I know its such a hassle but... i just absolutely love my reel to reel. It gets such great recordings. I have a 2 track in my studio and I just cant get enough of it.
Best video I've seen to get an accurate idea of how recording Reel to Reel is. I'm recording now with 4 track cassette multitrackers and thinking about Reel to Reel but wow, lots of work...
Lots has been said about the sound, but the workflow (god I hate that word) is also a massive bonus, it will force you to write in a completely different way. Super fun compared to DAW. Lots of DAWlessness going on presently, but really computerless is the prize
DO NOT use a metal screwdriver to tweak the trimpots! Use a ceramic or plastic blade one. The metal one will skew the readings. Also get an oscilloscope for the azimuth adjustment.
Oscilloscopes are not really needed for azimuth adjustment. The old-school recommendation for connecting the left and right channels of a stereo machine (or first and last channel of a multitrack machine) to the vertical and horizontal inputs of a scope, then adjusting for a 45 degree line, comes from the days when such a machine might be called upon to play back a full-track mono recording. In that case, lining up the phase of the tracks would be important if you intend to mix the two tracks together on playback. In this case you're not really adjusting azimuth, you're lining up the gaps of the heads in question by means of the azimuth adjustment screw. Good for phase alignment with mono tapes, not good for ANYTHING else. Azimuth adjustment is more properly used to adjust the angle of the head so that the gap(s) is (are) exactly perpendicular to the motion of the tape. This allows for maximum high-frequency response when playing a tape made on a similarly-adjusted machine. That said, all one need do to adjust azimuth is to use a proper test tape with a 10kHz or higher test tone, and adjust the azimuth for maximum output. With half-track or multi-track machines (sorry, 1/4 track stereo machines need not apply here), there is a way to adjust azimuth perfectly without a professionally-made test tape. Record a 10 kHz sine wave on all channels. Then turn the tape over and play it backwards. If using a three-head machine, set it for simul-sync, so you're listening through the record head. If using a two-head machine like the one shown here, it's that much easier. Adjust the azimuth for maximum output on playback. Erase and re-record the 10kHz tone. Turn the tape over again and adjust the azimuth. Repeat this process. You will soon reach a point where no more improvement can be made. When you reach this point on a two-head machine, you're done. On a three-head machine, just play the last test tone recording you made through the playback head, and adjust its azimuth. Keep this tape. It can be used for playback-only adjustments later.
@@ScottGrammerI use the oscilloscope for rough adjustment, then I use Stax electrostatic ear speakers to monitor and fine tune. Since I have a Tandberg TD20A SE, with a top end of 30 Khz it was and is easy. I am a retired Factory Service Technician for many brands of Reel Machines. Have a Tandberg for my personal use because it does not have “ canned” sound like many do. I do this for all the machines I restore. I have had accolades and no complaints from my customers.
@@daviddrake6875 I often rely on my ears for fine adjustments, especially for lesser machines that don't have all the adjustability that better machines have. I never owned the Stax electrostatic phones, but I was able to borrow a set for about a month several years ago. I absolutely loved them.
I've always wanted one of these machines since they came out and I was stuck on only 4 tracks! After watching your video I'm sooooooo glad I skipped this. That calibration and maintenance is outta my pay grade. Great job and thanks for sharing!
What he fails to point out is that if you basically stick to the same brand of tape - which most of us do - the calibration process is something you might consider re-doing once a year.
It’s not something you have to do every time you record, it’s more like getting an oil change for your car. Yeah, it can be an expensive inconvenience, but at least you only have to purchase one calibration tape. I’ve only done it once and my recordings are still fine, though probably not surgical. Granted I don’t use this machine as often as my cassette based machines.
Great recorders I had that one and the 1st fostex 8 track that came. The A8, and later the Fostex 16 track 1/2 inch. I also love the Dolby C N/R a lot beter than the DBX.
