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Best REEL TO REEL blank tape?

Hi. I am about to buy a Pioneer RT 909 open reel tape deck to record many of my LPs on. I have been out of the open reel tape deck game for more years than I can count. My understanding is that Maxell UD-180 tape is top notch (the "best" is always debatable). I also understand that this Maxell tape was their latest to be manufactured -- late '90s -- 2003. Are my assumptions correct? What open reel tape do YOU recommend for 10" reels and why? Thanks for your help. Cal.
dramapsycho
topoxforddoc's avatar
topoxforddoc
353 posts
 
I'm another R2R tape fan. 15 IPS 2 1/4 inch track tape replay is about as good as one can get, unless you get lucky finding 1/2 inch masters.

Personally I use the RMGi (now Recording the Masters) brand, which is the continuation of the classic BASF and AGFA formulations. My normal tapes are either SM911 (1.5 mil base) or LPR35 (same formulation as SM911 but on a long play 1 mil base). I use 2 x Sony APR 5003 and a Studer A807/II. I have too many R2Rs and am reluctantly letting my Revox G36 High Speed go.
qdrone
1,041 posts
 
The reason I put some vinyl on R2R is because some albums only have a few good songs.
Take Adam Ant,I have the entire catalog but Stripped and Vive Le Rock only have a few good cuts so I put those on tape and put the albums in a box. When the box is full I take them down and cash them in for store credit. I’m thinning out the herd,I have close to 20,000 albums and I ain’t getting any younger. It’s a process...
scar972's avatar
scar972
231 posts
 
If you're already going through the trouble of transferring your vinyl to tape, might as well get the best sound you can. As mentioned above, 15ips 2-track on 1/4 tape is about the best you can get. The sound of tape is second to none and there's a big difference in sound quality between 2-track and 4-track. If you've already purchased the RT-909 than 2-track wouldn't be an option.
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 
scar972 
while what you say is absolutely true, I consider 15 IPS a waste of tape; that would only be for a live musical event. I can't tell the difference between 15 IPS and 7 1/2 IPS for CD's and LP's; but if the tape isn't a problem, why not?  And of course the machine has to be 2 track. 

If anyone stops to figure how much 15 IPS on 2 track is going to cost, as well as the shorter time for what they're getting, they might reconsider after they experiment.  But since this is theoretical, why not.
ochremoon
48 posts
 
@qdrone those are precisely my reasons for making tapes. There are millions of us who have been doing it for decades. I've done ADC with good results (better than the commercial CDs) but still prefer tape for the sound. 
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