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  #31  
Old 11-23-2012, 01:07 AM
Kats Kats is offline
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Originally Posted by MyPal View Post
Kats....Welcome to AA!


thanks for the tip.. I'm a R2R newby & any help is most welcomed. If you have any direction with where to buy a de-mag & tape media would be appreciated.

The stereo/mono button is programmed for Type A (3M 996 tape) & Type B (SM 911). I would like to find a good reputable source for NIB medium.

I haven't played it yet as I've been waiting for some longer XLRs. Any day now!
Just google "handy-mag" they're easy to find. As far as tape, ATR tape is by far the quietest and very easy on a transport for a high output tape. It has been very reliable in the studio and we have not had any issue with it - Mike Spitz, the owner of the company, is as honorable as they come and takes care of his customers.

Now this probably means nothing to you, but the compression characteristics of ATR tape are very nice if hit with elevated levels. As far as NOS tape is concerned, I would stay away from 456 - lots of fun recording rock with it, but too noisy for your purposes. My favorite has to be 3M 996 - probably the best tape ever made, but alas it's age is starting to show in the reliability department.
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  #32  
Old 11-23-2012, 01:21 AM
Kats Kats is offline
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Originally Posted by MyPal View Post
You may argue with me until you are blue in the face....but digital is not there. We have lost something along the way... I hope that lost analogue element is found & translated before it is too late.
What's the secret? You've lost everything above 22kHz The real problem though is the implementation of the cut off filter ( to comply with Nyquist band limiting) which causes distortions in the audible range. Ultimately it's small potatoes since most convertors fail on the analogue front end - which is the difference between good and not so good digital conversion.
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  #33  
Old 11-23-2012, 01:24 AM
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Kats... Welcome!
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MX136, MC1.2KW(10) MC2KW(2), MCD1100, MS750(2) MVP881, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, HT-2 SUBS(2) HT3F(2) WS350(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) XCS350(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" MOTORIZED SCREEN, CINEMA-TECH SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
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MX150, MC501(2) MC1.2KW(10) MC2301(2) MR88, MVP881, MCD1100, MDA1000, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, ESOTERIC K-01X 30th ANNIVERSARY (BLACK) SACD/CD PLAYER, G02-X CLOCK, HT3F(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(4) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) KALEIDESCAPE STRATO & TERRA SERVERS 80-TB, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" SCREEN, SONUS FABER STRADIVARI, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, FORTRESS SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Analog Rig: CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION WOOD, UNIVERSAL ARM w/ Da VINCI' CART, 2nd UNIVERSAL ARM w/ GOLDFINGER STATEMENT CART, HRS-MXR REFERENCE RACK-GLOSS BLACK w/ M3X SHELVES, AESTHETIX RHEA SIG PHONO-PRE, BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: BURMESTER 911MK3 AMP(3), 088 PRE-AMP, 089 CD PLAYER, 100 PHONO PRE-AMP, 948 POWER CONDITIONER, ACCUPHASE DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, AVID ACUTUS REFERENCE SP TT, GRAHAM PHANTOM II SUPREME ARM, BENZ MICRO LP-S CART, GRANDIOSO P1X/D1X STACK, G1X RUBIDIUM MASTER CLOCK, N05 NETWORK PLAYER, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, SONUS FABER AIDA SPEAKERS, JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(2) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) WW PLATINUM CABLES

