calibration question

[antispatula]

So it's not as if I really get how to do it yet (thanks for those who tried explaining it to me, especially reel buzzer for typing all that out!!) But I know mine was aligned and biased to be used for scotch 266. I did a search, and turns out that the 226 is scotchs equivalent to 456! And that's exactly what I'm going to use. What do you think? Should I a. after a million years, try and calibrate it myself b. have a tech do it for like 300 bucks or c. try it, since it's biased for 226, and 226 is very similar to 456, it may already be in pretty decent condition the way it is.

Thanks!!

 

[Beck]

In most cases you can mix and match the standard bias compatible tapes, like Q 456, 3M 226, 266/286 and BASF 911. 456 became the de facto reference, and other tapes were made to be bias and level compatible with it. There is some grace with bias. That is, there is some slack that makes bias close enough across the entire 456-class of tape, which includes all the above.

You can dial it in to be, “Just right”, but it probably won’t be worth the effort, considering the definition of, “Just right” differs depending on who you ask.

I use 456, 911, 226 and even 468 on my TSR-8, and none of them sound “wrong” though each tape has its own character. If you use Dolby or dbx NR, tapes sound even more the same, IMO.