Hello all,
Well after 35 years of owning a stereo that I bought in the early 70's I finally bought my first reel to reel. Always wanted one, never got one. I bought a Teac A-6010. Appears to be in good shape and guy swore it records and plays great. I just have a couple of simple questions...for now at least. Can you guys tell me what is the best tape for recording off another source i.e my tuner, turntable, etc. and where can I buy the respective tape. I have a McIntosh ma-6100, a pair of jbl 100 studio monitor loudspeakers and a pair of snell type E loudspeakers, if these make a difference on which tape to use. Also, should I pick up a head demagnetizer. I will also be looking for a owner's manual to read up on maintenance.

Thanks,
Ray

Did you TEST it and do you have a blank reel?

No and no

No and no

You are going to need a takeup reel, too. You ALSO need to find out if the reel hold-downs are still good. The ones that came with my A-6010 were not, and I am trying to find some before I attempt to.

Hello all,
Well after 35 years of owning a stereo that I bought in the early 70's I finally bought my first reel to reel. Always wanted one, never got one. I bought a Teac A-6010. Appears to be in good shape and guy swore it records and plays great. I just have a couple of simple questions...for now at least. Can you guys tell me what is the best tape for recording off another source i.e my tuner, turntable, etc. and where can I buy the respective tape. I have a McIntosh ma-6100, a pair of jbl 100 studio monitor loudspeakers and a pair of snell type E loudspeakers, if these make a difference on which tape to use. Also, should I pick up a head demagnetizer. I will also be looking for a owner's manual to read up on maintenance.

Thanks,
Ray

Your best bet for recording tape is probably Ebay. I use Maxell UDXL tapes on my A-6300 and you can get them in both 7" and 10.5" reels. The 7" reels go for about $15.00 each. There's a buy it now for two reels for about 30 bucks.

I recommend getting a head demagnetizer too. You can pick one up for about 10-15 dollars.

Enjoy!

You have some cleaning and checking to do before you do any serious taping. I pencil type demagnetizer that runs off wall current will certainly be a good idea. Do not know when the heads were demag'd last? You'll have to inspect the whole machine. It should play 7" tapes and 10". You can beg, borrow or buy a used (good condition) pre-recroded tape to use for the first test. You'll need take-up reels. I'd get a 7" and a 10".

Drop by the following site for some pictures of your machine in operation: http://forum.watmm.com/index.php?showtopic=13311

Have fun - Google RGMI for tape. Also do an AK search for blank reel tape as it's been a hot topic lately.

You can also use Maxell and TDK. Some 3M (Scotch) is great and some is known for bad shedding (bad binder), so stay away from there for now.

It's a 7" machine.....I have one.

In case you need a link to buy some new R2R Tape here's a great place.

http://www.usrecordingmedia.com/1oprereta1.html

Much easier than trying to decide what is good on Ebay. really there is no need to buy used when new tape is so easy to get.
I think there should be a sticky here for people to help them buy or find new R2R tape. Take the guess work out of.

In case you need a link to buy some new R2R Tape here's a great place.

http://www.usrecordingmedia.com/1oprereta1.html

Much easier than trying to decide what is good on Ebay. really there is no need to buy used when new tape is so easy to get.
I think there should be a sticky here for people to help them buy or find new R2R tape. Take the guess work out of.
Also remember the principle: Feed your source! :yes:

If everybody always searches-out old-stock tape on Eprey, then the manufacturers who are currently making new tape will find it very diffcult to stay in business, and we will be the ones who loose in the end. :sigh:

Well I already stated my position vís-a-vís pros and cons of NOS versus new here:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=143764

But I guess it would be worth repeating. So here I am quoting myself:
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The eternal NOS debate is definitely a double-edged sword that we all have a love-hate relationship with. Here's why.

1. Buying a roll of NOS means that that's one roll NOT being bought new. That takes away business from the new guys and thus that much more reason to not continue offering them. Or at least offering them at the prices they do.

2. By virtue of having our reel to reel decks, every one of us (myself included) are, to some degree, 'living in the past'. Whether it's holding on to an age where we were younger or simply prefer things 'the way they were' is kind of beside the point. What matters is that we are 'there'. So there is some intuitive appeal to rounding out the whole experience. Not just with the deck, but the accessorial items as well: the reels, the specialty leader tapes, the boxes with the graphics of the period. All of it adds to the experience. So naturally, there is some desire to add that to the system.

