had a unit with the DBX noise reduction unit (and relays everywhere) which became a nightmare. In the end, we replaced all of the relays, and brought it back to full spec.

And about a month later, they came out with the DA-88......d'oh!