how to properly set up a reel to reel tape?

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IronWine

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Hey there im a bout to purchase the Akai 1710W Tape. im not sure how to properly set it up tho. This tape has a preamp and a wierd 5-pin xlr input in the back.

does it mean that i can use it without a mixer? would it supply my condenser mic (adk vienna) with 48+ if ill find the right 3pin to 5 adapter?

other option is to use the regular rca inputs. in that case ill have to use a mixer..any suggestion for a vitage mixer? every old mixer i checked didnt even had xlr inputs, only regular 3.5 inputs.

thank you!
 
That's an old baby...it even has tubes. :)

NO..you can't mix with the deck.
The 5-pin connector is a DIN connector used for connecting the preamp REC/PB output to some other component.
NO...there is no 48V phantom power.

This was considered a high-end stereo tape deck for the upscale home Hi-Fi system....back in 1968.
I think it has built in speakers.

Here's some info for you (isn't it amazing what you can do with Goggle :D)

Akai 1710W Manual - Stereo Tape Recorder - HiFi Engine


 
miroslav said:
That's an old baby...it even has tubes. :)

NO..you can't mix with the deck.
The 5-pin connector is a DIN connector used for connecting the preamp REC/PB output to some other component.
NO...there is no 48V phantom power.

This was considered a high-end stereo tape deck for the upscale home Hi-Fi system....back in 1968.
I think it has built in speakers.

Here's some info for you (isn't it amazing what you can do with Goggle :D)

Akai 1710W Manual - Stereo Tape Recorder - HiFi Engine


Click to expand...


sweet thanks !

any idea for a vintage mixer that would do the work? i wanna keep the chain as analog as possible. cant seem to find one with xlrs inputs

btw this is the input on the back, i think it actually says "rec": http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/vintagetx/AK63.jpg
 

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IronWine said:
any idea for a vintage mixer that would do the work?
Click to expand...

What are you hoping to do with this recorder? It doesn't really have a meaningful function. It can't record multitrack and it's probably not worth using as a mixdown deck.
 
A freind had an old Sony deck from that era. Heads were shot, rubber was shot. Usless. Until we turned it into a guitar preamp. Damn, that thing sounded good.
:D
 
You guys are a bit tough on the lad who is obviously a noob.

Your tape recorder will as mentioned earlier be nearly useless for actual recording. However if the heads and mechanical parts are alright it might be fine for a mixdown machine if you're after a rough garage rock or punk sound. However it will probably leave out a lot of treble as its running 7,5 IPS at best. I dig the idea of using it as a guitar preamp, be creative. If nothing else it's a fine oppurtunity to get your feet wet in the analogue world.
It could also be usefull as a tape delay. Google this, it's fairly easy and can also be done on things you recorded in your DAW.

Unless you have really deep pockets to pay for both buying the actual equipment and for repairs or you're a real wizard with fixing things I would reconsider the idea of "old=good". If you want decent analog gear within a small or medium budget go for multitracks from Tascam or Fostex. They exist in four, eight, 16 and 24 versions and there's still good ones out there. Go for the ones with least wear, it'll save you a pain in the ass later.

As for mixing desks the same applies however to a smaller extent. The really old stuff you might be able to afford is likely to have been crap to begin with or have so many issues it won't give you much fun. You'll get most value for money with 80's and 90's desk from Soundcraft, DDA, TAC or similar.
 
I'm not sure that deck would work as a delay, if I'm reading the spec right, it only has two heads. I certainly wouldn't buy it on the basis that it could be used as an echo machine.
 
Thanks yall for your answers.

well i guess i should have mention what i intend to do with the gear. i actually dont need it for any fancy goals, i record folk rock to gentle rock at my basic home studio. somewhere between nick drake to Iron&wine as my nickname implies :) . i just dont find my self attached to the modern sound i get with my modern equipment (zoom h4n, steinberg ur44). im lookin for that lofi "unrifined" sound, and i think ill be able to get it, or at least try, with a good reel to reel tape.

I just want a basic mic > tape recorder > mixer > pc set up to record my music, no need for delays, echos etc. would it be useless for my needs?

I wanted to keep my chain as analog as i can but i doubt if there will be any major effect from the mixer if the preamp is already in the recorder?
 
WarmJetGuitar said:
You guys are a bit tough on the lad who is obviously a noob.
Click to expand...

You call that "tough"...? :D



IronWine said:
I wanted to keep my chain as analog as i can but i doubt if there will be any major effect from the mixer if the preamp is already in the recorder?
Click to expand...

