N
Noah Nelson
New member
Im a young producer looking to get a reel to reel to send masters too- any suggestions for my first reel to reel? anything to be careful for?
T
toddyjoe
New member
Yes, be careful of hype and misinformation.
You need to identify why you want to send masters to a reel to reel to get any meaningful advice. There are so many reasons to pick one reel-to-reel over another -- clean sound vs. colored sound, workflow issues, reliability and service/parts availability, studio space availability, tape width and corresponding tape cost, model availability and cost, etc. It is likely your final end product is going to suffer if you have picked the wrong tool for the job at the mastering stage.
jpmorris
Tape Wolf
For a typical stereo master, you'd want a 1/4" half-track tape at a speed of 15ips speed on 10.5" reels. That will give you about 30-32 minutes per reel - traditionally a vinyl album was made up from two tapes, one for each side of the record.
A lot of people here recommend the TASCAM 22-2 as a starter machine, and assuming it's in decent condition, it will work well for this purpose. However it does only take 7" reels (15 minutes each, or 23 for thinner, long-playing tape) and that may not sit well with the mastering house or wherever you're hoping to sending the tapes. (Of course, if you're not sending the tapes anywhere, that doesn't matter)
The TASCAM 32 is the 10.5" version, but I'd be tempted to suggest the BR-20 which is the more modern, last-generation deck. The Otari 5050MX is another contender, as is the high-speed version of the Revox B77 (or PR99). These are all small desktop machines that don't take up much space.
Professional facilities would usually have a larger machine, such as the Ampex ATR-102, Studer B67, Studer A80, A807 etc. But these are not exactly starter machines.
In my home studio I've used a rather beaten-up TASCAM 32, a Revox B77 that needs fixing, before finally getting an A807. They all have their pro's and cons. I still regret not getting a BR-20 while they were still available brand new, though.
For comparison:
http://dougtheeagle.com/lab/lab2005s.jpg - 32 (right hand side, on its back)
http://dougtheeagle.com/lab/2007.jpg - Revox B77 (right - the '32 is next to it, stood on one of the other decks)
http://dougtheeagle.com/lab/2009a.jpg - Studer A807 (again, on the right)
A lot of people here recommend the TASCAM 22-2 as a starter machine, and assuming it's in decent condition, it will work well for this purpose. However it does only take 7" reels (15 minutes each, or 23 for thinner, long-playing tape) and that may not sit well with the mastering house or wherever you're hoping to sending the tapes. (Of course, if you're not sending the tapes anywhere, that doesn't matter)
The TASCAM 32 is the 10.5" version, but I'd be tempted to suggest the BR-20 which is the more modern, last-generation deck. The Otari 5050MX is another contender, as is the high-speed version of the Revox B77 (or PR99). These are all small desktop machines that don't take up much space.
Professional facilities would usually have a larger machine, such as the Ampex ATR-102, Studer B67, Studer A80, A807 etc. But these are not exactly starter machines.
In my home studio I've used a rather beaten-up TASCAM 32, a Revox B77 that needs fixing, before finally getting an A807. They all have their pro's and cons. I still regret not getting a BR-20 while they were still available brand new, though.
For comparison:
http://dougtheeagle.com/lab/lab2005s.jpg - 32 (right hand side, on its back)
http://dougtheeagle.com/lab/2007.jpg - Revox B77 (right - the '32 is next to it, stood on one of the other decks)
http://dougtheeagle.com/lab/2009a.jpg - Studer A807 (again, on the right)
M
mdainsd
Member
Its all speculation until you tell us the intended use, what you have to spend and any other considerations.
In addition to the above machines I'd add the Otari mtr-10 or the mtr-12. These are both professional decks and can be found for reasonable money. The -12 can handle 14" reels which give about an hour of time per reel. They are both also available as 1/4" or 1/2" half track configurations.
In addition to the above machines I'd add the Otari mtr-10 or the mtr-12. These are both professional decks and can be found for reasonable money. The -12 can handle 14" reels which give about an hour of time per reel. They are both also available as 1/4" or 1/2" half track configurations.