OTARI MX-5050 BII

[sonicdefault]

Any post guys still using a 5050? I just bought one and I'm wondering if anyone has any comments.

[philper]

I gave mine away about 10 years ago. They were great tape decks in their day but are pretty long in the tooth now. What is your projected use for the 5050? Do you have a lot of 1/4 inch tapes to transfer?

Philip Perkins CAS

[sonicdefault]

I'm going to check out the unit when it arrives to see how it performs. It supposedly is in good condition, but I will see for myself if anything is needed to bring the unit up to par. If all goes well, I would like to use it for individual track sweetening while mixing, as well as for mastering certain projects where a more lo-fi tape effect might be applicable. I've been doing some mastering work lately for new southern soul music, for example, and if the unit sounds good, I would consider it for projects such as that.

[Dunebuggy]

I m curious is there a time code or pilot version for that machine ?

Eric

[sonicdefault]

Originally Posted by Dunebuggy

I m curious is there a time code or pilot version for that machine ?

Eric

I think there is, but I believe it's an external device. I'm not positive at this moment, though.

[Phil Cibley]

Originally Posted by Dunebuggy

I m curious is there a time code or pilot version for that machine ?

Eric

Otari used to make a center channel retrofit kit for it. Good luck finding
that.

[philper]

Originally Posted by Phil Cibley

Otari used to make a center channel retrofit kit for it. Good luck finding
that.

The 5050s I used did not have the sort of transport that could slew in real time in response to a signal from a synchronizer. There was a later model of Otari 2 tr that could do all these things. A head stack etc retrofit to a 5050 would only mean that you could read the TC, not sync to it or have the TC follow an external source or clock. BTW, by 5050 sounded GREAT w/ Dolby A.

Philip Perkins

[Tinkal]

I really don't know much about tape reels, but I've heard that you can use them the get a compressed sound since they have a compressor.

Is that right? I mean, can I use this machine to get a compressed signal from the stereo sound that I insert?

[philper]

Originally Posted by Tinkal

I really don't know much about tape reels, but I've heard that you can use them the get a compressed sound since they have a compressor.

Is that right? I mean, can I use this machine to get a compressed signal from the stereo sound that I insert?

The Otari MX5050 had no signal processing in it at all, so no compressor. If you are talking about what happens to a signal when you hit an analog tape really hard, you might be able to do this with a 5050 but you would need the technical knowledge and the manuals and test gear to set it up for the type of tape you intend to use, and the process is very much trial and error. There are easier ways to get that sort of sound now, mostly via plug-ins that model that kind of thing. The 5050 was designed to deliver as clean and clear a recording as possible given the technology of the day (mostly as a mix-down deck), I don't recall it ever being used the way you describe.

Philip Perkins

[minister]

Otari tape decks are decent, but they do not really impart a sound. You will be disappointed if you are looking for analog tape saturation and compression. Their decks don't really do that thing, in fact, you have to recalibrate them from nominal for the later formulations of tape that allowed for "hotter" tape printing. Otherwise, like Mike Tyson, they get ugly when hit hard. When set up properly, it is a very good master-to-tape and playback deck. If you want a tape saturation sound, look for a different deck.

In order to use the deck, you will need to bring in a qualified tech who has the appropriate tweakers, MRL test tapes, cleaning supplies etc.

You really should consider an AnaMod ATS-1 ANALOG TAPE SIMULATOR.

[Mushy]

Do not buy a tape simulator. You have a tape machine.

I just mastered a soul record that I mixed down to a 5050. It sounded great.

The electronics on a 5050 are very clean. That is a GOOD thing. Your color comes from the tape. The harder you hit it, the more color you'll get. The 5050 is so clean that you can slam the tape without coming close the ceiling on the machines electronics.

The compression that you heard about is tape compression. It's an indescribable sound that is like having a multiband compressor with hundreds of separate bands. It cannot be simulated.

Would I love to have an old ATR102 or a Studer? Of course. But a cared for 5050 is a solid workhorse though that will give you many hours of joy.

[sonicdefault]

Originally Posted by Mushy

...
The electronics on a 5050 are very clean. That is a GOOD thing. Your color comes from the tape.
...

