Pre-recorded tape playback

leddy

leddy

Well-known member
Hey all. Been using tape for a while for recording duty, but I'm not super familliar with the older, consumer reel to reel end of things for home listening. I'm a huge jazz fan, so I've been picking up some reels from Verve and Columbia and such.

These are 4-track, 7.5 ips mostly. The only deck I have that can play them is a Tascam 22-4. I just run the output from tracks 1 & 3 to my stereo.

I'm making an assumption that the track width of consumer decks that these tapes were meant for should be the same as the Tascam, correct?

They sound wonderful. I enjoy this more than vinyl. But sometimes I hear things that make me wonder if my playback is optimal, or the orignial recording or duplication was not (I've heard mixed things on this based on the label). I have one tape where the left and right tracks pump a little independant of each other, so the image moves a little. Another where a piano sounds too distant. I guess I would hear the reverse side of the tape from 2 & 4 going backwards mixed in if there were real problems. No?
 
For the most part, the 22-4 should do fine. Barring that, the only difference between a consumer 4 track/2 channel vs the 22-4 would be the ability to utilize all 4 tracks at once on the 22-4. I think cassettes is where Tascam had the different track configuration. I think...

Can anyone prove/disprove this theory of mine??
 
I feel pretty confident the format of the Tascam should be the same as you say. I think what I am hearing are results of the recordings themselves not being stellar. The more I read about pre-recorded tapes, the more I hear that some of them were not made under the best circumstances. Some were duped at pretty high speed (upwards of 60 ips I've read) and such. When they are good, they are really good. It's like hearing brand-new vinyl on every play, but with better channel separation. Others, you can hear some wow/flutter/distortion/etc. I know my Tascam is in fine shape. Must be what's on the tape.
 
I have one tape where the left and right tracks pump a little independant of each other, so the image moves a little.
Click to expand...
That almost sounds like the azimuth is off from the original deck to yours. You might try listening to those off the sync head instead of the repro head to see if that makes a difference or if you have a calibration tape, maybe try tweaking the repro head azimuth to the pre-recorded tape. But only do this if you have a calibration tape and a scope to restore the correct alignment.

Cheers! :)
 
I have upwards of 500 pre-recorded tapes 2 track and 4 track & there is a big difference in quality.There are some tapes that the engineers did a bang up job and others are not so good.Clearly when good much better than vinyl.
 
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