Which MRL tape for Tascam 388

[kslight]

I'm gonna be an adult and buy an MRL tape for my Tascam 388s. I've managed to go nearly a decade without (!) but it's time I think haha.

There are a few different choices and since it's $120 I want to know I'm grabbing the right one. My tech who has one of my 388s (resurrected from the dead!) said to get 21T204 but I wanted to be sure this was normal for usage with LPR35. I'm gonna have him do both machines the same of course.

List: http://www.jrfmagnetics.com/mrltapes.html

[floid]

I dealt with Dan Labrie at ATR Services. He is knowledgeable and quite patient with any questions you have, and can steer you to mrl resources clearing up q's about OL, EQ, etc.
I ended up with a two speed tape for use with my 388 and 3440, mrl designation 299-016-482-612. It is a 250 nWb/m IEC tape with 1k, 10k, 16k, and 100Hz tones at each speed.

[markjazzbassist]

differing opinions here. OP that tape is NAB. other dude posted an IEC. i look in the manual and it states NAB/DIN/IEC. WTF Tascam? which is it?

on JRF site they list 1/4" 8 track tapes as only being IEC so 21T102 or 21T02 would i think be it. thoughts?

[markjazzbassist]

i'm wrong. looking at the manual it states

"TEAC YTT-1003 (for tape speed 7.5 IPS, NAB EQ 3180 + 50 usec.) Reference Flux is 185 nWb/m; reference output level is 2.6 db lower compared with 250 nWb/m flux. Calibration level under "reproduce Calibration" refers 0 VU as 250 nWb/m.

21T204 is the correct tape then. your tech is right.

[kslight]

Yep that's what I ended up getting. Though he said something about having to set it up a little different the manual, because of the different tape formulation than back then...sweetbeats had figured out the right offset (I am skimp on exact details).

But long story short, I got the machine aligned, and I have my other machine in the shop now.