-SD

[shadowelectronic]

Originally Posted by Mushy

Do not buy a tape simulator. You have a tape machine.

I just mastered a soul record that I mixed down to a 5050. It sounded great.

The electronics on a 5050 are very clean. That is a GOOD thing. Your color comes from the tape. The harder you hit it, the more color you'll get. The 5050 is so clean that you can slam the tape without coming close the ceiling on the machines electronics.

The compression that you heard about is tape compression. It's an indescribable sound that is like having a multiband compressor with hundreds of separate bands. It cannot be simulated.

Would I love to have an old ATR102 or a Studer? Of course. But a cared for 5050 is a solid workhorse though that will give you many hours of joy.

I totally agree with this post. I had the opportunity to hear a mixdown on an Otari 2 track and it sounded fantastic. No tape simulator can come close. If you have the budget and skills for using a tape machine then the real thing is always the way to go. Those machines are built like a tank too. Treat it well and it should last you for a very long time.

[rolo]

Agreed. I just restored a 5050 8 track on 1/2. Printing stems from pt hd and also tracking live stuff to it is pretty nice. Its a great deck and a great sound.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

The 5050 B MKIIs were good machines.

They had some problems but mostly they were rugged work horses that lots of radio and TV stations used for years. They were also used in a lot of recording studios as mix down machines. I had, at work, three of them and they were very low maintenance and very rugged. One problem with the machine is that it may have really worn heads but you may still be able to get them re-lapped and make them good again. The other problem that the machines had was they used the chassis for a lot of their grounding and after a few years the screws that were binding the circuit cards to the chassis got loose or corroded and the machines started having problems. I had to reground all of our machines by running and soldering #22 wire between all the grounds on all the circuit boards in the machine. The effect was amazing. Why Otari did not do this simple step still amazes me.

Best of luck with your Otari.

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by Thomas W. Bethe

The other problem that the machines had was they used the chassis for a lot of their grounding and after a few years the screws that were binding the circuit cards to the chassis got loose or corroded and the machines started having problems. I had to reground all of our machines by running #22 wire between all the grounds on all the circuit boards in the machine. The effect was amazing. Why Otari did not do this simple step still amazes me.

Best of luck with your Otari.

That's interesting. I've never experienced that with any of the 5050's I've owned, but my MTR-10 seems to have developed a hum. Could it be the same issue?

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Originally Posted by seanmccoy

That's interesting. I've never experienced that with any of the 5050's I've owned, but my MTR-10 seems to have developed a hum. Could it be the same issue?

Could be or maybe your electrolytic caps are drying out and need to be replaced in your power supply. Never had a hum problem on my MTR-10 but one of the filter caps blew and had to be replaced.

Measure the ripple current at the main buss to see if you have an AC component. it should be very DC just before the regulators. If it has a lot of AC in the DC you could have a problem with the caps. These machines are getting old in the tooth. Still great but getting older every day....

[JustDucky]

I have a chance to pick one of these up from a former radio jock that has very few hours on it. I think he'll give it to me for free. He says he never used it, and loaned it to a guy once to do a mastering job. So it's almost like NOS.

I'm going to take it... I can always give it back.

Right now I'm mixing OTB through an old AHB CMC24. It makes a profound difference to the depth, separation, and tone of my mixes. I will hopefully be slamming them into an Otari MX5050 soon!

I will post back the results...

[philper]

Originally Posted by JustDucky

I have a chance to pick one of these up from a former radio jock that has very few hours on it. I think he'll give it to me for free. He says he never used it, and loaned it to a guy once to do a mastering job. So it's almost like NOS.

I'm going to take it... I can always give it back.

Right now I'm mixing OTB through an old AHB CMC24. It makes a profound difference to the depth, separation, and tone of my mixes. I will hopefully be slamming them into an Otari MX5050 soon!

I will post back the results...

If you are going to need to really rely on it you should have it checked out by a tech and set up for the tape you'll be using. These decks are so old now that a lot of their parts are beyond their rated lives, the heads might be very worn and the transport not running on speed. As you may know, analog tape decks, even ones as rugged as the Otaris, required very regular maintenance and adjustment. Do you have a head demagnetizer?

phil p