Oxide build up on heads

  • Thread starter Thread starter j.harv
  • Start date Start date
j.harv

j.harv

@#$%
Just wondering if anyone knows what could be causing this.
Using my Tascam 388 and a fairly new reel of RMG LPR35. Every now and then Im getting quite a bit of oxide building up on the head around tracks 3 and 4. I was just mixing a song and track 4 was playing back alot quieter until I noticed the dirty head. Cleaned it and it played back at normal volume.But this happens more than I would like it to.Sometimes around track 8 too. The heads are in fairly good shape with an even wear pattern.Lots of life left in them by the looks of it.And I always keep 'em clean.
Like I said, it happens once in a while,not all the time.Could it be a bad batch of tape???
 
Well...I would say that if the tape is shedding oxide that much....it's the tape.

Do you have any other tape you can try, just to rule out any mechanical/transport/head issue?
 
Yeah. I have 2 new reels. Haven't gotten around to them yet.
This only happens once in a while. Just been mixing/recording for the past hour with the same reel and it hasn't happened again.....yet:)
 
I used to have a tape eating Fostex R8. There might be a serious issue with the transport, some sharp edges or something like that.
 
New RMG LPR35? Oops! I've just been bought a couple of reels of that (sourced from France) as a birthday present.
 
gentlejohn said:
New RMG LPR35? Oops! I've just been bought a couple of reels of that (sourced from France) as a birthday present.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about it. Its been really reliable for me over the last few years.
This only happens once in a while. Hasn't happened since I first posted this.
Could be my Machine.
 
Intermittent shedding like that is most often the tape, but could also be something on the machine itself coming apart and contaminating the tape path. Could be rubber, metal, glass or plastic, depending on what's falling apart in little bits and pieces. Hopefully is not the latter, but I would examine everything in the tape path with good light and a magnifying glass to be sure.
 
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