K.C. Maloney
New member
Hey, all.
I recently lucked out big time! I was talking to a friend of mine I hadn't seen for a while a few weeks ago. We got to talking about recording, as I am just starting out as a sound engineer. One thing led ot another and he mentioned that he had some 8-track reel to reel that had been sitting in his apartment for a few years now (a friend of his owed him money, gave him the 8trk instead); he said he had no idea how to use it and wanted to see someone put it to good use. Needless to say, I jumped on the idea. He agreed to GIVE it to me, for free! I didn't really think he would just give it to me, but sure enough he called me a few days ago and asked if I wanted to come pick it up. SCORE!!
Anyways, I have it all set up, cleaned, demagnetized, and it's working like a charm and giving me that warm analog sound that my mostly digital (Digi002) setup sorely needed. I have a few questions, though, as I am having a tough time getting any solid info on it using the internet. I did buy the manual off of ebay (PDFs on a CDR), but I just had a few general questions in the mean time (manual hasn't come in the mail yet).
First off, how the hell are you supposed to align the tape heads? I am very familiar with aligning 24 track Studers and Otaris; I've had to align those machines WAY too many times. Since I know how important proper alignment is, it's really bugging me to not know how to do it with my 80. I'm not asking for a detailed, step by step description. I just want to know where I am supposed to make the adjustments because I haven't found any place on the machine that could possibly be for aligning, unless the front panel buttons do more than they look like they do. Can anybody tell me where to start? I'm not gonna attempt alignment until I recieve the manual in the mail, but I just want to know where (or how) the alignment is done.
Also, some of the LED meter lights for a few of the tracks have burnt out. Are these replaceable somehow? Can anybody suggest a decent place (around the Los Angeles area, preferrably) where I can get it serviced? I don't trust just any audio repair shop (even "official" repair shops) because I've had way too many bad experiences in the past.
Besides the stuff I just mentioned, can anybody think of anything I should know about this machine? Any comments or suggestions on how to get the most out of this machine would be GREATLY appreciated.
Who else owns a Model 80 around here?
I recently lucked out big time! I was talking to a friend of mine I hadn't seen for a while a few weeks ago. We got to talking about recording, as I am just starting out as a sound engineer. One thing led ot another and he mentioned that he had some 8-track reel to reel that had been sitting in his apartment for a few years now (a friend of his owed him money, gave him the 8trk instead); he said he had no idea how to use it and wanted to see someone put it to good use. Needless to say, I jumped on the idea. He agreed to GIVE it to me, for free! I didn't really think he would just give it to me, but sure enough he called me a few days ago and asked if I wanted to come pick it up. SCORE!!
Anyways, I have it all set up, cleaned, demagnetized, and it's working like a charm and giving me that warm analog sound that my mostly digital (Digi002) setup sorely needed. I have a few questions, though, as I am having a tough time getting any solid info on it using the internet. I did buy the manual off of ebay (PDFs on a CDR), but I just had a few general questions in the mean time (manual hasn't come in the mail yet).
First off, how the hell are you supposed to align the tape heads? I am very familiar with aligning 24 track Studers and Otaris; I've had to align those machines WAY too many times. Since I know how important proper alignment is, it's really bugging me to not know how to do it with my 80. I'm not asking for a detailed, step by step description. I just want to know where I am supposed to make the adjustments because I haven't found any place on the machine that could possibly be for aligning, unless the front panel buttons do more than they look like they do. Can anybody tell me where to start? I'm not gonna attempt alignment until I recieve the manual in the mail, but I just want to know where (or how) the alignment is done.
Also, some of the LED meter lights for a few of the tracks have burnt out. Are these replaceable somehow? Can anybody suggest a decent place (around the Los Angeles area, preferrably) where I can get it serviced? I don't trust just any audio repair shop (even "official" repair shops) because I've had way too many bad experiences in the past.
Besides the stuff I just mentioned, can anybody think of anything I should know about this machine? Any comments or suggestions on how to get the most out of this machine would be GREATLY appreciated.
Who else owns a Model 80 around here?
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