Here is the procedure for test mode. Hold input 1 and 7 down while powering on the unit. "0 SHIP" will appear. Press pitch up to see "1 CAPSTN". Only use the "1 CAPSTN" test for cleaning. Press PLAY button to select. Red asterisk will disappear to show its selected. Press STOP button and head will spin and tape guides will load to stop engaged condition. Hold cloth (ALESIS #8-20-0116, $50.00 for 100 clothes) dampened with 100% denatured alcohol lightly against the drum surface. The slit along the bottom drum is the where the heads are. Proceed with caution now because a slight mistake here is costly. Only use the Alesis Lint free cleaning clothes for this to avoid permanent and expensive damage to your head. Swabs are only for the rest of the tape path. Allow it to spin 10 minutes to dry. A wet head will stick to tapes like GLUE! Power off to reset to normal.
**Option #2: I recommend it is much safer to leave the power off and rotate the head by hand. Then spin the head dry with the test mode method. Clean every 250 hours or when head errors indicate.BE CAREFUL! The head is soft polished aluminum and is very easy to damage. This could be a $500 replacement part if you have a bad day!