2A. Because of the above, and the limited quantities of the vintage tapes and reels available, particularly the virgin grades, it's not hard to figure out why NOS prices can match or even exceed that of new tape, even if the quality of the actual tape isn't as good.

3. Not "all" NOS is bad per se. Some tapes such as Maxell (any grade) and TDK (LX and GX) have proven long shelf lives. Given proper storage and handling, these tapes can and do perform flawlessly with excellent sound regardless of age. The folks peddling new tape will dispute this point to the death, but I'll believe my own ears before believing that "neutral" argument. This isn't to say that some of the newer tapes aren't better sonically, I'm simply saying that NOS isn't "unusable" as some folks would like you to think. You just need to do apples-to-apples comparisons. For example, take Maxell XLI, Quantegy #407, and RMGI LPR-35. All are more or less the same in terms of physical characteristics and sonic performance. Even though the Maxell is the oldest, it still holds its own. So at that point, it all boils down to personal preference, availability, and affordability. This is assuming that the intended application is home recording of LP's and CD's. On the other hand, if you are in a critical listening environment, then yes, I would have to say go with the newest and best you can find. And even then only if you are set up for it with the proper decks. For instance, it would be a waste of money to try and record RMGI 911 on a Teac A3300-S. It's not that it won't work, it's just that the tape is far more than the deck is capable of handling. You will get equally good results using a lesser tape. Think squashing a fly with a wrecking ball.

4. Just as there are some NOS tapes out there that WILL work, there are also some NOS tapes that should be avoided at all costs. Not because the tapes were bad for recording (I don't think that tapes go bad the same way that milk spoils after two weeks), but rather, as noted, because of the so-called 'sticky shed' issue.

So the warning isn't without merit. The important thing is knowing the difference. In this case, do not buy anything that says Ampex (particularly the 406/407, 456/457 and '2020' series), Sony (ULH, SLH, FeCr), and some Scotch/3M (206/207, 226/227, Classic). Buy these tapes for the reels and boxes (see above #2). But for these ones, you would be well advised to dump the tape and replace with a fresh roll (such as a pancake) prior to using.

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DL-No print through here

Well I already stated my position vís-a-vís pros and cons of NOS versus new here:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=143764

But I guess it would be worth repeating. So here I am quoting myself:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The eternal NOS debate is definitely a double-edged sword that we all have a love-hate relationship with. Here's why.

1. Buying a roll of NOS means that that's one roll NOT being bought new. That takes away business from the new guys and thus that much more reason to not continue offering them. Or at least offering them at the prices they do.

2. By virtue of having our reel to reel decks, every one of us (myself included) are, to some degree, 'living in the past'. Whether it's holding on to an age where we were younger or simply prefer things 'the way they were' is kind of beside the point. What matters is that we are 'there'. So there is some intuitive appeal to rounding out the whole experience. Not just with the deck, but the accessorial items as well: the reels, the specialty leader tapes, the boxes with the graphics of the period. All of it adds to the experience. So naturally, there is some desire to add that to the system.

2A. Because of the above, and the limited quantities of the vintage tapes and reels available, particularly the virgin grades, it's not hard to figure out why NOS prices can match or even exceed that of new tape, even if the quality of the actual tape isn't as good.

3. Not "all" NOS is bad per se. Some tapes such as Maxell (any grade) and TDK (LX and GX) have proven long shelf lives. Given proper storage and handling, these tapes can and do perform flawlessly with excellent sound regardless of age. The folks peddling new tape will dispute this point to the death, but I'll believe my own ears before believing that "neutral" argument. This isn't to say that some of the newer tapes aren't better sonically, I'm simply saying that NOS isn't "unusable" as some folks would like you to think. You just need to do apples-to-apples comparisons. For example, take Maxell XLI, Quantegy #407, and RMGI LPR-35. All are more or less the same in terms of physical characteristics and sonic performance. Even though the Maxell is the oldest, it still holds its own. So at that point, it all boils down to personal preference, availability, and affordability. This is assuming that the intended application is home recording of LP's and CD's. On the other hand, if you are in a critical listening environment, then yes, I would have to say go with the newest and best you can find. And even then only if you are set up for it with the proper decks. For instance, it would be a waste of money to try and record RMGI 911 on a Teac A3300-S. It's not that it won't work, it's just that the tape is far more than the deck is capable of handling. You will get equally good results using a lesser tape. Think squashing a fly with a wrecking ball.