What we are saying is...this AKAI is NOT the recorder that will work for you.
There are plenty of basic 3-head 2-track used recorders to be found...and also plenty of decent multitrack used recorders, which may be of more value to you if you want to keep it all analog.
 
miroslav said:
You call that "tough"...? :D





What we are saying is...this AKAI is NOT the recorder that will work for you.
There are plenty of basic 3-head 2-track used recorders to be found...and also plenty of decent multitrack used recorders, which may be of more value to you if you want to keep it all analog.
Click to expand...


im not hooked on this Akai, someone sellin it in my town so I thought it would be a good bargain.. what would u reccomend me instead?

something else from that period (a diffrent akai tape, maybe sony) or somethin more modern such as Tascam portastudio?
 
A porta-studio is probably a very good choice for you going into analog. They are well supported, perishable parts still being available. Its got the mixer built in. You can learn about and do multitrack recording, and mix down. You would be up and running with a minimum of fuss and bother.
 
mdainsd said:
A porta-studio is probably a very good choice for you going into analog. They are well supported, perishable parts still being available. Its got the mixer built in. You can learn about and do multitrack recording, and mix down. You would be up and running with a minimum of fuss and bother.
Click to expand...

thanks for helping!

yes im thinking about the portastudio.

theres also an AKAI GX260D and a SONY TC 377 im looking on. are they multitrack tapes?
 
IronWine said:
theres also an AKAI GX260D and a SONY TC 377 im looking on. are they multitrack tapes?
Click to expand...

Not trying to sound snooty or tough... :) ...but it might serve you better to read up on tape decks and whatnot before you consider any purchases...and while we can tell you what is or isn't a good choice, you still won't know much about them, yet you're planning to dive into using them for recording.

Like I said earlier...Goggle is your friend. ;)
 
Agree. A used deck can be a nightmare if you don't know before you go.

Even stuff that is known to be good for recording can be a crap shoot. It WAS great......back in the day. Now, anywhere from 20 to 40 years later, what is the condition? Can you, and where can you get parts. Etc, etc, etc.

Lots of stuff to study and become familiar with. Just because it's analog vintage gear, don't mean it's worth a damn.

I second the portastudio entry path as well. They are newer, popular, easy to use, cheap tape costs, and there are quite a few vendors of replacement parts.

Still it requires some smart buying. The guy advertising a "only used 3 times, then packed away" machine, has one that has issues. While it may look mint, chances are all the rubber is shot and needs replacing.

Know before you go.
 
I just think some reading about tape decks, multitrack recording, and analog mixing in general is needed.

I mean...anyone considering buying a tape recorder because he thinks it's cool to go retro and record to tape and do the analog thing should understand the basics before worrying which model tape recorder to buy...like at least be able to tell the difference between 2-track and multitrack recorders by looking at them and checking their specs.
 
First thing is to simply treat it like any other stereo recorder/playback device. The 5 pin connector is an old high connector that has left and right record and playback on one connector. Very common back then and stolen to be used later for MIDI connections. The phono connectors are the ones to use, because the DIN spec levels are different, and not quite what we have now. The phono connectors are still the current standard. It will sound ok, ish by current standards but isn't a shining example of the time. It's just not special, will cost you to run it if you need to buy tapes, and probably be unreliable as the rubber drive belts are likely to be shot.
 
I second all the caveats about buying this or any other old tape gear. There is a reason 99.9% of peeps stopped using it!

Re a "vintage" mixer or mic preamp? Never forget the Old Guys, waaaay "back in the day" were NOT shooting for "a sound"! They were mostly (and I am thinking BBC/Decca/EMI) here, trying for the highest fidelity. As mentioned stuff from Soundcraft. A&H was good and will still be so..

The DIN connector. Japan and the Americans did not really "get" DIN and made a dog's chuckup of the system. Imported (to here) DIN gear was needlessly noisy and had high output Zs leading to HF loss*.
Unfortunately the RCA connectors were often just a resistor network that mimicked the wrong DIN implementation and so made noise even worse! As with much to do with tape you need some mechanical and electronics smarts to get and keep decent performance. If you don't have them or can afford them as do? Best leave it and explore "sim" software.

*Mention was made of a poor HF performance at 7.5ips? In fact a good OR machine, Revox, the better Sonys etc, PROPERLY SETUP could easily exceed a 20kHz -3dB point (OTTOMH I think the B77 was neg 3dB at nearly 30kHz!)

Mind you! As with all tape, HF response was level sensitive.

Dave.
 
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