but thats simply the truth. if youve ever heared tape, master tape or gooood pre recorded tapes, vinyl cant beat that!!! tape is awsome and i think that the fucking music industry will start producing pre recorded tapes for reel to reel tape machines soon coz they ve smelled the bacon that something big is coming up. im pretty sure of that;-)))
@@4130aykut I have to agree, vinyl sounds amazing, but it can't beat open reel I must admit! That's because vinyl does have physical limitations tape do not share! I'm definitely PRO TAPE and PRO VINYL! I'm pro analog, put it that way!
I am playing with this Reel to Reel tape recorders when I was 18 years old and I am still playing with this machines until now and I am 82 now. I have 5 machines. 3 TEAC, 1 SONY, and 1 AKAI. it is important to select a tape that is GLOSSY on both sides. If the outside of the tape is not GLOSSY, some residue catches on the capstan and sometimes makes noise while you are playing your music. Even if it does not make noise, but it leaves some black traces of the oxide on the capstans and you should clean them with alcohol using Q-tips. Thank You.
I was a slitter at Certron in the mid Seventies , the best 1/4 tape was slit from commercial 1 inch tape, coating and materials along with the blade condition are very important.
I invested in a fully restored Pioneer RT-1050 deck earlier this year. I have bought a couple of master tapes for listening but I found it's real purpose for me. I have been taking vintage out-of-print vinyl and getting the cleanest rip I can onto tape at 15ips (IEC). My goal is to try and produce a tape with none of the clicks or pops of the vinyl so I clean it and get ready for a master rip. At these settings the tape can easily capture 100% of all of the audio on the vinyl and the difference is indistinguishable to my ears. This way I can listen to the vinyl for years to come and if I manage to stumble on a 'still in the shrink wrap' version of the record I can do it again. Master tapes are something that can only experienced first hand though.
A lot of people did and do this. It is a great idea. The problem is that sonetimes it sounds so good that some people decide to sell this copie on ebay declaring them master tape copie or production copies.
In the 1980's there was a short lived phenomenon called direct to disc records. I have bought a few over time and always marveled at the sound quality. I actually didn't own a turntable for my hifi setup until just recently so I decided to seek out some of these lost treasures. They were never made in large quantities so I figure there are only so many of them left in the world in excellent condition and I want to be able to enjoy the music that is on the record but while also being able to preserve the quality of the vinyl record over time. I figure in 30 or 40 years someone else will be able to listen to the record and marvel at the quality. Like I said above even in disc formats like this the reel-to-reel can easily record 100% of the audio with no problems. If anything happens to the tape (breaks or somehow destroyed) I can easily record a new master for my own enjoyment and pick up where I left off. I do this so that I can enjoy the music and preserve a piece of history.
Hi! it's me again. The reel to reel tape that I was telling you about, is MAXELL this tape is double coated and as I said in my previous comment, this tape is both sides Glossy and you will not have any problem with it. Try mostly to record on 7.5 speed. If you want to listen one side of the tape, do not REWIND. Just switch the reels and "Wind" it on the PLAY mode. So that you have a nice and even winded tape. To make a very good recording, You have to calibrate the music while recording;if your machine is not equipped with auto-calibration than you can do this manually on your existing machine. I will explain you in my next comment.;
A couple years ago I got a Sony TC 355 reel to reel on EBay that didn't work. Basically all of the hinges were all gunked up, but I knew that in my purchase. I took care of that. The other thing is that the heads were covered with so much tape oxide that I think it actually protected them because when I cleaned the heads, the recording and playback were phenomenol. I know it's much more of an old clunky totally mechanical with no solenoids and rim driven, but the sound quality is unbelievable at 7.5 ips. The heads didn't look worn at all, but like I said I think the lack of cleaning kept them from wearing out. I think I took off at least 1/64 of an inch of oxide from the heads. If I recorded a CD through it, it sounded as clean and as loud as the CD. The machine was manufactured in 1969 I believe. I know it's not a Studer, but it's still great. Thanks for sharing.
30"/s was important in the early 1950's, the only way to get frequencies up to 15 kHz, 15" was used for voice recording (because it can store up too 12 kHz). Tape improved and so radio, TV and movie used 15" for music and 7.5" for speech.
