Quantengy 456

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raary

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Hi there,
I just purchased a Fostex E16 and don't really know much about reel to reel recording, I want to buy some tape for it and I get the impression that Quantengy 456 I/2 inch tape is the way to go.
I found some unused on ebay for £30 (approx $65), does that seem a fair price?
If anyone has any suggestions on what type of tape I should look out for or avoid it would be much appreciated, and does anyone know if there is anyone still producing 1/2 inch reel tape?
As you can see I'm a bit unaquainted when it come to using this media so any help would be greatly appreciated... Rory x
 
raary said:
Hi there,
I just purchased a Fostex E16 and don't really know much about reel to reel recording, I want to buy some tape for it and I get the impression that Quantengy 456 I/2 inch tape is the way to go.
I found some unused on ebay for £30 (approx $65), does that seem a fair price?
If anyone has any suggestions on what type of tape I should look out for or avoid it would be much appreciated, and does anyone know if there is anyone still producing 1/2 inch reel tape?
As you can see I'm a bit unaquainted when it come to using this media so any help would be greatly appreciated... Rory x
Click to expand...

Look into 3M 996. It is what I use and the sticky tape syndrome is history. You will have to align the deck for it, but it is much better sounding tape.
 
I just got some new quantegy 1/2 inch from musicians friends last week for 130.00 for two reels including shipping. I dont know if they still have any or not but you might give them a try.
 
raary said:
Hi there,
I just purchased a Fostex E16 and don't really know much about reel to reel recording, I want to buy some tape for it and I get the impression that Quantengy 456 I/2 inch tape is the way to go.
I found some unused on ebay for £30 (approx $65), does that seem a fair price?
If anyone has any suggestions on what type of tape I should look out for or avoid it would be much appreciated, and does anyone know if there is anyone still producing 1/2 inch reel tape?
As you can see I'm a bit unaquainted when it come to using this media so any help would be greatly appreciated... Rory x
Click to expand...

Yes, 456 is the standard and what the E-16 is factory configured for. 3M 996 and BASF/EMTEC 900 (both discontinued, but available) are hotter tapes like Quantegy 499 and GP9. The most notable downside of these higher output tapes is accelerated head wear.

The bias and level settings are different meaning you will need to take your machine in and have it setup.

When starting out I normally recommend 456 and go from there. It clears up a lot of confusion. There are many brands and types of tape and they aren't created equal. A very common mistake for newcomers to analog is using tape on a machine not configured for it.

If you can't find 456 because of the tape shortage look for BASF/EMTEC 911 or 468. Many people also swear by Quantegy 406 as a substitute, though 456 is technically superior. You won't have to rebias or alter level on the E-16 for these tapes.

Just remember 456 is the industry standard by which all other pro tapes are compared, even if a given tape compares more favorably.

-Tim
 
Beck said:
Yes, 456 is the standard and what the E-16 is factory configured for. 3M 996 and BASF/EMTEC 900 (both discontinued, but available) are hotter tapes like Quantegy 499 and GP9. The most notable downside of these higher output tapes is accelerated head wear.

The bias and level settings are different meaning you will need to take your machine in and have it setup.

When starting out I normally recommend 456 and go from there. It clears up a lot of confusion. There are many brands and types of tape and they aren't created equal. A very common mistake for newcomers to analog is using tape on a machine not configured for it.

If you can't find 456 because of the tape shortage look for BASF/EMTEC 911 or 468. Many people also swear by Quantegy 406 as a substitute, though 456 is technically superior. You won't have to rebias or alter level on the E-16 for these tapes.

Just remember 456 is the industry standard by which all other pro tapes are compared, even if a given tape compares more favorably.

-Tim
Click to expand...

Yes, I forgot that you would have to set the tape tension for the 996 to prevent the accellerated head wear. If you don't know how (or don't have the means) just use 456. It is good tape usually. I have had too many problems with it myself, but others seem to like it.
 
thanks, yeah I guess I better stick with 456 (or as you suggested BASF/EMTEC 911 or 468) I better get to know my way around the e16 before I start reconfiguring it etc...

thanks again for your advice
 
What is the difference in head wear when using G9 tapes as opposed to, say 456 , on a fostex E16 calibrated for it? As I use G9 now, I may switch back to something a little less physically demanding on my machine, if the difference is substancial.

thanks
 
dfgh11 said:
What is the difference in head wear when using G9 tapes as opposed to, say 456 , on a fostex E16 calibrated for it? As I use G9 now, I may switch back to something a little less physically demanding on my machine, if the difference is substancial.

thanks
Click to expand...

Well, that is a good question. When these high-bias tapes hit the market people lined up to try it. The HB tapes lower the hiss and allow a much higher output than stuff like 456. The HB tapes are thicker and heavier than the 456 tapes. So, although everyone loved the HB tapes, their tape heads did not. The HB tape has nothing to do with it in itself. The real problem is that these people forgot to check and set the tape tension. The same thing will happen when you don't check and set the tape tension with 456. If your tape tension is too high with any tape formulation, the heads wear faster. (The second problem was that some consumer tape deck reel motors where too wimpy for 456 let alone tape like GP9/996. The last problem was that some older decks did not have enough bias energy to completely erase the recordeed material.)

