is it my tape or deck?

[jhsando]

Ok heres my situation

I recorded into this real to real when i monitered it when we were playing it sounded great actually better than great! but when i played it back it sped everything up and it sounds like crap any ideas? or do i need a new tape or reel to reel deck?

[Vintage TX]

What kind of tape were you using and reel to reel deck ?
Important thing, did you clean the heads before recording ?

[Blue Bear Sound]

What would head cleaning have to do with speed issues???????????

IN any case - either you have pitch control engaged, or you've inadvertently set the speed faster (if it's a reel-to-reel capable of 2 or more speeds), or failing either of those - there may be a drive or capstan problem with the unit....

[Vintage TX]

Blue Bear, if the heads was dirty before, and also of course what kind of deck he has, the crud can make the tape to slow down at recording. When rewinding the tape and test playback, speed and certain old tape can change the speed, if he got a belt-driven capstan and dirty travelpath.
But you can be right, pressing the wrong speed or the pitch-control will create "chipmunk sound".

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally posted by Vintage TX
Blue Bear, if the heads was dirty before, and also of course what kind of deck he has, the crud can make the tape to slow down at recording.

Well what d'ya know - I learned something today!

Never had that happen to me... I suspect that would have to be because I never let any tape machine ever get dirty enough to cause it! (And I suspect that would have to be a fair amount of crud to cause that problem, no??)

[Vintage TX]

Blue Bear, sometimes people don't clean the travelpath at all, and using Ampex tapes or old tape that shed, can make the tape-guides fill up with crud when recording, then rewinding the tape the crud comes off, and create weird speed changes or sound.
Beltdriven capstan is more sensitive then direct-drive units of course, but dirt is the biggest enemy.