• At the end of every session you should rewind the tape all
the way to the leader, stop, eject the tape, remove it from the ADAT and place it in
its protective case. This cuts down on the amount of dust that can enter the
transport and keeps wear on the tape at a minimum.
Practice "safe tape" at all times because you can never retrieve lost data.
If you are archiving your tapes, make sure they are stored in environmentally stable
conditions, i.e. a cool dry place. If you do archive your tapes, you need to check
them once a year. Run each tape through your ADAT from end to end. This will
prevent buildup that can occur when a tape is left simply "sitting".
Of course, for your super sensitive or important material, nothing beats making
multiple digital backups. Every year or so, simply do another digital backup onto a
brand new tape.
9.4 ERROR MESSAGES
Alesis has designed a number of information messages that your ADAT may display
from time to time. In most cases, these messages could indicate a fault as listed
below. They exist for quick diagnosis and problem solving, if problems exist. These
Error Messages do not always mean there is a fault with the ADAT. Sometimes it
could be the video cassette casing, for example.
We have listed these messages below, along with our advice for what to do if and
when they occur.
9.4A ADAT Messages and Explanation:
• -du- Indicates Environment is too humid (detected by dew sensor). The tape will
not be allowed to be threaded while this condition is present.
SOLUTION: Leave ADAT on and wait. Do not try to heat or cool the ADAT, and
under no circumstances use an air blower (for example, a hair dryer) as you may
cause damage.
• noFO Indicates the tape is unformatted or, possibly, that the tape has not
threaded from the beginning.
SOLUTION: Format the tape as instructed in Chapter 3. If you know the tape to
have been previously formatted, then either the tape was not fully rewound during
previous use or there has been tape damage caused. Try rewinding the tape. If
that doesn't work, Fast Forward the tape to where you know there is data and
press play. If the display still says "noFO", then it is possible that your tape has
sustained serious damage since last use. See Tape Maintenance (Chapter 9) for
an idea of what could have gone wrong.
All is not lost, however. Play your tape in another ADAT. If it works, then you
need to call Product Support to discuss what to do next. If your tape does NOT
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