What you say is true about old tapes deteriorating, however, new tape is being made (check out "Recording the Masters"), so while the format is basically obsolete, there are still some breath of life remaining.
@@12voltvids Nope, in France with the original manufacturing machines moved from BASF germany www.recordingthemasters.com/ you can buy new 10" reels for this sony tape deck or "pancakes" to replace the old tape on old reels. This tape is much better performance-wise than old tape. You can record higher levels.
The problem I have had with tape over the years is, no matter how good, "other than dat" the highs always get cut, and for me that is the range I like to hear, all tapes sounds muddy to my ear, but that is my ear :) Great video, love watching you repair these things.
That brick wall filter I looked at a month or so ago limits the high frequencies and to many people makes the sound warmer as it cuts the high frequencies. I perfer a tube buffer or full tube amp myself.
Well, it's time to degauss the heads, clean them, and recalibrate your deck using new tape.You may also have to change some electrolytic Capacitors. Do you store your tapes correctly, like no sunlight of magetic fields near them (loudspeakers). No highs cut then. Every recording made before 1978 was made on reel to reel decks, no highs there? Dat keeps the highs, so long as there are no drop-outs... You still use a DAT deck?
@@florianm3170 All analog recordings have analog limitations. Be it signal to noise ratio, dynamic range and tape hiss. Throw in rumble with turn tables. The more limited dynamic range is what some people like. Frequency response wise a good R2R running at 15IPS will resolve frequencies well beyond 20KHz. It all depends on your sound preference. Use what sounds good to YOUR ears. I prefer the sound of tubes. They make everything sound great, no matter what the source. Are they accurate, not at all. A SS amp will give you an amplified version of what you put in. SS amps are very clean until you hit rail voltage, then they go from 0.01% distortion to 100% distortion. No tube amp can do that. You are lucky to get one with less than 1% distortion, but it is the type of distortion that is welcomed. Even order harmonics gives a very pleasant sound experience and even makes crap MP3 recordings acceptable.
I want to thank you your advice, my tube radio I was working on is working perfect ,I running it for a while to burn it in ,all the new tubes and cap s and a resistor ,I not sure how long to burn it in ,so I going to run it for a hour.thanks so much for being a great teacher.
I'm surprised someone hasn't piped up about demagnetizing the heads. Yes I did, no didn't show it. My camera had a mind of its own and stopped recording due to an sd write error.
@@12voltvids you did say that if you record on a deck then there is no need to demagnetize in one of your vids ? using for playback only on a deck then it will need it manually as the erase head dose this
@@shaun9107 when you put a recorder into record the AC bias signal will neutralize record and erase head instantly. 2 head decks just need to be put I. Record for 1 second to do this. 3 head decks need the playback head manually done. Of course if you never play then all heads will need to be done from time to time.
@@12voltvids sounds like it dose not take much to shift it , the manual tels us to do it in circles and pull up at the same time . Playback head and spinning drum head on VHS & camcorder I have never done this yet
What kind of spray contact cleaner you are using and recommend? (brand + product ID would be great!). Do you perhaps use more than one product? eg. one for cleaning, then one to leave on as a preservative? Superb video btw.
I enjoyed this, it was really interesting. I have to add, your freaking fingers must be desensitized after soldering all these years... I try to hold onto a resistor or cap with my fingers and literally burn the living crap out of them! You make it looks so easy holding onto components and soldering the other end. Brother, you have all my admiration and respect. I wish I could do that... :-) Buddy
Oh I feel it, just used to it. My fingers burn as easy as yours but it really doesn't bother me after the years. My son on the other hand gets a blister on his pinkie and is calling in sick for work. Kids these days I tell ya!
Loverly machine, i would have done the same as you with the sealed presets. One happy owner :-D Basic cleaning of the deck and belt/brake pad changing makes a hell of a difference to the ones i've repaired. I don't mess with record bias or level unless i really really have to. (Broken/messed up presets).
If you have old tapes with valuable sounds, you only have to play them back once on the best equipment you can come up with and digitize the audio output with high resolution. Then you have permanent, reproducible copies forever. I had tapes from the late 50s and early 60s. They are now digitized and good indefinitely.
You can still buy reel to reel tapes manufactured in Germany because I have a reel to reel machine and tapes are still manufactured in Germany brand new
I don't think I've ever seen a recorder that could do both 2-track tapes and 4-track tapes. As others already mentioned, tapes are available again. I think the bigger problem is that nobody probably makes heads anymore. Especially in my world of Digital Compact Cassette recorders, I foresee that one day, there are going to be a lot of recorders and no more heads.
