Best blank and prerecorded reel-to-reel tape brands?
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Ozric
Active Member
As far as blank media, ther are only two choices for new tape, RMGI and ATR, both are sold at US Recording http://www.usrecordingmedia.com/ I have used the RMGI LPR35 and it sounds and performs fantastic. As far as NOS or used tape, the best in my opnion is Maxell. Others to consider are TDK and BASF (Newer) and most Quantegy. Ampex, Scotch, Sony and other older brands should be avoided, especially the Ampex tape made in the 80's and 90's, it will shed and leave sticky residue all over your deck. I avoid Ampex like the plague. I had several reels of Ampex 456 that went bad and made a mess of my machines. Many Scotch and Sony formulas have not aged well either, Scotch 207-208, 212 and Sony PR-150 shed badly in my experience. I have very little experience with pre-recorded tapes, but I would think it is not of the best quality.
ShaneR2R
My Teac A2300S, (Avatar)
I agree with Ozric. Recently I purchased Maxell R2R tape from the late 70's early 80's and it has performed flawlessly and as I expected has not shed. I also use Quantegy 456 tape, which is great tape. I haven't tryed any of the new RMGI, but plan to in the near future. I am undecided as to which tape I want to try, the LPR35 or the SM468.
tohm
Member
A few months ago. I got a few new reels of some the last batch of 456 Quantegy made. After trying RMG products, I must conclude that the 456 had already deteriorated quite considerably. I am super happy with RMG. I'm no pro but I did verify that it's very consistent.
I stumbled across a whole crate of used and new Maxell 35-90 tapes that I use for my living room machine and for echo with the revoxes. They all sound "the same". I mean, if they deteriorated at all, they all did very equally. They don't leave more redisue than the new tape I buy. These tapes sound damn good in fact. If it had a little better bass response I would use it for mixdowns. It distorts rather nicely
I stumbled across a whole crate of used and new Maxell 35-90 tapes that I use for my living room machine and for echo with the revoxes. They all sound "the same". I mean, if they deteriorated at all, they all did very equally. They don't leave more redisue than the new tape I buy. These tapes sound damn good in fact. If it had a little better bass response I would use it for mixdowns. It distorts rather nicely
ShaneR2R
My Teac A2300S, (Avatar)
The unused Maxell 50-60UD I purchased (10 of them with box) sound damm good too !! tohm when you say the 456 has started to deteriorate, do you mean sound wise or with the binder ??
tohm
Member
Sound-wise. One of my machines was calibrated for it and in perfect condition... Got it tuned for RMG SM900 and it's MUCH better sounding... I mean not different better, I mean better better.
But then again... maybe I did something wrong when testing or my ears trick me... don't take my word for it but I head what I heard.
Bottom line for me is no old tape for "important" recordings.
Garrard201
Well-Known Member
Everyone else is right on about used (Maxell) and new (RMGI). For pre-recorded tapes, I've gotten great sound out of the Ampex 7 1/2 IPS tapes from the 1960s and early 1970s. These are usually in blue boxes and have large hub reels. Columbia reels from the mid-60s (again, 7 1/2) seem pretty good, too. Never been impressed by a tape I've gotten that was 3 3/4.
quadraTOMic
Active Member
My Two Cents: For pre-recorded, I think any of the pre-recorded MagTec's from the early 70's outclassed the AMPEX by a country mile. Also the early RCA two track Orthophonic from the 50's held up well and sound good today.
For blanks, I agree, Maxell seems to best everybody although I've got early Scotch (even the Acetate's) from the late 50's and early 60's that seem to have held up well and sound as good today as they have then. I do live in a dry climate, so that may have made a difference. Have had bad luck with the early TDK blanks.
For blanks, I agree, Maxell seems to best everybody although I've got early Scotch (even the Acetate's) from the late 50's and early 60's that seem to have held up well and sound as good today as they have then. I do live in a dry climate, so that may have made a difference. Have had bad luck with the early TDK blanks.
AnalogDigit
Realistic fan.
I always liked Maxell UD recording tape. Never tried TDK or other brands because I could never find it.
Garrard201
Well-Known Member
quadratomic- I never even thought of Magtec. Any recommendations for artists or titles? I'd like to pick some up.
quadraTOMic
Active Member
I like the DOLBY encoded MagTec reels. They were issued covering all of recorded music spectrum at the time and they seem to have been duped at a slower speed than the AMPEX tapes. Also, as my handle implies, most of the Quadraphonic issues are especially good.
targeteye
Super Member
To tell the truth I do not have a clue. They were in a plain box. All individually wrapped in plastic but no labels at all other than ampex on the reels.
Here is a pic.
Steve
Ozric
Active Member
targeteye,
Since you do not know what type of Ampex tape you have, just be careful with it. Watch for any signs of tape shedding and or dark brown or black sticky build up on the heads and tape guides, if you see any of this give your machine a good cleaning and throw the tape away. Not all Ampex was bad, but most of the trouble tape came from the mid to late 80's and on through the 90's, a pretty large span. I do not know when Ampex corrected the problem with their formulas or if it took place when Quantegy took it over.
Since you do not know what type of Ampex tape you have, just be careful with it. Watch for any signs of tape shedding and or dark brown or black sticky build up on the heads and tape guides, if you see any of this give your machine a good cleaning and throw the tape away. Not all Ampex was bad, but most of the trouble tape came from the mid to late 80's and on through the 90's, a pretty large span. I do not know when Ampex corrected the problem with their formulas or if it took place when Quantegy took it over.
Do Maxells not pick up the bass very good then? I mean, do they have that thick sound of a large frequency range or are they missing bass? I'm shopping for my first tape, and I want it to record something very important. I used to use just an old TASCAM tape recorder but now I got two Reel-to-Reels to record 4 tracks and when I'm done transfer them to vinyl. So what tape do you think has the best frequency range? It's hard to tell sometimes, like I prefer my Shure lyric for singing which gets less bass but my Shure SM58 for recording instruments, which has lots of bass. Sooooo I really am lost on this one as a R2R beginner.
Jonny Ramone
Super Member
What type? The older brown oxides are fine, typically, like 641,642,631,632. How the tapes were stored also makes a BIG difference. I've had messy Maxell tapes, and fine Sony and Scotch tapes. Old tape is a crapshoot.
vidguy
Active Member
Don't waste time paying through the nose for NOS or iffy used....
RMGI all the way, tape is new, can record +4 to +9, depending on formulation.
It won't stick, or shed, low noise floor, nicely slit edges and doesn't squeal or wander on the reels. Fantastic, reliable stuff
I bought a couple of 10 reel cases of LPR35 and I'm never looking for old stock again.
RMGI all the way, tape is new, can record +4 to +9, depending on formulation.
It won't stick, or shed, low noise floor, nicely slit edges and doesn't squeal or wander on the reels. Fantastic, reliable stuff
I bought a couple of 10 reel cases of LPR35 and I'm never looking for old stock again.
