Reel-to-reel tape is the new vinyl

I have several reel-t0-reel tape machines, collected for different purposes over the past 40+ years. I find they complement my vinyl collection, but don't replace or compete with LDs. R-t-R is just another all-analog component, but one capable of recording. I've made compilation tapes of my LPs for those times when I want to hear "analog" for a couple of hours, but not get up and flip LPs. I also have radio programs that I taped many years ago and they play just fine today. My pre-recorded tapes are also in good shape; a result of careful storage, no doubt.

For me, it's more of a hobby thing. I grew up with R-t-R machines and continue to use them just because I enjoy it. Not sure I would recommend it to someone new, but there are machines out there like mine (well-maintained and cared for, including the tapes) that could be found for reasonable cost. Here's a few that are not "pro" machines, but I've found capable of solid performance for my purposes:

For live recordings of a local community orchestra, I needed 10 1/2" reels (no time to flip during a concert) and something I could carry without having a hernia. This Pioneer RT-1020L has served me well. Today I mostly use it for playback of 3-3/4 ips tapes.




Below is a Sony TC-788-4, which I believe was Sony's last "quad" consumer machine. Works great, but really heavy. Has 15 & 7-1/2 ips speeds.




And below is another 4-channel machine, the Dokorder 1140. An odd beast which gets mixed reviews, but mine works like a champ.
It's designed for Maxell tape formulations, but has adjustable bias to tweak it for others (unlike the Sony above). Also runs at 15 & 7-1/2 ips speeds.

 

I checked out a Dokordor quad deck in the mid to late 70's but decided to g0 for the Teac S2340. I kept the latter for no more than six months and sold it to my HS buddy who was a serious amateur musician and a good guitar player. A quad open-reel deck with multi-sync is really a better fit for a musician ...

 

If they were exposed to sunlight, that's the reason.

 

I suspect it might be due to heat in my car, as the CDR in question was in a zipped vinyl CD carrier. There was no sunlight exposure ...

 

I would like to come to my good ol' buddy Tascam's defense here. I owned a Tascam 42-NB 1/4" half track several years back and it kicked major a$$ (IMHO). When I got it I had it calibrated for Quantegy tape and it seemed to have infinite headroom. The meters were slammed and it wasn't distorting.

To be particular about the sound, I would record bands digitally, mix them, then send it to two-track to see what they thought. Many didn't feel the sound was very different. Personally, I felt the low-mids were a bit 'colored', not necessarily good or bad, but it was subtle. To me and most people it sounded like a carbon copy of the 24/96 digital recording. Now, that could change depending on how hard the tape is pushed for saturation, but man, this thing could pretty much take anything it was fed without buckling! I would say that's the highest fidelity analog I have ever heard. Granted, I've never heard anything like a Studer or an Ampex in person though.

(EDIT: I never thought to play with the amount of saturation on the tape with the band present, in which case some of them may have like the results. I usually just made the recording ahead of time to my taste.)

My understanding is the 32 and BR-20 are belt-driven, not as well-built as the 40-series and 50-series and ATR series Tascams, which I understand are direct driven...dunno how much that can/will affect tonality. I'm sure there's other important differences. Never heard a 32 in all fairness!

 

Regarding this thread, I am coincidentally shopping currently for a 1/4" 2-track deck, 15 IPS, 10.5" reels, both unbalanced and balanced I/O (I'd like to have the option to do professional recording with it). Related to my post above, I'd love to find another Tascam 42-NB for a fair price ($500-$800 in top condition?), but I'm open to other possibilities. The Revox B-77 looks good but I guess it only has unbalanced I/O.

Mainly I'm just looking to have fun with it, record CDs and records to it and watch it cook! Also make some mixes.

 

I also wanted to make a few points regarding what I've read here:

1. It's funny that the deck in the first photo in the article is an 8-track deck for multitrack recording, which doesn't exactly have utility with audiophiles.

2. Regarding expense, I would venture to guess that a very, very small number of R2R enthusiasts in the world (if any at all) are naive enough to attempt to make R2R the exclusive format they own and utilize. As a format that can compliment the other formats in someone's audio arsenal, it has its place. That place is not the same place as a turntable and vinyl for the reasons everyone has already mentioned. Guessing here but no one is trying to get R2R to replace vinyl or another more economical format, which pretty much makes the title of the article ludicrous.

3. Wear appears to be a more serious issue with tape than with vinyl. Anyone care to have that conversation? As fun as tape is, the ability for the medium to retain its original information over time does seem to make it a less attractive option than vinyl in this respect.

 

I've seen a few articles in mags a few years back, about audio shows where the guy reported the best sound at show was from a system with supertweaked $$$$$ R2R source playing a 10" 15 i.p.s. of a dub straight from mastertape, snuck out of Acme Records in the dead of night ... I think this is where it all started. And yes, that would sound pretty good. But gearing up to market that experience - with all the challenges of making sure the dub machines line up technically, and of course, the state of alignment of the end-users machine - never gonna be anything more than a microscopic niche, if it happens at all. The "vinyl comeback", by comparison, is huge.

