Need Help Transferring DAT to .wav

[jimK9YC]

I'm in 64-bit Win 10 Audacity 2.4.2. I'm a retired recording engineer, with DAT tapes I need to archive to .wav files. I have a Zoom U44 interface to a Tascam DA-20 MKII DAT. Windows and Audacity see the Zoom interface, which takes S/PDIF coaxial from the DAT machine, and I hear the stream on headphones plugged into the U44. The U44 is selected as Recording input. The Import window only shows files on the PC. Sample rates are set to match (48 kHz). If I roll the tape, I hear it in cans at the U44, but if I hit Monitor in Audacity, I don't see audio, and if I hit record, I don't see audio on the tracks.

So my need at this point is simple -- I need that long DAT track (and I have a bunch of them) that I want to end up as a .wav file on the computer. Once I have them on the computer, I'm good.

Thanks, Jim Brown

[steve]

If I roll the tape, I hear it in cans at the U44, but if I hit Monitor in Audacity, I don't see audio, and if I hit record, I don't see audio on the tracks.

As the U44 is a 4 channel interface, it may be sending the S/PDIF input to output channels 3 and 4.
See if you can set Audacity to record 4 channels in the Device Toolbar.
If that works and you get the recording in tracks 3 and 4 (with tracks 1 and 2 empty), then you can delete tracks 1 and 2 (click on the [X] in the top left corner of the track) and join the remaining tracks to create a stereo track (see: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/spl ... racks.html)

[kozikowski]

As the U44 is a 4 channel interface, it may be sending the S/PDIF input to output channels 3 and 4.

If that doesn't work, you may need the "DAT Transfer Configuration." Get yourself an adapter cable from the machine headphone connection to your recorder or interface. I use a Behringer UCA202.





You can mess with the digital connections if you want to, but DAT machines are "famous" for failing digital transfers. If you get one to work, then you're the unicorn.

Koz

[kozikowski]

Obsessive Engineer will tell you to transfer the tapes any way that works and then mess with the digital connection later. If the tapes are old enough, they may only play once.

Can you sense we don't have very high regard for DAT?

Koz