Two mono Studer A80 to stereo

joe_masi · 27th July 2011

Hi there,
yesterday was my lucky day: I got a call and was asked if I need one or two old tape players and tape for free from a school. I thought: well, let´s have a look and these machines turned out to be two Studer A80R 1/4" mono recoder with the pilote tone option. One with 690 hours of operation, the other one with 800 hours.

One seems two work flawlessly, the other one is missing one repro amp card and after switching the card she worked only for a couple of minutes.
My idea now is to use this one for spare parts and try to build a stereo version out of the other one. Has anyone ever tried something like this?
As far as I can see I would need new tape heads and one more repro amp card. All the other parts could come from the other machine.
Does anyone know where to buy parts for these guys in Germany?

Another option would be: Is anyone familiar with the pilote tone option? Is it possible to synchronize the two with pilote tone? That would waste a lot of space in my room but maybe it would save some money and time.

Thanks for your help!
Joe Masi

babooino · 5th August 2011

also interested as i've been offered the same 2 pieces for cheap...

Fletcher · 5th August 2011

You should find someone who knows these machines and can work on them for you... Andy & Marcus at HE Studiotechnik near Munich might be excellent candidates. An A-80 R [or RC] will run different heads than an A-80 VU so make sure you get the right ones... also, the machines may not be wired for stereo operation -- you should check on this. The bias card should be able to handle two track operation... but again, check with someone who knows their Studer stuff... I know the bias card from a 1/4" "R" ["RC"] can't handle 1/2" tape [you need the proper bias card for those machines to do 1/2" - which will also be fine for 1/4" work but not the other way around].

Best of luck with your machines and conversion.

Peace

joe_masi · 10th August 2011

Thanks for your advice. After phoning through whole Germany, Austria and Swiss I finally found someone near my place who was an official studer service tech.
Looks like my recorders are prewired for stereo so that means I only have to switch two cards and my bias card is also ok for stereo.
The only more expensive parts are (as usual) the heads. The tech offered me a head block with two almost new heads for 400 Euro in exchange for my old mono ones which seems like a good deal to me.
So hopefully I have a fully running 1/4`2trk next week! I am already deeply in love with how it sounds in mono.

joe_masi · 2nd September 2011

Just to finish this: The A80R is now fully working in Stereo and I really don´t know how I could live up to this day without one. 15 ips is now aligned for pem 528 for mixes and subgroups and with the 7.5 ips I am experimenting around with the bias and eq for lofi fx and punchy drumloops.
Wow, this machine does so much to the sound it´s really amazing: Makes things more compact and in the same time it gives more depth. And I always thought that this was contradicting..
Plus all these variations from subtle tape sound to heavy saturation..
Yesterday we recorded a rehearsal (vox bass drums rhodes) with just one c414 straight to tape. VEEEEEERYY musical.

Drumsound · 3rd September 2011

I was really surprised at how nice my A80r sounded after I got it. Enjoy yours.

Futiboho · 15th September 2011

If you look for various further sonic enhancements on Studers, here is the right place:
www.mastertapesoundlab.com

27th July 2011	#1
joe_masi Gear interested Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 18 Thread Starter	Two mono Studer A80 to stereo Hi there, yesterday was my lucky day: I got a call and was asked if I need one or two old tape players and tape for free from a school. I thought: well, let´s have a look and these machines turned out to be two Studer A80R 1/4" mono recoder with the pilote tone option. One with 690 hours of operation, the other one with 800 hours. One seems two work flawlessly, the other one is missing one repro amp card and after switching the card she worked only for a couple of minutes. My idea now is to use this one for spare parts and try to build a stereo version out of the other one. Has anyone ever tried something like this? As far as I can see I would need new tape heads and one more repro amp card. All the other parts could come from the other machine. Does anyone know where to buy parts for these guys in Germany? Another option would be: Is anyone familiar with the pilote tone option? Is it possible to synchronize the two with pilote tone? That would waste a lot of space in my room but maybe it would save some money and time. Thanks for your help! Joe Masi

5th August 2011	#3
Fletcher member no 666 Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 10,108	You should find someone who knows these machines and can work on them for you... Andy & Marcus at HE Studiotechnik near Munich might be excellent candidates. An A-80 R [or RC] will run different heads than an A-80 VU so make sure you get the right ones... also, the machines may not be wired for stereo operation -- you should check on this. The bias card should be able to handle two track operation... but again, check with someone who knows their Studer stuff... I know the bias card from a 1/4" "R" ["RC"] can't handle 1/2" tape [you need the proper bias card for those machines to do 1/2" - which will also be fine for 1/4" work but not the other way around]. Best of luck with your machines and conversion. Peace __________________ CN Fletcher Professional Affiliations: R/E/P Professional Recording Engineer and Producer forums - serious hobbyists welcome SoundPure.com mwagener wrote on Sat, 11 September 2004 14:33 We are selling emotions, there are no emotions in a grid Roscoe Ambel once said: Pro-Tools is to audio what fluorescent is to light

3rd September 2011	#6
Drumsound Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Bloomington Il Posts: 5,185	I was really surprised at how nice my A80r sounded after I got it. Enjoy yours. __________________ Tony Oxide Lounge Recording See the Oxide Lounge! Follow me on TWITTER! WWJMD? Come see me on the Tape Op boards! It's only inches on the reel to reel

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5th August 2011	#2
babooino Gear maniac Joined: Aug 2010 Location: Brasil Posts: 232 5 Reviews written	also interested as i've been offered the same 2 pieces for cheap...

10th August 2011	#4
joe_masi Gear interested Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 18 Thread Starter	Thanks for your advice. After phoning through whole Germany, Austria and Swiss I finally found someone near my place who was an official studer service tech. Looks like my recorders are prewired for stereo so that means I only have to switch two cards and my bias card is also ok for stereo. The only more expensive parts are (as usual) the heads. The tech offered me a head block with two almost new heads for 400 Euro in exchange for my old mono ones which seems like a good deal to me. So hopefully I have a fully running 1/4`2trk next week! I am already deeply in love with how it sounds in mono.

2nd September 2011	#5
joe_masi Gear interested Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 18 Thread Starter	Just to finish this: The A80R is now fully working in Stereo and I really don´t know how I could live up to this day without one. 15 ips is now aligned for pem 528 for mixes and subgroups and with the 7.5 ips I am experimenting around with the bias and eq for lofi fx and punchy drumloops. Wow, this machine does so much to the sound it´s really amazing: Makes things more compact and in the same time it gives more depth. And I always thought that this was contradicting.. Plus all these variations from subtle tape sound to heavy saturation.. Yesterday we recorded a rehearsal (vox bass drums rhodes) with just one c414 straight to tape. VEEEEEERYY musical.

15th September 2011	#7
Futiboho Gear interested Joined: May 2009 Posts: 11	If you look for various further sonic enhancements on Studers, here is the right place: www.mastertapesoundlab.com