Really good machines, like Crown and other top end machines, have many cool features. Variable Bias and EQ are useful. Peak indicators are nice, not really needed. And of course, you need source and playback selection, to hear the recording as soon as it is made, to allow for the best response. Many high-end features a tone generator used to adjust the bias and EQ for the tape, in a test mode, to get best results. Frequency around 18 kHz. The single flaw is if you get a crinkle in the tape, because of mishandling or tapes that were poorly stored. One of the important things to own is a demagnetizer to occasionally demagnetize the tape path. Other concerns, are to have a tension device which you place and check for proper tension. Higher end machines have the ability to electronically use the reel motors to adjust tape tension. Good machines do NOT use felt pads over the heads, which helps to prevent uneven headwear over time. And higher end units use Glass coated heads, which reduces head wear but does require higher bias and EQ for proper results.
Thanks for your comment. I do bit understand though your comment about the peak meters. That is the only way to calibrate the machines! Frequency response varies a lot from machine to machine. It can go very high up.. even 30Khz or more.
Hi thanks for the video very informative. just a note on re-lapping heads. A re-lapped play head can sound better than original or at least as good (not so for produce heads though) . Of course you don't want to buy a used re-lapped head as new. It is helpful to look at the back of the head to see if there are signs of mounting or residual solder on the leads.
thanks for all of your videos, you do a great job explaining analog art form. i have a teac 2 track that was used in a radio station , looks brand new but some issues with the pinch roller, also have a pioneer rt 909 , i love these machines, lots of moving parts !
personally i use scotch tape, which is physically more stable than basf tape, specifically batch 212 scotch tape. whichever tape you choose, it's most important to only use one type of tape if you're buying for pure sound quality. the reason for this is the different characteristics and responses of the tapes themselves. different tapes will need slightly different eq tuning for best performance, so only having one type of tape (and ideally only one batch from that type), means a lot less work tuning your deck, and less variation from tuning errors, which translates to a better sound more consistently (the best sound you can get for that batch of tape). it has little to do with the strength of the recording signal on the tape itself, as all decks can PLAY tapes from other decks so long as the head format is the same, but rather about matching your deck to your tape choice. the reason why sound engineers were needed in recording studios was simply to tune the decks to the tapes being used, and set eqs and individual track levels at recording time, thereby getting the best sound from the tape.
The one thing I have not seen you mention in any of your videos involving magnetically recorded media is keeping them away from sources of magnetic damage. Having used the TM-88 Robins Gibson Girl magnetic bulk eraser (in the days I was doing my own recording and wanted pristine media), I know how fast the music disappears when you push the button. While most people would not have one of these, there are a lot of magnetic sources in the average household and I believe keeping an eye out for potential magnetic damage is important. Just a thought. Thank you for the great video. Looking forward to part 2b.
Sadly my last reel to reel was from the early 70s, Akai with the crossfield heads, and ability to record and play both sides of the tape. It was not high end, but the crossfield heads make a huge difference in cross-channel separation. It only did 3-3/4 and 7-1/8 speeds, not 15. But it did feature extender arms to mount the larger reels. It also did have direct drive 3 motor system, and built in amplifier, and weighed a ton. It did have all pushbutton, and a timer, to allow it to auto stop, and sensed end of the reel to auto reverse or endless playback. What happened was the cap for the left reel quit and burned up the motor. That ended its life.
I cannot say if this is true, but I heard somewhere that glass heads do last longer, but instead wears the tapes more. Therefore if you have old tapes with recordings you wish to keep, you shouldn't play them on a glass head machine. Besides that it's claimed that glass heads shouldn't have as good a frequency response/range as ferrite heads. As mentioned I can't say if this is true or not (only have experience with machines with ferrite heads), but maybe it's a good idea to take it into consideration, until it might get debunked. One thing I do know is that glass heads has a tendency to crack when getting older. Always look for that before buying.
Butterfly heads usually make only sense if you only play back tapes that were also recorded with such a head as the track width of a butterfly head is slightly different compared to a normal 2-track head. And that is also the reason why there is no benefit in this when used with tapes that were recorded with a regular 2-track head. A good argument to go for Studer/ReVox is that even newly made parts are still available from the manufacturer, unlike with Akai, Technics, Sony and the other traditional brands.
True Jeffrey. I did forget to mention them. The also produce a whole series of accessories and also New high quality heads if I remember correctly. Thsnks for pointing that out!
This is a great piece, I have great Revox A77, the recording head is in perfect condition, but the play had is a bit worn. I wonder if there is documentation regarding degrees of erosion of the head and its impact in performance. Thanks again!
