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tactics
steve albini likes it
Joined: 07 May 2003
Posts: 395
Location: Australia
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 Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:42 pm Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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| tdrop wrote: | I'm going back and forth on how much I want to get wrapped up in the technical aspect of tape deck maintenance. Part of me wants to get all into working on these machines. The other part of me knows I'll spend all my time on that and won't actually do much recording.
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Fair enough. But maintaining an analog deck will get you much better results
in the long run. It may seem a bit daunting to learn at first but it really isnt.
Get the tech to explain the procedure & after a few calibrations you will
wonder what all the fuss is about, it's like putting oil & water in a car.
I calibrate my machines before use on each session, it has become a habit now
& i cant do it any other way. Best of luck...
_________________
| cleantone wrote: | | Quote: | | Microphone Case, Black, Plastic N/A $30.00 |
What is this case like? I've been thinking about getting one. |
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soupdejour
alignin' 24-trk
Joined: 06 Mar 2012
Posts: 60
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| Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 12:19 pm Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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| tactics wrote: | | tdrop wrote: | I'm going back and forth on how much I want to get wrapped up in the technical aspect of tape deck maintenance. Part of me wants to get all into working on these machines. The other part of me knows I'll spend all my time on that and won't actually do much recording.
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Fair enough. But maintaining an analog deck will get you much better results
in the long run. It may seem a bit daunting to learn at first but it really isnt.
Get the tech to explain the procedure & after a few calibrations you will
wonder what all the fuss is about, it's like putting oil & water in a car.
I calibrate my machines before use on each session, it has become a habit now
& i cant do it any other way. Best of luck... |
What are maintenance musts?
1. Alignment
2. Cleaning tape path
3. Lube
4. Calibrate the machine for the type of tape you are using
Is that it as far as routine maintenance goes? |
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tactics
steve albini likes it
Joined: 07 May 2003
Posts: 395
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 9:59 pm Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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| tdrop wrote: | | tactics wrote: | | tdrop wrote: | I'm going back and forth on how much I want to get wrapped up in the technical aspect of tape deck maintenance. Part of me wants to get all into working on these machines. The other part of me knows I'll spend all my time on that and won't actually do much recording.
|
Fair enough. But maintaining an analog deck will get you much better results
in the long run. It may seem a bit daunting to learn at first but it really isnt.
Get the tech to explain the procedure & after a few calibrations you will
wonder what all the fuss is about, it's like putting oil & water in a car.
I calibrate my machines before use on each session, it has become a habit now
& i cant do it any other way. Best of luck... |
What are maintenance musts?
1. Alignment
2. Cleaning tape path
3. Lube
4. Calibrate the machine for the type of tape you are using
Is that it as far as routine maintenance goes? |
Try searching analog tape machine alignment this should yield plenty of reading.
_________________
| cleantone wrote: | | Quote: | | Microphone Case, Black, Plastic N/A $30.00 |
What is this case like? I've been thinking about getting one. |
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ethyrvalve
alignin' 24-trk
Joined: 06 Aug 2007
Posts: 65
Location: Montreal
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| Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 6:30 pm Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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| tdrop wrote: |
What are maintenance musts?
1. Alignment
2. Cleaning tape path
3. Lube
4. Calibrate the machine for the type of tape you are using
Is that it as far as routine maintenance goes? |
1. When I was first starting out with tape machines, it was hugely helpful to hire a tech to do a housecall and to watch carefully/ask questions. It might be a bit tricky to learn things like adjusting azimuth just by reading manuals/Web sites.
Also, since you're dealing with multi-track machine and presumably not worried about exchanging tapes with other studios, one careful alignment by a pro should last you a long time (especially considering the deck is a part of the very reliable Otari MX5050 series).
2. This is really not a hassle at all. Just get some 99% alcohol and (wooden if possible) cotton swabs and wipe the heads and metal points of tape contact before recording and during breaks. This helps your machine last longer (accumulated oxide accelerates wear) and ensures better tape-to-head contact (better high frequency response). Avoid dripping alcohol down the capstan shaft (it could harm the lubricant). You can clean the pinch roller with windex (it doesn't need to be cleaned as often in my opinion.
3. This isn't something you need to do often in my experiences. If you hire a pro to do a housecall, he/she can help you determine if the machine needs any oil.
4. Since you want to concentrate on recording and not get bogged down in maintenance, I'd advise you to stick to one formulation of tape. It's true that there are differences between batches and aligning each tape individually can help you eke out the very best possible performance from your machine (I do this, but I take an interest in the tech side of things and I've learned how to do it quickly), but I'd say this is very minor thing and most people wouldn't notice the difference.
Two other things I'd advise:
1) get a dust cover or make one (goes a long away in helping avoid crackly controls and other problems related to dirt/dust accumulation).
2) record test tones at either the beginning or the end of your tape. 100hz 1khz and 10khz would probably do the trick. Playing back test tones can tell you if your machine has driften out of mechanical or electrical alignment.
