Machine alignment

[jjucius]

Hi
I just got an otari mtr-2-c master deck 1/4inch and i cannot afford an mrl tape right now and was wondering if there is any way to align my machine without one, or come real close. or any ideas?
Thanks
Joe

[A Reel Person]

Idea: Use it as-is out of the box.

[CurlyMon]

You could run a 1k tone into it, make sure the input level says 0VU. Then hit record and run it in Repro mode, then set Rec gain to 0. Do the same thing for 10k and adjust Rec EQ to 0VU. You wont really know where the deck sits Bias or operating level wise, but at least your electronics will be somewhere in the ballpark. An MRL is a nice thing to have, that way you really know what's going on. Use a session tape for this.

[A Reel Person]

our friend hopped in and spelled it out in specific details.

You can calibrate input/output paths with raw test tones.
You can set bias with test tones.
You can calibrate the tensions if you like, given a proper spring scale.

For calibrating levels of the head reads & writing to the tape,... is specifically where you're out in the woods without an MRL tape.

I'm not sure if bias adjustment is level sensitive,... but the MRL helps set flux levels and basic EQ, & may play into the bias adjustment. Many analog adjustments interact in the setup process.

Thanx to our friend above for helping flesh out the specific details. My mind was blank, but I'd come back to clarify.

Sorry for the glib answer up top, but many of these products would perform reasonably well right out of the box. However, I'd be more secure going thru the setup of a recorder if I had the MRL on hand.

[sweetbeats]

yep...this question seems to come up periodically...I've asked it myself.

Like ARP said you can cal your input electronics trim, meters, and output electronics trim without the MRL but using test tones at known levels. Bias is also done without the MRL using the tape to which you are biasing the deck and tones at known levels. Calibrating the reproduce electronics requires the MRL. Without it you are stumbling in the dark. Have to have it, no way around it.

[A Reel Person]

You can get the recorder tuned up in all respects except basic flux levels and EQ,... would seem a significant stumbling block to me!

Older recorders can be a few db off in all the critical adjustments, with the standard test tape being a primary foundation of calibration in my mind, from the word "go".

Thx again!

[CurlyMon]

I'd say an MRL in good condition is a good thing to have, come to think of it..

[A Reel Person]

Originally Posted by sweetbeats

yep...this question seems to come up periodically...I've asked it myself.

Like ARP said you can cal... it.

Our friend CurlyMon said...

[sweetbeats]

Yes...my bad...that's what I get for not reading up far enough... :embarrased: