What's the Modern Purpose of Reel-To-Reel??
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steerpike2
Super Member
Technics SV100, around 1981. Digital Stereo Audio on VHS cassette, targetted at the domestic market. A contender to Sony's PCM501ES which was the electronics box, but that required an attached VHS or Beta video recorder of your own providing.
The Technics was a self contained unit (Essentially the ancestor of R-DAT)
I can't comment on the sounds of vintage tube amps - you may well be right. But you will not get the best sound from a compressed and lossy MP3 source.
You can certainly get great quality from a PC with a decent sound card - but the source files need to be lossless (WAV, FLAC) and 16/44.1 upwards to 24/192.
If, like me, you like hardware player/recorders rather than a PC - although I use both - you could think about (in ascending order of quality)
16/48 DAT - all models
24/48 DAT - Tascam DA-45HR
24/96 DTRS - Tascam DA-98HR (aggregating two tracks per channel)
24/192 DTRS - Tascam DA-98HR (aggregating four tracks per channel)
I have both the DA-45HR and the DA-98HR. They are not as interesting to watch as R2R but it could be argued these are the ultimate tape recorders.
The DA-98HR was redundant before it was launched around 2000 as studios were alreading going 24/96 and 24/192 on DAWs. I got one with just 45 hours use for less than £300 delivered.
Regards,
Peter
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krazygrrl
Well-Known Member
I can't comment on the sounds of vintage tube amps - you may well be right. But you will not get the best sound from a compressed and lossy MP3 source.
You can certainly get great quality from a PC with a decent sound card - but the source files need to be lossless (WAV, FLAC) and 16/44.1 upwards to 24/192.
If, like me, you like hardware player/recorders rather than a PC - although I use both - you could think about (in ascending order of quality)
16/48 DAT - all models
24/48 DAT - Tascam DA-45HR
24/96 DTRS - Tascam DA-98HR (aggregating two tracks per channel)
24/192 DTRS - Tascam DA-98HR (aggregating four tracks per channel)
I have both the DA-45HR and the DA-98HR. They are not as interesting to watch as R2R but it could be argued these are the ultimate tape recorders.
The DA-98HR was redundant before it was launched around 2000 as studios were alreading going 24/96 and 24/192 on DAWs. I got one with just 45 hours use for less than £300 delivered.
Regards,
Peter
Hi Peter,
Those are totally cool! :thmbsp:
Absolutely no modern justification for R2R
With that said, tape is cool. Spinning reels, analog meters, glowing lights, and that wonderful tape saturation sound-just can't get it anywhere else.
I will dub an lp onto tape, and play the tape just to get that phat sound. If I only have a CD, I do the same sometimes. CD's can sound so clinical. It's inaccurate, but hey, it sounds good to me. Scratch that-it sounds great to me.
It makes absolutely no sense. But logic can often times be overrated. I hope the OP's console can be opened in such a way that the reels can be seen to move, etc. It sure is a great conversation piece. After listening to mp3's played on $50 dollar docks, I get lots of thumbs up from visitors in my house
With that said, tape is cool. Spinning reels, analog meters, glowing lights, and that wonderful tape saturation sound-just can't get it anywhere else.
I will dub an lp onto tape, and play the tape just to get that phat sound. If I only have a CD, I do the same sometimes. CD's can sound so clinical. It's inaccurate, but hey, it sounds good to me. Scratch that-it sounds great to me.
It makes absolutely no sense. But logic can often times be overrated. I hope the OP's console can be opened in such a way that the reels can be seen to move, etc. It sure is a great conversation piece. After listening to mp3's played on $50 dollar docks, I get lots of thumbs up from visitors in my house
Sandy G
Retired Member
Edriz
AK Member
Personally, I wouldn't be without a R2R. I record all my vinyl to tape, either R2R or cassette. Then, with getting up to 4 albums, sometimes 5, I can put a tape on and have uninterupted listening pleasure, on the best sounding format, for up to 3 hours.
I have yet, in 35 years or so ever mae a mixed tape. I record and have always listened to full albums. I've always said I wanted to tale the 45's I have from the 50's and 60's and record those on a R2R tape but what stops me is the amount of time it would take to do that. Maybe one day.
I have yet, in 35 years or so ever mae a mixed tape. I record and have always listened to full albums. I've always said I wanted to tale the 45's I have from the 50's and 60's and record those on a R2R tape but what stops me is the amount of time it would take to do that. Maybe one day.
copterske2
Active Member
Oh, another use: archiving BBC Pink Floyd programming before it disappears from their website
The 34B's gettin a workout.
Cool, I'll have to check that out!
I recently subscribed to Dr Demento's online site where you can listen to the original streamed archive shows (complete with commercials for Pacific Stereo, University Stereo, Akai products etc). At 4 hours per show, RTR is the perfect medium to record them with. No need to do more than 3-3/4 ips since the stream is only 128k. I'm planning to set up to record MET opera broadcasts this winter as well. It's fun.
Smorgy
Vinyl Junky Speakerhaulic
It's FUN. What more can be said?!? I have a 6 disc CD changer, its great for non-stop, no commercial music. But once I push the play button, I'm done. When I'm playing vinyl or playing tapes, its fun and interactive!
