Very new to analog...Otari MX5050 MKIII?

J

johnthefilmer

New member
I've been doing home recordings of mainly rock music on my Apple G5 with GarageBand, but it is really, really, weak. I'm tired of how digital sounds and so I was reading up on what a lot of my favorite bands use, which is mostly the Otari MTR-90 on 2'' tape. I'm looking at an Otari MX5050 MKIII 8 track that someone is selling "as is, decent condition, runs, heads in fair condition" for $500. First of all, is this worth it? Second, if I need to get it fixed up, how much will things run me and how easy will they be to find? Finally, will this machine with 1/2'' tape still get that real professional sound that 2'' would give (or at least close)? If I had $7000 I'd of course go for the MTR-90, but that's too much to spend being this new to analog. Thanks for your help.
 
eh...

I'm still in the market for a tape machine, and after extensive research and reading, and asking around, I now realize that a tape machine is the HEART of any analog setup. You get what you pay for. You can spend 500 bucks on that tape machine, and it might work just great for years on end to come with a little bit of regular maintenance.

Or, there's always the chance that the heads are badly worn, and may need to be relapped, which can run you more than the cost of the tape machine :eek: On top of that, tape machines consist of HUNDREDS of moving parts. It's so easy for a dozen things to go wrong at once, running up a repair bill so high, you'll wish you had spent the extra few hundred on a gently used machine at a home studio nearby, that has been well taken care of.

Now, the issue of tape bandwidth. A 1/2" 8 track machine gives you 1/16" bandwidth PER TRACK. a 2" 24 track machine will give you 1/12" bandwidth per track, resulting in much more clarity, which also is helped out by the more professional electronics in such tape machines. Now, 1/2" 8 track ISN'T BAD AT ALL!!! I'm ALL FOR that kind of setup, just understand that you may have to cut a few corners and do some tweaking to get the same RICH, PHAT sound that you're used to hearing on those 70's-80's, and early 90's rock albums.

Unless you can have a professional give you an assessment on what all needs to be done to that machine, pass. Parts are discontinued (as far as I know), and you're better off investing in something with good returns.

hope that helped.
-callie-
 
Just to warn you.... Analog is great, but no amount of "tweaking" will turn a 1/4" or 1/2" machine into a 2". 2" is big time stuff, still used to record today. Same, as posted above, I analog recording at any width, but just don't fool yourself into thinking a $500 setup will rival a $20,000 one.
Been there
done that...
 
Well, of course this won't compare to the MTR-90 or anything, but if the MX5050 MKIII were in good condition, would it be a good place to start with analog recording? Will it give a good, full, deep, punchy sound until I decide to upgrade?
 
johnthefilmer said:
Well, of course this won't compare to the MTR-90 or anything, but if the MX5050 MKIII were in good condition, would it be a good place to start with analog recording? Will it give a good, full, deep, punchy sound until I decide to upgrade?
Click to expand...
the MX5050 does sound very good! A friend of mine's band did an EP on one

Listen to Nirvana's Bleach album it was recorded on one.
 
A cheap 1/2 inch analog machine will still sound better than any cheap digital machine.
 
Here's my 2 cents ....

ANY quality pro and semi-pro open reel recorder will sound nicer than digital. Notice I didn't say "accurate". I said "nicer". Big difference there. Personally I want my tracks to sound natural. Analog delivers, whether it be 1/4", 1/2" or beyond. Frankly, you should be looking at the amount of tracks you need and buy a machine that fits that requirement. That and the condition of the recorder is most important. Good news is that any true 4, 8, 16 track etc will deliver the goods. Hey, why not just get a TASCAM 38 with a nice mixer ? They're plentiful on the used market, sound great and they're still supported by TASCAM.

~Daniel
 
I beg to differ.

Listen to BLEACH, by Nirvana - and see what you think. A few of Nirvana's albums were recorded on an MX5050 (mk III I THINK). They wipe the floor with tascam 38s and the like. FAR better machines. Not so far off from some 2" studio machines. Probably a more workable machine musically than an MCI 2". I'd go for it.

