You taught me 30 things. Thank you.

A simply and also useful info to take in mind is: use always a couple of similar spools if you can! Do not mix 7" spools with 10.5" spools, or plastic spools with metal spools.

Thanks for your review. It brings my memories back from early 80-ties when reel-to-reel tape recorders were popular.

It is always a pleasant moment tô watch your videos (no matter if is about Modern Tech or Traditional Tech, both are awesome). Congrats for keeping researching, "spying" and sharing good precious information covering the Music Sound Universe that all of us are quite addict !!! Congrats, see ya, blue skies 🤙🏻🍀🎶

Thank you so much, for that info refreshing !!!! I really appreciate it !! Greetings from the Republic of Poland.

Nice video. The "basics". Talking about RtR is always good! (yes, I'm guilty, I love RtR!)

Thank you Guido for the video cause today i've learned a lot of things about open reel decks :-)

I have had a lot of cool tape recorders when I was younger the tand B 17:16 e r g 64x was an outstanding machine it was selling in the US for $650 I bought it in Germany in a veterans audio store for 325 exclamation point

Many thanks for such an excellent and really well explained video!!

I have a 400ds akai which I have owned for many years now it’s still a really nice peace of Hifi and sounds great I won’t be parting with it unless something really special comes along

Thanks for the effort.....good to know it

This video is the signal above the KZfaq noise! I wish it was higher in the search results, as it was the first one to answer any of my questions, and it managed to answer them all (and more).

I have an Akai 400ds and it plays and records very well...at both speeds..

Nice to see the N4520, it´s my most favourite, can play 9,5/19 and 38 (the Revox you had to choose 9,5/19 or 19/38) Those machines where built in Vienna. I have the N4522 as well by the way!

Technics and Otari machines have a switch which enables the machines to playback 1/4 track ( 4 track) or 1/2 ( 2 track) track tapes. The Otari MX 5050 series also have IEC and NAB playback equalizations, and there is a switch (hidden, but still there) which will allow the deck to switch between 3-3/4 ips and 7-1/2 ips OR 7-1/2 ips and 15 ips. That kind of makes Otari MX 5050 a very capable machine for playing back pre-recorded tapes of almost any type, as well as make excellent 2 track recordings.

I’m just getting into this and your vids r very appreciated! I just inherited a TEAC-2300s and was wondering where do I go to buy tapes to record on and what to look for, such as brand and quality for my setup).

Now I just need to finish my restoration on my teac . I also should eventually hunt down a two track recorder as well because I have some two track mono tapes .

Great video 👍😎

Haven't watched in a while, your English kicks but now!

About equilization: IEC/CCIR is most common for 15 IPS. NAB is most common for 7,5 IPS. Both are the same for 3,75 IPS. Unfortunately machines that do 15 IEC and 7,5 NAB are rare. Some can be modified more or less easily. Also a B77 shouldn't have any problems playing mastertapes, if it is calibrated correctly. The red LEDs on the VU meters should turn on at exactly 514 nWb/m.

Thanks. Useful stuff from basic to quite advanced. I would have like to see the NAB and IEC equalisation curves on screen to show they are different. In addition, it would have been nice to have some examples of decks you can get. If you want to play different speeds and 2 and 4 track tapes the Technics RS1500 is good but it only does NAB. If you want both speeds, 2 and 4 tracks AND NAB and IEC, the Otari MX 5050 is about your only choice. Good job.

Otari MX 5050 series decks have the advantage of having 1/4 track or 1/2 track playback capabilities and NAB or IEC playback equalizations. They are also capable of 3-3/4 ips, 7-1/2 ips, or 15 ips speeds and excellent 1/2 track recording capabilities. This may be the best used deck available for almost any type of pre-recorded tape playback.

Wow.. lots to digest. Would love a beginner's guide to one's first tape deck.. what to look for in terms of brands/models , what to avoid, something that can handle the bulk of tapes one would find out in the wild and beats a vinyl rig at any price-point. This comment may be premature because I may need to look at your past videos.