Lots of good info regarding idiosyncrasies of reel to reel recorders. I never knew this Fostex model had a combo record/play head as I would have suspected it to have separates.
this is such a well made and informative video, the view count and subscriber count should really be higher (although considering how narrow the group of people interested in reel to reels is it's understandable that it would be low)
Thank you for this goldmine of info on these formats! I’m a huge fan of cassette recording. I’m currently using bot a Tascam 414mkII, as well as a Yamaha MT8x. I’m about to buy a Teac 80-8 as welll. I’m expecting to have to service the unit, but the price is really good, so I feel that it’s worth it. I’m also looking at one of those Tascam M2600 mixers like the one you have! I would love to see a video on that mixer and how you use it in your setup. I think there is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there about routing a mixer to tape machines
I just picked up a Tascam 32 about 2 weeks ago and just got it up and running, I think I might have to order one of those magnetic referencing tapes that fit quarter-inch plus the fact that this is a half-track machine which means the quarter-inch tape is split in half one being left into being right. What am I other recordings were made on quarter-inch quarter track machines. I may have to purchase another reel-to-reel machine quarter track. I'm going to have to unbox the Tascam 38 which uses 1/2 inch tape but also an 8-track machine oh, I used to love recording on that. If I find a Tascam 34, that could be my quarter-inch machine. The machine I used before was a teac for track reel-to-reel sign of sink machine that was also made by Tascam.
For years I used reel to reel machines to record my music at 15 IPS. It was after all the best format available and yes a lot of maintenance. Once I moved to a computer with a program called Cool edit (later purchased by Adobe and called auditions) I never went back to tape. Editing on tape was a complicated and many times frustrating task since there is no room for error. A while ago I tried again to record some music in one of my old Teac reel to reel just for fun, what a disappointment. The sound quality was not what I was accustomed to hear. Maybe the machine was again out of calibration or my ears just became more sensitive and refined. It was something that worked in the pass for me but not anymore with today's high end standards. Memories...just memories
The song reminds me a lot of Boards of Canada in certain parts. I have the same reel to reel machine and unfortunately have used it like 4 times, much preferring to use Ableton. But this video has me itching to use the reel to reel again for a few songs. Thanks for all the excellent info about using these!
thats what i was searching for when i came across your video. im hoping to digitally loop a whole bunch of ambient tracks and then transfer them to tape via mics and natural room reverb
U can definitely hear that smooth analog sound that is so familiar to those of us who grew up in the seventies. Funny how some of the best n most iconic recordings r recorded live with analog tape n sm57 vocal mics. Even now recordings of live performances sound better.. Just imagine if Bad Company had a cloudlifter for sm58 he used as a vocal mic.
Great video - well done considering the complexity of trying to explain recording a basic 2 track recording using an analog old school open reel tape deck to someone who has never worked with analog tape recording systems - never mind the added complexity of multitrack systems!! For those of you who are really interested in purchasing a used analog tape recorder to use as part of your studio or just for fun, I would suggest doing lots of research first before buying - especially if you are considering any of the more expensive gear such as open reel (reel to reel) decks. My interest in sound reproduction (pro-sound, high end consumer electronics and audiophile level equipment started when I was kid growing up in the 60s/70s and my love of anything Beatles. My uncle was returning from his Naval Tour of Duty during the early stages of the Vietnam war - he stopped in Japan on his was home and picked up in the military duty free consumer electronics shops the Fisher Solid State 500 TX , a Teac 4 track auto reverse/autoplay (I forget the model) 7/10.5" Reel, 3.75/7.5 IPS, a Dual Turntable w/Shure V15 cartridge & a pair of AR3a speakers. Anyone who knows anything about the analog stereo systems of the 1960's knows what he had here. The best of the best. I'd bring some of my records over (I had a cheesy record player / speakers all in one and a portable cassette recorder and some small 2 way speakers. just to hear what the records were supposed to sound like. Fast Forward to my mid-teens working 2 to 4 jobs after school and summer vacation - until I could buy my own "real Hi-fi" on my 15th birthday I studied all the specs and catalogs & took 