The famous Technics RS-1500 has the function the other way round, which makes more sense. It's a 2 track machine with an extra 4 track play head. Because on a regular 2 track machine, you can't play 4 track tapes, since you'd hear the other side played backwards. So I'm really surprised what Sony did here.
Just an addition to the 2 track head. There're two different standards out there, NAB and DIN. NAB has a 2mm gap between the tracks, DIN has only 0,75mm. As you can imagine, NAB has a way better crosstalk attenuation.
Don’t go kicking reel to reel around. It was here when I was a little guy and it’s managed to hang around. It’s expensive for sure, but it is so much fun. I wish I could afford it. Oh well, good video guy!
Most of the stuff I have seen also sells in a pancake so you have to buy an empty reel at an even bigger cost. I assume that is done because most people will despool and toss the old tape and put the new tape on an existing reel. I should do that with my 2 10.5 reels of shedding tape I have for my teac. I never use it though. Just sits as a decoration.
12voltvids I have a few I think 3 actual master tapes for a band my uncle was in 1959 mono. I also have 2 master tape copies of Blood sweat and tears second album and Chambers bothers Time. I have CD and LP of both of those too. 1 Master tape 2 LP 3 CD 24 bit. That's the order in sound performance.
@@12voltvids You can also buy new tapes on spools. Note prices are in US Dollars. ATR magnetics (which is about 50 miles away from me) sells on Amazon. For 7 inch reel Long play (1800 feet of 1 mil) is $39.95 and 7 inch master tape (1250 feet of 1.5 mil) is $34.99. For 10.5 inch long play (3600 feet of 1 mil) is $77.99. For 10.5 inch master tape (2500 feet of 1.5 mil) for $79.99.
I found this super helpful. I have the 4 track version, Sony TC-854-4, which has similar mechanisms to yours. Bought it (apparently) refurbished by a reputable company. Cosmetically and tape transport mechanism wise, excellent, BUT... 1. static like radio static in one of the front mic input channels 2. One rear channel has no input/output 3. record doesn't apparently work even if needle is moving, channel armed, and recording. Playback isn't working either from known good other tape. Wondering if it's just dirty switches? Or maybe a transistor issue inside, blown fuse somewhere, or a loose connection. I'm handy with electronics, but am trying to diagnose it myself before calling the company back... plus the thing weighs a ton to ship! Any tips?
@23 minutes into the video, you are adjusting speed. On the scope, we can see that the frequency remains pretty stable but the amplitude of the sine wave is somewhat modulated. It can also be heard changing levels constantly. More obvious in the higher speeds. Can you explain what can be causing this? To me it doesn't look like speed instability, but more like uneven head/tape contact, perhaps because of head wear or insufficient tension. I experience this with every single open reel or cassette deck during tests with pure sine waves.
That is the tape running over the head likely from tension shifts caused by the dual capstan / pinch rollers. If there is any discrepancy variance in the size or shape it will cause the tape to skew slightly. I am not a fan of dual capstan units myself. I saw it more as a marketing ploy like curved LCD screens.
No there is still New r2r tapes for sales. You really have to look for it. But I found out, music instrument stores. The big ones, that sell recording stuff etc. they still sell 1/4” tape. For me in Europe, i have Thomann.de Search for ‘RTM sm911’ 366meter of tape on a 18cm reel.
Wish I could just inherit one of these and bunch of tapes. Just can't see myself starting yet another tape format from scratch. Very good video though.
there are brand new tapes being made Splicit makes one, as does RTM (record the music) and ATR Magnetics, all have brand new, not NOS etc. Splicit is I think in Oregon, I forget where the others are so tapes like LPR 35, it's a new formulation, Splicit's Capture tape is also brand new tape formulations, and again might be loosely based on the old LP 35 BASF formulations, but they ARE out there and Capture is reasonably priced as far asr R2R tape goes.
Thanks for the video, those old Sony machines look really nice and simple to work on. Can you tell me what happens when you play a tape made on a Teac 4 channel recorder on a machine that has quarter track and half track playback heads. Do you get some of the music missing ?
Yes it plays all 4 tracks back as stereo. Track 1 2 on left and 3 4 on right. I did play a tape recorded on my 4 track but because the tracks 2 and 4 were recorded at 15ips of course that music was half speed for the 7.5 and the 7.5 stuff was double speed when played at 15. I didn't include the playback of 4 track on this unit but yes it plays it fine.
