Otari 24 track on ebay

The seller claims that it comes with the remote and the manual and claims the unit is in good shape but that's where the information stops dead.

There is no close up of the heads.

There is no mention of how many hours are on the machine.

If I were seriously considering the purchase of the machine, I would insist on an in person visit to verify the condition and that all accessories were complete and functional but, that's just me.

In Toronto, where I live, I have a brick and mortar store to go and see used machines in person prior to bidding or making them an offer. I realize not all areas have this luxury but if you do, you'd be a fool to buy anything of that much complexity and bulk from an all sales final, one line, one picture auction.

Cheers! :)
 
I agree. Prior to this post, I sent him a list of questions that asked about hours, recent head report, recent service receipts, and a list of problems if any. Don't know that I could talk the wife into letting me spend this kind of money, but it seems like a great price if in good condition and doesn't get bid up. I bought my Mackie board down here too and got a great deal on a great board. It looks like a studio so I would assume there would be a board and cables there to hook it up for a demonstration.
Ah, just fantasizing at this point, anyway. Curious to see what the seller's responses are, though. :)
 
Machine could be perfectly fine. However this does not look like the safest auction to bid on. If you're local, I would definitely go check it out if you're interested. I get the impression that the seller isn't really to familiar with the machine he is selling. "Otari 24 Track Tape Machine (2 1/2 inch)". Maybe just a typo, but "2 1/2 inch"? He has a single line of text for a description, he could at least proof that! Any questions you ask, he may not really be qualified to answer.

Also, only 1 Feedback, positive, but only 1. That does not instill a lot of confidence.

I can see the remote sitting on top of the 2-track in the picture. Noise reduction is not onboard. Generally, you don't need NR with a 2" machine at 15/30 ips. Some people will use it, but I never have. I wouldn't worry about NR.

The MX80's are not as mechanically robust as an Otari MTR90, but it doesn't sound like you're running a 24/7 pro facility either. You need to realize that you should have a good understanding of machine calibration to maintain one of these.

For $1500-2000, I would seriously consider purchasing this machine if it is in good condition.
 
All else being equal, I wonder how much I would really notice the difference between this and my MSR-16. I'm sure to trained ears it may be quite noticeable, but to a home recording guy like me who only is interested in doing his own stuff, I wonder how much I would really hear the difference, or how much of a WOW factor. Now the WOW factor from the 488 MKII to the MSR-16 was pretty high to me. It would have to be pretty significant to warrant this behemoth finding a home in my already-too-tight humble abode.
Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of machine calibration and would take it to my tech on the occasion that such work would need to be done should I ever own such a fine machine.
It's probably a bit overboard for what I use my recorder for, but a $200 reel of tape would probably last me at least a year or more at the speed I am moving on my little recording project.
Hmm....wife and kids are on their way to work to have lunch with me. Maybe I should butter her up a little just in case.
 
I think your mixer would cut-down on the wow factor between a 1/2" Tascam and a 2" Otari.

My band did our first recording at a friend's studio on his 2 inch machine. He had a pro-console, can't remember which one right now, but it was the same mixer Twisted Sister used to record Stay Hungry. Things sounded awesome until mixdown, but his hard drive was pretty crappy.

I own an MSR-16 and have a Tascam 2516 mixer. I used to own a Mackie SR32 and I personally think the preamps sound better on the Tascam. As for everything else, running music off of the tape from my friend's 2 inch machine sounds better than my MSR-16, but I personally think my mixes sound better. I don't necessarily mean that they were mixed better, but I think less was lost in my digital conversion over his. So, it's really all a matter of keeping a strong signal chain throughout.

Oh yeah, my buddy had outboard NR on his 2", but we didn't use it. I'm pretty sure it was Dolby, not DBX, but I can't remember. He had the machine calibrated for SM900, but only at like +7 instead of the full +9 for some reason, I think in order to still get some tape saturation. You can hear a little hiss, but not much, on the recording.