 

True about the longevity of magnetic tape. Just simply storage if it results in loss. Vinyl can be stored for multiple lifetimes with zero loss, providing the vinyl is clean. Magnetic tape serves a double disadvantage that playing the tape also can degrade the integrity of the recording. Under normal circumstances, play does not harm the tape, however how often does a tape get played under less than ideal circumstances. A lot can go wrong, magnetized capstans and heads, physical damage to the tape, physical wear by dust and friction and the potential of oxide shed, drying out of the substrate/ silicone lubricants. Cassette tapes suffer similar losses.

Further complication of the reel to reel experience is the need for reasonable technical aptitude. The rewards are great, but so is the maintenance and learning curve. The shelf life of open reel is gar greater than the smaller formats, particularly the cassette tape.

 

Absolutely. Just look at (or rather listen to) what all of the remasterings have done to Bowie's Hunky Dory.

 

Well certainly the information in a record groove can be worn and distorted under poor playback conditions, though it does appear tape has a greater chance of wear under 'proper' playback conditions (shedding being a good example of a drawback with no proper analogy I can think of for vinyl).

I think the differences in reliability are inherently related to the fact that where tape is designed to allow for information to be erased, vinyl is not. This simultaneously opens the door to information on a tape being unwillingly altered through accidental contact with a particular magnetic field. (What type of magnetic field? Anybody care to break that down for fun?) In contrast, the things that eff up our records are much easier to detect in our environment than magnetic fields.

Though there certainly are both 60 year-old master tapes and LPs that still sound great after numerous uses.

 

The very best source I have heard was either a Studer A 820 or the maxed out UHA deck. Both were significantly superior to just about all of the best vinyl set ups I have heard and were in a different league to any digital set up I have listened to. If one were to seek just the best source available and not concern oneself with software availability or cost...tape is a no-brainer. Bringing into the equation cost and software availability and diversity, then tape begins to look a lot less attractive.
Personally, once I have finalized my vinyl set up and vinyl collection....then tape it is. Unfortunately, I am unsure if that is in the cards given the amount of great vinyl I am still thinking of...and the ongoing cost of a top-spec vinyl player.

 

The most destructive magnetic field is the AC magnetic field. The civilized world is full of AC pollution. I have taken extra cautions to not subject my tapes to magnetic fields, the obvious being transformers, electric motors (vacuum cleaners) television sets. Wall warts are a risk, since they are transformers. My storage unit has electric heating elements in the concrete floor. Who knows how much magnetic energy those give off? My tape boxes are marked in red, not to allow close proximity to speakers, or fluorescent lights on the hallway. Despite all my efforts, it seems that the tapes degrade audibly after about 30 years (sticky shed aside.. as my Ampex master tapes no longer play and require baking) Some of my old inline two track pre-recorded tapes play perfectly, after 60 years... and some of the 7.5 ips stereo 4 tracks also play perfectly. However many do not. The most common defect is sputtering, and print through, just a general loss of clarity and transient response, a loss of sharp attack on drum hits. Cassettes also suffer similar losses over time.. inexplicably some tapes are not affected at all.

I have read the Earth's magnetic field can affect tapes. But this is a "DC" magnetic field, non-inverting polarity. Tapes should be re-oriented periodically, I have read, to protect them from long term magnetic damage from the Earth itself. I am not certain how much affect the Earth's magnetic field has on magnetic tape, but I will do a search on that. There are also the power lines, and secondary line transformers, which could be close enough to affect tapes. This may seem crazy enough, but all the possible sources of AC magnetism warrant storage of tapes in a metal cabinet. I have not taken that more "extreme" precaution, but maybe I should.

Of course the heads and transport should be demagged after approx 10 hours of use, cleaned before each play.. opinions vary on the frequency of demagging.

 

I just remembered my 12v halogen desk lamp I had in my home studio. It contains a transformer, and in a plastic base, unshielded. I had no idea at that time, never occurred to me. Halogen desk lamps and fluorescent lights should not be in the same room with tapes. Furthermore and most importantly, not across a wall in an adjacent room. A fluorescent light on the ceiling on the floor below is a problem. Magnetic fields do not care about walls, just goes right through them. So any tapes which are precious, such as my master tapes, need to be protected from any magnetic source in adjacent rooms. Crazy the care and detail that reel to reel requires to get the best out of it?

 

Ummm... I wasn't paying attention; but, it's here. IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the (long hoped for, long anticipated) 1.0 mil version.

MDS-36 Tape 1/4″ x 3600′ 10.5″ NAB Reel Tape Care Box | ATR Magnetics »

 

Revox is "supposedly" coming out with a new deck. Die Auferstehung der analogen... - Revox Center Köln Gbr | Facebook »

 

Saw that yesterday. Supposed to be available Q1 2017. I'm sure it won't be cheap.

 

I'd have to wager that new deck would be in the 10K range. Great if you can pony that up.

 

Translated Facebook and some are wondering if it is play only, why no vu meters and where the jog wheel is.

 

It appears to be the deck only. The deck will connect to to a head amp, including operator accessible trim pots and the meters.

 

If you do a full screen shot, you will see that the transport controls do not appear to have any button for "record;" it just has play, pause, fast forward and reverse. It might be just a playback device.

 

It is a slimline Revox!

 

Incredible. That's what a tape machine can look like in the 21st century. Looking forward to see what kind of tech they have packed in this thing and if this is maybe an advancement on the "old" Studers or a step backwards. I'm sure head options will be configurable upon ordering.

 

They claim it will be play only and sell in the $4K to $5K range.

 

That would explain the absence of a RECORD button.