Reel to Reel decks

Hi Tonykyma, I also don't have a background in pro audio recording. In my post I mentioned 14" 1/2 track but meant 1/4" 1/2 track. With the nagra I like that it is portable and opens up more opportunity for recording (the iv-l can take two mics). I think making your own live recordings would be both very challenging and exciting, I am looking forward to learning.

Something that I have been wondering about that is not obvious to me but also addresses some of the discussion in this thread is about making dubs of say master tapes. It has been debated that a dub cannot be better than the original and I leave that for others to debate. My question is suppose I have a 1/4" 1/2 track master and I want to make a dub. Let's say the master is fragile and valuable (only want to play it once to make a dub for example). If I make a dub I would want to use that dub to make other play copies (so my dub would be my working master). My thought is that it would be better to make my master dub onto 1/2" 1/2 track rather than 1/4" 1/2 track. My thought is that subsequent dubs would be better from the 1/2" tape than a 1/4" tape with less chance of loss? It seems intuitively correct but I don't have any experience to verify that (I don't have 1/2" heads but they are available for my machines).

Hi Andy, although I am not pro but I learned some from the pro , if you have 1/2" tape then better use as the master, store in reverse condition (fast forward first and record and store, time to play back same fast forward first and play, that will keep tape better for longer), for more copies, dub from the master to a dub master in a 1/4 , in making copies better dub in same speed (you can use fast speed for less time but in quality down a little bite ) those small sound quality different can be notice only by higher level play back system or by people's individuality. try more different things to do in recording for to get the answers maybe we can as good as the pro's doing sometime

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You guys kill me. Just when I think I'm "there", someone mentions the "Maxell XLII, Position "EE" tape with its holographic imaging. Now, I want to "take a walk among the musicians". I am so curious and I really want to experience that sensation. All of this means more money for a good tape machine, and even more money for the surely expensive Maxell blank tapes. I started reading this thread for the hell of it because I owned a reel to reel machine a long time ago. I wanted to see what the dinosaurs of hifi were discussing, since of course tape and tape machines were supposed to be long since obsolete. It's been 25 years since I've had a reel to reel machine, and I knew that I'd never look back, much less go back. I must admit this thread has been very informative and very intriguing. Now I'll get to work doing my homework on finding a suitable machine. Thanks to all of you for the info you've provided for me to re-discover reel to reel. Then again, no thanks to all of you for the money it's going to cost me to get re-involved. I'm just thinking of the money than I could have saved if I'd never read this thread.
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Digital technology is doing successfully in vision and communication, when CD was doing great because at that time most people listen to cassette tape and low level vinyl system in solid state amp, but after people found out CD with tube was much better then tube gear came back, later high level vinyl system with tube amp can beat most of CD so that is why most of the high end market full of vinyl system now. reel to reel machine is no more on production now, a pro machine like Studer is very bargain in price even less than a small mid level cartridge but most machine in transistor amp, now people try to play with tube again, I believe this will be top of all in sound quality, the only problem is the source, tape your own is one of the way

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I don't think I'll be taking that walk among the musicians after all. It seems that a used reel of the Maxell tape mentioned above is about $65. Extra if you want it bulk erased. That walk is a little too rich for my blood.
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