Restored my dads R2R but no tape loop on integrated

oldhvymec  
As usual you make little sense.  
The OP expressed interest in recording vinyl not remastering it.
Period.

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I know, that's when you spouted off and said

" A "true" tape loop has nothing to do with EQ."

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Of course you took it out of context. I said EQ down stream before the recorder/tape. You can master a tape that's the whole point. To what DEGREE do you want to record?

A Remix is considered a master cut IF you wind up with an original when you're done.. Isn't it? I thought that was the point..

No matter the reason I wish the OP the best results, I was just offering what a TAPE LOOP was for. Not what you use it for.. There is more than one way to create a loop.. In this case for Tape recordings.. No different than for a CD. A dozen ways to spit those out too..

Most Macs still have tape loops, my C2500 does "Record in" and "Record out". Has onboard EQ for three types of tape EQs to..

@fuzztone Test mono record is a good idea for understanding offset but again, the imbalance is never consistent across records so i think finding a baseline adjustment on R2R wouldn’t work in my case.

The reason for suspecting something other than cartridge is how often the imbalance appears on thicker records. I do have older LPs from my dad that sit pretty much direct center. Newer, remastered LPs are usually the disappointing ones - Led Zepplin I remastered by Jimmy Page is awful, Robert Plant sounds like hes singing from 2 o’clock and incredibly bright at a suitable listening volume. Sometimes i wondering if my left speaker was even working when i listed to that album initially.

Not ruling out cartridge or any other issue but I’ve done quite a bit of reading and its a never ending deep dive into misinformation, this method vs that method, etc and in the end I don’t want to get lost in all that...It seems that no matter what info you find on any topic there will always be someone in opposition. I purchased a USB mic (miniDSP) and using REW to try out some testing but again, so much conflicting info online and I’d rather not blow $700 on Adjust+ or something else.

Thanks for tips on setting levels, I picked up the restored R2R yesterday and the technician gave me some info as well. Did not think about speakers having an effect on the tape!! So I probably would’ve made that mistake early on

@elliottbnewcombjr That RLC-1 looks interesting. In hindsight, i would happily trade the built in DAC on my integrated for a simple tape loop and basic balance/tone controls, a much simpler fix than trying to meet many different parameters for an audio format that’s inherently flawed. Getting exact azimuth/vta/vtf/anti-skate/etc is great until the record is slightly warped, slightly thicker, slightly dirty, etc. Why chase such exacting parameters when most cartridges do not have perfect azimuth when received, do not have perfect balance between channels? Its fruitless and in the end I really just wanted to enjoy listening to records not make it my whole life pursuit.

I’ve used a blank test record and had to add extra weight to the fishline antiskate system on my Pro-ject just to keep it from pulling towards the center. Only to find it did not correct the error and possibly made it worse. Then i took anti-skate completely off and couldn’t notice much of a difference but it sounded as if the balance had improved!? Maybe VTF needs to be adjusted accordingly? Some people don’t even believe antiskate is needed and a heavier VTF yields better results. I’ve watched the azimuth of the cartridge during playback but again, records are so imperfect that it’ll tilt to the left, then to the right on each revolution so I can’t understand the logic of trying to get those parameters somehow “perfect”. Even finding the “right” test record that has a properly centered spindle hole, etc is hopeless - any recommendation you find there will always be a conflicting one.

I don’t expect my ears to be very discerning, not much experience with hifi up until a few months ago but channel imbalance is something thats definitely distracting. Having a balance control somewhere in my chain would allow me to fix that quickly for each record i listen to and avoid wasting hours and hours on the TT adjustments.

@oldhvymec Thanks for the info on EQ, i will probably stick with the adjustments available on my R2R for the time being. If I can correct for channel imbalance that alone would make the tape an improvement over LP.

Chase RLC-1, $62. USD is a great price, you will love it, for any lp or individual track from your listening position!!! Same for any CD or Digital that has an imbalance, especially 'Greatest Hits' and compilations with tracks from many different original engineers, and who knows what happened later by someone with a cold that day effecting hearing in one ear ... late in their life when they didn't realize they had a problem. 

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649736266-chase-technologies-rlc-1-remote-line-controller-in...

Alignment is not supposed to be a nightmare, just done carefully, no need for perfection.

You will find the source of the problem, let it go for a while, use this gizmo for happy listening.

@elliottbnewcombjr I was looking into the RLC-1 this weekend and got turned onto passive preamps. I like the idea of using dual mono step attenuators (like Khozmo products) as a method of adjusting for channel imbalance. Lots to consider in getting a passive preamp system right so i’m going to stick with what I have for now.

On the positive side, using the dual outputs on my phono preamp has worked out great. I have the XLR output of phono stage connected to input A1 on my Cambridge, RCA output of phono stage connected to Teac, and the Teac outputs plugged into input A2.

I’ve tested switching back and forth between A1 & A2 inputs, listening to the TT direct or through the tape deck (with Teac output selector switches set to ’Source’). There’s no feedback that I can hear.

In fact its been nice listening to the TT routed through my tape deck because it allows me to use the Teac’s balance controls to deal with the channel imbalance issue I have. I’m not able to hear much of a difference in quality vs direct from XLR but getting the vocals centered makes a huge difference in listening experience.

It’s a temporary fix until I upgrade my turntable and can delve into properly adjusting all parameters. I was planning on a restored Thorens with heavier effective mass tonearm and something like a Hana EL or another low/mid compliance cartridge. The entry level pro-ject i have is designed as plug&play and would be challenging to properly tweak.