RMGI Selection - SM911 ?

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Rich Smith

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Need to get new 1/4" tape for tracking and mastering. Any problem using RMGI SM911 on these machines? Anything better from RGMI?

-Teac 3440
-Tascam 32
-Akai X-150D (7" reels & crossfield heads - 1967)

Rich Smith

(Been off-line and under the weather for a couple of weeks.)
 
I have posted on several threads of my dissatisfaction with RMG, but from what other people say the 911 should be ok. Have you considered using an ATR tape? The cost is more but the results are better at least for me. Good luck.
 
Definitely RMGI SM911 for the Teac and the TASCAM. You'll want to use RMGI LPR35 for the Akai, though; its thinner tape stock is meant for these older decks.
 
Atr 1/4"

dodgeaspen said:
Have you considered using an ATR tape? The cost is more but the results are better at least for me. Good luck.
Click to expand...

dodgeaspen,

Yes. I intend to try ATR 1/4" on my Tascam and Teac decks.
Do you know where it's made?

Rich Smith
 
Rmg sm911 (& lpr35)

lo.fi.love said:
Definitely RMGI SM911 for the Teac and the TASCAM. You'll want to use RMGI LPR35 for the Akai, though; its thinner tape stock is meant for these older decks.
Click to expand...

cjacek said:
Yup, go with the SM911 / LPR35, as lo.fi... mentioned. Make sure you buy from a busy, reputable dealer, as you're then assured of the most recent, fresh stock. Here's one: http://usrecordingmedia-store.stores.yahoo.net/opreelrectap.html
Click to expand...

Thanks guys,
I appreciate your responses. I hoped the SM911 would work on the crossfield-head Akai too since we would always use 1.5 mil, 1200 reels back in the day. Those heads were good from 20 - 23k at 7 1/2 ips even on the "consumer" machines from the 60's..... and would get amazing results.

You can see I'm still emotionally attached to that old Akai. Is it just the tape "thickness" you think would be a problem? Or do you think the LPR35 would give a superior result in any case?

Thanks again,
Rich Smith
 
Rich Smith said:
Thanks guys,
I appreciate your responses. I hoped the SM911 would work on the crossfield-head Akai too since we would always use 1.5 mil, 1200 reels back in the day. Those heads were good from 20 - 23k at 7 1/2 ips even on the "consumer" machines from the 60's..... and would get amazing results.

You can see I'm still emotionally attached to that old Akai. Is it just the tape "thickness" you think would be a problem? Or do you think the LPR35 would give a superior result in any case?
Click to expand...

If it helps ease your concerns, LPR35 is the same formulation as SM911, and the only difference is in the thickness of the tape stock itself.

The idea is that 1.0 mil tape stock isn't as hard to move through the transport. On older machines, 1.5 mil tape stock may cause too much stress on the transport and will cause it unnecessary harm and damage over time.

I'm not sure what you're bummed out about... everything will be fine if you use the LPR35!
 
Lpr35

lo.fi.love said:
If it helps ease your concerns, LPR35 is the same formulation as SM911, and the only difference is in the thickness of the tape stock itself.

I'm not sure what you're bummed out about... everything will be fine if you use the LPR35!
Click to expand...

lo.fi.love,

Thanks. I'm really glad the LPR35 is the same formulation. Guess I was just worried that I wasn't going to be able to get high quality tape for my old Akai. Thanks again.

Rich Smith
 
Also, don't use ATR tape with your AKAI. It's too thick (has about 2x the oxide / backing of standard +6 tape, probably won't erase correctly on your deck, will be much, much harder to pull (via the capstan motor), due to its sheer weight and will not yield proper freq response, as a result of improper head wrap. I personally would not use it on any of my TEAC / TASCAM machines, even more so for any consumer deck, like the AKAI. Stick to +6 tapes as max. RMGI now and Quantegy when it re-starts production again.
 
Rich Smith said:
lo.fi.love,

Thanks. I'm really glad the LPR35 is the same formulation. Guess I was just worried that I wasn't going to be able to get high quality tape for my old Akai. Thanks again.

Rich Smith
Click to expand...

Unless you are intending to run it for hours on end - day in and day out, I wouldn't be overly concerned about using 1.5 mil RMGI tape on your Akai. The Tascam class of machines that recommended the use of 1 mil tape did so to maximize published specs because the thinner tape gave a better head wrap.
The excessive wear of the machines that some fear was not a major concern when the units were built. Otherwise, there would have been warning labels all over them to protect the corporations from consumer law suits instead of the typical "use 1 mil tape" recommendation somewhere in the owners manual.
 
Tape for Akai

cjacek said:
Also, don't use ATR tape with your AKAI. It's too thick (has about 2x the oxide / backing of standard +6 tape, probably won't erase correctly on your deck, will be much, much harder to pull (via the capstan motor), due to its sheer weight and will not yield proper freq response, as a result of improper head wrap. I personally would not use it on any of my TEAC / TASCAM machines, even more so for any consumer deck, like the AKAI. Stick to +6 tapes as max. RMGI now and Quantegy when it re-starts production again.
Click to expand...

cjacek,

Thanks. Yes, I figured ATR it would be too thick for my beloved Akai crossfield-head machine. It is REALLY THICK stuff.