Hi, what model is your Phillips r2r sitting in the background? Is there a reason why you didn't use the Phillips and chose to use the Studer instead? Great videos. Enjoy your channel very much. Kindest regards, Walter James "Jim" Wicks, South Florida USA
Great and entertaining video. Considering both part 1 and part 2, there are a few things I wonder. Why not give an introduction to calibration of Bias, EQ and Record Level for a random tape? You could say that it's not good not to have "enough" recording fluxation for a very thick master tape, whereas it's not really an issue to have, say, 510 nWb/m (which is high standard) for a tape needing less fluxation. I stand by my critizism of you video on noise reduction but all in all, I find your videos entertaining. Keep up the good spirit.
The video was long enough and I want to do a dedicated video for recording. Check my reply to your comment in the Noise Reduction video. In think there is some material to rethink your perspective and info.
I hope you will still read this one I need to mention about the heads. You talked about the glass heads that were put out. They did sound fantastic but I would never use one because on playing a tape they would basically shred the tape getting only one play you should tell your subscribers I've been doing this for a very long time have a great day
I love your videos. I'm just getting back into reel to reel after about a 40 year break. I really like the open reels you have to take advantage of pancake tapes (as regular 10.5 inch reels are stupid expensive). But I can't find any information on them, e.g. where to buy them. Any help would be appreciated.
hi the motors in alot of reel to reel have fuses. if you over work the motor save them from over heating i have use i lot pf make of recorders a good mrl tape is need to check the units before you do any big time recording
Hi, after your video I got into the Reel to Reel. I just bought a Philips N4512 for 70 Euros. It‘s fully working according to the seller. Do you have any advise for me concerning prerecorded reels? Many thanks. Your videos are great.
I'd love to know how the statistics of Elcasets stack up against proper studio tape. Obviously a downgrade, but I think it could be the ultimate in a car stereo system.
Hello, Newer amps don’t have many analog inputs and output for cassette and reel to reels. Do you use a mixing board to connect your analog play and recorded decks? I’m looking to connect a cassette deck and a 4 track reel to reel to my system. I only see a Nad receiver as having 2 tape inputs. Any advice could help
Yes! I do. I have a passive switch, not a mixer. This is a big problem because the sound does degrade with these external boxes. www.audiophonics.fr/en/source-selectors/dynavox-aux-s-audio-selector-switch-for-rca-sources-silver-p-10041.html
hi re lap heads i have had some i can say i had to turn up the record level on the pots in side new heads have a lot more go the tascam heads do wear on faster take the tascam 38 there's alot of spare good heads around for the deck as the deck are die all the time i have about 9 with alot of life on them NOT FOR SALE i pick up alot of decks over the years some are a right pain to keep running i keep away from alot i just can't get parts for there's no need to re lap some heads i only have in done once the are film head 4 track 35mm wow a lot of level they put out i can tell you
Anyb reel to reel will output a line level analog signal. Just send that to any analog to digital converter, usually a computer audio interface, and record it in any format. I would ditch Mp3 though.
HI with the high out put tapes i turn down the gain why i have a otari mtr 12 it's all on the front why i did not have to model you love i have a branell 600 pre amp yes i have a working unit maybe the last working deck i put alot of time fixing it up when i had a youtube i was getting alot of emails all the time there used to be alot of reel to reel decks for sell not so many around to fix up as parts are comong from parted out decks and some new parts are made now
i have the chance enjoy the Vinyl and i have lost myself in there... i guess the "R2R" will be even better, - Here is the piece i was out there: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IQ1iFHSOyoc.html
Actually, if we are talking about cassettes, several companies started to make their new cassettes. ATR does not, they only have NOS cassettes. If we are talking reel to reel tape then of course I own both of their tapes, RTM and ATR.
@@anadialog thanks. I will eventually buy one. Im new to learning these players. So it plays 2 track tapes alone? Any players that play both 2 and 4 together?
Yes, sure! There are a lot of machines that have 4 and/or 2 track heads like Technics, Otari, Revox etc. You must decide a priority, your main interest, and look for that type of machine...4 track or 2 track....
If you mean pre-recorded tapes, the best place is always going yo be eBay...if this is the type of tape you like you should sim st 4 track machines. There are also 2 track pre-recorded tapes (besides master tape copies) but they are rather rare, mainly vlassicsl music and expensive...
I know this video is 4 years old, but RTM was absolutely *NOT* the only company making new tape then. ATR (out of the US) was at the time as well - and still are. MDS-36 FTW!!!
