Lance Lawson
New member
At last I saw clear to run some tests on RMGI’s LPR-35. The recent threads concerning some issues with it did indeed prompt me to run this test. Now before I go into the test itself I will say that I have had an uneasy relationship with RMGI tape since my first purchases of it in 2009. But that is water under the bridge at this point.
For the test I used a 5” reel with just under 300’ feet spooled onto it. This gives an actual test length of 600” for recording but as the tape is always being run through the transport all the tracks receive wear whether the tape is in record mode or not. Leader was attached to both ends and for the most part the tape was recorded from side A to side B without rewinding but the recordings were monitored off of the heads as the recordings were made. I used a variety of CD’s of various genres as a means to determine the character of the tape. Sometimes the tape was stopped and playback was carefully listened to for quality and flaws. I found that running the tape through three cycles of recording both sides was about the limit of my concentration to actually listen critically to the results. So when I felt ear fatigue was setting in I took a break. Whenever I went back and listened to the last playback the tape always sounded better than when I broke for rest but this is expected.
For the test I used my TEAC A-2300SD. The machine was cleaned and demagnetized before starting the test. Speed was set at 7.5ips and Dolby was engaged. Both bias and EQ switches were set in the #1 positions. A white piece of paper was placed below the transport to show up any shed or shaving particles. Listening was done through Sennheiser HD 280 headphones.
The tape itself is a typical back coated type that is a deep rusty brown in color on the head side and a matt black on the backside. Noticeable to me was the thinness of the LPR-35 as its 1 mil thick. I’ve been working with 1.5 mil thick Ampex and RMGI for two years now. When handling 1 mil tape it pays to be mindful that it’s much easier to damage it than its thicker counterparts.
The testing schedule went as follows.
Friday 7/1/11: Five full passes of recording were achieved and one dedicated listening pass at the end of the fifth pass. This totaled 3000’ of tape travel. Recorded music was Dion’s Son of Skip James. All five recording passes were perfect. Peak db was allowed to go as high as +4db without distortion of any type. Upon dedicated listen pass the tape was confirmed to have recorded perfectly. At session’s end the heads and transport were cleaned and showed what was minor and typical tape deposits. There was no particle shedding and no edge shaving observed at all.
Saturday 7/2/11: Taping began with Goo Goo Dolls Dizzy Up The Girl. Specifically the tracks Slide, Broadway and Black Balloon. This was followed by Marshall Crenshaw’s Marshall Crenshaw CD and the tracks Cynical Girl, There She Goes and Rockin Around In NYC. Next was Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience and the tracks Lost Horizons, Hey Jealousy and Allison Road. These selections were chosen for the bright jangley nature of the music. The recordings were and monitored directly off the heads in real time. This amounted to 5,400’ of tape travel through the transport for a total of 8,400’ of tape travel. The response and performance of the tape was perfect throughout and captured all of the intended brightness of the selected tracks. The heads and transport were swabbed with denatured alcohol using the same swab as I used in the beginning of the test. Oxide and tape particulates were nil. Overall impression was very positive in all respects.
Saturday 7/2/11 Second Session: Anita Baker’s Rapture CD was chosen and was run without specifically selecting tracks due to the very “signature” sound of this CD. Next came Bruce Hornsby’s Hot House and the tracks Spider Fingers, Tango King and Hot House were chosen. From there I went to Patty Griffins Flaming Red and the tracks Mary, Tony and Peter Pan.. All selections were run through 3 recording passes. These selections have a smooth rich texture with abundant little sonic details. By sessions end the tape had acquired another 5,400’ of travel for a total of 13,800 of travel and still no discernible drop off in sound quality and still no dropouts or physical signs of tape wear/failure. I had the distinct impression that I could have continued the tests further with continued success but I sensed that it would be pointless at this stage. So I prepared to conclude the test.
Sunday 7/3/11: I used for the final session 3 selections of my own original music. These tracks are mixed very brightly and feature lots of acoustic guitar. I Degaussed the heads again and cleaned the transport. Then I rolled tape. The LPR-35 performed flawlessly and was still able to capture the intended brightness of these tracks. These recordings were taken directly off of the 96/24 SONAR digital master tracks and represent the most detailed and brightest recordings of the test which is why I saved them for last. If anything the transfer to tape achieved the desirable effects of tape compression and analog warmth while retaining the detail of the digital masters. I was impressed, very impressed..
Now I had intended to make a lot more passes over this reel of tape and I may yet. However I realized mid way through that I was running my TEAC harder than I’d ever run it before. More importantly though I had run the RMGI LPR-35 harder than any tape I’d ever run. While my intent was to run this reel to death it became clear as the test went on that I perhaps would have run my TEAC to death before making the tape quit. The tape didn’t quit nor did it exhibit any weaknesses.
If I am to compare RMGI LPR-35 to the tapes I used when my TEAC was new I can say that it exceeds them all, some by a very wide margin too. Granted that this is only a short section of a large pancake of tape but the potential is outstanding and I’ve reason to believe that the rest of the tape is as perfect as this section. There for me only remains now the question of longevity. But my LPR-35 seems to run clean, in fact cleaner than Ampex Grand Master that I used regularly when it was current. So at last I think I’ve come home and will have my venerable A-2300SD biased to accept LPR-35. I have a pancake of ATR on the way but somehow I don’t think I’ll require it except as the option of having choice. But I firmly believe that at least on my TEAC the LPR-35 is going to be a tough act to follow.
