I am turning to reel to reel,, but have a few questions?

[Frusciante_Fan]

Hi folks , nice to see a recording forum that has an analog only section.

I am looking to buy a reel to reel to record my solo music I write at home.
Right now I am using a TASCAM porta-one cassette 4 track. It sounds really low-fi, But even with the hiss and all the flutter, it still sounds much more realistic than my old Echo gina card.

first question is "Is it tape width or track width that makes quality difference?"
I have been reading and it seems that the 1/4 inch machines are much lower in sound quality than the 1/2 inch machines. Is it that the heads have more room to write on the tape when it is wider? Most 1/2 inch machines I see have 8 tracks on them? isnt that just like having 2 1/4 inch machines in one??
I understand that 15 ips or higher is the "pro" standerd, but im just confused on the whole tape width thing.

Another question . .. I have been watching ebay and I have seen the TASCAM TSR 8 and the TASCAM 38 .. . . Is there a big quality differance between the two machines??? there both 1/2 inch and 15 ips , but the price differance is pretty large.

Thanks ,,, sorry for being such a newbie

[acorec]

Originally Posted by Frusciante_Fan

Hi folks , nice to see a recording forum that has an analog only section.

I am looking to buy a reel to reel to record my solo music I write at home.
Right now I am using a TASCAM porta-one cassette 4 track. It sounds really low-fi, But even with the hiss and all the flutter, it still sounds much more realistic than my old Echo gina card.

first question is "Is it tape width or track width that makes quality difference?"
I have been reading and it seems that the 1/4 inch machines are much lower in sound quality than the 1/2 inch machines. Is it that the heads have more room to write on the tape when it is wider? Most 1/2 inch machines I see have 8 tracks on them? isnt that just like having 2 1/4 inch machines in one??
I understand that 15 ips or higher is the "pro" standerd, but im just confused on the whole tape width thing.

Another question . .. I have been watching ebay and I have seen the TASCAM TSR 8 and the TASCAM 38 .. . . Is there a big quality differance between the two machines??? there both 1/2 inch and 15 ips , but the price differance is pretty large.

Thanks ,,, sorry for being such a newbie

Tape width is only an indication of sound quality. I have 1/2" and 2" machines. The sound quality comes from the heads, transport, electronics and the tape width not to mention the tape speed. My 2" MCI 24 track absolutley buries my Fostex and Tascam 1/2" 8 track as far as sound quality. The real difference being that the MCI 2" is a top shelf pro machine that costs $$$$.

So, what you should consider is a what you want in the end. The best machine for a good home studio is a 1/2" 8 track (given the prices today) that runs at 15ips and has great electronics to boot.

Look for Tascan 80-8 w/dbx NR or a Fostex E or G16 1/2" machine. Avoid the Fostex B16 as it is a belt drive and is not too reliable. Have a tech go over the machine and try to get a head report if you can. Tough to do, but it is the only reliable way to know if the heads are good. There is an easy trick that you can use to find out if the heads are at least in the ballpark of being properly shaped and not ground away. Other than that, the $$$ is well spent buying one of these 1/2" machines because as you get better at recording, the sound of the 1/2" will not hold you back. The 1/4" machines will be a stopgap and will cost almost as much as a 1/2" machine.

Good Luck.