That is correct and I sould have mentioned them BUT they don't use the original BASF-Agfa formula, only RTM. That is the industry standard and mist calibration tapes are based on that oxide formula.
You mean recorded tape or virgin tape and its capability of handling a specific amount? The only way is to knowhow much flux a tape can handle is to check the brand and the tape type. At that point you look up the specs on the web. Here are some examples for Agfa and Basf: www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/basftape/basftapes.html In any case, professional tape will handle a good amount of magnetic flux. I would not worry. Remember that there is also the opposite problem. That is, if a machine can handle a tape recorded with a high magnetic flux. For example, a professional master tape copy in most cases requires professional machines...always check the specs!
A lot of people think so. And a lot of others think crosstalk is better. When I spoke to a famous technician in Italy he told me it is better. I tend to believe him but I am not 100% sure. If you think about it the gap is slightly closer in some cases but the rest of the magnetic parts are much more separated.
Hi, first at all, thanks for share your advises about this "passion".... I wan to start on this and I'm thinking to get a Sansui SD-5050 Quadraphonic Reel to Reel tape deck that look pretty good in general shape and condition.... my question to you is, do you think that this is a good machine to start? because I was watching your first video and you was talking about the speed reproduction and I'm not sure if this machine can reproduce in 15 Ftps.... what do you think...?
Hi there! No, this one stops at 7.5. Do you nee to record something or only playback..that is important to know when choosing...I would on other models like Akai, Otari, Tascam or better, Revox...obviously the cost raises...
Tape is always recorded on one side, where the oxide is. You can have multiple tracks like a cassettw or a 4 track reel to reel which is just using a part of the tape (2 tracks) in one direction and the remaining part in the other (another 2 tracks). Plus, another important part is the speed. Low speed = more tape but liw tape also = lower quality. Check my videos on reel to reel and then you should have a clearer idea!
Question Sir;-) how can i find out, if i, for an example, bought a tape on a flea market and dont know which nWb/m it is? How can i find out? I got so many tapes on Reels, brown, black coated with different lead tapes . So, how to do that to find out the nWb/m grade? Is it really so important? It seems to me like a heavy to understand science thing;-)) I read about calibration. Thats the next point thats causing headache;-) We should learn to do this by ourselfs, if tape changes, we have to pick up our Recorder and run to the next Technician and let the head calibrate and if i change the week after tape again, i have to run to the technician again to let the heads calibrate...azimuth and so on, ......aarrrgghhhh;-)
Good question! If you pick up a tape just like that with no info, you can't know the fluxtivity (you could know its nWn/m capability if you know at least the brand). Otherwise its a leap in the dark. That is in fact one of the reasons why I suggest to buy a pro machine. Then you know that it will accept anything. Tape calibration is important only if you are going to record. Otherwise for playback it is ok. Nevertheless, it is always a good idea to recalibrate the machine parts, in particular the azimuth of the head and the trasport parts. Turning back to tape calibration, as mentioned in the video you can do it by your own following some instructions with the use of a specific MRL calibration tape or at least a good tape with the necessary frequencies properly recorded, risky though... Just to make things clear, tape calibration sets the correct bias and equalization, not head azimuth...
yeah sure, im planing to buy a b77. besides my N4530. The b77 is a pro model right? Otherwise im really lost with all the tapes i own. No idea which brand, which type which nWb/m they are....daaaaammnnnn
A Revox, yes, well, prosumer, Studer is pro...but a good B77 MKII fully serviced will do the trick...juss decide is 4 or 2 track...and the maximum speed! If you get 2 track I woukd say up to 15ips. Otherwise 7.5 is good.
@@anadialog Thankyou so much...!!! If you can help me. I want to buy some tapes for my Pioneer RT 1020H Reel to Reel Recorder. You can recommend me some, I have already opened an account with you on your page and some items. I want a lot of recording time.
La ragione per cui i nastri vengono conservati come tails out, è la riduzione dell'effetto copia. In tutti gli Studi di registrazione e di mastering, nonché di conservazione e restauro suono, i nastri sono immagazzinati in questo modo, per questa ragione specifica. ;)
Friend, you convinced me to get into this stuff. Just got myself an entry-level 1978 Akai GX-4000D that is in excellent condition. Can you recommend a good sounding tape(s) to test it?