For the test I used a 5” reel with just under 300’ feet spooled onto it. This gives an actual test length of 600” for recording but as the tape is always being run through the transport all the tracks receive wear whether the tape is in record mode or not. Leader was attached to both ends and for the most part the tape was recorded from side A to side B without rewinding but the recordings were monitored off of the heads as the recordings were made. I used a variety of CD’s of various genres as a means to determine the character of the tape. Sometimes the tape was stopped and playback was carefully listened to for quality and flaws. I found that running the tape through three cycles of recording both sides was about the limit of my concentration to actually listen critically to the results. So when I felt ear fatigue was setting in I took a break. Whenever I went back and listened to the last playback the tape always sounded better than when I broke for rest but this is expected.
For the test I used my TEAC A-2300SD. The machine was cleaned and demagnetized before starting the test. Speed was set at 7.5ips and Dolby was engaged. Both bias and EQ switches were set in the #1 positions. A white piece of paper was placed below the transport to show up any shed or shaving particles. Listening was done through Sennheiser HD 280 headphones.
The tape itself is a typical back coated type that is a deep rusty brown in color on the head side and a matt black on the backside. Noticeable to me was the thinness of the LPR-35 as its 1 mil thick. I’ve been working with 1.5 mil thick Ampex and RMGI for two years now. When handling 1 mil tape it pays to be mindful that it’s much easier to damage it than its thicker counterparts.
The testing schedule went as follows.
Friday 7/1/11: Five full passes of recording were achieved and one dedicated listening pass at the end of the fifth pass. This totaled 3000’ of tape travel. Recorded music was Dion’s Son of Skip James. All five recording passes were perfect. Peak db was allowed to go as high as +4db without distortion of any type. Upon dedicated listen pass the tape was confirmed to have recorded perfectly. At session’s end the heads and transport were cleaned and showed what was minor and typical tape deposits. There was no particle shedding and no edge shaving observed at all.
Saturday 7/2/11: Taping began with Goo Goo Dolls Dizzy Up The Girl. Specifically the tracks Slide, Broadway and Black Balloon. This was followed by Marshall Crenshaw’s Marshall Crenshaw CD and the tracks Cynical Girl, There She Goes and Rockin Around In NYC. Next was Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience and the tracks Lost Horizons, Hey Jealousy and Allison Road. These selections were chosen for the bright jangley nature of the music. The recordings were and monitored directly off the heads in real time. This amounted to 5,400’ of tape travel through the transport for a total of 8,400’ of tape travel. The response and performance of the tape was perfect throughout and captured all of the intended brightness of the selected tracks. The heads and transport were swabbed with denatured alcohol using the same swab as I used in the beginning of the test. Oxide and tape particulates were nil. Overall impression was very positive in all respects.
Saturday 7/2/11 Second Session: Anita Baker’s Rapture CD was chosen and was run without specifically selecting tracks due to the very “signature” sound of this CD. Next came Bruce Hornsby’s Hot House and the tracks Spider Fingers, Tango King and Hot House were chosen. From there I went to Patty Griffins Flaming Red and the tracks Mary, Tony and Peter Pan.. All selections were run through 3 recording passes. These selections have a smooth rich texture with abundant little sonic details. By sessions end the tape had acquired another 5,400’ of travel for a total of 13,800 of travel and still no discernible drop off in sound quality and still no dropouts or physical signs of tape wear/failure. I had the distinct impression that I could have continued the tests further with continued success but I sensed that it would be pointless at this stage. So I prepared to conclude the test.
Sunday 7/3/11: I used for the final session 3 selections of my own original music. These tracks are mixed very brightly and feature lots of acoustic guitar. I Degaussed the heads again and cleaned the transport. Then I rolled tape. The LPR-35 performed flawlessly and was still able to capture the intended brightness of these tracks. These recordings were taken directly off of the 96/24 SONAR digital master tracks and represent the most detailed and brightest recordings of the test which is why I saved them for last. If anything the transfer to tape achieved the desirable effects of tape compression and analog warmth while retaining the detail of the digital masters. I was impressed, very impressed..
Now I had intended to make a lot more passes over this reel of tape and I may yet. However I realized mid way through that I was running my TEAC harder than I’d ever run it before. More importantly though I had run the RMGI LPR-35 harder than any tape I’d ever run. While my intent was to run this reel to death it became clear as the test went on that I perhaps would have run my TEAC to death before making the tape quit. The tape didn’t quit nor did it exhibit any weaknesses.
If I am to compare RMGI LPR-35 to the tapes I used when my TEAC was new I can say that it exceeds them all, some by a very wide margin too. Granted that this is only a short section of a large pancake of tape but the potential is outstanding and I’ve reason to believe that the rest of the tape is as perfect as this section. There for me only remains now the question of longevity. But my LPR-35 seems to run clean, in fact cleaner than Ampex Grand Master that I used regularly when it was current. So at last I think I’ve come home and will have my venerable A-2300SD biased to accept LPR-35. I have a pancake of ATR on the way but somehow I don’t think I’ll require it except as the option of having choice. But I firmly believe that at least on my TEAC the LPR-35 is going to be a tough act to follow.