And I'd already decided to set my 1/4" Teac and Tascam's up for RMGI. Primarily because I wanted newly manufactured tape from an outfit with a strong future and it looks like RMGI will be there. However, I was also intending to try ATR on the Teac/Tascam's. But, it sounds like I really shouldn't. I thought those machines would be stong enough. Guess not.

Thanks again for all your help,

Rich Smith
 
Rich Smith said:
cjacek,

Thanks. Yes, I figured ATR it would be too thick for my beloved Akai crossfield-head machine. It is REALLY THICK stuff.

And I'd already decided to set my 1/4" Teac and Tascam's up for RMGI. Primarily because I wanted newly manufactured tape from an outfit with a strong future and it looks like RMGI will be there. However, I was also intending to try ATR on the Teac/Tascam's. But, it sounds like I really shouldn't. I thought those machines would be stong enough. Guess not.

Thanks again for all your help,

Rich Smith
Click to expand...

Not that they're not strong enough but that you're placing undue stress on the capstan motor, IMO and the question is, why do that? The electronics, while very good, are not able to take advantage of the much higher output (+10), in addition to the other things I've pointed out earlier. Hey, I'm a conservative kinda guy and I wouldn't even use SM900 / GP9 / 499, much less the even more thick ATR. It's a fine tape but not for my machines. Also, remember to buy from busy resellers of the RMGI tape, such as US Recording, to assure you're getting the most recent production and not stock from years back.

By the way, I also eased off my earlier stance on not using 1.5mil tapes for 1mil transports. I'm with Rick on this one and while I still prefer using what a set machine was designed around, I'd be mostly concerned with the very high op level tapes (+9, +10).
 
RGMI for Akai

RRuskin said:
Unless you are intending to run it for hours on end - day in and day out, I wouldn't be overly concerned about using 1.5 mil RMGI tape on your Akai. The Tascam class of machines that recommended the use of 1 mil tape did so to maximize published specs because the thinner tape gave a better head wrap.
The excessive wear of the machines that some fear was not a major concern when the units were built. Otherwise, there would have been warning labels all over them to protect the corporations from consumer law suits instead of the typical "use 1 mil tape" recommendation somewhere in the owners manual.
Click to expand...

Thanks Rick,

It's great to have options. The mechanical controls and levers on the old Akai's from the '60's are real beasts... really clunky and stout. I've streached quite a few of the thinner tapes on them over the years so my inclination is always to go with something "thicker".

All things considered, I guess I'll start with RGMI LPR35. If it works, fine. If not, I won't worry too much about trying the SM911.

Regards,
Rich Smith
 
RGMI for Akai

Deleted Post (Duplicate)
 
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One thing I wanted to mention, that I didn't in my previous post (and this may seem obvious) but I was once asked how one 1.5mil tape can be more thick / stiff than another 1.5mil tape and this was asked by a person who used tape a lot.

Just in case someone wonders, the 1 / 1.5mil refers solely to the polyester base on which the backing and oxide are put. The overall thickness can significantly vary, due to how much backing / oxide is on the tape (also related to operating level of tape).

For instance, a 1.5mil +3 tape's overall thickness (ie: 406), may be much closer to its "base" thickness than a 1.5mil +9 / +10 tape (ie: GP9 / ATR), which can actually be well over 2mils, in fact 2.28mil (for the ATR tape) vs 1.83mil (for 406). As you can see, that's a big difference and one worth knowing.
 
Well guys as I see it I would rather spend money in the long run replacing worn out parts on my 38 and have lots of music and good run time then to stop and clean my deck every other minute. I understand that ATR might be a little thicker, but, when your tracking a band you do not have the luxury to stop in the middle and clean your machine. When mine needs service (if ATR is harder on my machine) I will schedule maintenance time when I am in between recording bands. Lots love the RMG, I do not.
 
dodgeaspen said:
Well guys as I see it I would rather spend money in the long run replacing worn out parts on my 38 and have lots of music and good run time then to stop and clean my deck every other minute. I understand that ATR might be a little thicker, but, when your tracking a band you do not have the luxury to stop in the middle and clean your machine. When mine needs service (if ATR is harder on my machine) I will schedule maintenance time when I am in between recording bands. Lots love the RMG, I do not.
Click to expand...

Dude, you know I'm going to keep following up on your RMGI posts for as long as I can, right? ;)

1. TASCAM 38 parts are of finite availability. Not a good idea to put undue stress on parts if they're of scarce supply.

2. I'll personally buy you a reel of RMGI SM911 if you promise to run it through five passes and take macro photos of your transport ;)

(Grin)
 
I mean, really, dodgeaspen, this has been stated over and over that certain early stock of RMG tape didn't receive sufficient drying, due to a different climate, country, to which operations were moved and thus caused excess shedding. This issue was related to very small batches, early on and the problem has all been fixed now.

The persons who bought this "problem" tape, the RMGI reps addressed, by sending a replacement. The question is, why didn't you followup with getting your tape replaced when you found it to be a problem? How many tapes did you purchase, from whom and when exactly? I think it's a fair question to ask, especially that you continually bash this tape. It's important to give the reader context.

Lastly, RMGI stands by their product and I'm real curious why you didn't give them a chance to remedy your situation?
 
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