Great video for someone like me who is trying to learn. Thank you. May I ask you a question please. I just purchased an Akai GX 625 and I’m wondering if you could specifically help me understand which flux range I should be purchasing tapes in? For instance, when I went into a shop, they suggested I purchase RTM911. I also noticed on my machine there is a wide range and low noise setting. Does this come into play as well? Finally I have an old DBX noise reduction unit that I used to use on a high-end cassette player years ago and would like to incorporate it. The best combination to use the wide dynamic range setting and then the DBX encoding.? Thank you so much.

Great info thank you. I've just aquired a b77 lowspeed and am pondering which tape is best for recording. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks

I just wanna say, I wish back in the day, Maxell made multitrack tapes 1/2 inch and larger for multitracking! All my Maxell cassettes still sound perfect as they did 30-years ago!! But my Ampex 456 lost all high end.

Very interesting your explanation about magnetic flux. There are some labels that offer 1/4 inch 15ips tapes in their catalog (analogue production, Sony legacy master tapes, Foné). Unfortunately, however, I cannot find any information though on magnetic flux. Assuming playback on a revox pr99 or b77hs would they be played back or would no sound come out? Among the few machines that allow magnetic flux adjustment with a single button I found the otari mtr. Are these the only ones or are there others that can read both 2 and 4 tracks at least 15 ips with both ccir and nab equilizations and with magnetic flux adjustment? Thank you for the wonderful informative work you do.

for serious applications (most viewers of this channel, i believe, are audiophiliacs), forget the quarter track machines. only 1/2 or 2-track machines running 15 ips (not 30 or 7.5) possess the sonic qualities to die for, assuming the decks are correctly calibrated and running new hot tapes (+9Db such as SM900 or even better +10.25 Db ATR tapes). I cannot tell the difference between IEC and NAB (older specs) recordings, nor can any of my audiophile friends. they sound identical to me (in blind tests). my otaris can handle both EQs.

Most of the time, with pre-recorded tapes (especially in the rock `n roll genre), you don`t have much choice about recording speeds. Probably 85% of them left the recording factory with a 3 3/4 ips playback speed. I have been a R2R enthusiast for over 50 years, and only a relatively small number of tapes in my moderately-sized collection (400 or so) have the 7 1/2 designation.

I wish you had gone over Twin Track Mono tapes and different types of mono players/recorders portable or otherwise.

At 9.5cm/s NAB and IEC equalization is the same. At 19cms/s, playing a NAB tape in a IEC deck will get you a ~2dB boost in high frequencies, playing a IEC tape in a NAB deck will get you a 2dB cut in high frequencies. Finding which deck has which eq requires looking in the manual. Akai GX636 (Japan) has NAB eq, so does a Revox A77 (Europe), a non-Dolby A77 has a switch between the eq types for playback, but records only in NAB.