BTW, this is probably happening right now with at least 75% of machines out there. I set tape tension everytime I change a batch of tape. All of the tape machines I have aligned for friends had their tape tension set too high. Yes their heads are wearing faster than normal but not as fast as slapping some good 'ol 3M 996/GP9 and not setting the transport up for it.

So, GP9 and 3M 996 got a bad rep for this reason and the false stories have gone to folklore.

I align and set tape tension much more often than most people. I find that it goes off with the same brand of tape and different batches. All my decks heads have unusually high hours and when I have to re-lap, the re-lappers always comment on how great shape the heads are for the amount of hours and age. So, I must be doing something right. Everyone should really learn how to align and set tape tension as the shortage of analog tape decks/parts will eventually hit all of us.
 
acorec said:
Everyone should really learn how to align and set tape tension as the shortage of analog tape decks/parts will eventually hit all of us.
Click to expand...
I would love to learn how to do this for my 3440 and my Otari 5050 - 8track. Up till now I have just used them as they are (they are baised for 456) and left it at that. I sometimes wonder if wouldn't get better results if I aligned and tensioned my decks. Not that I am disappointed with my results. On the contrary, I love some of the stuff that happens in the Boogie Barn, however, I'm always looking to improve. I wouldn't know where to start. If you're up for tutoring me, I'm all ears. :o :D
 
Me too. I haven't had my E-16 realigned since I bought it about 2 years ago. It hadn't had much use in that time, as I was building up my equipment in oder to use it. Now it's in moderate use, I'd like to learn all these maintenance techniques but it's just where to learn them. I do know someone that services machines, but it isn't as handy as knowing how to do it yourself so you can spot a problem and fix it a lot quicker.Recently it's stopped recording/erasing on track 1 and 16, a problem which I should be sorting out this week. The head still looks in good shape, so my guess is that it's an alignment problem as it's been moved around alot in the past few months, as well. I hope that is what it is anyway 'cause I don't think I've got a spare £700( about $1300) right now to replace the head.
 
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humm.

Got me all paranoid now -- Seems like 20/20 -- "Do you know what YOUR tape tension is set to? It could be deadly" :eek:

It seems to me like tape tension would LOOSEN over time -- so, would my B-16, which works fine, be a possible candidate for too high of a tape tension? I'm using 456, so, no biggie.

-callie-
 
acorec said:
All of the tape machines I have aligned for friends had their tape tension set too high. Yes their heads are wearing faster than normal but not as fast as slapping some good 'ol 3M 996/GP9 and not setting the transport up for it.

So, GP9 and 3M 996 got a bad rep for this reason and the false stories have gone to folklore.

I align and set tape tension much more often than most people. I find that it goes off with the same brand of tape and different batches. All my decks heads have unusually high hours and when I have to re-lap, the re-lappers always comment on how great shape the heads are for the amount of hours and age. So, I must be doing something right. Everyone should really learn how to align and set tape tension as the shortage of analog tape decks/parts will eventually hit all of us.
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Hello, I have a Fostex A-8. How can I check/set the tention on it? I have noticed that it seems really tight, but I don't know much about these things... Please tell me how to check this!!
Thanks!
 
Derrick111 said:
Hello, I have a Fostex A-8. How can I check/set the tention on it? I have noticed that it seems really tight, but I don't know much about these things... Please tell me how to check this!!
Thanks!
Click to expand...

The best way to learn how this is done is to get a maintanance manual for your deck. I am pretty sure that you can still get a copy from Fostex directly. Usually tension is adjusted using a spring scale and pulling the dancer arm away fron the tape while the tape is under tension. When the dancer arm just starts to move from its static position, then you read the measurement and check the manual. If the tension is out, then there are ways to calibrate it either electronically or mechanically or both. I don't know the home machines much anymore so I talk from pro-machine experience.
I will check mt Fostex E-16 manual just to see what is involved. I have,'nt done this machine in a long time.
 
Great! Now what kind of spring scale do I use and where do I find them? Are these pricy?

Yea, I've been trying to locate a manual for some time now but after spending $32 on another Fostex manual that ended up being 4 pages with no real information in it... I am scared to pay for one. You'd think there would be a number of peole out there with these manuals or an online source. :confused:
 
Derrick111 said:
Great! Now what kind of spring scale do I use and where do I find them? Are these pricy?

Yea, I've been trying to locate a manual for some time now but after spending $32 on another Fostex manual that ended up being 4 pages with no real information in it... I am scared to pay for one. You'd think there would be a number of peole out there with these manuals or an online source. :confused:
Click to expand...

Trust me. There is no way you will be able to do any work on your deck without a *repair* manual. Get the maintanance/repair manual and you will be all set. My MCI JH24 2" recorder manual costs $150.00 for a copy.

The spring scale costs $5.00 from many places. You need to know what your tension range is. Mine is ~250 grams.
 
Thank you Acorec! I have been looking for the repair manual... I'm not giving up :)

Where is are good places to look for the spring scale if I do find the manual?
 
I have gotten replacement manuals from fostex before.

I would also like to know how to do this type of maintenance on this machine. biasing is a bitch because it does not have a separate playback head so i decided to just leave mine as is. but at least I would like to get the tension right, keep the reels from wobbling, and get the head aligned.

I wish there was a video or something, because even with the manuals it is confusing. Took me over a week to figure out how to get to the adjustment controls. I had to read that particular section about 100 times and finally figured out that I had to unscrew something completely different that wasn't even in there.
 
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