ALSO- as for Mr. "bandwidth" - It's called "track width" - At any rate - the track width of 2"/24trk. is NOT 1/12". It's actually significantly LESS - more like HALF of that - due to the spacing required between the heads to lay down a hot signal with no crosstalk. See the following to see what I mean...
check out the 2" head layout especially.

http://www.richardhess.com/tape/tips.htm

Good luck with whatever you choose.
J.
 
studerfreak said:
A few of Nirvana's albums were recorded on an MX5050 (mk III I THINK). They wipe the floor with tascam 38s and the like. FAR better machines.
Click to expand...

I agree 100% that there are qualitative differences between all machines like TASCAM, STUDER, OTARI, AMPEX etc ... but I feel, speaking for myself only of course, that it's very safe to recommend a TASCAM/TEAC for one would satisfy the needs of MOST recordists out-there. They're solid, reliable, still supported machines which are capable of that 'ol analog flavor many crave. Sure, they may not be a high end Ampex or Studer and the like but then again not everyone has a Neumann condenser and an Abbey Road studio, if you catch my drift ... A 38 will more than suffice the needs of many ...

~Daniel ;)
 
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johnthefilmer said:
......would it be a good place to start with analog recording?
Click to expand...

Personaly I think it 's a great place to start in analog but the price is a bit high. You're gonna have to spend some more on top of the deck (tape, cabling, outboard stuff, board, etc.) anyways so try to talk him down. The 5050 is a great deck when it's up to snuff. Being able to check out the deck first would be helpful. If you have any doubts, wait; something will come along. ;)
 
Otari vs. Tascam

I was simply basing my comments on the reality of the situation - which is simply that the 38 and the MX5050 tend to sell both for about $400-$500 on ebay. Given that I'm laying out the same dollars for either - I'd take the Otari ANY day of the week. Sorry. Maybe I'm a snob.

Jonathan
 
studerfreak said:
I was simply basing my comments on the reality of the situation - which is simply that the 38 and the MX5050 tend to sell both for about $400-$500 on ebay. Given that I'm laying out the same dollars for either - I'd take the Otari ANY day of the week. Sorry. Maybe I'm a snob.

Jonathan
Click to expand...

Like this one ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15000&item=5754876405&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Does Otari still have support for their discontinued models ?

~Daniel :)
 
otari deck

exactamente...

You might be able to find some otari service - but who wants to ship the damn thing.... local techs will still be around for awhile. But it DOES definitely pay to learn to go over the regular service stuff on your own.

Jonathan
 
johnthefilmer said:
Well, of course this won't compare to the MTR-90 or anything, but if the MX5050 MKIII were in good condition, would it be a good place to start with analog recording? Will it give a good, full, deep, punchy sound until I decide to upgrade?
Click to expand...

This is a good sounding machine. However, the "fair head" statement is concerning. The heads ARE the machine. New heads will turn this $500 machine into a $3000 machine instantly.

Keep looking.
 
studerfreak said:
exactamente...

You might be able to find some otari service - but who wants to ship the damn thing.... local techs will still be around for awhile. But it DOES definitely pay to learn to go over the regular service stuff on your own.

Jonathan
Click to expand...

As far as I know TEAC/TASCAM is the only company that still fully supports their long discontinued analog machines. They have parts, manuals etc ... That's one of the reasons people take to used TASCAM gear. That and its "home recording" friendly concept, imho. Pick up a TASCAM 388 or the 34/38 with a matching m-30 mixer, for example, and you'll know what I mean. Plus, the choices on the used market are plentiful. ;)

~Daniel :)
 
Otari MX5050 Mk III

I've been using this same model for 20 years. Very reliable if properly maintained, but that's a big if. Unlike digital, there are lots of close tolerance mechanical parts, and if they are not in good shape, the machine will be big problems. For example, there are brakes inside for slowing the wheels after ff or rew, and, while they are fine with the same humidity in which humans are comfortable (say, up to 70%), if they are left in high humidity for a long time, they will swell and cause lots of problems.

After 16 years of occasional use, I finally had mine tuned up by a real authority (JRF Magnetics in Greendell, NJ, www.jrfmagnetics.com), and now it is superb, but it cost over a grand. Not for the faint of heart.
 
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