mrGrosvenor
vintage connoisseur...
just a quick question... are BASF still manufacturing reel tapes? or are all the new ones out there for sale from old stock 
are genuine BASF tapes still being made?
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BASF left the tape market a long time ago. Since then, the same tapes have been made on the same machines with the same specs and performances by Emtec (ex-BASF Magnetics), then RMG, then by Pyral who is now operating under the RTM brand (short for "Recording the masters"). I'd say all the tapes carrying the BASF name were made at least 20 years ago. This said, they are not known as having decay / sticky shed problems, I've never had a problem with BASF tape, and I still use them with confidence.
If you want to check the global health record of a particular type that you consider using, Richard Hess' website has a very knolwledgeable (and regularly updated) list of degrading tapes that have been identified by restoration professionals.
If you want to check the global health record of a particular type that you consider using, Richard Hess' website has a very knolwledgeable (and regularly updated) list of degrading tapes that have been identified by restoration professionals.
mrGrosvenor
vintage connoisseur...
Thank you for all this information! it was very helpful. I¨m looking to buy some tapes that indeed have the Emtec + Basf inprint on the boxing. I went to the Emtec page but couldn¨t find any info on tapes only other digital storage so perhaps they no longer make tapes?
dhnash
Super Member
To expand on jlb2's comments, here is some information regarding the history of Emtec/BASF tape.
The analog tape lineage for RMG / RMGI started with AGFA, which later became BASF and Emtec while the tape was still made, coated, and slit in Munich, and changed the name to RMGI when operations moved to Holland (and the formulations remained the same). RMGI moved operations to PYRAL in France, and continued the same formulations originally created by industry legend BASF. All RMG analog tape formulations (900, 911, and 468) were known for their slitting accuracy, crucial for consistent tape alignment. When analog tape enthusiasts cite legendary 3M and Scotch tape of years past, BASF is mentioned in the same breath.
In 2015 MULANN S.A. located in France, acquired PYRAL, the world leading manufacturer of magnetic tape products formerly BASF/EMTEC plant equipment. After BASF, EMTEC, RMGI and PYRAL, MULANN owns the original formulas of analog recording tapes which have been used in world class music studios to record major albums. These magnetic formulas deliver a very high sensitivity and dynamic sound quality. They also offer the capabilities to store contents for several decades, far beyond what drive and optical media offer today. MULANN Industries a subsidiary of MULANN SA is carrying the torch to continue and reinforce the production of the highest standards for audio, and invest in the audio professional sector. MULANN's line of tapes are called Recording the Masters (RTM).
Based on this information, it seems that Emtec no longer has the equipment or the rights to use the formulas it had previously used for manufacturing audio recording tape. If you are trying to obtain tapes with boxes that have the original Emtec/BASF imprinting, you may find them on a resale market such as eBay.
The analog tape lineage for RMG / RMGI started with AGFA, which later became BASF and Emtec while the tape was still made, coated, and slit in Munich, and changed the name to RMGI when operations moved to Holland (and the formulations remained the same). RMGI moved operations to PYRAL in France, and continued the same formulations originally created by industry legend BASF. All RMG analog tape formulations (900, 911, and 468) were known for their slitting accuracy, crucial for consistent tape alignment. When analog tape enthusiasts cite legendary 3M and Scotch tape of years past, BASF is mentioned in the same breath.
In 2015 MULANN S.A. located in France, acquired PYRAL, the world leading manufacturer of magnetic tape products formerly BASF/EMTEC plant equipment. After BASF, EMTEC, RMGI and PYRAL, MULANN owns the original formulas of analog recording tapes which have been used in world class music studios to record major albums. These magnetic formulas deliver a very high sensitivity and dynamic sound quality. They also offer the capabilities to store contents for several decades, far beyond what drive and optical media offer today. MULANN Industries a subsidiary of MULANN SA is carrying the torch to continue and reinforce the production of the highest standards for audio, and invest in the audio professional sector. MULANN's line of tapes are called Recording the Masters (RTM).
Based on this information, it seems that Emtec no longer has the equipment or the rights to use the formulas it had previously used for manufacturing audio recording tape. If you are trying to obtain tapes with boxes that have the original Emtec/BASF imprinting, you may find them on a resale market such as eBay.
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Agfa is not BASF actually, they just stopped selling tape and sold their equipment and formulations to their former competitor. Likewise, RMG acquired the machines and the right to make those tapes when Emtec moved out of the magnetic media business. As the story goes, some of the machines had already been dumped before that last transaction, which would explain why the "SM468" printing on the back disappeared at that time. When RMG stopped making tape in 2011, they announced that Pyral was taking over - and that all the manufacturing facilities were moving from the Netherlands to Normandy in the process. A few years later, Pyral had to file for bankruptcy and was purchased by Mulann in 2015, with no other consequence to the consumers than Pyral being now operating under Mulann's management, and under the RTM name. Parts of the story are told there, and AK member Wilhem told the earlier events here and on the Tapeheads forum.
One last thing: it seems that the name change from PEM468 (Agfa and early BASF) to SM468 was not just a name change, but the manufacturing of the tape also changed. There is a metallic layer in the SM468 that was not there before, so there has definitely been a redesign and the SM468 is not the older Agfa PEM468, although both tapes are remarkably similar, and in particular seem to have remained the same regarding bias.
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BASF began production of experimental magnetic tape as early as 1934, long before AGFA. We competed with AGFA as the main producers until 1947 when 3M "invented" magnetic tape by coating oxide onto paper. In 1991 BASF purchased AGFA when their business was no longer sustainable. (We outsold AGFA with 4 sales people and 1 manager versus their staff of 23 or so.) Although some formulations of studio mastering tape continued to be made in the AGFA Munich factory, BASF still produced SM911 and SM900 in Willstaett. In 1996 the United States Department of Justice began an investigation into the price fixing scheme for audio cassette pancakes being run by BASF, Aurex, and SKC. After an attempt to dump the tape business onto RAKS of Turkey, BASF managers convinced naive Korean managers of Kohap that VHS would last another 15 years before any decline and that the tape business was healthy. Kohap foolishly took the bait and bought the business for a song from BASF. The new company was renamed Emtec.
At AES conventions we lined up three Studer quarter-inch recorders and shuttled pancakes of Ampex, 3M, and BASF SM911 tape back and forth on each recorder at high speed. Within five to ten minutes the Ampex and 3M pancakes fell off the machines. The same BASF pancake went fast forward and reverse all three days of the convention, stopping only at night.
The oldest recordings on magnetic tape are from the 1936-1937 time period. They are brittle and must be handled carefully. Sound quality is poor because AC bias would only be discovered six years later. Arrhenius testing on optical phthalocyanine CD-Rs recorded properly suggest a lifetime of about 125 years before the accretion of errors renders them unreadable. DVD+/-R use a less stable dye and are projected to last about 70 years. The assumption is that neither medium is scratched, subjected to radical swings in temperatures or humidity, or exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time.
It would be interesting to know what type you have, but there are just too many tapes that came in grey cases. The type is usually printed on the leader if it came with one. Squeaking can be caused by several degradation modes (loss of lubricant comes to mind) but, since it does not prevent playing the tape (yet), it is best to play them one last time to make a copy, and then not use them any more since things can only get worse.
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
The open reel last formulas are still made. By what is now Recording The Masters. They have launched the new Fox K7 cassette formula as well, very BASF/Agfa inspired.
