BEST reel to reel?...at least 1/2" 8 Track.

T

ThetaAlpha970

New member
Hi,

I read almost every "Analog Only" post on this site in the past few days and would have to say that I have loved doing so! So, this is hopefully the right place for the question:

We are going to buy a reel to reel with at least 8 tracks on 1/2" tape. We also prefer XLR and/or TRS ins and outs. (I would love for this to be the definitive "best of" thread for this type of recorder...) I almost always choose quality over convenience, but keep in mind that some of our clients insist on mixing and mastering digitally (as we are only a small project studio.)

Which recorder is the best? Lovers of analog, please discuss! ;)

Thanks,

ThetaAlpha970
 
I can only speak from my experience here.

I have a Tascam 48 and its rock solid. It has the XLR I/O, but then its difficult to use the unbalanced noise redux units that go with it (2 Tascam DX-4D's).

So far Tascam still has at least some parts, as well, even though the machine is around 20 years old. I was able to get a new pinch roller for it with no trouble at all. I'm not sure what esle is availible, but that much was encouraging.

I also like that its not a washing machine sized unit. I don't have rack ears for it so it sits in the bottom of a tall rack with its redux units and other stuff racked above it. Takes up much less space in my small studio.

1/2" 8 sounds fantastic. Great for recording drums. I usually transfer the 8 to Pro Tools and finish from there (click track on track 8). I've also used the 48 as a hardware insert in Pro Tools. :D Talk about realtime controllable "tape emulator!"

1/2" tape is expensive, though.

Take care,
Chris
 
These are the machines I know of which use that format:

* ITAM 805 : the first one. These are based on the Revox A77 chassis. ITAM is dead and buried so parts (and machines) are fairly scarce. IMHO this is more of a collectors' machine than a workhorse.

* Teac 80-8 : opinions vary. Some say it is a robust workhorse, others don't like it. It seems to have an AC capstan motor (direct mains drive) so it doesn't like moving between 50/60 hz territories. They can be up to 30 years old.

* Tascam 38 : The 1/2" 8-track version of the '32 and successor to the 80-8. People seem to speak quite highly of these, but it is more of a semi-pro machine than a professional unit.

* Tascam 48/58 : 'pro' versions of the '38. Not too sure of the differences.

* Tascam TSR-8 : microprocessor controlled. Looks more like the Fostex R8 than the 38. It has just a single audio head (the others have two). It also only has unbalanced phono sockets, so it's not strictly a pro machine. Nonetheless, I have one of these and I think it's absolutely fantastic.

* Otari 5050-8 : Professional machine. These are supposed to be very, very good, but they are expensive and fairly rare. The MK1 machine comes in two parts, with the transport in one box and the amplifiers and meters in a separate cabinet. Later versions are integrated and run on their backs.

* Revox C278 : Professional machine. It's a Revox. What can you say? These don't crop up very much, but when they do, they go for a lot of money.
 
If XLR is indeed a must then there are two I would recommend:

Otari MX5050 (MKII/8 or MKIII/8)
Tascam 48

:)
 
jpmorris said:
* Tascam 48/58 : 'pro' versions of the '38. Not too sure of the differences.
Click to expand...

The 48 has direct drives- no belts. Also has both RCA (-10) and XLR I/O (+4). I'm not sure what other differences there may be.

Take care,
Chris
 
I just can't say it enough.

The Otari MX-5050 has XLR jacks, but they're unbalanced.

Pin 1 & 2 - ground
Pin 3 - signal

Silly japs.

Fair warning. If balanced signals are important to you, may wanna look elsewhere. GREAT MACHINE nonetheless.

-callie-
 
I have a Brenell Mini-8 which is a 1" 8 track. I am recording on 1" video tape which I can get for free. With a bit of a bias tweek it sounds fantastic!!
1" 8 track can be seen as overkill and axpensive to rin but it is about as good as you are gonna get when it comes to sound quality.

Just my two bobs worth...
 
My Name said:
I have a Brenell Mini-8 which is a 1" 8 track. I am recording on 1" video tape which I can get for free.
Click to expand...
Oh my god. I put VHS tape on my TSR-8 once, to see what it would do.. it was NOT happy at all because the stuff was too thin. I've only got one reel of C-format tape (which I presume you're using) but it didn't seem obviously thicker. (Where are you getting it from, BTW?)
 
Yeah it is thinner but it seems to work just fine. It's fuji tape but I can't remember the numbers at the mo so I'll post when I get home from work. I work for a production company that supplies music audio and video for various things and they used to use 1" and 2" video machines which are now prety much redundant coz all the vids have now been transferred to betacam. So... they hav a buch of spare blank 1" tape.

When I first tried the tape it was OK but was bright as hell, but after adjusting the bias I could get a great sound. The thin tape did worry me a bit but it hasn't caused any problems as of yet.

If anybody knows what problems it may cause or things to look out for please let us know...
 
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