LabVIEW
DAT Audio Driver
Hi JSteward,
There are multiple DAT recorders (e.g. Sony PCM 7040) on the market that have the option to be controlled through a serial (RS-232 or 422) or parallel port. By connecting one of these ports (serial preferred) to your computer, you only need the command instructions and a version of LabVIEW installed to be on your way to automated control of your DAT Recorder. There might be customers out there that have created LabVIEW VIs to communicate with their DAT Recorder, but the chances of finding a driver for the DAT Recorder you choose might be low. However, this is not crucial, since all you need is the command instructions. From there on, you can use the NI-VISA functions to communicate through the port. Communication through the serial port will probably be the easiest to get started with since it's basically string commands being sent back and forth. By knowing these commands, it's easy to establish the connection and start communicating.
Do you have a specific DAT Recorder in mind and do you have the command instructions for it? I'm all curious now...
Have fun!
There are multiple DAT recorders (e.g. Sony PCM 7040) on the market that have the option to be controlled through a serial (RS-232 or 422) or parallel port. By connecting one of these ports (serial preferred) to your computer, you only need the command instructions and a version of LabVIEW installed to be on your way to automated control of your DAT Recorder. There might be customers out there that have created LabVIEW VIs to communicate with their DAT Recorder, but the chances of finding a driver for the DAT Recorder you choose might be low. However, this is not crucial, since all you need is the command instructions. From there on, you can use the NI-VISA functions to communicate through the port. Communication through the serial port will probably be the easiest to get started with since it's basically string commands being sent back and forth. By knowing these commands, it's easy to establish the connection and start communicating.
Do you have a specific DAT Recorder in mind and do you have the command instructions for it? I'm all curious now...
Have fun!
Hi James,
The TCD-D8 and TCD-D100 are both small portable DAT recorders aimed at the consumer market, so they don't support any communication interface other that the dedicated remote controls. The PCM-M1 is considered to be the Pro-version of the TCD-D100, but the two machines are basically identical - only difference that I can remember is the color (TCD is black and PCM is silver) and the option to disable SCMS (Serial Copy Management System) protection on the PCM-M1.
When looking around for DAT recorders that support control from external device (=your computer) I kept stumbling over the studio recorders Sony PCM 7040 ($2,500 on ebay) and the Tascam DA-60 (<$1,000 on ebay). They both seem to support RS-232, whereas some others models only support RS-422. RS-232 can be used with your standard serial port (COM1) on your PC. RS-422 is an old Macintosh serial standard and is hardly even available on Macs today. I couldn't find any command instructions for the serial communication on these two recorders, so you might want to contact the manufacturer directly - I'm not sure if the commands come with the manuals. One other cheap way to find out is to buy a used manual first ($10 on ebay for the Tascam DA-60 manual) I wasn't able to find any portable DAT recorders with a communication port.
I have never seen a DAT recorder that doesn't support at least the three different sampling rates 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz (even my 13 year old, low cost, portable Denon DTR-80P supports all three). Some places these rates are referred to as DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast = digital radio) for 32 kHz, CD for 44.1 kHz and DAT for 48 kHz since these are the standards for that media type. DAT was the first media to support all three standards, but with the compression age we're in now, three different sampling rates might seem overkill. Some newer DATs even support 96 kHz sampling rate. However, this means that you only have half as much time on your tapes.
If there's a forum that can help you with ideas on how to control your DAT recorder from your computer, it will be the DAT-Heads. They probably can't help you with the LabVIEW part of the programming, but as long as you can find out what commands to use, we can help you with the LabVIEW part of the programming. Serial communication is quite simple in LabVIEW, so don't worry about that.
I hope you will be able to find some more information - when you do, please let me know, thanks.
Have Fun!
The TCD-D8 and TCD-D100 are both small portable DAT recorders aimed at the consumer market, so they don't support any communication interface other that the dedicated remote controls. The PCM-M1 is considered to be the Pro-version of the TCD-D100, but the two machines are basically identical - only difference that I can remember is the color (TCD is black and PCM is silver) and the option to disable SCMS (Serial Copy Management System) protection on the PCM-M1.
When looking around for DAT recorders that support control from external device (=your computer) I kept stumbling over the studio recorders Sony PCM 7040 ($2,500 on ebay) and the Tascam DA-60 (<$1,000 on ebay). They both seem to support RS-232, whereas some others models only support RS-422. RS-232 can be used with your standard serial port (COM1) on your PC. RS-422 is an old Macintosh serial standard and is hardly even available on Macs today. I couldn't find any command instructions for the serial communication on these two recorders, so you might want to contact the manufacturer directly - I'm not sure if the commands come with the manuals. One other cheap way to find out is to buy a used manual first ($10 on ebay for the Tascam DA-60 manual) I wasn't able to find any portable DAT recorders with a communication port.
I have never seen a DAT recorder that doesn't support at least the three different sampling rates 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz (even my 13 year old, low cost, portable Denon DTR-80P supports all three). Some places these rates are referred to as DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast = digital radio) for 32 kHz, CD for 44.1 kHz and DAT for 48 kHz since these are the standards for that media type. DAT was the first media to support all three standards, but with the compression age we're in now, three different sampling rates might seem overkill. Some newer DATs even support 96 kHz sampling rate. However, this means that you only have half as much time on your tapes.
If there's a forum that can help you with ideas on how to control your DAT recorder from your computer, it will be the DAT-Heads. They probably can't help you with the LabVIEW part of the programming, but as long as you can find out what commands to use, we can help you with the LabVIEW part of the programming. Serial communication is quite simple in LabVIEW, so don't worry about that.
I hope you will be able to find some more information - when you do, please let me know, thanks.
Have Fun!
Hi James,
Great!
Whenever you are searching for an instrument driver to use with any National Instruments software, make sure to check the NI Instrument Driver Network website www.ni.com/idnet. Actually there are a few DAT recorders listed there, but I doubt if they're the kind you were looking for. However, go ahead and have a look.
Have fun!
Great!
Whenever you are searching for an instrument driver to use with any National Instruments software, make sure to check the NI Instrument Driver Network website www.ni.com/idnet. Actually there are a few DAT recorders listed there, but I doubt if they're the kind you were looking for. However, go ahead and have a look.
Have fun!