Hi, yes there are confusing part, specially in speed, channels, operating levels parts! As long as a deck has play cal pots and meter cal pots, you can set the deck to almost any Operating Level and Output Level you want, beside this, you should be able to play higher operating level on lower operating level, but reducing simply the output volume if its not to far from your default operating level which i do recommend if possible! Do not change operating level. Normaly now for home/proffesional use you should stay in the - 10 dbv/IEC operatiing level! And good masters tape should not differs than that! If they, these are not master tapes but works tape... If everyones start to use works tape, they will endlessly change the operating level of their decks, and that just a nonsense. Beside this increasing to much the operating level isn't good at all, you will compress/distord the tape much more easily! Regarding channels, never play these reel on multitrack machine, you will need to multiplex the output to a mixer and will have not as good reproduction as the normal 2 channel four track head! Also the speed increase the Number of Particle/s allowing more easily high reproduction, and dynamics range because much more room for the signal. The width is linked, but at fast speed you have as dynamics with a lower width than an higher width at slow speed. 2 tracks on 1/4 inch tape type at 15 IPS have just crazy handle +10+14DB, whereas at 7.5IPS it would be +3+6DB that"s why some people change the operating level because there are fed up seeing the vumeters stick to the end but there are out normed EQ! Ican stick the vu meter of my IEC B77 MKII and it even not saturate!!! 30 IPS need special recorder with different bias and EQ, and haven't less bass, only if you have a 15/30IPS deck biased at 15IPS with IEC/NAB! (See ATR's calibration web pages if you own these old decks) It"s the more powerfull tape speed but no need at all today! There isn't any decks after the 70's whose support that speed. The technology has been improoved. a 30Ips on an after 70 tape deck would produce unbeliveable results. I've just checked again RTM and ATR use iec at 320 no more and only for 15/30IPS?! If you record ar 7.5 Ips you should never go beyond -3db of IEC (250) average loudness! Any tapes over this are works tape non iec normed! NAB standard is about to be abandonned at what i'm seeing, IEC is better! Only used for old masters, in this case you need a switch between IEC/NAB or a special for nab ones! (Shame, alot of them are now just good for archives) www.iasa-web.org/tc04-fr/5410-egalisation-de-lecture Goods new for you, the studios are making news copie of NAB master to CCIR(IEC) by default, but you can order also NAB if you wish! i would not recommend new NAB recording now as tape are calibrated/measured for IEC! (Unless you know what you're doing, ans want to be out of new studio reference norme IEC) Also 4 tracks are not iec, but 180 (DIN) ! No need at all over operating level! You cannot use a 2 tracks correctly on a 4 tracks resulting to an half sugnal reproduction (320/2 or 515/2), so you should also not have any issues, except that you have half the dynamics (signal is cut)! Regarding you story with the B77, you did surely put a nab on an non even iec deck, and add saturated output!

I am really enjoy for watching your video I am a newer in begining to explore the reel to reel machine , I have one of the Akai X 300D bought from local guy and I really dont know it playing good or not but I found one of the Pioneer RT 707 and RT 909 are selling on my local Craiglist , is that worthy of spending money to buy it or keeping the Akai X 300D ? Thank you

thanks

Hi Guido, Just a friendly comment. It may be confusing to some newbies regarding the tracks and channels you describe. 2 channels as you correctly pointed out refers to Left and Right stereo channels. 4 channels refers to the short live quadrophonic system of front Left & Right and Rear Left & Right channels. Tracks be they 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 etc etc refers to the number of possible recording heads that can record on any given width of tape where individual instruments or voices are recorded..also known as studio multitrack recordings. Some Akai decks as well as some others can record/playback using the multi4 track system..ONE WAY. these decks are identified by their 4 VU meters. Not to be confused with the 7.5IPS prerecorded tape you are holding which is a REVERSIBLE tape of 2 tracks which equals 4 tracks....2 played in one direction and 2 played when the spool is flipped or played in reverse.

Hello. I have some recordings that my father made on a mono reel-to-reel back in the 50's, ie: 2 tracks ...one for side A, one for side B. He recorded radio CAE ( him and my uncle playing for the troops during peacetime in Germany ). Unfortunately, he did not record it on a stereo reel to reel ...it was just a mono. Fast forward to today ...I have a Teac 3000 which of course has stereo heads. Question is, how can i play those mono tapes? Or can i even do it?

Akai GX heads are very abrasive to older tape. Careful with playing back archival copies.

Thanks for video What about NAB and CCIR EQs for 7.5 and 15 ips, how you deal with them?

You are aware that 10.5 is not the largest reel size. The decks we had at the Wereldomroep and those of our colleagues at Deutsche Welle. Had 12” reels for the Telefunken, Lyrec and Philips decks we had. In the GDR, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania also has 12” reels. AGFA, BASF and ORWO made the tape.

