Thank You! Nobody has simply put this technology on youtube and has shown what people have been doing with 3 head reel recorders for decades. You have done a fine job.

way better than $899.00 for the t rex replicator and cheaper than a vintage Roland space echo

The beauty is that even if the tape is half broke, hey, all the better! What weirdness will it give you? Distortion? Excess Wow and Flutter? crackles? crappy old tape? Each one can be your very own secret signature sound.

If you're using the FX send for the pass through, than you could ALSO: -Send a second signal out of the AUX send to the other stereo input on the tape mechine - Send that signal back out to channel 3 on the board - Hard pan channel 3 and 4 (L-R). -Adjust the EQ different on both channels 3 and 4 and run them out to two different amps. - Record that into a stereo track on Pro Tools and you've got the craziest stereo delay feedback affect that the world has ever seen 🤯

This video is for using a tape delay with a mixer and out to studio monitors or PA. Using it with a guitar amp is a different set up. Ritchie Blackmore used his AWAI reel to reel into the front of his two amps in the 1970s - Marshall Major 200 watt heads - there was no such thing as an effects loop in those days. The transistor pre-amp section of the AWAI reel to reel was a key component of his tone, adding a gain stage/boost before it hit the preamp of the Marshall. What cabling he used is a mystery but I'm pretty sure he used some kind of DI box before the Marshall input because the output impedance of the the AWAI would be at line level as opposed to the instrument level needed for a guitar amp. He would plug into either the left or right microphone inputs of the AWAI, not both, with a standard 1/4" jack but needed a cable that was RCA out from the AWAI to 1/4" jack in and out from the DI box to the first Marshall. He would have a tape moving from one reel to the other with an audible delay. Once it finished, the tape reels would be swapped but running at a slow speed a tape would last an entire gig. Towards the end of the 70s his AWAI became unreliable so he used it for the preamp section only without the tape delay. Theoretically you could connect a reel to reel into the send and return of a guitar amp's effects loop, sending from the microphone input and inputting from the reel to reel output but you would still need a DI Box and RCA to 1/4" cable to correct the impedance. I have had two reel to reel machines for about 7 years, a Sanyo from 1967 and an AKAI Dolby from 1975, both have three heads so work as tape delays. I bought these second hand but had them cleaned, serviced and with upgrades to faulty components by an electronic expert. The Sanyo cost £100, the AKAI £150. Demand for reel to reel machines has gone up in recent years and you are unlikely to pick up a functioning one for $20 anymore, average price in the UK for a decent 70s machine with no or minor issues is about £200.

7 years later, and reel to reels are 400 to 3000$ a piece haha

Excellent demonstration. Very effectively explained. It also goes to show me how well implemented tape-delay DSP effects are in the present, so much so that the only reason to use the real thing is for that defining sense of authenticity that only the real thing can provide - and with music, inspiration is usually more important than technicalities. To each their own!

I'm buying one of these tonight because of this video.

great video Mr.

thank, because of YOU those machines are now very expensive.

Yes...one of the BEST videos on how to do this. Very well done! Thank you for doing an amazing job!

Who is the one dork that doesn't like this? Excellent demonstration.

That 3 3/4 sounded dope af

Your guitar sounds really good

Great explanation!! This is how Blackmore´s AIWA works as well

most valuable sound effects tutorial on youtube to date

I like how you can hear the delay echo get more and more eq'd as it passes thru ... a wah effect. Also, you can use your elbow, knee, foot, whatever to press against the left reel to slow it a bit and add some variation to the delay length as you play.

this is so siiiiick! That's why it's called "FEEDBACK" great video!

I was actually given one of these same units last year by my in-laws, they found it in an old storage shed they clean out & figured I'd have some use for it in my studio. I never really knew what I was going to do with it, even considered selling it. Now I am very glad I kept it, this video is freakin great.

Yep. My dad used to do this all the time when recording his puppet shows and music for those shows.

The feedback is the best part of it

I always loved the sound of the guitar in the intro of The Dead Kennedys’ “Police Truck”. Now I know what they did to get the sound! Thanks man great vid

Fantastic and sounds organic and ANALOG

Wow awesome music thank you for sharing 🔊🎼✨

I was doing it more than 40 years ago on a TEAC machine. This sure brought back some memories.

the tone with mid boost is so tasty! nice video man!

Excellent explanation. 10/10

This demonstration is AMAZING!

When I was boy, I played around with a microphone with the same three-head reel to reel tape recorder, a very interesting effect was.

This makes me so happy

The guy knows what he’s doing 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

Thank you so much for this demonstration. I always wondered how tape delay worked...This is pure genius :D

Great Demonstration! You can buy stereo tape decks for 20 bucks but that one in good shape is more like 200 bucks. That's an AKAi from around 1974.

An oldie secret, but a goodie. We were doing this in the late 1960's. Richie Blackmore was the first i heard of, that was using a little more modified setup than this. And Yes--You can find the reel to reel's on Craigslist all the time for inexpensive prices.

Just a great demo.

