Flickering sound/volume dropouts... How do I fix this?

  • Thread starter Thread starter opriddy
  • Start date Start date
Yup, that tape will likely cause problems. The tape medium is one of the first things to look at when diagnosing machine issues. I would go into an explanation of what Ampex branded 456 and 406 tapes are ok, but when you buy them used none of the rules apply... since you can't be sure what kind of tape is actually on the reel, no matter what the reel and box says. If you've got AGFA 469 that will be as bad or worse than Ampex. Do all your diagnostics on new tape, and by new I mean unopened. Good tape can be 15 years old and still be "New." As already mentioned, look for unopened "New Old Stock" Quantegy 406 or 456, as well as 3M/Scotch 206, and 911 or 468 from BASF, EMTEC or RMGI. 468 from AGFA is the original and also one of my favs, but harder to find.

As for the pinch roller, its worth the cost of a new or reconditioned one. If you're using a piece of foam or anything else other than rubber designed for it you already have plenty of other problems you may not be aware of. The foam could also be shredding off in layers hard to see with the naked eye and contributing to the dropout problem. The proper function of the pinch-roller and capstan together in pulling the tape through the tape path is one of the most critical on the mechanical side of things. It can't be understated. And when you have microprocessor controlled tape handling, as you do on the MSR-16, it can be even more problematic. You got your MSR-16 for about 10% of what it was new, so expect to invest in common maintenance parts such as the pinch roller. Or I'll buy it from you for $700.00 and I'll happily buy a pinch roller for it! :D It's well worth it!
 
I guess I'll look for those other kinds on ebay. I'm not seeing any of them in the size I need right now. I'll check again tomorrow.
 
Actually, I just listened to your sound clip -- that sounds like worn out or crinkled tape.
 
Well, I'm considering all possibilities at this point, but like I said, I've had this same thing happen with totally unused tape as well. What kind of circumstances might cause a new reel of tape to do that? When it first started happening, I examined the tape for wrinkles in the areas where I heard flickering. I never saw any visible signs of it.
 
opriddy said:
Well, I'm considering all possibilities at this point, but like I said, I've had this same thing happen with totally unused tape as well. What kind of circumstances might cause a new reel of tape to do that? When it first started happening, I examined the tape for wrinkles in the areas where I heard flickering. I never saw any visible signs of it.
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if it's sticky shed a brand spanking new reel of tape will do that.
It can be completely factory-sealed, never-used tape and if it's one of the types known to be sticky-shed it's just no good from the get-go.
beck has a list of tapes known to be ok and others known to not be.
 
@Lt. Bob

Yeah, I saw that. Ebay doesn't seem to have much from his list at the moment, or at least it didn't last night. I'm getting ready to check again. I saw a lot of the brands he mentioned when I searched last night, but any time I found the specific types he recommended they were the wrong width. I know it's limited supply, so anybody who deals in tape is probably going to be limited to what is available to them from auctions and stuff, but maybe there are some websites that have a more consistent selection? Or maybe, even a particular search heading on ebay that would reveal a wider range of listings? Thanks.
 
You guys have mentioned some of the 468 and 469 varieties, but what about Ampex Quantegy 467? There's a brand new reel of it on ebay that I could grab now if it's any good.
 
opriddy said:
You guys have mentioned some of the 468 and 469 varieties, but what about Ampex Quantegy 467? There's a brand new reel of it on ebay that I could grab now if it's any good.
Click to expand...

Quantegy 467 is digital audiotape for older DASH and ProDigi reel-to-reel digital machines. It won't work for analog recording.

And just a reminder... 468 is good and 469 is bad, and neither are made by Ampex/Quantegy. Different tape makers may "Accidentally" use model numbers that seem close to other brands, but there's no connection between one brand and another with model numbering.

On another note, it's become more difficult to search on eBay. Either you get too many results or it misses things. If I see something in my searches I'll let you know.
 
I have found serviceable 1/2" tape right here on our own classified section. Just picked up a reel of Quantegy and an empty reel. I looked on eBay this morning and there was at least one ad for Ampex 456 in the dark grey boxes with the Ampex label across the bottom. Avoid the dark grey boxes with the label in the middle.
 
Can you not just buy some brand-new RMGI tape, rather than risking ebay?
 
opriddy, check your private messages under Notifications at top of this page...
 
What is it that causes this sticky shed syndrome, and what makes certain varieties of tape more prone to it than others? Also, how would tape companies have found a market for these products if they elicited such universally negative reviews? Were these problem varieties just priced lower, or was sticky shed syndrome something that mainly developed as the tape aged?
 
Sticky-Shed Syndrome happened over time with tapes that used a certain urethane for binding the oxide to the tape. The tapes affected by it date from the 70's to early 90's. The binder is unstable and thus absorbs moisture over time, even if the tape remains new and sealed in the box. So many tapes were used that seemed perfectly fine for a while, but then started showing sighs of problems from months to years after they were used. The urethane binder in question was always bad, but the problems didn't show up until later. Most sticky-shed tape was made by 3M/Scotch and Ampex. AGFA, BASF and EMTEC were mostly unaffected. Although there are a few exceptionally bad ones like AGFA PEM 469. Maxell was not a problem either because they used whale oil instead of polyurethane. You won't find a Maxell tape on the planet with sticky-shed syndrome. Newer tapes like those made by Qunategy, RMGI and ATR don't have sticky-shed either. Tape manufacturers eventually changed the type of urethane binder in the 1990's to remedy the problem.
 
and I'm getting ready to be knowledgable about baking tapes since I have quite a few I need to get the recordings off of that are sticky-shed.
I already have my food dehydrator.
:)
 
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