Do you do repairs still and if so where can I get hold of you? I got my Sony TC353D almost working just need small tweaks with the pics roller and record buttons.
Didn't some tapes have a thin layer that sandwiched the oxide? Or is that the binder? I noticed some cheap cassettes didn't seem to have a coating. The oxide was exposed. P.S., on watching the VU METERS they seem to be jerky. But I assume it's RU-vid, or my player
I had a real to reel once ,that had a majic eye tube in it ,it kinda worked I wish I would have hung on to it ,I would have given it to you ,so I could understand why it had a majic eye ,even in my twenties ,I love majic eyes stuff,my only reel to reel was a sony 255_,it wasn't as nice as what you are working on .thanks for sharing
@@12voltvids sony was popular brand for G.I.,s and well ,as many other japanese brands,I have one question ,if you have the time ,I recapped and put in all new tubes in a G.E. radio it was play even with out a antenna ,but the speaker I had to put a bunch of little repairs on it I used what a speaker told me about tea bags and Aleenes tacky glue,seem to work fine I bought a repacement speaker 4"8ohm looks the same but the old speaker has a little transformer on it ,should I use the old speaker,or try to tranfer the transformer onto the new speaker the old speaker is working ?I dont like bugging you but you are one of the smartest tech I ever seen,but I no you have paid your dues.and you were right about that tube you told me was bad .
@@nor4277 The transformer is the audio output transformer that couples the plate of the audio output tube to the B+ supply. It is required. If you remove it, you will burn the voice coil out on the speaker. Basically the high voltage for the audio output flows through there. It converts the variations in current, from the tube conducting to follow the audio waveform into an AC voltage to drive the speaker. You can probably drill out the rivits and attatch it somewhere inside. It doesn't have to be mounted on the speaker. I fixed my old 1920''s Rogers radio with s thin bead of silicone. Looks like hell but works. Nail polish works great for smakk cracks in the paper on the speaker.
@@12voltvids I dont no yet if I going to use the new speaker,because the old speaker doesnt say what ohms it is ,the new speaker looks the same and it was about five bucks ,I love your idea that it doesnt half to mount to the new speaker .I trying to find a schematic for it ,I put enough new stuff in it ,the parts are worth more then the radio,but I love seeing a tube radio come alive ,its a hobby ,but watching you work on radios way out of my league,your repairs and safety tips have help so many of us .the ass who had my radio before me cut the speaker wires ,from the circuit board then broke off all the mounting studs for the speaker ,then sells it to me on ebay ,silicone is probably my only option,the circuit board I think anyone would loved every thing is maked ,even voltage test points .never seen that before ,one tech had a radio LIke that it was a kit radio,I dont think G.E.made any kit radios.thank for your help ,do you live in east canada or west .?trying to figure out time differance.I alway look for your next videos .
without going into too much detail, I have a VCR that when I push FF it wil register as STOP half the time, the button are all connected together by resistors, I checked the resistors against another unit and they all seemed ok, my second thoughts were maybe the chip the reads the inputs is bad or my new idea was that maybe its a dirty FF switch? any ideas?
I've purchased better quality old Scotch and Maxell tapes that have recorded and playback beautifully. I don't purchase "general purpose" type tapes but the more "black" color tapes. I have a 1959 Ray Conniff Columbia reel that plays without a hitch. Amazing how that holds up, and it didn't trash my heads. I agree though, it's an expensive format and the machines are complicated devices being there's speed adjustments, brake adjustments, head adjustments, tension adjustments, all have to be in fine tune. RU-vidr Techmoan did a video about reel to reels and how expensive they can be.
Some restored r2r decks sell for multi thousand dollars. They do sound very good indeed. I like the look of the reels turning. Many claim they like the sound as it takes the edge off digital. Well I do that with a tube amp. A tube buffer does the same thing warms up the sound.
