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From my vantage point, there is no reason for me to track to tape in the first place if I am going to automatically EQ out a big part of the tape sound -- head bump -- before even starting the mix process. Granted there is more to tape than head bump, but if tracking certain parts to tape is...

I think the point Chilljam was trying to make is that the term "distortion" is not just making your signal sound like it went through some Boss Metal Zone guitar pedal or is clipping into a square wave; technically, distortion means anything that makes your recorded audio different IN ANY WAY...

I would say that may be true if you are looking to re-purpose the unit as a standalone mic preamp as the previous poster suggested. But if you are talking about using the preamps as part of the normal operation of the tape deck than my experience is different with the couple tube Akai decks I...

As mentioned above, a lot of the Roberts reel-to-reels of that vintage are basically Akai models rebranded for sale in the U.S. with minor cosmetic changes. That particular model in the photograph is the equivalent of one of the units from the Akai M series. That looks to be a Roberts 997, which...

Lots of the names I would have mentioned are already here so I will add two: Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott Not as famous as John and Paul or Mick and Keith but a formidable songwriting duo nonetheless and each capable of holding their own as an individual songwriter. Look for the gems among...

The room information you give is pretty vague but if you do a quick search here you should find links to articles by Ethan Winer and others that will guide you on how to treat your particular space. I think it unlikely you will be using much if any foam. With your very limited budget, you will...

Do not confuse the math and science of bit depth and sample rate with the implementation. Like miroslav or another poster alluded to earlier in this thread, you can have one piece of equipment operating at 24-bit that sounds audibly different (or better) than another piece of equipment running...

Maybe it is just me, but I would not characterize the "Magic Potion" album as having a retro or 50's/60's vibe, nor would I call other albums sterile by comparison. To me, the whole album sounds heavily colored by the recording space and has guitar tracks that have more heft and prominence --...

Whereabouts are you located?

And what does the synth sound like when you switch the Otari to monitor from the input source directly instead of from the tape? Incidentally, what tone were you holding on the synth? Your initial posts suggest the noise was frequency dependent on the MRL, so you may wish to be consistent with...

Not all head problems are going to visible or obvious to the naked eye, which is why JRF Magnetic Sciences does head reports. Nor do leaking or failing capacitors always bulge, as that is only one visible symptom of only one type of failure. How about these additional trouble-shooting methods...

Lots of thread views with no replies so I will throw two cents in: How does this track sound in the mix and what do you find lacking? The isolated track really does not help me give advice as a kick drum track that works great within one mix may be completely wrong for another. Further, it is...

Biasing would only affect recording, so assuming this mp3 is the new MRL tape played directly to the digital recorder to make this mp3 it does not sound like biasing. That is noise, however, and not part of what you should expect from a good Otari 8-track. Is that isolated to a few tracks or is...

To add to what miroslav says, improper calibration can also futz with the sound quality of the two individual tracks beyond track-to-track phase and volume alignments. For example, depending how off the calibration is it can affect the signal-to-noise ratio, the frequency response and/or the...

I would check your Cen-Tech manual again because I do not think that model reads AC voltage up to 200 kHz. It may read that high on the Frequency setting, but the manual I found for that model online at Harbor Freight says the frequency range is 40 to 400 Hz for the "AC Voltage" setting (p. 14...

You may know this already but make sure the multimeter you are using is capable of providing accurate RMS readings at the frequencies you are measuring or none of your calibration adjustments will be accurate. Most run-of-the-mill multimeters are not going to be correct above a couple hundred...

I asked a similar question once regarding a Teac cassette deck from that era. I was told the "A" designation had something to do with units destined for export versus domestic markets. I think the "A" meant an export model but I could have it backwards. Other than the market destination I am not...

You may or may not be aware of this yet, but that reel to reel is a two-channel quarter-track, not a four-channel like some other Teacs. In other words, you can record two tracks on one side of the tape at one time and then flip it and record two tracks on the other side in the reverse direction...

+1 In addition, cassette will give you a hint of what tape is like but the experience will still be measurably different from using tape on an average or better reel-to-reel. Different tape speeds and tape width mean different frequency responses and bandwidth limitations, different audible wow...

I have an early Otari MX-5050 2SH, the silver-faced two-track 1/4" model, that I acquired about two years ago. I did not have too hard of a time tracking down parts for it with on-line third-party vendors and Ebay, but I recall contacting Otari once or twice and they could provide no help for...