Got the machine and am addicted to it. Nostalgia (parents had a R2R machine around 35 years ago when I was a little boy)! Find myself constantly looking at the machine, lusting after it while it's playing. I'm happy as a clam and know that this machine's going "bleed me dry" as I'm going to buy a whole bunch of pre-recorded tapes (many of which cost more than 100 USD each). And last but not least, it sounds nearly as good as my SACD player!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How cool!! I so glad about this and happy for you. The sonics should be by far better than SACD...perhaps witu the right tape and some restoration work in the future...happy listenings!
The amazing thing is that I have not even had a chance to clean the (rather dirty) heads and used an $18 new (old stock) SM486 EMTEC tape. I could not tell the difference between the source (FLAC song on RU-vid) and the recorded tape! I thought I was listening to the source until I checked the MONITOR button on the AKAI and knew that I was listening to the recorded tape. They complained that tapes having more "wow and flutter". I could hear NONE. Shocked! I cannot imagine what a 2-inch 15 or 30 IPS machine would sound like.
Imate li koji za prodaju ili sličan sa zvučnicima 50 do 100 vati za upotrebu. Postoji li neki klub uheraša da nabavim uher magn glave za uher sg 520 i rojal de luce. Pozdrav joška
They can but it is very difficult to find someone to do so and find new old stock heads. New heads are produced but they are not that effective although there are exceptions according to some people...
@@anadialog i guess i will never find out how they were treated and how often they were used. Im afraid that they are worn and im forced to change them or throw IT away:-(((
Love the MTR series of Otari, a lot of automatic and self-calibrating features. Like the newer M series by Tekefunken. The last Sony was also a beast! Nothing though can beat a serviced Studer master recorder like the A820 or A816. Only the Nagra T can attempt to have a word. There is a reason why the largest and mist important companies that are still producing high quality analog productiobs ALL use studer machines.
Thankyou so much...!!! If you can help me. I want to buy some tapes for my Pioneer RT 1020H Reel to Reel Recorder. You can recommend me some, I have already opened an account with you on your page and some items. I want a lot of recording time.
Thankyou for you kind reply it's just my hobbies the machine was my father's and I want to learn how to use it very well and I want to buy the best ... I have reviewed its catalog of prices of its "Recording the Master" page. but I can not find the code LPR35 or LPR90 ... the machine has 3 heads only
friend sorry for the inconvenience, but you can help me as I would connect the reel to reel to a receiver equipment or home theater brand pioneer ... are of the new technology. there is only HDMI and there is no Tape to CONNECT ... Sorry for my bad English if I translated it wrong. I hope you understand me.
It is not convincing to buy such studio machine to play at home. 30 ich speed (the same 15) is in normal rec/play sequence no necessary . I use Uher which max speed is 7,65 and min 1,75. 3,75 makes already the same sound as home sources, no disadvantage to record with noise comparable to radio. CD or LP. So already 7,5inch is no used by me , why 15 and 30? . I see sense of using even 1,75 inch for special timbre of recordings in created music. In Uher I like two inputs mixed in real time combined with . multiplay function and synchr. recording and simple converting to two tracks system with replacement of heads set. . . Generally if I spot difference in sound it is reasonable to have that option and use for effects like for example "echo". . Without difference it is no advantage to speed up tape. It is my point of view .
Just justifying . I point that home usage with reasonable volume turn will not present this gain. This 3,75inch makes whole match. For studio usage it is must - recordings may be required to play even at Gig with any trace of noise exposed. Lower THD at the same dynamics. also was point.Usually it was by studio copied next to vinyl record or digital or cassette. At home it still shows big and heavy reels, with obligatory NAB, long time winding. double or triple wear of heads. In my case I was also considering it's over 30 kg weight of top speed machines. .
Once again, quarter inch tape is NOT, and never was the best audio format, mainly due to its relatively limited dynamic range which CANNOT ever be increased or improved.
This is a common mistake. Forget the numbers. If you start checking the actual dynamic level of CDs you would see that vinyl records in most cases are superior because the loudness war completely destroyed the potetial of digital. In any case, forget numbers, and start listening. Tape, IMHO, is simply for engaging and delivers a mode faithful experience than any digital high resolution format.
@@CasioGreg its different BASF is pronunciable as a word, that is the problem in Italian while in English we usually spell out an acronym, same with dates.
@@anadialog it's wrong. OPEC is pronounceable as a word, so is LASER because it's an acronym. IAEA, NNPT, and BASF are initials. do you work for seeya or CIA? My father came from Poland, and never ever made BASF into a word. just saying.
@@CasioGreg yes, you are correct, some words are pronounced as words...some. In Italy, practically all! I am not saying it is correct, it's just how we say things...