4. Just as there are some NOS tapes out there that WILL work, there are also some NOS tapes that should be avoided at all costs. Not because the tapes were bad for recording (I don't think that tapes go bad the same way that milk spoils after two weeks), but rather, as noted, because of the so-called 'sticky shed' issue.

So the warning isn't without merit. The important thing is knowing the difference. In this case, do not buy anything that says Ampex (particularly the 406/407, 456/457 and '2020' series), Sony (ULH, SLH, FeCr), and some Scotch/3M (206/207, 226/227, Classic). Buy these tapes for the reels and boxes (see above #2). But for these ones, you would be well advised to dump the tape and replace with a fresh roll (such as a pancake) prior to using.

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DL-No print through here

You mention RMGI 911 not working well on a Teac A3300S R2R. Here's a question for you, would this tape work ok on a Teac A2300S that has been set up for Quantegy 456 ?? My A2300S sounds good using 456, and I am wanting to buy some new tape. I was thinking that the RMGI SM468 may be the better tape for my recorder, but I am not sure ??? Also I mainly record from high quality CD's if this helps ??

Also remember the principle: Feed your source! :yes:

If everybody always searches-out old-stock tape on Eprey, then the manufacturers who are currently making new tape will find it very diffcult to stay in business, and we will be the ones who loose in the end. :sigh:

YES !

USA Recording media mentioned above is a great place to deal with and they have fresh tape :)

...How do you load a pancake onto a 10.5 metal reel???:stupid:

Any one have any thoughts on Ampex 641 tape 10 1800ft reels I want to use on Teac A-4300SX, and Teac A-6300. What biais and EQ settings. Transferring from Scotch 206/207 and Sony Pr-150.

Reel to Reel is like the Model "A" it got 50 miles to the gallon and went 40 mph. They both served a purpose for their time. But some things did have great attributes unfortunately those attributes where never carried forward with advancing technologies. I once saw a 8088 ATA computer with a burly maple case and an Ivory keyboard. I am waiting for a Reel to Reel with USB cable output. If you want to get a really (no pun) great deal on tape check out the electronic surplus dealers. They offer new IBM by 3M computer reel to reel tape in thousand foot plus lengths. There are still a lot of mainframes out there and tape is a cheap data storage media until tere-flash cards become cheap. You can buy 4gig flash cards for less than $50.00. You can transfer a lot of tape to 4gigs even as a wav file that can be made better than the original recording.

But it is true we have reached an age and financial position where we can afford those things we could not afford in our youth and now used they sell for pennies on the dollar. Their possession also reminds us of happier times of "our" youth. I am looking for a 1963 Ferrari Dino.

Can you guys tell me what is the best tape for recording off another source i.e my tuner, turntable, etc. and where can I buy the respective tape.

Its really a simple answer, the best tape to use is the tape that the machine was biased for. The hard part maybe finding what that was. You may want to aske the po if you still can contact that person what they used. Then the next hardest part is finding that tape type. Most companies that made tape for this machine when it was new have either stopped making tape or are no longer around. Of course you can always have the machine's bias changed to match whatever tape you end up using.

Also try www.dupespec.com, I've had good experiences with them.
Very helpfull staff.

P.s. Congrats on your new purchase, Enjoy!!!!!

Reel to Reel is like the Model "A" it got 50 miles to the gallon and went 40 mph. They both served a purpose for their time. But some things did have great attributes unfortunately those attributes where never carried forward with advancing technologies. I once saw a 8088 ATA computer with a burly maple case and an Ivory keyboard. I am waiting for a Reel to Reel with USB cable output. If you want to get a really (no pun) great deal on tape check out the electronic surplus dealers. They offer new IBM by 3M computer reel to reel tape in thousand foot plus lengths. There are still a lot of mainframes out there and tape is a cheap data storage media until tere-flash cards become cheap. You can buy 4gig flash cards for less than $50.00. You can transfer a lot of tape to 4gigs even as a wav file that can be made better than the original recording.

