Reel to reel

@orpheus10 

Which tape did you get from ATR?

And thanks for that link, great article that I really enjoyed.

Uberwaltz, this is the one I got;


      https://www.atrtape.com/products/mds-36-tape-14-x-3600


I downloaded those 15 IPS tapes to the hard drive and then re-recorded over them at 7 1/2.   

I have a good set up for downloading because I've been doing it with vinyl.  I got very high quality results, I can't tell it from reel.  For sure you will get the same results as new tape when you record over once.

I'm thinking about making a tape, downloading it to hard drive, and then recording a new tape over that.  This way I get double duty from the tape with no sacrifice in quality.

If you have the set up for downloading vinyl, you can do the same.

Uberwaltz and Gusser, since our projects are expensive and time consuming, spare no expense in getting the most from your efforts.


Each time, before recording, clean heads and de-magnetize them. Be sure you have rubber-cleaner for your rollers; while you don't have to do it that often, make sure it's done, that will preserve your rollers.

One last thing; if you are ever lucky enough to get long green for a brand new machine, give it a second thought, here's why; when you record and playback on your present machine, the results are perfect, that's because you record and playback at the same speed.

Even if your speed is a little bit off, it will still be absolutely perfect. That's because record and playback are at the "same" speed no matter what that speed is.

If you get a brand new reel with perfect speed, and the speed of all those tapes you made does not match that speed; all of your old tapes will be "out to lunch". Something to think about.


We've got the best audio there is, enjoy it.

I am limited to 7" reels as only have my Pioneer rt707 and really trying hard not to purchase another deck that would handle 10.5" reels.

I do try to clean heads and demag once a week though.

On my Pioneer I do have a pitch speed control which I have used on some home recorded tapes I purchased which sounded just a tad off.

I actually record mostly from Qobuz hires onto tape at 7.5 ips and results are stellar.

Still working my way through a pile of Sony tapes I bought locally that were basically brand new and sealed. They can really handle deep record saturation right up high in the red.

It's an expensive hobby for sure compounded by my serious addiction to all types of media and replay equipment for same.