Types of tapes!

[rheis]

Hi! I've just bought a second-hand Tascam Portastudio 02 on eBay following encouragement from a friend and from my girlfriend to start recording my own stuff like they do.

Now, everyone seems to think that the only type of tape to use is chrome.
But I've got some fresh ferric tapes which I'd bought for the purpose. My girlfriend uses ferric tapes and the work ok. I'm told metal tapes can damage
the heads. So my stupid newbie question is...

Is it safe to use ferric cassettes in home studios? Can they damage the machine? Are they just inferior (or different) quality?

Cheers! Be gentle with me!!

 

[Dani Pace]

Chrome tapes are best but are getting harder to find. High bias ferrous tapes will work in any cassette (4 track) without loosing very much. Chrome erases better so they can be reused many more times than FeO2 tapes. With FeO2 tape you will need to clean the heads more often and a head demagnetizer is a "must have" tool. Clean, demagnetized heads will give you better quality tapes no matter what kind of tape you use. Tape tends to stretch and give a little so shorter length tapes will aid in more consistency for recording. Keep tape lengths below 60 min, and always use the highest tape speed setting. FeO2 tape wont hurt your machine if you keep the heads clean.

 

[A Reel Person]

Type II/Chrome is what's recommended for all Tascam Portastudios.

Ferric tapes will work & won't harm the deck, but Chrome are recommended and will sound better.

 

[rheis]

Thanks, guys! Much appreciated.

I just bought a head cleaner/demagnetizer cassette with cleaning fluid.
I bought a three-pack of Maxell UR 60s before I found out that I should use
chrome. But, hey, they'll do to play around with.

I've also ordered some TDK AR 50s. They are top-quality ferric so they should be ok.

Glad I stumbled upon this site! No stopping me now!