lukeslim said:
Hi folks,
I was wondering how many times can one re record on 1/4 tape that is in good condition?
Dose the sound quality diminish after it has been recorded on the first time?
Is it a bad idea to purchase pre used tape?
I suppose the state of tape recorder etc is a factor.
Is it practicale to record over some used tape i brought it has radio broadcast on it and looks in excellent order?
Thanks Luke.
Yes you can record over existing material but it is best to bulk erase it first with a degausser.
Years ago when Maxell was still making UD 35-90 They stated 1000 passes before the tape would have significant dropouts and other audible signs of wear. That would be under ideal conditions, but you can still interpret that as meaning “lots and lots of passes.”
So-called one-pass tape can be fine or it can be unusable depending on several factors:
1. Buying tape made in the 70’s and 80’s – even to early 90’s is risky because of a chemical breakdown called “Sticky Shed Syndrome.” There is a lot of old (too old) tape on eBay, so be careful. This goes for both used and sealed tape. It depends on the brand. I’ve never found Maxell with sticky shed, even from the late 70’s.
2. Once a tape is opened you can’t be sure if the tape on the reel matches the label on the box. The reel could accidentally or on purpose be an older tape, or a different kind or brand altogether.
3. You can never be sure of the history of used tape. It could be one-pass or could have been used many times by people who didn’t know how to handle or store tape. It could also have been used on machines that were out of alignment or just plain clunky and hard on tape. Therefore you my get tape with edge damage and/or stretched, even though it has few passes.
Buy new tape when you can. You will feel better. Don’t buy even new-old-stock Ampex tape on eBay unless the seller can tell you the date it was made. Buy only 1995 and newer to be sure (late 1994 tape was good, but if you stick with 1995 as a cutoff you’ll be safe).
Ampex didn’t put dates on the outside of the box for 7” in later years. There is one other way to tell. Ask the seller to look on the back of the box to see where it was made. If it says Redwood California it may be sticky. If it says Opelika Alabama it is good. When Quantegy first bought Ampex they kept the Ampex name, so the boxes look the same except for this address. All Quantegy branded tape is good. All 499 is good regardless of where it was made.
In general, the best pre-used tape is the tape you bought new and only used yourself. With the high price of new tape right now the temptation to buy used is greater than ever. Just remember, it’s a crapshoot for the uninitiated.
-Tim
). The sound quality will not suffer from the first time.
