Best new analogue recorder?

[mikemorgan]

So who builds the best analogue multitrack machine today? I'm thinking of giving up on digital and making my tracks sound better. Who is buiding the best machines right now? What models? What price? I'd expect to pay 2 or 3 grand of course.

 

[cjacek]

So who builds the best analogue multitrack machine today? I'm thinking of giving up on digital and making my tracks sound better. Who is buiding the best machines right now? What models? What price? I'd expect to pay 2 or 3 grand of course.

If it only were that easy..... For 2 - 3 grand, you're about half way there for an Otari or TASCAM 2 track, half track recorder, the MX5050 BIII or the BR-20, respectively. They are mainly mixdown decks. Now, as for real multitracks, you can special order an Otari 1/2" 4 track recorder for about $9000 USD or even better, a sharply discounted 24 track, 2" STUDER A827 for about 20 grand. That's it.

Your only option after that is getting a good, used machine for pennies on the dollar or ...... trade in your car for a nice, brand new A827, which IS the best analogue multitrack machine currently available.

The good news is that you can set yourself up pretty nicely, for way under your budget, with a good, used multitrack recorder & mixer but with those types of purchases, it's always buyer beware. You really have to know what you're doing and avoid shipping if you can.

 

[Herm]

Now Mike are you down here screwing with us old analog boys?
Now remember I know where you live.
By the way I got started on putting in a bathroom and walling off the furnace in the basement for my Room but 2 weeks ago I was taking the first piece of drywall down the steps and fell from the 4th step from the bottom and landed on my shoulder. ( Key words here) It frickin hurt!
Now Im in therapy for the next two weeks to find out if they have to operate or not.
And I cant play drums for a while And I have a screwed up basement.

 

[cjacek]

Now Mike are you down here screwing with us old analog boys?

I sure hope not 'cause it took a good chunk of time for me to reply.

 

[A Reel Person]

I visited a local studio a few years back, to check things out as maybe a business

proposition. The guy had an immaculate Studer A-800mkIII that he offered to me for $8K/delivered! I almost bought it on the spot, but the timing was wrong for me. I was really only there to inquire about jobs and/or becoming a branch or affilliate of their studio in my local area. I sure regret I didn't have the 8000 bones to blow on that deck at the time, though!!!

It kinda reminds me of the time that Tascam ATR-60/4HS (1/2" 4-track) was blown out the door on Ebay for $550,... but it was $550 more than I had at the time!!!

Aaaaggggghhhh!!!! I hate when that happens!!!

 

[cjacek]

Yup, shit happens and then the regret demons start creeping in.

 

[jpmorris]

So who builds the best analogue multitrack machine today? I'm thinking of giving up on digital and making my tracks sound better. Who is buiding the best machines right now? What models? What price? I'd expect to pay 2 or 3 grand of course.

No-one does. If you can find a Studer A827, that's what I'd get if I had unlimited funds. There are a handful of those still available brand new, but you're still talking about 10 times what you're hoping for. The Otari MTR90-III was the last, I believe. Now, ATR refurbish Ampex ATR machines for a prodigious sum and they do up to 8 tracks - IIRC theirs have a ninth channel for timecode.

Second hand, the Otari MX80 looks quite nice.

Forget the Tascam BR-20, by the way... you can't even get certain major parts for it anymore and it was only discontinued about two years ago.

If you've never done this before, something like a Tascam TSR-8 is probably a good machine to start with. It's only 8 tracks but it's inexpensive, straightforward to operate and uses 1/2" tape. There's a couple of studios in my area who offer the Otari 5050-8 which uses this format as well (although to be honest, the point of searching was to locate studios with a better system than mine, not the same kind of thing...)

Otherwise, Otari and Studer are probably the ones to look out for.

 

[cjacek]

ATR refurbish Ampex ATR machines for a prodigious sum

I recall they quoted me close to 10 grand for a restored ATR 4 track, yes 4 track!

 

[mikemorgan]

Now Mike are you down here screwing with us old analog boys?
Now remember I know where you live.
By the way I got started on putting in a bathroom and walling off the furnace in the basement for my Room but 2 weeks ago I was taking the first piece of drywall down the steps and fell from the 4th step from the bottom and landed on my shoulder. ( Key words here) It frickin hurt!
Now Im in therapy for the next two weeks to find out if they have to operate or not.
And I cant play drums for a while And I have a screwed up basement.

