1/4 mono reel to reel - worth the trouble?

[fisheric]

I have a 3m suitcase style reel to reel with a tube amp inside it. I bought it from a guy at a swap meet for $5. hehe with mullard tubes

I have some computer editing software and i was wondering if it would be better to get a 4 track r2r though i doubt i could find a valve powered one. Or record tracks separately and then convert them to digital.

I've never used another r2r besides this one so I dont know if having a tube circuitry on what was a cheaper machine would be compared to a more professional transistorized r2r.

also does a mono reel to reel deck record to the whole 1/4 inch?


oh, it doubles as an amplifier too. it has a built in speaker and a ext. speaker output. doesnt sound great. for some reason its too quite when playing through it, but if i record and then play it back it is twice as loud.

thanks alot... i hope this hasnt been asked before. ive spent the last 2 hours searching the forums.

 

[RRuskin]

I wouldn't bother with this or any machine of its type. Sound quality is not likely to be very good by today's standards even if it is in perfect working order.

 

[analogkid]

Yeah, sound quality is likely to be on the poor side. I believe those type of untis do record to the whole track. Might be interesting to play back sound recorded on that deck to get that 'vintage' sound, especially for voice - like the old radio programs.

AK

 

[fisheric]

since it has a SE tube amp and can record maybe I will just use it for practice. That way I wont forget something cool i come up with. Id still rather have a small digital recorder. I just bought the boss space echo. damn! i should got the recorder instead. Well, that is one good thing about GC. Actually the guitar center here in Sacramento is way better than the local music store, Skip's Music. I wanted to like Skip's. Really I did, but I found there service to be what you would expect at a wal-mart on top of alot of the staff being really upitty. Sure GC is a corpse-o-rat but the people working here in the Sacramento store are not only helpful, but are really down to earth and love to talk about music.

 

[SteveM]

It won't necessarily record on the whole tape. I have one mono recorder that records on the whole tape at 15ips which is really good quality, then I have another, a wollensak that is mono but records on half the tape at 7ips. So you record "both sides" of the tape in mono.

You may be able to use it as a tape echo if it has 3 heads. Especially if it has a pitch control.

 

[Dr ZEE]

I have one mono recorder that records on the whole tape at 15ips which is really good quality, ...

Have you actually got it recording/playing? What's story?

 

[Dr ZEE]

I have a 3m suitcase style reel to reel with a tube amp inside it. ....

what exactly model is it?

 

[Dr ZEE]

I have one ...

btw, Steve,
I was (still kinda' am) trying to hunt down one of those things of "its type" , it's not an easy task.
I've missed this one, - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380039834148, then there was another unit (two channel one ???) in rather questionable condition (or batter say - situation, things like hanging cut wires out of it etc ), but it also had few boxes of extra heads, I should of bid on it -
Those things are the things to HAVE! for guys who (softly speaking )have no interest in "today's standards" of "quality" .

 

[SteveM]

What's up Mike!

I still have "concertone" on my ebay watch list and have yet to see that model. They must be rare. I can't find it anywhere on the internet. There are alot of the others, which I bet sound great. Of course they are kind of limiting being mono.

I can't really use mine. I've recorded on it and the quality to tape is great but it's too clunky, mechanically in it's present condition. So I use the preamp when I need to but there must be others in better condition.

btw, Steve,
I was (still kinda' am) trying to hunt down one of those things of "its type" , it's not an easy task.
I've missed this one, - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380039834148, then there was another unit (two channel one ???) in rather questionable condition (or batter say - situation, things like hanging cut wires out of it etc ), but it also had few boxes of extra heads, I should of bid on it -
Those things are the things to HAVE! for guys who (softly speaking )have no interest in "today's standards" of "quality" .

 

[SteveM]

Mike, check out this. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110268165256&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001

Skully 1" 8 track on ebay. If you click his myspace page you can hear it in action. They sound pretty sweet.

 

[Dr ZEE]

Mike, check out this. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110268165256&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001

.

hmm, that IS a very sweet piece of furniture right there
This one sure would keep one bussy. If I was up to this - my ol' VW would not make it.

I gotta get some 8-tracker some day. maybe

 

[fisheric]

Have you actually got it recording/playing? What's story?

Yea, it works fine. Looks to be a library model from a bay area college judging by a couple of stickers on it. Everything on it works perfectly! FF, RR, oh it does have scratchy pots.

I heard you can blow them out, but i dont really know what that means.
I cleaned all the rollers and lubricated it and it works fine.

It sounds best when I plug a guitar straight into the RR and using the extension out to a 50's jensen 12" I like to put my ts-9dx(808 mod) in the chain along with my proco deucetone(lm308 on just one side mod).

