Mara Machines In-Depth Overview w/ Chris Mara Pt.1 

One question: Do the machines come with THAT JACKET. God I need.. that jacket. Jaaaaaackett.

I'm gonna get back to tape. I haven't ever been totally satisfied since I went digital.

this is so cool

Mara's an artist. I'm gonna have a conversation with this dude at some point and I'm gonna bring up this comment when I do. Maybe even show it to him. Hey future me! You did good for yrself.

I had a JH 116/24 with 16 & 24 track heads. Replaced it with a Studer, I was sorry.

I've fixed tones of MCI gear - both audio and CMOS transport issues related to the crap IC sockets. What's worse is when the IC DIP legs go black.

I own several professional 2-inch tape machines (Ampex MM-1000, Ampex ATR-124 and Studer A800) and Chris is right on when he speaks about the MCI/Mara tape decks sounding "sonically right in the middle."

Cheers Chris, My name is Billy Field...I'm a singer/songwriter & was owner Paradise Rec Studios in Sydney..we made tons of hits from late 70's ... for about 30+yrs..I've had 5 MCI 24trks , one Studer A800 & one Otari 24...& all the 2 tracks ever..and I think you are absolutely on the right track...And you can't beat MCI's ..they have the snap & punch that gets the hit sound on playback..JUST listen to the playbacks on the Drums..thats the proof.. For MOR records Studer A800's are ok but MCI is really still by far the best..AND I am writing to let you know I've still got my best old MCI 24 Machine & it's the OLDEST one too... it's a JH16/24...it's got better amps (discrete) with more grunt .. it has less & simpler electronics perhaps... less FETS ..ALSO I say for productions.. just stay analog...ie 24 + 2 trk..it's quicker & faster & sounds 10 times better....truly....PLUS 24 Trks have relay auto input/source switching for record/playback mode ...ie no crippled "Digital" sound for Musos monitoring which is AWEFUL..also awful on Playback..w digital you have to overdub sweetening forever & it's still generally lacking what it takes..,..just go back to the old way..it's still the best way! Keep up the good work Chris...plus MCI's are pretty reliable too apart from a few things..contacts etc..also I have analog tapes that are ancient & still go ok ....altho i stick to GP9...also if you email me I'll tell you how to de-sticky & run sticky tapes ok without heat treatment...also you can do your own heat treatment in a fan forced domestic oven..fieldb@iprimus.com.au

Good to see he's found solid work after that "Superman Returns" movie fiasco (actually I liked the it, btw)! 😂 Hymn

I Chris! i'm Stefano Palandri, guitarist composer & Studio owner...thx for the video! i ve one of those, here in Rome italy, in my Studio, and i ve always use it for years to recording , without computers , only through my Soundcraft 6000 console...what a great sounding machine. Unfortunately , i ve stopped to use it, cause the issues and no good tech in my area. It would to be great if i could send it to you for restoring , and get it back to work. but it impossible to deliver it from here to you...

I love the sound of MCI JH-24, 2 inch machines. Chris makes some really good points here in this video. Seems like he really knows his business and I'm glad he's prolonging the life of these machines. They look awesome and sound even better. Is it ok to pull a card out and reinstall with the machine on as he does in this video? Essentially Hot Swapping the channel cards.

Love this guys attitude towards tape. Got myself a 4track back in April and it reignited my passion for recording when the DAW w/ mouse & key got stale. Recently tried syncing to the DAW to get unlimited tracks. Got it to record and follow but the DAW does not like the jitter of the tape motor. So I am ping-ponging like the rest.

I would Like to learn more about recording and mixing with tape . I have 2 reel to reels , a Webcor Electronic Memory Webster Chicago made in 1953. I also have a AKAI 250D. Would they be good for recording or Mixing. I'd appreciate your opion

Sonic decisions make the world go round

SO DOPE. I'm all ALL ABOUT THIS. Alex, NYC rocker

Thank you for posting.

He does great work.

I had an issue when I bought an ATR Magnetics 1/2 inch pancake reel a year and a half ago. With every pass of the song the audio would get muffled and had a lot of head clogs with this one. Had to clean the heads after every pass of one song. The oxide actually looked powdery. I was able to finish the recording, which did turn out great for the most part, but I recorded three songs with it and used about half of the tape. The kick drum on the third track basically almost went non existent and I didn't know it for a couple months after we recorded the initial drum tracks. I discovered it when I was mixing it down. I had to pull it into a digital recording software and highlight just about every kick drum hit and at least bring it up. The kick drum track itself was very noisy but in the final mix it blended and wasn't that noticeable. I'm sure mine was a fluke. I didn't return the tape because I already had my master tracks on it. Beautiful machine.

What would it cost to refurbish my JH24. It's in Vermont? Do you do tech support, and can you get parts? I would love to know.

Shame the industry is FUCKED eh!!