Tape Problems

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Bguzaldo

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Hey guys, I'm having some problems with a few of my tapes. When I playback the tapes I get a strange random flanging effect and I can see the reel speeding up and slowing down. I don't think it is the tape machine itself because It only happens on certain tapes at certain places. I see the word sticky shed a lot around here and I looked into it but there's no build up or residue on the heads and the tapes aren't from the 70's or even the 80's. I'm pretty new to the analog world and I'm still constantly trying to learn as much as I can so even if you can just refer me to some good articles that might be able to help I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,
-Barrett
 
And what kind of tape? backcoated, not backcoated, thin?

Are you sure it isn't sticking, or stretching for that matter or maybe too heavy for the transport?
 
cleaned the pinch roller lately?
whilst yer at it, do the heads and guides.
with older tapes i find it necessary to clean after every tape play/pass to maintain peak performance. sometimes in the middle of a tape.
 
The machine is a Tascam MSR 24, the tape is BASF 911 from 96 I believe. I clean everything every time I change a tape.

I got the tapes and the machine in July, the guy I got em from claims they were stored at the proper temperature and humidity.

I do clean it very often and I take good care of everything, these few tapes have been doing this since the day I bought it, luckily its only a few seconds on 2 of the tapes.
 
You might want to just buy new tape and be done with it. If you have important things on the old tapes transfer them to another tape or the computer.
 
dodgeaspen said:
You might want to just buy new tape and be done with it. If you have important things on the old tapes transfer them to another tape or the computer.
Click to expand...
That could be easier said that done. Remember, this is a 24-track machine...
 
"Hey guys, I'm having some problems with a few of my tapes. When I playback the tapes I get a strange random flanging effect and I can see the reel speeding up and slowing down. I don't think it is the tape machine itself because It only happens on certain tapes at certain places."
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another thing you might consider trying-try very lightly sanding the pinch roller with fine grain sandpaper, just enough to barely scuff up the surface of the roller and get it to grip the tape better.

i've done it on two of my decks about 5 months ago when tape was slipping off the rollers, and they've worked perfectly since.
it may be just a temporary fix however. at some point i'll probably have to replace the rollers.

YMMV
 
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Hey I had the same problem and it ended up being the tape. I bought this tape off eBay and the creep said and charged me for a new tape. When it arrived it was in a different looking bag than the usual Ampex 456. Looked like a seal-a-meal bag. Tried recording with it on my MSR16 and the first half of the tape worked find but around mid way through the tape, it started slowing down to the point where it would stop! Junk tape. Another time I had problems with the pinch roller and the tape counter rubbers melting. The tape would stick to the rubber and really creates a problem. It's wierd, they just turned to goo! But the way it's slowing sounds like tape to me. Good luck....
 
Yeah I think I'm just gonna buy new tapes, does anyone know of any decent sellers of 1" 911?
 
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