I'm Back - And I See ALOT of "Tape"

akg414 · Post by **akg414** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:34 pm

Hey all - I've kinda been away for a little while - limited time, etc...

Anyway, I signed on and see a LOT of different posts about "tape", machines, actual tape, tape techniques and the like.

So here's my question: Since I've been away, has tape made some progress in terms of popularity or a comeback?

Just today, I hooked up my old TEAC reel-to-reel tape machine to my stereo system.

There's just something about those "spinning wheels" - that is soothing and just plain cool.

Thoughts?

Nick Sevilla · Post by **Nick Sevilla** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:15 pm

Right now, I'm playing back on my "new-to-me" MCI JH-24 2" tape machine.

Some John McEuen "String Wizards" album multitrack...

Cheers

markjazzbassist · Post by **markjazzbassist** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:38 pm

i'm a newb that got into tape, so yeah i guess it's on the way back. i think people are fed up with computers and just like pressing play and record and recording, much easier and makes you a better player in my opinion.

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:53 pm

www.tapeproject.com

GJ

Marc Alan Goodman · Post by **Marc Alan Goodman** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 8:28 pm

I'm in the middle of recapping a Studer A820 MCH. People still seem to like it for some reason :)

Mane1234 · Post by **Mane1234** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:49 pm

The classics never die and perhaps that's what makes them classics although in the whole scheme of things it's just another tool in the box. But that being said I"m rockin my 424III like crazy these days and it's been a year since I've broken out the PT rig. I'm even considering shipping my TSR 8 back to Tascam to be brought back up to spec unless I can find someone I trust to do it locally.

tactics · Post by **tactics** » Fri Jul 13, 2012 3:39 am

Marc Alan Goodman wrote:I'm in the middle of recapping a Studer A820 MCH. People still seem to like it for some reason

I have one of these also, incredibly well built machine, an engineering masterpiece !!
Tape A calibrated at +6/185 CCIR & Tape B +9/185 NAB (30 ips).

dsw · Post by **dsw** » Sat Jul 14, 2012 3:33 pm

Tape sales is up a little bit over the last few years. Of course its a total trickle of what it was in the 90's and before.

eh91311 · Post by **eh91311** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:27 am

Tape sales would have rebounded more strongly if the current prices for professional audio tape weren't so high. There is nothing economical about 2" tape at $300/reel, or even 1.0 mil thick 1/4" 1800' reels (for Tascam 388's) for $30 list price.

Then again, professional audio recording tape is a super-small niche business. Tape users should feel fortunate to have the tape manufacturers that are left.

BootsyGraham · Post by **BootsyGraham** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 6:22 pm

I've wanted a tape machine since I was 14. I bought a MCI JH-16 in January that was in shitty shit shitty shit condition. I'm 22 now. Most of my friends who are musicians are into tape and everybody who I've shown it to who is not a musician even seems to get it. Once people actually hear the beast is when they understand what it is all about.

kslight · Post by **kslight** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:19 pm

eh91311 wrote:Tape sales would have rebounded more strongly if the current prices for professional audio tape weren't so high. There is nothing economical about 2" tape at $300/reel, or even 1.0 mil thick 1/4" 1800' reels (for Tascam 388's) for $30 list price.

Then again, professional audio recording tape is a super-small niche business. Tape users should feel fortunate to have the tape manufacturers that are left.

I don't really think that tape for 388s is really that un-economical... When you think about it, its certainly more economical than working with film cameras (remember those?). These days by the time you buy film and get it developed by a competent independent film processor (someone who will actually process it in the analog realm and not do some shitty scanning of the negatives to produce prints) you really start to think about what you are taking pictures of... 1/4" is still pretty cheap that you can experiment...and if you screw up at least you can go over it... And hell, you can get a lot more entertainment time per $30 with a reel on a 388 than with a film camera (especially if you shoot medium format and only get 12 exposures to a roll!).

Now $300 for a reel of 2" is a little high up there. I bet a lot more studios are re-using reels than they used to...

Its kind of amazing to me to go to this old studio that I do a lot of work at...they're still all analog, and they have stacks of tapes, for small time projects (it never was a big studio or in a big town) from decades passed. I can only imagine what a big studio would be like for their tape vaults.

eh91311 · Post by **eh91311** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:10 pm

I have to agree that $30 list for 1/4" 1800' 7" tape isn't going to break the bank. I just remember when it was half that cost.

Current cost for 2" is ridiculous. Most people that I know do what I do; find gently used 2" stock and record on that. I've found that transferring the 2" to the computer with decent converters retains most of the analog vibe (but not all), and then you can reuse the tape.

kslight · Post by **kslight** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 4:53 am

eh91311 wrote:Most people that I know do what I do; find gently used 2" stock and record on that. I've found that transferring the 2" to the computer with decent converters retains most of the analog vibe (but not all), and then you can reuse the tape.

At the studio I work do a lot of work out of the owner is kind enough to let me use one of his reels (usually 1 pass) when the client doesn't have a reel of their own, and at the end of the session it all goes down to an Alesis HD24XR and he reuses the tape...

nobody, really · Post by **nobody, really** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:24 am

So they've finally got digital sounding decent and now we're going back to tape??
Actually, I've contemplated trading my audiofire 12 for an otari 8 track.

jtienhaara · Post by **jtienhaara** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 3:57 am

Asking if tape is in fashion on Tape Op, love it.

eh91311 wrote:2" tape at $300/reel

Those were the same tape reel prices 10 years ago, before a bunch of tape manufacturers stopped their lines, so that's actually not so bad, all things considered.

Moreover tape machines are being dumped these days. The only problem for non-tapers like me is finding one close by -- because shipping costs have skyrocketed. I could have snared an Amped MM1200 in good shape last fall for $2K, but shipping it would have doubled the cost, so I'm still on the hunt. That particular machine ended up being parted out on EBay.

Johann

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I'm Back - And I See ALOT of "Tape"

I'm Back - And I See ALOT of "Tape"

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