Sorry about your shoulder Herm, hope they don'y have to cut on you. If you need any help "you know where I live". Honestly didn't know that new machines were so expensive, or where to get one. Probably a little beyond my reach then, and I don't even know how to de-magnetize a head, let alone fix a busted Ebay deck. Why the hell doesn't Teac still make machines?

 

[The Ghost of FM]

Why the hell doesn't Teac still make machines?

For the same reason that any manufacturer stops making any product; because not enough people are willing to buy them in healthy, steady numbers when they are new.

Compound that fact with the additional facts that digital decks were being offered for far less money and "touted" as being superior along with older analog decks being sold off at fire sale pricing and it becomes pretty clear why TEAC/TASCAM pulled the line.

Cheers!

 

[MCI2424]

So who builds the best analogue multitrack machine today? I'm thinking of giving up on digital and making my tracks sound better. Who is buiding the best machines right now? What models? What price? I'd expect to pay 2 or 3 grand of course.

I believe that TASCAM and Fostex both build analog multitrack recorders. Studer stopped in 1999 and Otari only has a mastering 2 track recorder.

 

[Dubwise]

You might want to check out www.blevinsaudio.com
They are based out of Nashville. All of their machines are gone over, and if you pick up machine, they will gladly give you a quick alignment course. But you can find out plenty on the web about that stuff. Don't let alignment or biasing, head demag ect. sway your desicion. Just learn the stuff and you will be glad you made the switch.

If you are just starting out, the Otari MX-70 and Tascam MS-16 are both 1" 16trks and can be usually found between $1800-$2400 dollars. They sound great for the money, and are very user friendly machines to get started with.

 

[jpmorris]

I believe that TASCAM and Fostex both build analog multitrack recorders.

Cassette machines, yes.

 

[A Reel Person]

Nah!

The few analog Tascams that are still available as new/retail were discontinued quite a while ago, and are selling off vendor's shelves in a "use-til-gone" status. That's basically only the 414mkII, Porta02mkII, MF-P01 and Fostex X-12, anyway.

 

[themaddog]

Check Craigslist.org under musical instruments for your area. Search for Otari, Tascam, and Fostex, and wait for a decent 8 or 16 track to show up at a price you're willing to spend. If you check every few days, and are patient enough, you should be able to locate one.

-MD

 

[ofajen]

So who builds the best analogue multitrack machine today? I'm thinking of giving up on digital and making my tracks sound better. Who is buiding the best machines right now? What models? What price? I'd expect to pay 2 or 3 grand of course.

Last fall, Doug Weeks came up here to collect my 1" machine for the buyer and mentioned that a studio guy in Athens, GA had two Otari MTR90s that he was trying to sell for only $2500 each. Since Doug did the maintenance work on them, he was kinda pissed, since Doug thought his own MTR90 was worth about $5K, but when they go for half that, is it really worth that much to anyone else? If you like, I can send Doug an email and see if either machine is still available.

Cheers,

Otto

 

[ofajen]

Good news re 3M M-23! ... sorry can't post new thread

Hey, folks, I tried to post a new thread but for some reason it just won't work, so here is a new thread in a reply...

I fired up the old 3M M-23 1/4" 2-track today for the first time ever since I pieced it together from a transport and electronics bought from separate sources a few years back. The good news is that nothing blew up, burst into flames or even smoked when I first turned it on! Also, the capstan motor operates and the transport logic pretty much works and the deck will fast forward and rewind. It even pulls tape properly in play mode at both 7.5 and 15 ips without throwing a loop on start up or anything!

The one bit of bad news is that after a while, an old filter cap on the power/meter board in one electronics channel went pop and needs to be replaced for that channel to work properly. Still, the fact that this 40+ year old transport is working is very cool!

I had been thinking about trying to sell off the M-23 and all my M-23/64/56 series parts to Mitch Easter to fund my latest studio extravagance (more Studio Traps), and that's actually the main reason I tinkered with it this week. I was not at all optimistic about the transport being anywhere close to functional. But now that it's (nearly) working, I figure I'll keep it here and use it! The old rim drive seems to work really well, so I may not even bother to convert it over to belt drive right away.

Cheers,

Otto