_________________
My mostly analog studio's blog: http://freelovefenner.com/studio |
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Judas Jetski
george martin
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 1483
Location: The US North Coast
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| Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 11:33 pm Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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It's a good machine. I'll bet there's a switch on the back somewhere to toggle between NAB and IEC... it might be inside the deck, though. I sincerely doubt it, but it might be. My MX-50's have an IEC/NAB switch on the back of them, but there are four options which you can only set from inside the machine. (Tape speeds, record button function, record during variable speed mode, and something else which I forgot.)
I sincerely hope that's not the case with your deck though, because that would be a big pain in a very personal area.
I still think it's on the back somewhere. It may be cleverly camouflaged.
_________________
"Avoid trends and clichés/don't try to be up to date/and when the sunlight hits the olive oil, don't hesitate"
www.AndySmash.com
Check out the debut Judas Jetski release "I Don't Wanna Go To Camp" at http://andysmash.bandcamp.com |
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Gregg Juke
resurrected
Joined: 12 Jun 2010
Posts: 2281
Location: Buffalo, NY, USA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 8:52 am Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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Warning: Thread Hi-Jack In-Progress...
Hi JJ. Where have you been?
GJ |
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Judas Jetski
george martin
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 1483
Location: The US North Coast
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| Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 7:22 pm Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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Oh, I've been hiding right here under my rock. Sellin' all my shiznit on eBay to keep afloat. It's a never-ending journey. 
You?
_________________
"Avoid trends and clichés/don't try to be up to date/and when the sunlight hits the olive oil, don't hesitate"
www.AndySmash.com
Check out the debut Judas Jetski release "I Don't Wanna Go To Camp" at http://andysmash.bandcamp.com |
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Gregg Juke
resurrected
Joined: 12 Jun 2010
Posts: 2281
Location: Buffalo, NY, USA
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| Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:56 am Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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Ah, you know, this that and the other thing...
PM me or e-mail sometime. We should make good on that "Northeast/NYS Tape Oppers Meeting" this year. We moved our studio into a much more guest-friendly location.
GJ |
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Judas Jetski
george martin
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 1483
Location: The US North Coast
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| Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:04 am Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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Oh, hellz yeah. I think I still have your e-mail address...
_________________
"Avoid trends and clichés/don't try to be up to date/and when the sunlight hits the olive oil, don't hesitate"
www.AndySmash.com
Check out the debut Judas Jetski release "I Don't Wanna Go To Camp" at http://andysmash.bandcamp.com |
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penelec
steve albini likes it
Joined: 08 May 2003
Posts: 311
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| Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 6:23 pm Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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Where are you located? If you're around NYC, drop me a line if you want help troubleshooting. It's a great machine, and you got it at a great price.
_________________
"I mean, not to be a stickler for spelling, but "genitals" is so not a get-what-you-mean-type word. It sounds clinical and dirty and looks clinical and dirty. It must be spelt correctly." |
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soupdejour
alignin' 24-trk
Joined: 06 Mar 2012
Posts: 60
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 1:04 pm Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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| ethyrvalve wrote: |
2) record test tones at either the beginning or the end of your tape. 100hz 1khz and 10khz would probably do the trick. Playing back test tones can tell you if your machine has driften out of mechanical or electrical alignment. |
Could you expand upon recording test tones? How do I do this? Where do I get the test tones?
Thanks.
PS Panelec...I live in NC, but thank you for the offer to help me trouble shoot the machine. Its off at the tech's shop right now. For $230 I'm getting it cleaned and aligned. He told me the heads are in great shape which is great news. Nothing wrong with it except some burned out VU lamps. |
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ethyrvalve
alignin' 24-trk
Joined: 06 Aug 2007
Posts: 65
Location: Montreal
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:18 am Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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| tdrop wrote: | | ethyrvalve wrote: |
2) record test tones at either the beginning or the end of your tape. 100hz 1khz and 10khz would probably do the trick. Playing back test tones can tell you if your machine has driften out of mechanical or electrical alignment. |
Could you expand upon recording test tones? How do I do this? Where do I get the test tones?
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Hey tdrop, I'm not very familiar with the 4-track version of this machine, but something makes me think it might have a built-in sine wave test tone oscillator. If not, Goreski's site Analogrules.com has some tones you can download and play off an ipod/CD/computer and record to your machine:
http://www.analogrules.com/tones.html
You just record 30 seconds or so of each frequency at the "0" level on your VU meter (monitoring off the 'repro' or dedicated playback head). It's pretty normal to have a bit of waver on the VU meter at 10KHz or higher. If there is significant waver at 1KHz, it's often a sign that something is awry with the tape path/mechanical functionality of the machine.
If you're interested, that Analog Rules site has all kinds of great info on this stuff.
_________________
My mostly analog studio's blog: http://freelovefenner.com/studio |
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soupdejour
alignin' 24-trk
Joined: 06 Mar 2012
Posts: 60
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:57 pm Post subject: Re: What Kind of Tape Do I Need? |
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Thanks, that's great info. I have been to the AnalogRules site. Lots of info indeed. I have to send Goretski the BQII manual, because thank goodness, I finally found it.
What a score, I've been looking for that manual for months and none of the manuals sites have it or no where to get it. Otari wanted $275 for it. I got it for $9! |
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