Library System: GRANDIOSO M1 MONOBLOCK AMPS, C1 LINESTAGE PRE-AMP, K1X CD/SACD PLAYER, G1 MASTER RUBIDIUM CLOCK, E02 PHONO-PRE, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, AERIAL ACOUSTICS 20T V2, AERIAL SW12 SUBS(2), CANTON REF K1’s, VPI HRX TT w/ SDS POWER SUPPLY, ORTOFON CADENZA BLACK CART, KLAUDIO RCM, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2, SHUNYATA OMEGA QR’s, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Esoteric/Bryston System: ESOTERIC C02-X PRE-AMP, P-02X TRANSPORT, D02-X DAC, G02-X CLOCK, BRYSTON 28B3 CUBED MONOBLOCK AMPS(4), BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2(2) EVEREST 8000 POWER CONDITIONER(2) ALTAIRA CG & SG HUBS, AMR-DP777-SE DAC, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, QUADRASPIRE RACK, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Accuphase/Canton System: ACCUPHASE E800 INTEGRATED, DP570 CD/SACD PLAYER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, PS530 POWER SUPPLY, CANTON REF K3’s, CANTON REF K5’s, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS MXR REFERENCE MAHOGHANY RACK w/ M3X2 SHELVES, WW GOLD CABLES
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  #34  
Old 11-23-2012, 01:44 AM
MyPal MyPal is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kats View Post
Just google "handy-mag" they're easy to find. As far as tape, ATR tape is by far the quietest and very easy on a transport for a high output tape. It has been very reliable in the studio and we have not had any issue with it - Mike Spitz, the owner of the company, is as honorable as they come and takes care of his customers.

Now this probably means nothing to you, but the compression characteristics of ATR tape are very nice if hit with elevated levels. As far as NOS tape is concerned, I would stay away from 456 - lots of fun recording rock with it, but too noisy for your purposes. My favorite has to be 3M 996 - probably the best tape ever made, but alas it's age is starting to show in the reliability department.

Kats...Thanks! What are your thoughts on SM900? We have good RMGI representation here in Melbourne Australia & it is easy to get NIB RMGI stock. I'm not sure how easy it is going to be to get my hands on ATR tape stock? Perhaps you know more about shipping outside of USA or local distribution channel through Mike Spitz?

TTP & Opus3 software master transfers are onto SM468. Is SM468 drop in compatible with SM911 or do I have to recalibrate? I heard the BIAS is close.

Last edited by MyPal; 11-23-2012 at 01:50 AM.
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  #35  
Old 11-23-2012, 03:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kats View Post
What's the secret? You've lost everything above 22kHz The real problem though is the implementation of the cut off filter ( to comply with Nyquist band limiting) which causes distortions in the audible range. Ultimately it's small potatoes since most convertors fail on the analogue front end - which is the difference between good and not so good digital conversion.
A quote from Mike Spitz of ATR Magnetics...

"Resolution - The highest digital resolution today offers 4,608,000 bits switching per second. Not bad. Big improvement over the standard Red Book CD but it is not even close to sub-micron particle resolution of ATR Master Tape.

Random Particle Stacking - Quarter inch, two track ATR Master Tape running at 15 inches per second (ips) involves approximately 80,000,000 oriented and randomly stacked particles per track second. It's not just the particle count but the random stacking that turns this super binary resolution into pure analog playback. This is why even a narrow track width recording still sounds so detailed despite the lower surface area. "
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  #36  
Old 06-20-2013, 05:58 AM
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I just wanted to let everyone know; as I have not been present on this thread for a long time that I did buy a Tascam ATR 80 and Tascam ATR 60 reel to reel tape machine. I also wanted to let eveyone know that I purchased 20 used 2 inch tapes and 25 used 1 inch tapes off of ebay. Although many of you are correct when you say that new tape in the 2 inch and 1 inch format can be very expense, used tape in the 2 inch and 1 inch format are very reasonable. 2 inch and 1 inch tape such as Ampex 456 or 499 ran roughly $35 per tape used.
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  #37  
Old 01-13-2015, 09:52 PM
Kats Kats is offline
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Gee, I had fogotten about this wonderful site! Much has changed, Mike Spitz sadly passed last year - I'll miss our long talks all things audio. I retired from the studio biz last March and moved somewhere warm

So RMG, I haven't used the new stuff. There were problems early on switching production to different countries (weather related) but I hear it's really good now. They have some pretty loyal users. Not sure what's going on with ATR now the Mike is gone, but I know Steve Albini had a stack of fresh stuff at my old studio a couple of months ago. So maybe it's still being produced.

RE: Old tape. It can be had for a bargain, but it can wreak havoc on your machine. Be careful. If you see any shedding - STOP! If the tape is still good, it will probably be good for a LONG time as long as you store it properly.

