Tascam DA-98HR
Eight tracks of 24-bit/96k on Hi8 tape. The last of the modular digital multitracks.
Overview
A DTRS machine makes a specific sound when you load a tape. The transport pulls the Hi8 cassette down around the drum, the ATF servo pauses while it finds its lock, and the display settles into timecode. The DA-98HR does all of it with the drum at 2,000 r.p.m., a tape speed of 15.955 mm/sec and an equivalent head-to-tape speed of 4.2 m/sec. Those numbers sound modest until you remember this is a helical-scan system squeezing eight tracks of 24-bit audio onto a medium originally designed for consumer camcorders.
That's the whole trick of the DTRS format, and the DA-98HR is where Tascam took it as far as it would go. The machine records eight tracks at sampling frequencies of 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192 kHz, with 16- or 24-bit linear resolution. The high-sample-rate modes are where the track count starts to bend. The DA-98HR pushed DTRS into the high-resolution era with the same modular architecture that made the format a workhorse in post-production and DVD authoring for years. Mix (December 2000, p.157) positioned it as the pinnacle of the DTRS line's evolution.
The transport is serious mechanical engineering. The DA-98HR uses a rotary-head, helical-scan method with two record heads and two playback heads, ATF (Automatic Track Finding) for tracking, and overwrite erasure rather than a separate erase head. Maximum recording time is 108 minutes on a P6-120 tape. Fast forward and rewind run about 80 seconds on the same cassette. Search speed tops out at 100x play speed, and shuttle covers 8.0, 4.0, 2.0, 1.0, 0.5, and 0.25x in forward and reverse, with the caveat that 1.0x is forward-only. Vari-speed adjusts ±6% in 0.1% steps. Positioning accuracy is to a single sample, and when two DA-98HRs are synced together, lock time is within 8 seconds.
The sync and post-production features are where this machine earned its keep. Supported timecode formats include SMPTE 30, 29.97 drop and non-drop, EBU 25, and Film 24 fps, with telecine pull-up and pull-down facilities. Sub-code recording covers ABS track and SMPTE/EBU timecode. The sync clock can be set to internal, WORD, or VIDEO. MIDI functionality includes MMC (MIDI Machine Control), MTC (MIDI Timecode) output, and Tascam System Exclusive for track delay and other parameters, plus Control Change for mixdown automation. Cross-fade time is adjustable from 10 ms to 200 ms in 10 ms increments. Track delay ranges from -200 to +7,200 samples (-4 to +150 ms), settable in either samples or milliseconds. ABS time offset spans ±2 hours to frame accuracy. Error correction uses a double-encoded Reed-Solomon code.
The reference level is switchable between -16, -18, and -20 dBFS by moving short pins on the A/D and D/A boards. The -16 dBFS setting corresponds to a +4 dBu reference with a +20 dBu maximum. The European -18 dBFS setting gives +4 dBu reference and +22 dBu maximum, and the SMPTE -20 dBFS setting gives +4 dBu reference and +24 dBu maximum.
The rear panel has a 37-pin D-sub CONTROL I/O connector for external transport control and tally outputs. The output is open collector, each transistor supporting up to 50 mA, with TTL-level input buffered through a 74LS240 with Schmitt trigger. Power supplied from the DA-98HR itself is capped at 50 mA at DC 5 V. The control system data output is 32-bit serial sync with 8 bits output in parallel simultaneously. Input is also 32-bit serial sync, with the preceding 8 bits merged with the parallel input. Tascam's documentation warns that when connecting multiple units or integrating the deck into a high-power system, inputs and outputs should be isolated with a photo-coupler. Mix (January 2001, p.211) noted the 9-pin RS-422 serial control and parallel port as the features that made studio integration straightforward.
The machine has no modern conveniences. There's no USB, no card slot, no file export. The DA-98HR records to tape, and the tape is Hi8 MP or Hi8 ME stock. For anyone working with legacy DTRS archives, it's also the only option, since the format never migrated to a file-based workflow.
Maintenance is a real consideration. The drum assembly and the brush assembly are consumables. Tascam's service documentation specifies that the BRUSH ASS'Y should be replaced when the DRUM ASS'Y is replaced, at approximately 1,000 hours of use. The brush grounds the drum through a sliding slip-ring contact rather than a single point, and worn brush debris accumulates in a cover that must be cleaned out during replacement. If the brush fails, the drum can fracture. That's a documented failure mode, and it's the first thing a prospective owner should check before buying.
The transport also needs periodic mechanical attention. Tension arm position is adjusted against a torque cassette (MTT-86131), with the FWD back tension specified at 10 to 12 g·cm and fluctuation held to 3 g·cm or less. Tape path alignment requires a test tape (MTT-88101) and an oscilloscope, with roller guide heights adjusted so the leading and trailing edges of the RF waveform match the center peak. The capstan guide height is set so the tape rides on the lower flange edge without curling. Final guide adjustment ensures no curl between the take-up side of the capstan and the guide itself. None of this is casual user service. It's bench work with a torque driver and a scope.
The machine also carries a full diagnostic suite. Test mode is entered by holding F.FWD + STOP + PLAY while powering on, then pressing STOP within 2 seconds of the "Select Mode" prompt. VTR mode uses the same key combination but PLAY instead of STOP. From the menu system, owners can read the SYS ROM, FRONT MPU, and SERVO MPU version numbers, check the sub-MPU version, display battery voltage, and read the drum's total utilized time and fast-wind time. Servo error history is stored in the SERVO PCB's EEPROM. The deck prohibits EEPROM writes for 10 seconds after power-on, so an error occurring in that window won't be logged, and the stored history may not match what actually happened. A built-in oscillator outputs 440 Hz, 1 kHz, 10 kHz, 20 kHz, 20 Hz, or white noise at full scale from the test menu.
One more quirk: the front MPU (KEY PCB:U6) is a PLCC package that requires a PLCC extractor (P/N 16910101) to remove, and the SYS ROM (SYS PCB:U011) sits under a socket cover that slides off.
EQ (February 2001, p.116) reviewed the DA-98HR as a high-resolution eight-track recorder and placed it within the DA-88 family lineage, noting that the DTRS format remained a standard workhorse in DVD content delivery and post-production even as tape-based systems fell out of fashion. That's a fair summary. The DA-98HR isn't a nostalgia piece — it's a tool that still does a specific job, and does it well, provided you can feed it tape and keep the transport in spec.
The DA-98HR is the top of the DTRS line, and it's also the most demanding to keep running. The 1,000-hour drum and brush service interval is the number to remember. The sync, the timecode and the high sample rates are the reasons to choose it over a DA-88 or DA-98.
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