I used small reel tape 5inches on the other side, and 7 inches on the right side , the empty side,but i noticed the player starts to get slow and it won't play normal, i have selected the right speed, but it gets slow and i was thinking maybe the tape did not play for a long time that is why it sticks sounds is coming out, or because the reel tape size are not the same size? Pls help me,vwhat's the cause of slow sound, not the speed selector, i know what is the right speed to select! Its like tight and it wont turn, but if i use my 7 inches both reels it plays normal!

hi have some soundcraft 760 decks mind blowing can do 15 30 ips i have alot of basf 2 inch tapes 2 inch is better for the money in long run

When I was a kid back in the 70s and 80s I've always been fascinated by reel to reel tape decks and I have a question I was wondering if you knew the reels themselves had different designs on them sometimes they have four holes sometimes they'd have five with all these different designs on them was it each company had their own type of design on the real just curious

Number 8, on pro machines never use consumer tape, e.g. revox tapes on a Telefunken m20, tape will break immediately

Get the tape you want to use and adjust the bias and rec eq to make it right

In the late 70s, I found that professional 10.5 inch reels tape made by EMI were the worst because of excessive shedding of oxide. The Japanese brands of Maxell and TDK were miles better, sonically and no dirty heads. BASF and Agfa were about average.

One pre recorded tape I have still confuses me. Its the Days of future passed By the moody blues. Its 7 1/2 IPS 4 channel. It plays on my 4 track machine. Is it actually a 2 track tape( that's my assumption)? It only plays in one direction and reverse play plays the music backwards.

What can't a tape can I use with a AkAi 4000D recorder thank you

Gerard Stroh*** Anadialog**** I got Me an Old Roberts Rheems 770X Tube Reel to Reel and It Looks Like The Akai M-8 Reel to Reel Tape Deck and I have Them Both and I Also Have 2 other Roberts Reel to Reel Tape Decks and I have 771X Reel to Reel and I Have an Very Early Roberts 1650 Reel to Reel Tape Machines and My other Roberts & Akai Tape Machines are Crossfield Heads on My Tape Machines**** Bye from Gerard Stroh****

So what brand works with teac! I have x10r,4300,2300sx

Years ago when original RCA & Mercury Living Stereo/Living Presence Lps were getting many hundreds of dollars each for many titles, and around $100 for more titles than you could count; why didn't collectors think of seeking out a reel to reel tape deck and buy the exact same titles on RCA factory prerecorded reel tapes, which were more findable than they are now? In California especially, I saw guys handing over close to a few thousand dollars in cash to used record store owners for only 7 or 8 Living Stereo lp's. For that same price they could have bought a nice used reel deck and 50 or 60 Living Stereo reel tapes, which often have sound quality a step up from the lp's, and the wonderful sound quality was THE main incentive for most RCA shaded dog classical collectors. There are used reel decks on ebay sometimes under $300 with outstanding electrical properties and at least semi-pro sound quality if you know which models to get and new belts are cheap, if they need them. The prerecorded reel tapes are going up in value and the good titles don't last on ebay as long. Tapes you could buy on ebay for often $30 a few short years ago, now you can expect to pay around $70 or more. The tapes are what's expensive now; players are plentiful and many are cheap. But anything as mechanical as a reel deck has a heightened chance of needing service more frequently than you'd like.

May be worth discussing the situation of head wear. When trying to play some tapes that have had little use, on a machine that has significant head wear, the tape width and cause HF loss on the outer edges, as the tape lifts away from the head.

Hi everyone, I am thinking of getting a reel to reel tape machine from eBay , they are getting quite expensive, before I invest in one , would a reel to reel machine sound better than a high end 3 head Dolby S cassette machine? I’m looking forward to your advice, many thanks.

I wonder of pre-recorded reel tapes were always made in real time, or done with high speed duplication? (Similar to pre-recorded commercial cassettes). A pre-recorded reel tape that was recorded at 3.75 IPS will sound better than one that was made with high speed duplication, but sill meant to be played at 3.75.

Teac the best

iàm new on the reel to reel scene get a revox from my dad a A-77 4 track wath for tape a have to use on that machne (ì``am Dutch ) Bad ingles )

can u use 2track tape on 4track?

