|
Tape Trail Reel to reel, cassette and other analogue tape formats. |
|
|
|
Tape Trail Reel to reel, cassette and other analogue tape formats. |
|
In Reply to: Getting Started with Reel to Reel posted by Bromo33333 on October 24, 2013 at 06:53:35:
Bill Way's suggestions are spot-on (maybe, in part, because I have the same model Otari as he does and recommend it highly). Some things to understand and think about:
* You'll need a tape-competent tech. Almost all the tape decks available now are decades old and because of their age and complexity are VERY likely to need service, especially if they have not be in regular use.
* In addition to the Otari, I'd personally recommend Teac decks in the 2300-3300 series. I'd avoid Akai. Again, check Bill Way's post for other recommendations.
* Although there are many thousands of prerecorded reel-to-reel tapes available daily on Ebay, they all date from the 70s and 80s, so it helps to be fond of artists from that era.
* The "best" tapes from that era -- sonically and musically -- tend to be quite costly on Ebay. Things like Kind of Blue and Brubeck's "Time Out." You CAN get lucky, but you have to work at it :-)
* As a general recommendation, Columbia pop and jazz tapes are usually excellent. Columbia classical tapes, on the other hand, tend to be average or worse.
* Stick with tapes recorded at 7 1/2 ips (or faster, if your tape deck allows). Don't bother with the slow-speed tapes (3 3/4 ips). There are exceptions, but not many.
* Speaking of "stick," the bane of tape users is something called Sticky Shed Syndrome (SSS) which afflicted many brands of raw tape beginning in the 80s. You can find more about this by Googling. It does NOT affect commercial pre-recorded tapes IME.
* Consider joining the Yahoo reel-to-reel tape group. Much useful tape-related info there.
That's just for starters. I love the medium but it's pretty "hair shirt" and can be frustrating for a newcomer. Feel free to email me via AA with questions.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- RE: Getting Started with Reel to Reel - Dave Pogue 05:08:09 10/26/13 (3)
- "sticky tape syndrome" is an issue with certain Barclay-Crocker tapes - vinyl phanatic 10:22:21 10/31/13 (0)
- Some afterthoughts - Dave Pogue 06:14:35 10/27/13 (0)
- pre-recorded tape source - Bill Way 15:26:00 10/26/13 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