3 subways & a bus to get to the manufacturers only NE showroom (no internet, libraries were at least a year behind, on their magazine rack (or people were just glomming them). Big name manufacturers had no real competition or promotions as they made, marketed, sold and serviced DIRECTLY. There's good and bad with that method, great customer service & repairs as u could work with the same person for all 3 - transactions so no holding on a phone waiting to talk to someone that could help you AND who spoke English well enough to open a repair ticket. So on that day November 23, 1972 - I purchased a Fisher 250TX, a pair of 3 way Fisher Speakers, a Dual TTw/Pickering Cartridge & dad helped pay for the Fisher 2 head Tape Cassette Deck, I spent every penny I saved over the last 3 years (System cost- in 1972 was about $560, Mr Fisher "ate" the sales tax - about $36. I tried to get him to throw in the walnut cabinet for the Receiver - my dad was a terrible negotiator and started to repeat the salesman message that I could always come back (3 subways and a bus - 2 hrs and 20 minutes if I made all the connections!!! - the cabinet was like $40... I never did buy that cabinet - I still have the receiver up in the attic though... Today's cost for the same system (assuming they charged the same amount only in 2020 Dollars) - would have been - $3,667! The Emotiva RMC-1 with XPA Gen2 - 7channel amp for my 1999 7 x Definitive Technology speakers (BP200TLx2, BP2002TLx2, BPX x2 & CTR3000 x 1 - were approx. $10K back in 2000) & BasX A500 - 5 channel amp for the 4 ceiling Dolby Atmos - cost me approx $7000 just for the Processor/preamp & amps but that is comparing apples to watermelons. The point of this big long story is TAPE DECKS - After HS I spent several years working in the big 3 NYC studios part time (it was a real madhouse very little money but learned a lot about mixers, tape decks and general maintenance before I moved on to the Information Technology Sector at a big International bank - traded in my tools for a tie and now I am back where I started - restoring, repairing, customizing and custom building all high end guitar amps, and hiFi systems - just finished earlier this year a full electronic, mechanical, physical & audio alignment and cosmetic (took an ugly studio quality Otari MX5050BII2 (2T / 4T stereo Reel to Reel Tape deck) - added solid mahogany side panels and feet = finished with 10 coats of spray lacquer after dying wood to a rich deep red/brown finish - also total de-grease and relube and mechanical adjustment several spring tension adjustments using spring "pull calibrated scales", old grease was literally like glue and had to be scraped out p took a whole day. Then tested over 200 electrolytic capacitors and replaced 6 & 4 very hard to find VU meter incandescent light bulbs (LED replacements look like crap), hardware (heads and transport alignment) and signal alignment and testing and adjusting some more. It is now perfect inside and out better than new - paid around $600 for a very poor machine - restored now worth around $4500-$6000 depending in demand and type of buyer I would not recommend someone try this as a first project - I owned several great sounding easy to use Cassette tape decks - use those and after a couple of years if u r still interested do your homework and buy one that at least works Chris
oh shit, my grandfather passed away a bit ago and I convinced my family to let me have all the reel-to-reel equipment in the basement since I had room for it and I thought it was cool... I just hope to find all the stuff told about here too or else ill have to buy it... eh, he was a professional musician, and it's a giant system with crates of random stuff I'm sure it will be there. :)
Well, I've looked into some of the bits. There was a Revox G36 which unfortunately shorted and "blew up"... but when I took it apart, I found that it had a tremendous amount of dust in it and had blown a green diode, which was lucky because it was the only thing broken in it. However, I can't find that type of green diode anywhere, so I'm unable to repair it. There was also a Beocord 1600, but the rubber belts in it were rotten. It was all original though, no modifications or repairs since it rolled off the production line. There was also a Revox 6-channel Mixer (C279) which was basically in mint condition. Just to let yknow, aside from the G36 which was my father's in the military, the Mixer and Beocord 1600 have been used less than 28hours, if not less, in a broadcasting studio in Denmark, curtosey of my dad, which unfortunatley failed... and ever since then they were stocked in the basement along a crapton of other ancient artifacts... but with the given knowledge of their history and such, theyre basically mint condition in comparison to most others of their kind out there
I think, whatever the creator desires in the final product. Although, technically, when well, a digital recording can be made to sound exactly the same.