You did a brilliant demonstration, explaining it all really well, , precisely, and with enthusiasm, presented practically on guitar, tape machine, mixer and mic excellently in my opinion. Stumbled on your video looking for accessible, information , explaining Tape Echo Delay and its history to how it’s evolved especially in the guitar world to present day with guitar FX pedals, definitely sending to one of my guitar students learning about delays, so thanks for a great demo and taking your time to put together and produce this great short film, it’s greatly appreciated.

That was absolutely amazing. Seriously one of the best videos I have seen about this. Thank you for sharing your secrets in a clear and concise way without going on the rambling tangents that most DIY videos do. Holy shit my mind is blown. I just picked up an Akai 202D-SS for $25 and am going to play around with it tonight. I messaged the previous owner and he has a ton more tapes, some blank but mostly recorded on. I am going to see if they can be dubbed over. My only question is what type of tape are you using? It looks clear from here...

How beautiful Great video!

this is SO cool. so, so awesome. delay is the most gorgeous effect in my opinion . . . there's just something about it that sends my imagination soaring. of course with digital delay, it's all just so much more convenient . . . but there IS something truly magical about actual, factual analog tape. thank you so much for this.

Lovely sounds

I love the tongue in cheek "...Use it ...tastefully, alright?"

Holy shit man ! You just blew my mind, I was just about to sell my reel to reel but then I found this video haha, thanks so much for posting this !

One of the coolest things I've seen in a while! Thanks for demo'ing!

This is a great demonstration of tape delay effect(s). Well done!

Damn, dude. That's sick and sounds AMAZING

Your explanation and presentation were easy to follow and and insightful! Thank You

Very nice, thanks for the demo! Great to see young people still working with analog. I have a deck and small mixer to hook up and play with in the garage. Can't wait...

fantastic video

gotta have varispeed. also a 3 head cassette deck works just as well. The reel to reel is a cool visual prop though

DUDE YOU ROCK!!!! im buying a reel to reel just because of you

You made that really easy. Nice job!

This is awesome brother. I just got a reel to reel and am so stoked to try this out! Very inspiring!

This is so well detailed. Very informational. Thanks for going over how to send and such.

Hey that is so cool, the " Echoplex" was tape driven, probably the same concept

Nice explanation. Really nice.

This is an excellent demo video! I'll be sharing this with my Music Technology students. Thank you!

Sounds better than any pedal

Just got my first reel to reel, and this was super helpful and concise. Looking forward to diving in.

this was therapeutic

This was a fantastic demo!! Thank you!!

Excellent, I just got a Akai GX4000D for my LoFI stuff... I have to test this!! Thanks again for sharing.

Great video demonstration! Cleared the concept.

Epic. Mad Professor used this technique as a young man by modifying standard cassette recorders.

Fantastic video!!

An old vid of Ritchie Blackmore playing Stargazer with a reel tape machine on top of his 200w Vox head disguised as a Marshall stack brought me here.

Really enlightening! Thx a lot

If anyone is thinking of buying an old reel to reel tape recorder make sure it has a separate record and playback head ,some very basic models used the same head to record and play so you will not have the small distance between the record and play back head to create the echo effect .Reel to reel recorders that had the separate record and playback head where often refered to as (three head recorders)

3:13 mmmhhh that sweeet sweet feedback.

You answered my question about using a 5” -> 7” reel without saying anything

Wow i just learned something!

Hey man, excellent video. I have a little old portable reel to reel. Have wanted a space echo for ages and I think this will be a great little alternative.

Thank you for this great video. I have just got a r2r so this is going to be fun.

Great explanation man. I was wondering the theory behind tape delay for ages. : )

That sounded so good. Well done.

Your studio equipment sounds really good. Even pro quality!

you are lucky to find a reel to reel recorder for that cheap. Where I live, even the broken units are more expensive than the price you got...

sick video my dude

Excellent demonstration - thank you. 👍

great demonstration !!!! so easy

Nice demo!

Dude this is so cool thank you

Beautiful!!! Thank you

I bought a teac 2300sx just so I can do tape delay. In my opinion no plugin can really sound like a true analog tape delay. It has such a thick and amazing sound. And my teac isnt that expensive, you can get one for $200

Thanks for this video! Love to see how they did it back in the day :)

Amazing vid!!! 🙌

Excellent. This has given me some ideas.

Thank you for this - really useful for my music tech classes!

This concept was actually first thought up and used by Les Paul.

Awesome video, thanks! Got one the other day and plan on doing this once I get some more reels. :D

dude awesome vid!!

Very cool!

I used to have a WEM WATKINS copycat. Basically an endless tape loop and 4 record heads it was unequalled in its day!

If you plug the guitar into mic section you will get a beautiful overdrive. If you use reostat for motor you will get more speeds and delay signals from 0.1 to 0.7.......

Great video !!! the doggie there at the end liked it too :) Thanks for posting !

This is so damn awesome

what a very -very nice job..thanks...

take a length of tape, make a big long loop (many feet long), and wind it around a few mic stands, and back into the tape machine. :)

nice video !! congratulations! so easy and very good explained

Thank you for explaining this!

I love it ! Your a GENIUS!