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If my Pioneer RT-909 is set for LPR90, can I use ATR MDS-36 and Maxell UD?

Onebean

Onebean

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
My Pioneer RT-909 is at service now, and the tech is setting the bias for LPR90. I have some Maxell UD and TDK Audua. Can those older tapes be used without compromise of sound quality? Also, is ATR MDS-36 compatible with a machine set for LPR90? This is my first 10" machine I'll have in use, so I'm trying to educate myself on tape selection.
 
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Typically a R2R is adjusted to provide a combination of bias and equalization settings that result in optimum performance for a specific type of tape. The use of other types of tape would probably result in less than ideal but certainly acceptable performance assuming the tapes do not differ significantly in their recording characteristics. Newer tapes have characteristics that allow them to achieve better performance than older tapes like those you mentioned. The recommended approach is to use the same type of tape that the unit was calibrated for in order to achieve the best performance.
 
Onebean said:
Do you have any input on the compatibility or incompatibility of LPR90 and MDS-36?
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The tapes I use for most of my recordings are RTM LPR35 and Capture 930. Most of my R2Rs have been calibrated for LPR35 and either of these two tapes seem to provide excellent results. I have a few reels of LPR90 on which I have done very limited recording and have not tried MDS-36 so I can't really offer an opinion as to the relative performance or compatibility of those two tapes on a R2R that is calibrated for LPR90. One thing to keep in mind is the RT-909 has switchable bias and equalization settings (Positions 1 and 2). Your tech may be able to make adjustments so that you would be able to use different combinations of these settings to obtain good results with more than one type of tape. If you can provide samples of LPR90 and MDS-36 tape to your tech, they can also measure the difference in performance of MDS-36 when it is used on your RT-909 after it has been calibrated for LPR90.
 
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