Demagnetizer cassette for portastudio?

[Vagodeoz]

Hi everyone!
I just bougth a Tascam 414MkII (which btw, so far roooockss!!!) but in the manual it says something about a demagnetizer thing, which I didn't found anywhere. Can I use instead of that regular home stereo demagnetizer cassettes?
I live in bolivia, where is pretty hard to find good audio gear (the 414 was brough from germany). So I asked in many store and none had those demagnetizer cassettes, but my mom has 2, which are very old, they are not like the ones I saw on internet (a cassette box with active circuits inside), this one is more like a regular cassette with some special tape which is suppossed to demagnetize.
Do you guys think I should use those at least 20 years old vintage demagnetizers?

 

[cjacek]

DO NOT use a cassette demagnetizer. It can actually do more harm than good, leaving the tape path magnetized. You need a wand type. Look for a TEAC E-1 or E-3 on eBay. Make sure it still has the plastic tip covering if buying used.

 

[The Ghost of FM]

Do you guys think I should use those at least 20 years old vintage demagnetizers?

I'm hard pressed to tell you that you should avoid any such 20 year old demagnetizer tape. It will be of little benefit for the task at hand. The job of demagnetizing heads requires a relative amount of energy to perform its job and those old "cassette tape type units can't produce the electrical field strength required.

A good quality, healthy electronic demagnetizer would be best on your Portastudio as access to the erase head is limited to attack by more standardized pencil type units which require care and skill to use correctly.

Avoid the dollar store models as they may be of questionable quality. If you can find a Koss, TDK or Disk-Washer, ( known name brand) model, you'll be equipped for the job of degaussing; a habit which could be performed after every 50 hours of tracking use of the machine.

Cheers!

 

[Vagodeoz]

Wow, those things look pretty f*cking difficult to get even in USA (especially in bolivia).
While I was looking for the demagnetizer I also asked for type II high bias tapes (as recommended by tascam). I asked in about 5 stores, 4 had no cassettes at all and one had only type 1 normal bias tapes so that wand demagnetizator is dreaming a lot...
What I wanted to know if those old cassette tapes are better (or worse) than nothing at all, since they seem to be my only option right now. I guess I will just have to order from USA and have someone send it to me.
Any "standart" models? or a most "getable" model? the ones you recommended I found on e-bay, so I guess they are discontinued models that some (very few) people still has in stock.

 

[rayc]

I've been steadily buying chrome 60 min tapes on ebay -they trickle in though on one occasion I bought a box load that had 40 x 10min tapes which was great.
The cassette case housed demag requires the heads to press a contact point to activate the demag - NOT a good idea. They also run on quite a small battery that doesn't make much juice. With a wand you can feel the attraction & have to fight against it so it puylls a little bit more power than the enclosed one can manage.
I bought my demag wand at Tandy (Radioshack) - it's simple & brilliant at what it does - they do need a soft cap so that any accidental touch of the head won't be disasterous.
Seek & ye shall find.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/TAPE-RECORDE...goryZ618QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Han-D-Mag-Do...yZ113484QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem
This last one is in Australia but is ULTRA cheap.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Realistic-Ta...ryZ14998QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

 

[cjacek]

Wow, those things look pretty f*cking difficult to get even in USA (especially in bolivia).

Don't rush it. Something will come up sooner or later. For a cassette based recorder especially, it doesn't have to be the specific TEAC models mentioned but rather any good WAND TYPE of demagnetizer, such as this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Reel-to-Reel-ta...ryZ15000QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

In fact, any of the radio shack / realistic wands will be fine. Some will point to the Annis Han-D-Mag and it is great for bigger formats but it is overkill for a cassette deck and may even damage the heads.

I personally believe that the "in shell" cassette demagnetizers are really a bad idea and should never be used on anything. The coil in there cannot move around very much and it cannot be moved up and down as effectively as you can pull a wand (and magnetism) away.