I was lucky to get an open reel tape machine . Because tape speeds can be faster than tapes in cassette decks very little tapes hiss . Great if open reel tapes storage is not an issue
I had two tape recorders for a while. The four channel TEAC A-3440 and the eight channel Fostex A-8. Sync tracks for my drum machine never worked with the A-8. Dropouts made my drum machine go out of sync all the time. It worked great on the A-3440 though. These days I record acoustic drums, which I did not back then, and for those I record nine channels, so I would need at least the Fostex R-16 for that, which means ½" tape.
I have a Telefunken Magnetophon 203 myself. It records 2 tracks on one side and two tracks on the other. It has Stereo compatibility, as well as what I think is compatibility with overdub in Mono, but I have yet to make a recording with it. I will likely unfortunately have to record every Stereo track separately and mix them in a program such as Audacity, since my player does not have overdub compatibility with Stereo.
There should be a way to adjust the reel table height so its tape isn't hitting the flange without the need for a spacer. Typically there is a set screw inside you can adjust. Beyond wearing out your tape, the rubbing adds wow and flutter.
Hey man, thanks for your amazing channel. Already found A LOT of useful information on it for my latest project, moving away from the DAW after 12 years of intensive usage. What I am wondering is: I use mostly drummachines, sequenced synths and eurorack. I like to do one takes, but ever so often it happens that I would like to add another sequence or redo something. Is it possible to sync the drummachine in some way or another so it is is time with the already previously recorded material? Thank you in advance for answering! :-)
It's important that you test the tape you're using before committing to a project. No two reels of tape sound the same and you have to eq your project to the tape used, as well as too circumvent the limitations of it (tape has audible noise for example).
Great job! I own a fostex model 80. Mine is not completely erasing the previous take. Its almost like a sound on sound, maybe 15db lower in volume. And It is rewinding very slowly. The manual says to increase the tension regulating a couple pots inside. So, I did it but nothing changes. I would be so glad if I could to fix It.
@@Aspyrus yeah man. They are mono though. But this is quiet nice because you will get the best sound quality using the whole range of tape for one channel.. they use 1/4" tape and only transport 7" reels. they run on 4 different speeds up to 7,5 ips.. which is nearly studioquality and true hifi.. www.sds-consult.de/UHER/ thats the link, they sound awesome! I got one.
F’n awesome video! I’ve been researching this non stop lately, and this really helps, love the way the song comes in too. Do you think that 1/4” tape is worth the hassle for extra sonic depth, and saturation when pushed? I ask because I’m fixing to pull the trigger on one from reverb, but I’ve read that the 1/4” are very transparent, and that if you already have nice converters and outboard you may not notice it enough to make it worth the hassle, because to get what I’m looking for I’ll need 1/2” or better tape width..
I don’t think it’s worth it just for the “sound.” One can get the sounds practically with plugins. That said, a big part of the sound is the decision making process. You have to work within limitations and commit to mixing decisions when tracking to tape - and that work flow is really what you’ve got to be invested in. So it’s with it if you want to invest in the workflow and take the sound as a bonus.
Misaligned heads are not that critical (on two head machines) as long as you play back the tape on the same machine as the one that recorded them, but of course it's a good idea to have them setup properly anyway.
It’s not just about the sound the machine makes, the process has a lot to do with it. It’s worth it if you want to use it as part of your recording process, but might not be just for the “sound” it makes.
What most people don't know, analog sound has a copy of the real sound. Digital is encoded to a numbering system and what is played back is pulled from memory banks of sound samples. Film and digital video is a similar story as well.