Anyhow, how's that for a late reply
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  #38  
Old 01-14-2015, 12:14 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kats View Post
Gee, I had fogotten about this wonderful site! Much has changed, Mike Spitz sadly passed last year - I'll miss our long talks all things audio. I retired from the studio biz last March and moved somewhere warm

So RMG, I haven't used the new stuff. There were problems early on switching production to different countries (weather related) but I hear it's really good now. They have some pretty loyal users. Not sure what's going on with ATR now the Mike is gone, but I know Steve Albini had a stack of fresh stuff at my old studio a couple of months ago. So maybe it's still being produced.

RE: Old tape. It can be had for a bargain, but it can wreak havoc on your machine. Be careful. If you see any shedding - STOP! If the tape is still good, it will probably be good for a LONG time as long as you store it properly.

Anyhow, how's that for a late reply
Kats... see you again in 2017


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FLORIDA
MX136, MC1.2KW(10) MC2KW(2), MCD1100, MS750(2) MVP881, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, HT-2 SUBS(2) HT3F(2) WS350(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) XCS350(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" MOTORIZED SCREEN, CINEMA-TECH SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: ACCUPHASE A300 AMPS, C3900 PRE-AMP, DP1000 CD/SACD TRANSPORT, DC1000 DIGITAL PROCESSOR, DG-68 DIGITAL EQUALIZER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, PS1230 POWER SUPPLY, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, WW PLATINUM CABLES
CAPE COD

MX150, MC501(2) MC1.2KW(10) MC2301(2) MR88, MVP881, MCD1100, MDA1000, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, ESOTERIC K-01X 30th ANNIVERSARY (BLACK) SACD/CD PLAYER, G02-X CLOCK, HT3F(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(4) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) KALEIDESCAPE STRATO & TERRA SERVERS 80-TB, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" SCREEN, SONUS FABER STRADIVARI, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, FORTRESS SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Analog Rig: CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION WOOD, UNIVERSAL ARM w/ Da VINCI' CART, 2nd UNIVERSAL ARM w/ GOLDFINGER STATEMENT CART, HRS-MXR REFERENCE RACK-GLOSS BLACK w/ M3X SHELVES, AESTHETIX RHEA SIG PHONO-PRE, BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: BURMESTER 911MK3 AMP(3), 088 PRE-AMP, 089 CD PLAYER, 100 PHONO PRE-AMP, 948 POWER CONDITIONER, ACCUPHASE DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, AVID ACUTUS REFERENCE SP TT, GRAHAM PHANTOM II SUPREME ARM, BENZ MICRO LP-S CART, GRANDIOSO P1X/D1X STACK, G1X RUBIDIUM MASTER CLOCK, N05 NETWORK PLAYER, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, SONUS FABER AIDA SPEAKERS, JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(2) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) WW PLATINUM CABLES

Library System: GRANDIOSO M1 MONOBLOCK AMPS, C1 LINESTAGE PRE-AMP, K1X CD/SACD PLAYER, G1 MASTER RUBIDIUM CLOCK, E02 PHONO-PRE, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, AERIAL ACOUSTICS 20T V2, AERIAL SW12 SUBS(2), CANTON REF K1’s, VPI HRX TT w/ SDS POWER SUPPLY, ORTOFON CADENZA BLACK CART, KLAUDIO RCM, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2, SHUNYATA OMEGA QR’s, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Esoteric/Bryston System: ESOTERIC C02-X PRE-AMP, P-02X TRANSPORT, D02-X DAC, G02-X CLOCK, BRYSTON 28B3 CUBED MONOBLOCK AMPS(4), BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2(2) EVEREST 8000 POWER CONDITIONER(2) ALTAIRA CG & SG HUBS, AMR-DP777-SE DAC, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, QUADRASPIRE RACK, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Accuphase/Canton System: ACCUPHASE E800 INTEGRATED, DP570 CD/SACD PLAYER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, PS530 POWER SUPPLY, CANTON REF K3’s, CANTON REF K5’s, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS MXR REFERENCE MAHOGHANY RACK w/ M3X2 SHELVES, WW GOLD CABLES
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  #39  
Old 06-26-2016, 10:47 AM
dminches dminches is offline
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I just purchased my first Studer, an A810. I had it fully restored by Roger Ginsley at Tetx Electronics in Ontario. What a great machine.
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