Hi, I bought a new roll of rmgi 911 for my tascam 38 and i'm having a small transport problem. When I hit play the transport is not as smooth as it was with the ampex 456. The tape seems to "jerk" and the tape lags after the pinch roller. I put the 456 back on the mach. and the problem goes away. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Could it be tape thickness? Remedy?
new tape for 38
- Thread starter mbow63
- Start date
jpmorris
Tape Wolf
With all respect, there's two immediate problems with that suggestion. Firstly, you can't buy 456 anymore, and secondly, any Ampex 456 or 406 stock made prior to 1995 - when they changed brand to 'Quantegy' - is prone to sticky-shed syndrome and is liable to cause just the sort of transport problems he's experiencing, or worse.
(Also 911 is designed as a bias-compatible replacement for 456)
mbow, I'm not sure offhand why that's happening - usually it's the other way around (the Ampex causing the problems). Early RMGI SM911 stock had a problem with shedding but that seems to have been solved by now.
What are the tape guides like? Is there any residue on the transport, either from the Ampex or the 911?
One thing that does happen is that Ampex and Quantegy tape are cut narrower than spec as a workaround for the slitting problems Ampex had.
If the machine was used exclusively with Ampex and then switches to RMGI (or any another brand than Ampex/Quantegy!) it does happen that the wear path in the heads and guides is too narrow for the new tape. This usually manifests as shedding at the edges and is something that goes away in time.
dodgeaspen
New member
Excellent advice Jp. Try cleaning the heads ETC. I had some issues in the beginning with RMG with my 38 as well, but after a few reels we found it was just a few bad reels that had SSS Did you but the tape new or used? Where? Posting pics might be helpful.
The 456 was nos and cam with the mach. when I bought it. I used it to record a couple tracks and it did have some serious shedding issues. I ordered the 911 because it was the proper replacement and it sounds great. The heads are clean and all parts are working as they should. I'm starting to think the pinch roller tension should be backed off a bit because the tape becomes loose right after I press play and the speed is off briefly then returns to normal. Any thoughts?
B
Beck
Guest
Could be residue from the old sticky 456. It’s a PITA to get off. That’s why I’m so adamant about avoiding sticky tape in the first place. It’s not a minor event in the studio. Just when you think you’ve thoroughly cleaned the tape path you should clean it again. What’s more, sticky residue from an old tape can contaminate a new tape via the tape path. It won’t cause the new tape to develop sticky-shed, but residue can stick to the new tape causing dropouts and in the worst cases uneven tape handling. However, it could also be the new SM911 tape… if it’s from an old lot. Where’d you buy the SM911?
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Bought the rmg at US recording online.. Smells pretty fresh to me! I might try the ATR, but a little pricey. I'm going to align the 38 tomorrow so I'm kind of stuck with this tape for now. We recorded some guitar last night and it sounded amazing. Thank you for your replies, Mark