You really do need to know, however, how to demagnetize properly. Also make sure a plastic covering is on the tip when buying a demager.

I'm still on the fence about the whole thing and rather use a demagnetizer if I have reason to, like if I used a magnetized tool near the tape path etc....

So that you know, there are several different opinions on this and I'm not saying that I'm right and someone else is not.

I also asked for type II high bias tapes

Only use type 2 (chrome) tapes. Try to find sealed ones on eBay, major brands such as Maxell, TDK, Fuji, Sony etc.... As long as they're type II and 90 minutes or less, you're fine.

 

[The Ghost of FM]

I personally believe that the "in shell" cassette demagnetizers are really a bad idea and should never be used on anything. The coil in there cannot move around very much and it cannot be moved up and down as effectively as you can pull a wand (and magnetism) away.

I agree that these type of electronic "in shell" units are less then ideal but in dealing with the 414 Mk II, getting at the head with an electrical wand may be somewhere between very difficult to impossible because of the head's orientation and pop up plastic well door that is in the way for this type of task.

Cheers!

 

[Vagodeoz]

getting at the head with an electrical wand may be somewhere between very difficult to impossible because of the head's orientation and pop up plastic well door that is in the way for this type of task.

Crap, so what do I do? crack out the plastic cover and get a wand demagnetizer? get a NEW cassette demagnetizer?

PD: What's the worse that can happen if I use those 20 y.o. demagnetizers? that nothing happens? or it can actually harm it?

 

[The Ghost of FM]

Crap, so what do I do? crack out the plastic cover and get a wand demagnetizer? get a NEW cassette demagnetizer?

PD: What's the worse that can happen if I use those 20 y.o. demagnetizers? that nothing happens? or it can actually harm it?

Yes, I suggest just getting a new electronic cassette shell type of unit...the type that runs on a little button cell battery. It won't be as effective as an electrical wand type unit but then again, the field strength required to do the job is less on a cassette system anyway so it will make do.

Cheers!

 

[A Reel Person]

Nice graphic!!!

I've read in the most recent Tape Op magazine, that real pros vary on doing demag of tape heads anywhere from every day to once in five years!

 

[cjacek]

I agree that these type of electronic "in shell" units are less then ideal but in dealing with the 414 Mk II, getting at the head with an electrical wand may be somewhere between very difficult to impossible because of the head's orientation and pop up plastic well door that is in the way for this type of task.

Excellent point, no doubt, but I did demag a 414mkII with a TEAC E-3, years back and it was certainly doable but I do see your point how it could be awkward.

 

[cjacek]

Crap, so what do I do? crack out the plastic cover and get a wand demagnetizer? get a NEW cassette demagnetizer?

PD: What's the worse that can happen if I use those 20 y.o. demagnetizers? that nothing happens? or it can actually harm it?

If I were you, I'd just forget demagnetizing, at least for now and concentrate on cleaning the tape path properly and getting some good tapes.

 

[cjacek]

This is just a related question but doesn't a rec/play and erase head, which provides bias, actually demagnetize itself?

 

[Beck]

This is just a related question but doesn't a rec/play and erase head, which provides bias, actually demagnetize itself?

Nope... good thinking though.

 

[Beck]

The 414 head should be pretty easy to demag using a wand degausser with the play button engaged, but guides may be tricky. Make sure the unit is off, or even better unplug it from the AC before proceeding.

In most parts of the world, Internet church supply sites are a good bet for tape related products. Cassette is still a big part of church outreach activities. You should be able to find degaussers and Type II tape in Bolivia or Argentina... maybe Brazil.

 

[Vagodeoz]

Thanks a lot, I was living in argentina until 2 months ago, but I have some friends there who could check it out for me. I didn't think about that

 

[Bobby Darko]

Demagging?

never done it, never needed it. cleaning head though is essential. But do it gently. You don't want to destroy the heads. I've been recording with different portastudio for over 5 years and I never felt like demagging. I guess with reels it's another story, however opinions vary...