You should not subject your ADAT to environmental extremes, humidity or moisture
of any kind, dust, dirt, extreme temperatures, extreme temperature fluctuations or any
kind of physical abuse (drops, shocks).
Under no circumstances should you remove the top or bottom cover of the ADAT.
You already know that there are NO user serviceable parts inside. However, you
should also be aware that it is extremely easy to damage your heads and other
sensitive parts of your ADAT. Do not open up your ADAT to clean the heads.
What it comes to is this: ADAT is a very sophisticated piece of digital technology. It
is going to be used for your important projects so take the best care of your ADAT
and your ADAT heads possible.
9.2 ADAT HEAD MAINTENANCE
The heads of each ADAT are pre-aligned at Alesis. No user adjustment is
necessary.
Over the course of time, depending on the quality of the tapes used and the
environmental conditions where the ADAT and its tapes are stored, head cleaning
may become necessary. Unlike analog or even video tape recorders, the actual
sound quality of an ADAT recording will not be affected until there is quite a bit of dirt
on the drum and heads. When the Advanced Information Indicator (dot on the bottom
right hand corner of the display) starts appearing frequently, even on brand new
tapes, we recommend that you bring your ADAT to an authorized Alesis Service
Center for cleaning. If the indicator is not appearing and the unit is performing
normally, there is no reason to clean the heads. Periodic or preventative
maintenance is not recommended.
If head cleaning is necessary and you are unable to bring your ADAT to a service
center, you may try using a DRY VHS head cleaning cassette. We recommend:
3M VHSHC Black Watch Head Cleaner Video Cassette
• Do NOT use any other type of head cleaning cassette. They are abrasive and
will damage or wear out your heads.
• Do NOT use head cleaning cassettes that require any kind of liquid.
• Do not use the Black Watch cassette any more often than necessary. Over-
cleaning the heads wears them down, reducing their life span.
• Do NOT attempt to clean the heads yourself unless you are a skilled technician
experienced in the maintenance of video cassette recorders. Information for
such technicians is available from Alesis Product Support. ADAT head cleaning
requires different materials and procedures from analog head cleaning, similar to
VCR maintenance. Cleaning the heads with a cotton swab, or rubbing in the
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