Combining pristine sound and superior engineering, the Tascam DA-60 MkII’s rugged construction, intuitive design and rock-solid reliability are all encased in its tempered metal 19″ 3U rack case. There you’ll find a read/write system comprised of 4 independent direct drive motors, an auto-calibrating 4-head drum and the best sounding, state-of-the-art A/D and D/A converters available anywhere. Even more important, the Tascam DA-60 MkII features help you maintain a periodic maintenance schedule thanks to a Time Spun indicator which gives you an instant readout of your Tascam DA-60 MkII’s total head operating time.
Versatility and Features Mean the Best DAT Performance
The Tascam DA-60 MkII delivers transparent, natural sounding audio recordings and reproductions. It produces up to 94dB of clear, quality audio employing 64 times oversampling 1-bit Delta Sigma A/D conversion with an incredibly wide 5Hz ~ 22kHz frequency range. Signal-to-noise ratio is an amazing 94dB, and wow and flutter is virtually unmeasurable. At the output stage, the Tascam DA-60 MkII uses 8 times oversampling 20-bit Sign-Magnitude D/A conversion which virtually eliminates zero-cross distortion.
And because program material is captured digitally, the physical imperfections of tape and their effect on sound quality are negligible. The result is the best sounding DAT available anywhere! The Tascam DA-60 MkII operates at two primary sampling rates: 44.1kHz (the CD reference standard) and 48kHz when the highest-quality audio for post-production is your goal. Of course, with a DAT recorder of this caliber, standard pull up and pull-down rates of 44.056kHz, 44.144kHz, 47.952kHz and 48.048kHz are fully supported.
And audio reproduction is of remarkably high quality, even when the ±12% varispeed function is used to slow or speed the transport. The Tascam DA-60 MkII shines at preparing master tapes for mass CD production and delivers frame-accurate film/video scoring for postproduction. It’s easy to enter start IDs for each track, renumber the tracks, post-stripe timecode or place professional sounding fade in/outs to your program material through the intuitive, easy-to-understand feature menus of the recorder’s full-function LED control panel.
Perfectly Synchronized Audio/Visual Soundtracks
The Tascam DA-60 MkII has a highly accurate digital clock, and its clock source is switchable to meet your synchronization needs. For working with DAWs, you’ll find WORD CLOCK IN, OUT and THRU, and when doing sound for picture, the unit’s VIDEO sync port will keep you right where you need to be!
The Tascam DA-60 MkII also supports IEC958 Type II data input more commonly recognized as S/PDIF. This enables the Tascam DA-60 MkII to digitally communicate with most consumer level DATs, CDs and other equipment. All this means the DA-60 MkII gives you the freedom to interact with just about any digital audio product imaginable. In a ‘sound for picture’ environment, the Tascam DA-60 MkII accepts Video Sync from an external source and resolves to picture. Additionally, the DA-60MKII fully supports Sony P2 protocol and will behave like a common VTR to video editors and other system controllers. Also known as Sony 9-Pin, this capability enables the Tascam DA-60MKII to integrate seamlessly into any postproduction environment.
Command Control for Audio and Subcode Data
The Tascam DA-60 MkII features an intuitive, highly informative LED panel that gives users complete control over all production functions. Stereo peak hold meters ensure that you’re capturing proper signal levels. MARGIN readings display ‘headroom’ in dB increments up to 39 between your highest peaks and the onset of digital saturation. Twin timecode indicators constantly update SMPTE position for both external and internal TC in a master/slave, multiple machine environment. What’s more, it’s easy to reveal programmable parameter values for selected menu items including Copy ID, memo point capture and trim, and auto cue sensitivity levels.
Plus, you can capture offsets, jam sync while generating timecode for smooth, continuous SMPTE under non-contiguous conditions, or adjust crossfade time to accommodate smooth punch-ins Ð all with remarkable ease. Users will appreciate the DA-60MKII’s rotary data wheel. It makes editing offsets or memory start points quick and effortless. And, each function has its own corresponding menu display or LED indicator light, so you’re sure to know the status of the Tascam DA-60MKII at a glance. Once you’ve configured the machine to your liking, a unique memory feature lets you save up to three different setups (snapshots) which can be recalled at any time with a few simple keystrokes.
Dual Autolocation Makes Editing Foolproof
The Tascam DA-60 MkII offers three ways to navigate through your tapes to find editing points for punch-ins, overdubs and other postproduction tasks. The simplest is using the ID Search button to locate to the exact beginning of the next/previous program selection. And, to mark a tape position during a program, you can capture locate points on the fly by pressing the MEMO key. Or, if you wish to trim that position or directly enter a known timecode address, simply enter the location using the Tascam DA-60 MkII’s H: M: S: F display and the rotary data wheel.
Confidence Monitoring & Instant Playback for Those Tight Cues
If confidence monitoring is critical to your work, then a 4-head DAT like the Tascam DA-60 MkII is your only choice. With the Tascam DA-60 MkII, a single keystroke toggles you between Source and Tape, giving you peace of mind as you record Ñ no more guessing about what you ‘think you’re hearing.
Additionally, the Tascam DA-60 MkII provides a pair of special cueing and playback features; Auto Cue and Memory Start. They combine to provide instant playback from exact points, without any mechanical delay caused by bringing tape up to speed or realignment of playback heads. With Auto Cue, you can cue to the ‘first frame of audio’. Auto Cue is programmable with four sensitivity levels to accommodate varying types of program material.
Using the Tascam DA-60 MkII’s 3-second RAM buffer, Memory Start provides for instant starts of program material. Used in conjunction with the recorder’s MEMO points, the Memory Start function can be trimmed over a range of 30 frames, enabling you to position the start of material with frame accurate precision. There’s even a REHEARSAL function that lets you audition the contents of the RAM buffer.
Accepts Digital or Analog Input
Integrating the Tascam DA-60 MkII into your facility couldn’t be easier. A quick look at the rear panel reveals easily accessible XLR connectors for incoming digital or balanced analog sources. And, to make reference copies of your master tapes, the Tascam DA-60 MkII is equipped with both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA analog outputs.
Rock Solid, No Nonsense Built-in Synchronization
The Tascam DA-60 MkII’s internal clock, combined with its Video and Word Clock capabilities enable the recorder to synchronize with other equipment under virtually any condition you might encounter. Code-only Master? No problem. Just feed timecode and hit CHASE. Sony P2 under control from a video editor? Absolutely! Just feed house (video) sync to the Tascam DA-60 MkII’s Video sync port for clock reference and connect a standard 9-Pin D-Sub connector cable to the RS-422 port and you’re ready to make that next great video epic.
Digitally transfer audio to or from a DAW? Of course! Run your Word Clock cable for clock reference, and some XLR equipped cables for timecode and digital I/O and you’re ready. You’ll also find an Accessory 1 port for basic control from non-RS-422 equipped controllers.
No matter what type of work you do, you’ll appreciate the Tascam DA-60 MkII’s flexibility and its rapid response transport mechanism. Together, they take the hassles out of synchronization. You’ll be able to easily set up pinpoint-perfect orchestra hits, sound effect overdubs and other post-production audio magic.
