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now that all these machines are very old..you may only be able to use the model as sort of a broad comparison..individual machines now have sat around in various environments of use and abuse for over 20 years on average..in some cases over 40 years..individual machines is a more precise criteria f...

I think I know where you're coming from. With your specific requirements in mind, the original 3340 (or any of the variations [A-3340, A-3340-S, 3340-S]) would be the best choice -- it has more 'vintage vibe' or whatever you wanna call it. Just keep in mind that the sync response is pretty bad (not ...

shit, man! i think the reverb sounds just right on that track, very cool effect. really a "perfect" reverb sound. i would go back to that if you've strayed from the excessive reverb. i think it's a taste thing; not really indicitive of experience.

but i like to use my tape machines in the middle of the night ! Hey donny.. So I guess it means as you use your tape machine in the middle of the night, it'll improve your 2" machine running at 30 ips will all of a sudden, take off like a bat out of hell to 60 ips and you'll get one song out of a r...

ah, i see ... business as usual !

but i like to use my tape machines in the middle of the night !

Hmm, the answer is fairly simple but you have to go all the way to get it ... i don't think there are any shortcuts. first of all, you are not going to make a record that truly sounds like the '60s because it's not the '60s. the way that people write songs is different, the way the bands play is dif...

That's true, but i'm not really familiar with that world so i can't speak to that. I'm thinking of people like kelley stoltz, dr dog, gabe roth, etc ... Kind of the new movement. I'm sorry if i offended but i suppose i feel that tape machines are somewhat wasted when used as effects. A lot of people...

there is a reason people use tape machines and i am wanting to understand that better. it may be subtler than i think, we'll see. well, the primary reason a lot of people use tape machines is for the purity of sound and the workflow. some of us just use them because it's what we're used to and what...

Just a heads up... I just had a client purchase 2 N.O.S. reels of 1/2" 456 from a guy on ebay (he still has more for sale) and the life span had passed. Crapped big over the ATR-102 heads just back from Mike Spitz that day. Used some GP9 I had instead. Based on your description of the sound you're ...

i've got 2 10.5" NOS rolls of Quantegy 406 1/4" if you want to buy 'em. they are from the last batch of quantegy tapes, made in 2007. i also have some NOS Scotch 111 and 102 on 1/4" 7" reels. oh yeh, and what are you hearing on the tape? doesn't sound any different? 456 might even be too hot to get ...

Ha! And keep in mind, tape is not a magic wand or an effect. You have to approach using one with respect. Also, everything is relative. We don't know the operating level your deck is set up for. But this fact remains: if you want to get tape overdrive (which is actually a soft sort of sound, not rea...

also, the older american tape machines, like Ampex 440s, etc overdrive (and sound) really differently than the japanese stuff. i think most people are thinking of an ampex/mci/scully/etc-type saturation, which is what you hear on most '50s-'70s records. you also hear low-output tape. if you're looki...

you want low-output tape. Quantegy 406 or Scotch 206 (NOS) would do a good job. older tape like Scotch 111 would also saturate VERY quickly, it is a "0" level tape -- you can find NOS On eBay. you'll have to have your deck re-calibrated for any of these tapes.

i would bet that most of your favorite records are a complete mess in terms of absolute polarity. there is no wrong or right; some people like to make sure the polarity is CONSISTENT but even that is not neccesarily artistically "better".