I am very interested in your video. With regard to playback how do you deal with the problem of hearing music bleeding back from side to of the that is something that is driving me mad? If you have a cure or a suggestion to overcome that I would be most grateful I have got an Akai GX-630 DB
Are you referring to print through, where music "prints" from one layer of tape to the next causing pre and post echo? There is not much you can do about that. Also, if a tape had been recorded on a half or full track recorder, and then was re-recorded on a 1/4 track machine, and the tape was not bulk erased prior to recording, material left from the half track or full track head may be left on the tape, as the 1/4 track machine will only erase 1/4 track as it records. On a 1/4 track machine there are guard "tracks" left on the tape. This is an unrecorded area that is left to prevent cross talk from the other tracks. Quarter track recorders have 3 such guard tracks, half track 1 and full track none. So say a half track mono recorder made the original recording, and then the tape was used for quarter track stereo without bulk erasing, you will likely hear faintly what was on the tape. Try this for an experiment. Take a 1/2 track mono tape, and put it on a 1/4 track stereo machine. Hit record and let it run. Don't actually record anything just let it erase the tape using the erase head. Rewind and play the tape. You will hear on one channel faint sounds from side A of the tape and on the other channel faint sounds from the B side backwards. I did a video a while back about why we bulk erase tapes. I even did a demo showing what I just explained above. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dEO5Lbudj4I.html
The owner already aparantly did that. All new caps throughout it, and had pinch rollers redone. The bearings sounded a little loud to me, but what do I know. I remember the old tc630 that my old neighbour the studio musician had in his home studio that he rehearsed with and did samples. It was sitting right there next to his grand piano with 2 mics hanging overhead. It was dead silent, as he used to record himself playing demos to get recording gigs.
I have one of these that looks fine externally but internally it was destroyed by mice. Everything was chewed and peed on. So I'm looking for a parts unit to help me fix this one up.
I finally got a parts unit and made a good working machine out of the 2. One odd thing is whenever you press play the take up reel pulls kinda hard for a second and then its normal. This one doesn't appear to do that. Looks like there is more than one version of the TC-850 as mine doesn't have speed adjust and its silver not black.
That's Also True With Most Tapes But However There Is 2 Companies That Make Recording Tape!! 1. is Recording The Masters!! 2. ATR Magnetics!! So Those Are The 2 Companies That Make Reel To Reel Tapes!!! If You Going To Use Old Tape!!! Only Use Maxel Reel to Reel Tape!! Another One Is TDK Reel to Reel Tape!!! Note: The EE Reel To Reel Tape Made By Maxell Or TDK It's Hard To Find Reel To Reel Tape Decks Can Record And Also If You Can Find A Tape Deck Can Record On EE Tape Bias Go For Big Money On Ebay!!! Most Can Record On That Tape You Cannot Eraise The Tape!! Best Choice For Used Tape Is Normal Bias Maxell Or TDK Tape!! Bye; From Gerard!!!
The all-out worst tape I have ever seen was "Shamrock" (obviously trying invoke Irish brand in the buyers mind). Green box, gray reels, American Plastics type reels. These were sold everywhere, especially at Radio Shack. They would shed oxide brand new. If you encounter them today the may be unusable. The last few I came across you could actually rub ALL of the oxide off the tape with your fingers - right down to the clear backing. Even "white box" tapes age better. Scotch was generally the best with Ampex being somewhat of a toss-up. They improved just before the end. RCA tape was a mixed bag, I suspect they used different suppliers. Sony was OK but nothing to crow about. Ditto for Fuji and TDK. Maxell was a dependable brand back in the day. I make it a practice to back up tapes so there is a good copy if the original fails. Prerecorded tapes were usually on Ampex tape but some were on anything the distributor could get cheapest. Later prerecords could be dreadful. Some were just go-thru-the-motions offerings. One generation (at least) of MGM's 2001 A Space Odyssey was actually made not from a master but from an LP! You could hear the surface flaws, especially on side 2.
Tengo una sony TC- 707S perdi el tapón que va en el control remoto y quedó fuera de servicio encontré información de las conexiones internas y logre ponerla nuevamente en servicio pero no logro que grabe creo que me falta por puentear alguna conexión alguien puede ayudarme por favor gracias de ante mano saludos 😢
Hello Sir, your vids are amazing, inenjou watching them, and they helped me also many times!! But i’m stuck now with my Akai reel-to-reel playback. I hope if you got the time you can watch my short video on my yt page, and can point me in the right direction, where to look for the problem.. maybe some caps need renewal....??? I hope you can help me!! 🙏🏼
@@usahorse721 better but not a huge improvement. Not as big a difference than 3.5 to 7. I have a deck with only 7.5 and 15. Not a huge change in the sound a little more dynamic range.
@@12voltvids Yeah Temperature , cold makes the metal tapes to go white . I don't no about METAL tapes shedding but if you copy over an old Chrome tape , you could ruin it as one channel drops out after one tooo many recordings Better off leaving the old recordings alone for playback only . Miss lined recordings from an AIWA 500 . I did a lot of tapes with that deck .
