Tascam MX-2424 Hard Disk Recorder

Tascam MX-2424 Hard Disk RecorderWe can convert MX-2424 DVD-RAM cartridge, Orb Drives, StrorCase drives and Glyph Technology drives to .wav files so it will be possible to mix the tracks in any modern DAW such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Garage Band, Nuendo, Cubase, Reaper, Studio One, or Digital Performer.

Some DVD-RAM cartridges, Orb Drive cartridges or Traven tape backups made with the MX-2424 cannot be read by a computer drive if they were made in the "BU" mode. Even if they can be read the audio tracks cannot be imported into a DAW and line up properly unless they were in exported in the Tape Mode which also comps any edits or punch-ins so they there are no more than 24 files, since each punch-in creates a new file There is also the delicate matter of Sound Designer II files outside of classic Mac OS. These files can easily be corrupted and damaged since the meta data is held in the resource fork, which current Mac and Windows systems ignore. Once the resource fork is lost the files are unplayable and cannot be placed in the correct place on the session timeline. Then there is the matter of getting them from a pre-USB vintage PC or Mac (the only other platform these drives will work on) to a modern machine.

MX-2424 was a powerful and flexible rackmount 24 track hard disk recorder from the year 2000 that recorded files as .wav or Sound Designer II depending on how you formatted your drive. This allowed users to easily port projects between it and a PC based DAW like Pro Tools. Tascam approved and recommended the use of with the short-lived format DVD-RAM, the Castlewood Orb drive which held 2.2GB, and dedicated SCSI hard drives StorCase Data Silo DS100-1-160/B, DS100-2-160/B as well as Glyph Technology drives. Travan tape drive was one other option and we are currently not set up to transfer these but we can get set up if you have Travan tapes.

DVD-RAM disk in a driveDVD-RAM disks used phase-change technology and were made by companies like Maxell, Panasonic, FujiFilm, Hotan, Memorex, Verbatim and TDK. They were DVD data disks but unlike CDRs they were enclosed in a plastic case with a retractable metal door to protect the disk surface from dust, fingerprints and scratches which will ruin them, making them unreadable. Unlike CDRs they were rewritable. They were popular in the photo and video industry in their time (circa 1995 to 2003) since they could hold more than an Iomega Jaz or Zip disk. But in the storage marketplace USB flash drives were available soon after and could read and write faster and require no additional hardware. Since they were not mainstream and only in use for a few years they may be a new or unrecognized media format for many people. If you find these and they have song names, master, or multitrack written on the label or on accompanying documentation they are probably Tascam MX-2424 DVD-RAM backup disks which we can export into multiple .wav files. They held 4.7GB, 5.2GB, or 9.5GB. They will have the DVD-RAM logo, they may or may not have a Side A/Side B label, or they may have a Single Sided label.

They may be labeled with a part number:

a variety DVD-RAM disks including Maxell, Panasonic, FujiFilm, Memorex, Verbatim and TDK

Maxell

  • VD-RM52F
  • VD-RAM47F
  • VD-RAM95F

Panasonic:

  • LM-HA47
  • LM-HA52
  • LM-HA94
  • LM-HB47V
  • LM-HB52V
  • LM-HB95V
  • LM-DA47
  • LM-DA52
  • LM-DA95

TDK

  • DVD-RAM47DY1
  • DVD-RAM52DY1
  • DVD-RAM95DY1

Orb cartridgeCastlewood Orb cartridge system was another early 2000s media that Tascam approved and recommended for MX-2424 users for backup. The format eventually lost out to more affordable flash storage. They had a storage capacity of 2.2GB which could hold around 2 to 5 MX-2424 songs. If you find an Orb disk with documentation or labels referring to masters, song titles, multitracks, etc it may be a Tascam MX-2424 disk which we can export into multiple .wav files.