NO NO NO--Dull side of tape should be facing the heads. You've got it backwards, mate. And really, you don't need this one hundred dollar equalizing tape.
This guy is wonderfully on top of things, but really--all of this calibration stuff is already done when you get the machine.He makes this WAY too complicated.
Hey, a little question to maybe safe me some hassle... I also bought and Model 80. It seems that my Model 80 is still perfectly aligned.. Somehow.. Even after 10 years of storage.. Was your machine also almost perfectly aligned or did you have to calibrate the machine from the ground up?
I think the levels were off on my machine, but I can’t honestly remember. My advice is not to skimp out on doing a calibration. Tuning your machines keeps them running optimally.
@@magicspiral3323 Funny enough, I've done that and I almost didn't have to do anything. All levels were correct, except for one channel. Channel 7 repro level was off by 1 dB. As far as I know, the machine stood for more than 10 years unused. I'm baffled and confused... For a short period of time, I was unsure if I did the calibration correct. But it seems I did. Very unusual...
Right after alignment. Make your OWN test tape!!! You can use this for subsequent alignments instead of. Your valuable test tape. One day your test tape make get damaged. I restore professional broadcast 2" video tape recorders where a test tape cost thousands. You should also adjust bias for each tape you use. This way you can optimize the sound for each tape. You think a 30khz bandwidth on tape is a lot. Video tape machines record a 6MHZ bandwidth! Also tape heads dont get recapped. They get replaced when worn. I have seen HORRIBLE wear on some Audio heads. Video heads only last MAX of 500 hours and VERY expensive to replace, not to mention you really need to know what your doing to install a new one properly as they spin at 14,400 rpm and ride on air bearings haha
hi beware i have a working deck note the main head has heavy wear i had to take it of and put on a 4 track heads as play back only note i payed very low money for the deck £20 a very long long time ago came from a studio in london it looks the part i know there's decks out there that are not running i picked up alot of betacam sp decks not running will be soon
Demagnetization was never proven to be a requisite for tape machines in normal use. The level of magnetisation on the tape was insufficient to magnetise the heads and metallic parts of the tape transport. Demagnetizers were usually only used if it was suspected the machines azimuth may have been set up with a magnetised screwdriver. I ran an Akai 4000DS, TEAC A3440, Revox A77, Fostex M80 and Fostex G16 in my studio, and still use a Revox B77 for mastering and tape recovery and digitisation, but would not choose to go back to razor blade editing!. www.redtapemusic.net
i have a question about analog mixers and your use of eq's on them... many of the mid size mixers seem to only have 1 sweepable mid... If one were to focus more on regular "band" music... ie guitars, bass drums... is 1 sweepable mid enough?... or do you find you really are compromising to only have 1?... and would LOVE to have two or more?
@@magicspiral3323 If it's not a bother to elaborate... what (in general) is your approach on the way in?.. are you using detailed eq,s elsewhere?.. i imagine synth sounds are built with filters etc, so you have control there... as far as your drum kit... how are you tailoring those sounds prior to mixer? My experience with eq is novice.. I have learned a decent amount tinkering purely with softwqare based elec. music in a DAW... but making the regular ,"acoustic" based music, my experience is non-existent. It feels like you don't need a ton of eq with that, cuz the instruments are pretty defined sounds. With guitars you can use pickup selection, etc. Thanks whether you reply or not... I have learned a lot from a handful of videos already!!.
@@ineedstuff8286 I have a simple philosophy. Get the sound right on the way in and there’s not much (if at all) that you have to do to it after the fact. My use of EQ is on a case by case basis. Rule of thumb for EQ. Start flat (12’o clock) then add or take away to taste. I play and write to the sound, so I play around until I discover it. My years of recording experience has helped me develop an ear for what fits with what else thats in a mix. Part of it is the finding arrangement itself. A basic understanding and recognition of frequency ranges can help guide you.
@@magicspiral3323 no but I mean the getting the end back on the take up reel. before you go to actually record, whats the trick to securing it? I'm super super new to the whole thing.