As I understood, if the machine two track ,, can playback 4 track ,,

Which model is your Philips?

where's the 14 inch spools and the 1/8 tape pancakes yes i am a pro recording man i would love to see the people like you techmoem do more on the hard to find tapes

I always bake those Ampex tapes on a nightmare they are.

do you think retro is dying and the physical media of all types your opinions

Hey Guido - I'm a long-time subscriber of yours and always enjoy your videos but thought it only fair to give constructive feedback because in all honesty I think you really overcomplicated this one. I think at the beginning you said something about the video being primarily about playback of open-reel tapes and primarily pre-recorded titles which to me would have meant concentrating on 1/4" tapes of either single-channel mono, 2-track mono, 2-track stereo or 4-track stereo. But you then went on to talk about 1/2", 1" and 2' tapes, tape ratings in nWb etc! As you know, these were for professional, studio usage i.e. recording 4, 8 & even 16 track sessions. I would imagine hardly anyone watching this would have any use for these machines/ tapes as they aren't remotely for consumer use, not to mention that they'd do well to even get hold of them in the first place! In any case: I still enjoyed it and will look forward to your next video. Really think you should do an updated system tour soon (hint!). Grazi!

hi the pancakes are a pain there's not alot of decks take them and they are more likely to be bad with age as well there are 14 inch reels out there 1/4 1/2 very hard to find alot of the pro decks only go up to 12.5 like the otari mtr 12 the scully 280-14 will take 14 inch i have one i am working on hell of alot of work never ever buy this make i got it as a junk deck parts only

Plus them things you are doing their everywhere online also now days just like everything is now days

Vhs tapes proven there everywhere online plus VCR players cleaning tapes plus VCR belts everything proven there not hard finding online it's the people what is hard finding

Hi, also hesitated to tell it but regarding the 3/34 speed, i think you've done a mistake. The sound theoricaly (and confirmed praticaly) is excelent twice the cassette quality, unfortunately original tapes suffers from non bias calibration, so tend to have too much bass, no correct very upper highs. Needs to retire in lower frequency range (rapidly seens yesterday while working on the TC-377, fully restaured decks have an unbelivable sound by the way), also needs to add at 16K and 32K and you should be ok. If you have severals decks and don't want to mod the manual bias calibration, i suggest you, that you take one an calibrate it specially for that speed! Trust me you won't believe what you will heard (aound 20-24Milparticle/s well biased 👍) With me little ecperiences, i can no say thet the ulltimate home tape listening format is the reel to reel. The ultimate is a deck with the five speeds, rec bias, direct rec level (cassettes decks), dolby C(S) for low speed and perhaps a playback eq(Not sure if needed however). Unfortunetaly it's unlikely to be produced even if they do new machines, they are lacking the simples features of the old deck and adds no major improovement features (5 speeds, no rec bias, no direct rec, no dolby, etc, it's only the begining and i hope these ideas would sensibilise their new batch, same for cassettes decks who are just even not comparable to the good old low end ones, don't hesitate to talk them about the features you want) It's up to you the youngs to aks them for it and or take old decks and modify then in this way even if you won't have the fastest speed as well as direct rec, and dolby C without strong modification... In the same way the 8 tracks/cassettes are the ultimate format on the road/home cheap tape listening format. It's also up to you youngs to ask for them... The utlimate decks are quite the best of the 80"s plus i would add two speed for each format (cassette speed for the 8 tracks, as well as micro cassette speed for the cassette again with rec bias direct level, and dolby C (S)) Analog is for sure the best sound format no doubt about this, the DSD is just a way to get closer to it, but the constraint would at end makes the reel to reel /8 tracks, cassette, vinyl cheaper and more ecological. Same occurs in video (not pinacle of analog capabilities available till today), and pictures... Choose the real/reel 😇 intstead of the synthetic/mathematical ones 🙃👹!!! Long life analog!

I’am a techno junky but most adults don’t hear over 16,000 . Yes I want the 22,000 even if I probably can no longer hear it at 58 years old .

Otari MX5050 is really the bottom end of what an acceptable playback machine is. The rest of the consumer stuff really isnt worth your time.