//Smorgy
fpatton
New Member
I'm very new to RTR, but my dad was heavily in to high end audio in the '50s and '60s. Lots of Mercury Living Presence, etc. He had an RTR deck, but he used it only for exchanging audio messages with his parents. I asked if he had ever bought pre-recorded RTR tapes, and he said, "Noooo, no, they were way too expensive. Records only."
I have digital recording gear (I'm a drummer and a choir director), and I really don't have any plans to use the RTR for that, but only to use it for playback of pre-recorded tapes I find available various places.
So far, it's been pretty hit-or-miss with the quality of tapes (I have half a dozen or so), but the Mahler 4th was quite simply audio nirvana.
And yes, it's fun!
Fred
I have digital recording gear (I'm a drummer and a choir director), and I really don't have any plans to use the RTR for that, but only to use it for playback of pre-recorded tapes I find available various places.
So far, it's been pretty hit-or-miss with the quality of tapes (I have half a dozen or so), but the Mahler 4th was quite simply audio nirvana.
And yes, it's fun!
Fred
schuylercat
Too many systems, so little time...
I always dreamed about having a reel to reel when I was a kid. Now, I have some of the best made. A lot of it is nostalgia, I suppose. I also have a collection of 8-tracks and decks.
This! Except I don't have a RTR. I don't have a cassette either. Or an 8 track. Or a 4 track. I have a Scotch Tape Dispenser, though.
Want: RT-707. I love Pioneer's 909, but I wanted the 707, as stated above, since I was a kid. Imma git one, too, next year maybe.
As for use, though: I have always made (you know, 25 years ago) playlists. I would mix Coltrane and Davis and Monk and whoever else I had in the bin (or Van Halen, Dio, and Zep), just to have the radio-style playlist they never played MY way on the radio. As for jazz back then, I'd hear Brubeck, maybe Harry James, and then Kenny G. I'd just turn the thing off.
EDIT: Did I say 25 years ago? I so funny. Meant 30 years ago. Wait...30 years ago?
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Cosmic
Well-Known Member
My purpose of having a reel-to-reel:
To have a recorder capable of living up to any of my playback sources.
To record some of my newer LP purchases (180-gram vinyl) onto tape.
To start thinking about doing mixtapes of some of my late stepfather's 2000+ Verve/Riverside/Blue Note jazz albums.
To record myself playing guitar and piano before putting the tape into my DAW for multitracking.
The occational classical radio recording.
The enjoyment of wide-frequency, no-noise reduction, rock-stable sound reproduction.
The fact that, with tape falling out of favor, I could finally afford top-shelf after years of lusting after consumer decks.
C.
To have a recorder capable of living up to any of my playback sources.
To record some of my newer LP purchases (180-gram vinyl) onto tape.
To start thinking about doing mixtapes of some of my late stepfather's 2000+ Verve/Riverside/Blue Note jazz albums.
To record myself playing guitar and piano before putting the tape into my DAW for multitracking.
The occational classical radio recording.
The enjoyment of wide-frequency, no-noise reduction, rock-stable sound reproduction.
The fact that, with tape falling out of favor, I could finally afford top-shelf after years of lusting after consumer decks.
C.
tapetech
Repair Professional
My purpose of having a reel-to-reel:
To have a recorder capable of living up to any of my playback sources.
To record some of my newer LP purchases (180-gram vinyl) onto tape.
To start thinking about doing mixtapes of some of my late stepfather's 2000+ Verve/Riverside/Blue Note jazz albums.
To record myself playing guitar and piano before putting the tape into my DAW for multitracking.
The occasional classical radio recording.
The enjoyment of wide-frequency, no-noise reduction, rock-stable sound reproduction.
The fact that, with tape falling out of favor, I could finally afford top-shelf after years of lusting after consumer decks.
C.
I just purchased one of theses tapes. Highly recommended (if you enjoy classical music). I think I'm hooked.
New music released in RTR format
Yarlung Records has released four classical music albums in RTR format. You need a half-track, 15 ips deck to play them. IEC play EQ (35 usec) is needed as well. If you only have an NAB EQ deck, you could just back off the treble by about 3 db and it will be close. A good repair shop could change play EQ as well (just change two cap values).
The Tape Project has already done this, but Yarlungs prices are a lot more affordable (one tape for $125, 4 tapes for $100 each). Considering the labor involved and the cost of raw tape it's a fair price. Content and sonic quality is quite good as well (see review).
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue58/yarlung.htm
http://www.yarlungrecords.com/analog.html#a1
To listen to song samples at Yarlung Records...
http://www.yarlungrecords.com/MCPLAYER/index.html
.
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BANDWIDTH
Well-Known Member
I have an 8-track, 15 x 1/2" machine available. Would the tapes you mentioned play on tracks 1 + 3? I'm interested in some of the offerings but need to know if I can play them. Thanks.
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
No, it will not. Different format entirely.
TAGO MAGO
Super Member
I found it particularly useful when a customer of mine came to the store to have some 8mm film transferred and we discovered that some of the reels were not film, but audio tapes that her family would send back and forth to each other as "audio letters". She asked me "what am I supposed to do with these" and I replied without a second thought "I can put those on CD for you".