Its cool during playback to mess with the reels by tapping them or holding them for a second and getting flange and chorus type sounds. If no one here has tried that then wow. No pedal can emulate the sound of messing with a tape like that. Ill put up some mp3s if anyone wants to here it. I think I can just plug the speaker out into my sound card.
----------------
Now playing:/evil+walks]AC/DC - Evil Walks[/url]
via [/]FoxyTunes[/url]

 

[fisheric]

what exactly model is it?

its a 3m revere; it list a serial but no model numbers.

here are a couple pics of it

it has a 12ax7 preamp, 6au4 i think rectifier, and el84 power stage. puts out about 5 watts. It sounds similar to my epiphone valve junior

it can be oriented vertically or horizontally. The xbox and ps3 just learned that trick, guess this unit was ahead of its time

 

[Dr ZEE]

Cool!

I heard you can blow them out, but i dont really know what that means.

Hmmm, neither do I, but , I guess, it must have something to do with a load of hot air.

Just one side note here, just in case, please remeber, that inside of these tube devices is DEADLY High Voltage. So mess with them with care, and don't mess with them by opening them up if you are not sure what you are doing. This isn't a joke. Serious stuff. So be careful.

It sounds best when I plug a guitar straight into the RR and using the extension out to a 50's jensen 12"

Aha! Cool! A little "hidden" 5-bucks treasure for a guitar head. I've converted couple of dead webcor recorders into amps. (if you wish to see the guts of them, check here, fo fun: here .

Its cool during playback to mess with the reels by tapping them or holding them for a second and getting flange and chorus type sounds. If no one here has tried that then wow.

Interesting you've mention this. This is exactly the reason how I personally "re-discovered" analog tape recording. At some point I was kind of looking for more "unusual" effects for my "digital creations", and thought, hey, what can I do with reels?. Actually I was specifically after simple things like getting "tape-rewind" sound, and what ever else I could get out by messing with reels. So I bought TEAC a4300sx, just grabbed a one which was out at eBay at the moment that looked kind of cool to me. The only problem was, that when I've test-recorded something on it I was completely blown away. I was in "shock" and paralyzed for a period of time - . And from there everything has changed in my views on "recording world". The most mystery for me is that I knew what analog recording was like, I just didn't know how great it was. I guess it takes a few years of self-submission to the digital "paradise on earth".

Ill put up some mp3s if anyone wants to here it.

That would be cool to hear what you getting out of your Revere. Please do if you have time.

 

[Dr ZEE]

its a 3m revere; it list a serial but no model numbers.

Hmmmm. Commonly you can find a model number somewhere on a plate somewhere on the back of the unit.???
I'd guess that your machine is 2-track mono (one track per "side").
Also I have a so-called "stereo-companion" for revere 3M T-2200, it's just like a recorder case, but it only have a one mono amplifier with built-in speaker, mic input, line input and connection inputs for connection with the recorder.
It's a nice SE amp, another guitar amp project for some rainy day.

Also check this chat at AK: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16888

guess this unit was ahead of its time

YES! It's a one of those messages of glory to the future.

 

[fisheric]

dr.zee you are correct it does have a model, t-3000.
also the stereo companion you have, what is it? i looked it up an found a couple of pics, but im not sure what it is/does.

one more question. If its recording a half track of mono can i switch the reels and record on the other side?

thanks

 

[SteveM]

one more question. If its recording a half track of mono can i switch the reels and record on the other side?

thanks

Yeah You just flip it over and record the tape in the opposite direction.

 

[fisheric]

i took it apart and cleaned it with alcohol today and it seems to be working very well. im gonna do some recording tonight. I saw on that audio karma website that the author sold his mike for $90. It is a shure brothers microphone, but i've never used mine. It looked kinda cheap. And my boss gave me a Octavia mic that im in love with.


Oh the recording head looked different than i expected. I had heard of relapping heads, but i dont think its possible on this unit. I didnt take a pic but here is a drawing of it.

 

[TinNedd]

it has a 12ax7 preamp,

those tubes are in everything, then there are those small 12ax7 tubes in some behringer and korg products

 

[Dr ZEE]

model, t-3000

uh, cool, just wanted to know what exactly is this machine, yours is missing "title-plate"

.
also the stereo companion you have, what is it? i looked it up an found a couple of pics, but im not sure what it is/does.

It's like a "powered speaker" of a sort. It has built-in amp (preamp tube 6EU7, which is a "version" of 12AX7, and power tube 6BQ5 (EL84). It has three modes: play / record / PA. So it provides "facility" for play or record (second mic) stereo for T-2200 recorder and it also can be used as stand alone single chanel amp, also has external speaker jack. It's a nice little amp just as is, but it would need some modification to be used as guitar amp for its best. I did not have time investigating details yet. I also kinda' like the originality of that thing, so I'm not really sure about what I want to do with it yet.
I have the mic that came with it. Made by Shure. Inside it has a sealed element marked 99C402 AJ , it has metalic foil membrane, I am not 100% what this element is exactly. I am no harp player, but I have couple of harmonicas around, tried "playing" through this mic and it sounded pretty cool to me, pretty screammy and my dogs dig it, they start howling right away, then my wife started yellin' at us, so it worked well, I guess

.
If its recording a half track of mono can i switch the reels and record on the other side?

thanks

Yeah, just what Steve said , just flip it over.