-MD
 
Thanks maddog and everyone else. Good info. This machine is an overkill for what I want to do. Given I want to record The Great Ultimate Album, probably much like the Great American Novel everyone dreamed of, and maybe they still do, of yesteryear. I have songs (ideas that is, a guitar riff or a vocal melody, lyrics, or all of the above) recorded on my trusted tape recorder from years ago until the present. Most of them I want to record and eventually produce into something. I think the MSR was a good and necessary buy for me. This Otari thing is probably more than I need but if it is in good condition for that price, it couldn't hurt anything.
Mackie 24.8 bus board...in my opinion the board sounds great. Maybe you thought I had a different model? :confused: :confused:
I have heard what Raw-Tracks has said before here, that generally NR is not necessary with 2", generally speaking of course. And of course, should I fork out $$$$ for something like this and need an outboard for another 3 bills, it is just something that would be understood as part of the investment.
Seller hasn't contacted me and I specifically stated I would want to test it before bidding. If no one bids, not that we couldn't do the deal after it's complete, but no repsonse by 7:30 ET. Red Flag, but this may not be a "professional" e-bayer, as the feedback would suggest. I'll be happy to get my MSR back in working order. If this Otari thing happens, I guess it couldn't hurt anything but my credit card. :D
 
I am driving down to Miami tomorrow for the holiday and have looked at this auction a few times this week already. sometimes you get a deal when you buy something from someone who doesn't know what they have. I am 95% sure this auction will end without a bid. you might be able to meet the seller in person and make an offer (start at $500). compared to a lot of units i've seen on ebay this one looks to be in great condition. I, however, am holding out for an MTR-90. based on no experience, mind you, just what i've read. Do a search on recording.org for otari MX-80. eh; maybe I will check this guy out. see what he's got.
 
my tech says maintenance will be very minimal on the MSR once it gets going, and for the amount of use I will give it (basically weekends for my own tracking of songs).
Is there an added frequency of a 2" machine like the MX80, or pretty much same thing just more expensive when it does need service? I know the tape is a couple bills each and at 30 ips will cut my 15 ips in half. Cords...oh shit, balanced cords to 2x24. Wow. Some things to consider I guess.
 
eh. you should probably have more than 2 mics before you buy a 2". every roll of tape is like, another mic you could own. you could easily release an album recorded on the MSR. I would take that $2000 you're about to spend and buy maybe 2 SM81s, a 4050, a 421, an m201, and a 635a. maybe skimp on one or two of those and also get an RNP. and if you don't have good monitors yet, you'll be killing yourself trying to figure out why your mixes aren't any better after you just spent 2 grand. just a thought.
 
Falken, you just want me to hold off so you can get your hands on that Otari for yourself. Just kidding :D
Checked it out. The guy is a young, Christian pastor, has a little digital setup in his room. The Otari and an MCI board he got on a trade from a studio awhile back. No regular tape to test it with, only test tape. Which was good except for I have seen my first live case of sticky shed, and BAD. Man, the tape crystalized on site.
Otari...a couple of lights in the meters were out, no big deal. Heads seemed decent but not flawless. I noticed one small mark and a couple of very faint but noticeable striations on rec and play heads. It played, FF, Rew fine. The take up reel when operating was a little off-balance leading to a noticeable rub of the edge of tape at every revolution. I pushed the takeup reel and it may have had a little play, ever so slight but still present, back and forth, which may have been causing the rub. Cosmetically it was in very good condition, especially after a little cleaning. Oh yeah, and a little intermittently noisy during FF and REW, like something needed lubrication in the moving parts. My MSR is almost silent except for the whoosh of wind from the reels moving. Hmmm.
I just can't bid without consulting my tech first, though, not having tape to test the record functions. Very nice guy though.
I may take your advice Falken. Now I like the JM47, but have not compared it to anything better. I think it sounds nice, but maybe I should look. It's not that I have money burning a hole in my pocket, it's just that $1500 for a nice 2" machine was definitely, and still may be, worth looking at.

oh yeah, like someone mentioned, this is an honest young guy who doesn't really know what he has, but my guess is it would need a good servicing at a minimum, and I considering myself honest as well, told him I wouldn't feel comfortable buying it without knowing exactly what it needed, no matter how much or little.
 
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Seeker of Rock said:
oh yeah, like someone mentioned, this is an honest young guy who doesn't really know what he has, but my guess is it would need a good servicing at a minimum, and I considering myself honest as well, told him I wouldn't feel comfortable buying it without knowing exactly what it needed, no matter how much or little.
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Good call.

I think that the recording medium, while important, is not as big of a priority as quality mics, preamps, etc., and of course, WHAT you're recording. If your recorder is surrounded by good gear, and recording GOOD SOUND to begin with, stick with it and have fun. Once you've maxed out the quality of your recordings, THEN I'd take the next step and get a more ballsy recorder.

That's sorta the approach I'm trying to take w/ my setup. Invest in the gear, maintain what you have in the way of a recorder, then when budget and desire permits, move on up.

-callie-
 
Seeker of Rock said:
The guy is a young, Christian pastor, has a little digital setup in his room. The Otari and an MCI board he got on a trade from a studio awhile back. No regular tape to test it with, only test tape.
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Isn't there a joke about this?
 
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