ATR vs RMGI tape shedding - update please

[theatomicgarden]

Ive been using RMG 911 2" and 1/4" for the last few years. There were shed issues when i first started buying reels, but as i understand it, that was a very short lived issue and it was handled quickly and efficiently.

Ive been through many reels of both sizes since with out any issues at all. I love the sound and the quality has been very consistant.

Everyone should keep buying tape from these current manufacturers so they can keep turning this stuff out. Nobody wants another absence of tape. Buy it up!!!


Posted via the Gearslutz iPhone app

[Deuce 225]

It would be tremendously helpful if people would include the "Lot" or "Batch" numbers on any tape they suspect as having issues. Just saying I am having shedding or drop-out problems with Mfg XYZ's tape doesn't allow the rest of us to check and see if we may also own the same lot/batch. My experience with both RMGI and ATR is when they confirm they have an issue with a "lot", they replace the tape immediately.
Regards,
Tim Cochran

[soundbarnfool]

I am happy to report that just yesterday I decided to check out a new reel of RMGI 1/4" 900 after using NOS BASF 900 for a couple of years now and getting low. I was able to calibrate and align it successfully on my MCI JH110 this time. Last time I tried this ( a couple of years ago) it shed like crazy and it was impossible to print a consistent 10K tone.

But apparently the issue has been addressed, so good! I thought I would let people know since I posted about my negative experiences a while ago...

Inglewood SoundBarn

[Trakworx]

Thanks for that.

I too am happy to report that the reel of 1/2" SM911 I'm using now (my first) is performing admirably.

And I've also had better luck with ATR tape since starting this thread.

I tried 2 reels of "one-pass" 1/2" 499 from a well known So Cal dealer and it was crap. One pass my a$$.

I'm so glad that they're putting out quality tape these days!

J~

[audiotech]

I too use 911 in both 1/4" and 1/2" varieties and really never had any significant problems with it. I do keep the tape path impeccably clean no matter what formula I'm using. I really should try some ATR since it's made practically in my back yard. The last time I inquired about it, years ago, they were still perfecting the formulation and it didn't hit the market yet.

Dennis

[themaidsroom]

I have had nothing but good reels of one pass 2" GP9 from Southern California.
Other formulations are less reliable.

I have not bought RMG tape in a while. The shedding issues were really bad
a couple of years ago and I found the tape slitting on 2" reels also
to be very bad. It was wider than the quantegy or ATR tapes and thereby made
an audible high pitched noise that was unpleasant while rewinding and fast forwarding.
My gold edition Studer A827 still has less than 6000 hours on it and I trust it and how it responds to tape.

I always thought the RMG sounded very good, and they were very generous
about replacing bad tape which was really appreciated. The other problem I had with
RMG was their box was the consistency of a Big Mac container and not
something that was meant to house a $300 master reel of tape. I wish that quantegy
would license the tape-care box and that everyone would simply adopt that as standard.
When the box can not support the weight of one reel of tape, there is a problem - a problem
severe enough that one would have thought it would have been addressed long before my eyes
witnessed such a thing.

I am really grateful to RMG and ATR that they are making tape.
I am also really grateful to Bill in Los Angeles for providing dozens and dozens of great one
pass tape. I should also note here that TapeTape has replaced both reels of tape that I deemed unusable.

I would also love to hear from someone who has purchased and used RMG
2" tape in the past month or so and how it is performing.
Would love to hear from someone else who has experienced the high pitched
sound of the 2" RMG tape running through the machine due to slitting issues.

Thanks

Be well.

For my ears, 2" tape is still the only originating medium
for recordings I care about.


- Jack

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

I have had nothing but good reels of one pass 2" GP9 from Southern California.
Other formulations are less reliable.

I have not bought RMG tape in a while. The shedding issues were really bad
a couple of years ago and I found the tape slitting on 2" reels also
to be very bad. It was wider than the quantegy or ATR tapes and thereby made
an audible high pitched noise that was unpleasant while rewinding and fast forwarding.
My gold edition Studer A827 still has less than 6000 hours on it and I trust it and how it responds to tape.

I always thought the RMG sounded very good, and they were very generous
about replacing bad tape which was really appreciated. The other problem I had with
RMG was their box was the consistency of a Big Mac container and not
something that was meant to house a $300 master reel of tape. I wish that quantegy
would license the tape-care box and that everyone would simply adopt that as standard.
When the box can not support the weight of one reel of tape, there is a problem - a problem
severe enough that one would have thought it would have been addressed long before my eyes
witnessed such a thing.