But it is true we have reached an age and financial position where we can afford those things we could not afford in our youth and now used they sell for pennies on the dollar. Their possession also reminds us of happier times of "our" youth. I am looking for a 1963 Ferrari Dino.
It is true that Reel to Reel represents old technology. But when that technology was really well executed, it both could and still can sound superb. Frankly exactly the same claim could be made about LPs. But there are very few CD players that I've heard that are capable of sounding as good as some of the best turntables (although a select few do come really close).

I've played with many forms of digital recording using some really superb AtoD convertors. The sound, when this is done correctly, can be truly excellent, and it is certainly less colored than most (if not all) analog tape machines that I have used. But there can still be certain subjective qualities which digital can lack ever so slightly when compared to the original (such as depth and musicality) that are duplicated with ease (and sometimes even enhanced) by using a really good analog setup. Many mastering engineers swear by adding one really good analog generation to a recording for exactly this reason: to get that nice "fat" analog sound as they call it.

And don't get me wrong. All Reel to Reels machines are not created equal. Using your car analogy: All sorts of machine were made from original model "T"s, to the lousy Ford Fairmonts, to sweet Cadilacs, all the way up to formula one racers. Although admittedly the technology has not really progressed much, if at all, over the last twenty years. But remember, even the formula one race-cars of twenty years ago were pretty damn fast. :yes: By comparison your memory stick is more like a Prius. It is economical and high-tech, and represents a good every-day driving choice for those who like them. But I'd rather drive my forumula one when I can afford the gas.

Computer tape, no matter how cheap it is, simply has never been recommended. :no: That kind of tape was not designed to be linear in the analog domain. With a computer tape you actually wanted a tape that had some highly non-linear recording characteristic so as to reproduce some very clearly defined "0"s or "1"s. From what I understand, most computers tape drives didn't even use "bias" of any sort durring the recording process, so good luck finding a proper bias setting for this tape. And even if you do successfully manage to find a way to bias it, it will still sound like crap as it was never designed for extended frequency response, or low distortion (in the analog domain).

Sorry about hijacking this thread, but that simply had to be responded to.

And seconded. As someone who works in that field, I can tell you that data tape is simply the wrong product for recording audio, for many reasons.

i'll take one ferrari dino for pennys on the dollar.

...How do you load a pancake onto a 10.5 metal reel???:stupid:

Here's how I've been doing it since the late 60's, assuming you want to store the tape on the metal reel - I usually don't.

1. Disassemble one 10 1/2" metal reel
2. Remove hub from that reel.
3. Assemble reel without screws on machine using NAB adapter with "pancake" tape in place of removed hub.
4. Transfer tape to fully assembled takeup reel

Congrats on the 6010. I have one that I just picked up recently that was in excellent condition. They are a nice machine but newer tape really doesn't work as well as you would think. I was told by a techie that the bias is preset for older tape ( 8khz Boost I belive he said) ( machine is from 1968 or 69) and to change the bias for newer tape requires changing out the record capacitors a real trial and error job. I use alot of old tape I got a 100+ lot of reel tape for free the boxes were dusty but the tape was in good condition I haven't found a bad reel in the batch yet and they are early 70's back. Ampex, Concertone Maxxel, Scotch/3M Radio Schack(not bad really) I wasn't going to mess with a seemimgly perfectly working machine so it's NOS for me a real vintage Vibe Vintage boxes for display too! I wouldn't use them for studio work but for the home hobbiest:thmbsp:

I posted in detail how to load a pancake in this thread here. Both myself and other AK'ers would've liked to have seen that topic "stickied" but apparently it isn't/wasn't relevant enough.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147156

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DL-Maple

It is true that Reel to Reel represents old technology. But when that technology was really well executed, it both could and still can sound superb.

It never sounds as good as the source, though. It WILL sound somewhat different, but some like the particular difference their machine makes.

What you get is convenience. Your personal favourite songs, or some theme collection, all without getting up.

How you pay is reduced dynamic range, and usually aberrations in the frequency response (compared to the original source).

I've been convinced for a long time that people lust after R2R machines due to their sex appeal, and the fun of recording. A form of creating that we don't get as a passive listener.

My machine is pictured below, A Ferrograph Series Seven. 8 3/4" reels, three heads three motors, and a variable high-speed wind/rewind. I love it. :)

edit: sorry for the thread hijack!

Welcome back to the world of tape.....congrats on your purchase