Tape Machine

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nick The Man
  • Start date Start date
Nick The Man

Nick The Man

New member
ive heard alot about these now what the hell do they do ...they are obviously working for professional studios
 
for example what does this do
 

Attachments

  • rockhouseampex.webp
    rockhouseampex.webp
    29.8 KB · Views: 111
That is a mix down deck. It is a stereo reel to reel tape deck, you mix down to it.
The bigger version of this will use 2 inch tape and record 24 tracks.
 
does it sound super good or something... are they expensive
 
I know it is hard to imagine, but there was a time before computers. It really wasn't that long ago. To answer you questions, yes they are super expensive. And yes they do have a pleasing sound.
 
do you know a place where i can learn more about them and find some prices
... not that im gonna buy em
 
Off hand, you could hang out in the analog forum. Those guys are all about tape machines. For prices, you could look on ebay or some used studio equipment stores. Last time I looked, a 24 track 2 inch machine was about $50,000 and a 10 minute reel of tape for it was $150. Now that the only supplier of tape went bankrupt, I'm sure the prices have gone up for the tape.
 
I'm sure you have seen a cassette deck. Think of it as a really big one. There isn't much more to it than that.
 
Farview said:
Off hand, you could hang out in the analog forum. Those guys are all about tape machines. For prices, you could look on ebay or some used studio equipment stores. Last time I looked, a 24 track 2 inch machine was about $50,000 and a 10 minute reel of tape for it was $150. Now that the only supplier of tape went bankrupt, I'm sure the prices have gone up for the tape.
Click to expand...


I've seen them in good shape on Ebay for a hell of a lot less than $50k. Hell, there's an Otari 2" deck on ebay with autolocator for $3500 right now.
 
HangDawg said:
I've seen them in good shape on Ebay for a hell of a lot less than $50k. Hell, there's an Otari 2" deck on ebay with autolocator for $3500 right now.
Click to expand...
The last time I looked was the late 80's and I was looking at new ones. All hail ebay! Hell, If I could remember how to calibrate one of those things, I I would pick one up. (assuming tape prices come down soon.
 
Farview said:
assuming tape prices come down soon.
Click to expand...
Don't count on it... in fact, you can bet the price will go up... and it may even be really hard to find/buy tape in the years to come.
 
The sky is fallling

From what I read, tape (especially recording 2" tape) is going to be increasingly hard to find. It's not a matter of the sky falling, it's elementary economics. The world's biggest supplier went bankrupt trying to make a living from selling this tape. The machinery required to manufacture tape is expensive and precise, which makes it unlikely that a small outfit can fit in the niche....the capital investment would be too big (unless somebody bought the Quantergy gear for a song).

But: don't forget, once you get a tape deck, you'll need calibration & alignment tapes, demagnetizers, and the ability to troubleshoot and repair your own gear (there's no one anywhere around here for a couple of hundred miles who is qualified to work on tape decks), and to scrounge parts for increasingly scarce beasts. You're going to have to really want to do it, knowing that the gear is only going to get older, and the tape more expensive or at least harder to find, and finally that (assuming you are like most of us) you're probably not going to suddenly go from producing mediocre recordings to making magic sounding CDs without doing what all the guys who are really good at it did, which is to spend a lifetime learning how to tweak the machinery. It's STILL not the gear, but the experience, and the taste, and the musical ability of the performers.

If you're going to approach it like a guy restoring a '56 Norton Manx, then go for it. End of rant.
 
lpdeluxe said:
It's STILL not the gear, but the experience, and the taste, and the musical ability of the performers.
Click to expand...
Aw, lp --- why did'ja have to spill all the secrets in a single post? Now all the newbies will stop logging on!
 
lpdeluxe said:
From what I read, tape (especially recording 2" tape) is going to be increasingly hard to find. It's not a matter of the sky falling, it's elementary economics. The world's biggest supplier went bankrupt trying to make a living from selling this tape. The machinery required to manufacture tape is expensive and precise, which makes it unlikely that a small outfit can fit in the niche....the capital investment would be too big (unless somebody bought the Quantergy gear for a song).
Click to expand...

Actually I think you'll find that tape manufacture was actually the only profitable part of Quantegy's operations.

It was the other stuff that broke them. :p
 
the only profitable part...

Is that true? Still, it's not a growth industry. You can buy new tires for your Model A Ford, just as you could in 1930, but you don't have the selection of manufacturers, or styles, and you won't find them on sale at Pep Boys.

Or vacuum tubes: as far as I can tell all the tubes being manufactured these days are coming from places where environmental controls are a lot laxer than in the US (it's been years and years since tubes were made here), due to the high toxicity of the elements used in them. Of course, I have a collection of elderly tube amplifiers, so I would like to see tubes continue to be available; but when the last tube is sold someday in the future, I have to hope someone invents a plug-in replacement or I'll have to give them up.

The reason I love tube gear is the same reason that experienced engineers love analog tape: it's what I grew up on, it does what I need it to do and I have enough experience with its many quirks that I am reluctant to learn a new way of doing things. On the other hand, I just bought a solidstate Ampeg so maybe there's hope for me yet.

But the crux of my position is, is digital cold and lifeless and analog warm and toasty?

No. Experienced engineers know how to make their recordings sound warm and toasty rather than cold and lifeless, and the simple fact is that so many of the experienced ones are at an age when they HAD to learn on tape. The next generation will do the same with digital. They'll have to: there won't be any tape, just as there won't be any vacuum tubes.

Is this pessimistic? Not at all. Music will still be music. It'll still be the Indian, not the arrow, as the saying goes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top