I am really grateful to RMG and ATR that they are making tape.
I am also really grateful to Bill in Los Angeles for providing dozens and dozens of great one
pass tape. I should also note here that TapeTape has replaced both reels of tape that I deemed unusable.

I would also love to hear from someone who has purchased and used RMG
2" tape in the past month or so and how it is performing.
Would love to hear from someone else who has experienced the high pitched
sound of the 2" RMG tape running through the machine due to slitting issues.

Thanks

Be well.

For my ears, 2" tape is still the only originating medium
for recordings I care about.


- Jack

I bought and used some about 6 months ago, that was fine. BTW JAck nice meeting last sunday at AES

[themaidsroom]

Likewise
Lou.
Glad to have finally met you.

Be well

- Jack

[CatFace]

We use the RMG 911 a lot.. It's absolutely wonderful - both 2" and 1/2"
We stopped using the SM900 (high level) because it wasn't as stable and was shedding/causing problems.
Not had any probe with the 911.. and it sounds wonderful

[Joao B.]

I've been buying RMG900 for the past months (switched from 911) and I have nothing but good things to say about it.

I suspect that the reels of 911 I bought first were not in their best condition, so I want to try a couple of new reels in a near future (I found a great RMG distributor).

I'm expecting a couple of 900 reels this next week and I'm sure they are going to be as good as the last ones.

[soundbarnfool]

Still investigating, but there is no doubt in my mind that the RMG situation has drastically improved. That having been said, I believe we are probably in a new era of slightly less than rock solid tape formulas - but as has been said I too applaud the efforts of RMG and Mike Spitz at ATR and can see real progress having been made over the past couple of years.

Inglewood SoundBarn

[Deuce 225]

+1 for continued quality improvements for tape.

Best,
Tim Cochran

[Ogrady]

I think I'm onto something here;

RMGI SM900 1/4" batch 0900B095351 34620

Several years ago I bought this tape to try, threading it on a few pro-sumer decks and got so much shedding that I couldn't record 5 minutes before dropouts began. I put the tape away, keeping it for the flanges.

Last week, for kicks I spooled this tape onto a Lyrec deck expecting buildup everywhere as previous, this time however, except for the first guide downstream of the capstan, all is clean! The downstream guide however had Q-tip blackening deposits all on the bottom of the guide. So what's with this?

I clean my decks prior to every tape so visually they're spotless, but I got to thinking about my experience with this Lyrec deck when I first bought it as a used deck. I had a 6db loss at the high end I couldn't compensate for. I took the head stack off and looked at it under magnification. There to my surprise was a opaque, somewhat clear HARD deposit on one side of the playback head. Isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips wouldn't touch this stuff, a wooden toothpick did the job.

So I get right into the corner of this guide that's loading up with shed'd oxide and scrape away followed up with the Q-tip/isopropyl treatment.

Last night I played the entire tape and then cleaned the deck. Result? One of the cleanest used Q-tips I've seen! Also the tape packs wonderfully, tracks really straight through the guides etc, no waver of reflected light from the tape backing.

Conclusion: Looks like the RMGI tape is a touch wider than tapes from the past, all the RMGI shedding on this Lyrec is from previous buildup over the years, deposits I couldn't see and deposits not cleaned by alcohol and Q-tips.

[Dan O]

I recently purchased(here in Sweden) both RMGI 900 and 911 1/4" for my Studer A812. Both tapes sound good, work perfectly with absolutely no shedding. I don't think they come from the Pyral factory but I think it must have been among the last batches before the transit. I do wish that the 911 would saturate at a bit lower level than it seems to be doing.

( I think shedding problems is an issue that has come and gone through time with many different models and brands. People with lifelong experience seem to be used to it and either return or bake their tapes without making to much fuzz. I don't think either RMGI och ATR should be marked as crap as long as they offer a good support and act responsibly with customer returns.

[Slipperman]

******//www.gearslutz.com/board/high-...ml#post7828445

Some discussion down a bit in the thread.

Not trying to gossip.

Love the SOUND of the product(In this case ATR).

The idea of "swapping out" or "returning" a bunch of reels of 2" is often decidedly problematic in this day and age. Back in the day, I had a dozen places within a 10 mile radius(NYC) where I could get replacements at the drop of a hat.

These days... under onerous pressure of time and budget and the aforementioned vendor scarcity... not so much.

SM.

[Morrillo]

Atr! here, I have used both for long time in 2 inch and 1/2 " and always have issues with rmg and I like the sound of rmg but always sheed and have drop outs
Saludos!