need help from all you 2 inch users

[maskedman72]

so i had to do a 2 inch to pt xfer and i put the reel on our mci jh24 and when i hit play, the tracks all sounded like all of the high end was rolled off.

what could be the problem? i was thinking it is some type of a noise reduction issue or something.
the track sheets dont mention any of that info though so i dont know.

[lemix]

Originally Posted by maskedman72

what could be the problem? i was thinking it is some type of a noise reduction issue or something.
the track sheets dont mention any of that info though so i dont know.

It could very well be, but you'd hear other stuff as well..like expansion..breathing..etc,
Did the tape have alignment tones ?
Was the machine properly lined up ?

[Tim Farrant]

If the tracks are Dolby encoded, it would sound bright, not dull. What speed is it, 15 or 30ips? It's possible that the azimuth or head height is incorrect, so the tracks on the tape are not matched to your heads. If there are no tones on the tape, there is not much you can do except wind up the HF EQ on the channel cards, or try adjusting the head - but you will need a MRL alignment tape to put it back when you have finished.

You could try threading the tape upside down, ie, playing it backwards, if it sounds brighter, then head alignment is the probable cause.

Or, maybe it's just a bad recording!

Cheers
Tim.

[XSergeantD]

switch from rep to sync head and let us know what she sounds like.
How old's the tape?

[stevep]

I agree with the above posts


Without the NRS on if it was recorded with Dolby you would hear allot of Hiss,

It is either that the deck it was recorded on was out of alignment or you need to align to there settings,

Without tones you will have to experiment.



Charge for the time !







steve

[drBill]

Ditto on the above. Do you have tones? I presume not or you would probably know what's going on. You'll most likely have to EQ - either by re-caling the repro HF or at the console or in PT. Without tones, you're just in a guessing game and whatever you decide is "right". The most correct way to do it would be to recal the HF on the machine.

Also, especially if it is an older tape, consider that there may not BE any HF on the tape. It could have been stored on top of a speaker for all you know. Before you re-cal your whole machine, experiment with one or two channels to see what's going on.

[maskedman72]

thanks guys!


no tones. the reel is about....15-17 years old. i believe the highs are gone off the tape.

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by maskedman72

thanks guys!


no tones. the reel is about....15-17 years old. i believe the highs are gone off the tape.

If you're not seeing crap on the heads its probably an alignment issue, it could be azimuth, like Tim said if it was nr you would be bright and also thin and with a ton of hiss. Where are the levels at, is everything real low?

[chrisrulesmore]

Perhaps the tape was played repeatedly without demagnetizing the heads, thereby causing erasure of the high end?

[JonCraig]

Originally Posted by maskedman72

the reel is about....15-17 years old. i believe the highs are gone off the tape.

hmm... there are a lot older tapes that still exist.. and they didn't suffer any mysterious HF loss.

--jon

[XSergeantD]

I don't think you'll get as much as a HF loss as you describe from Azimuth being off - but I may be overestimating your description.
You can test out heaigh adjustment by putting slight pressure on the top 1/4" of the tape between the rep and sync head with the back of your fingernail and listen to see if you get more HF (this will move the tape down slightly)- and then do the same at the bottom - let us know if either situation made things temporarily sound better
Sounds more like oxide from an old tape getting into the head gap. Have you cleaned the heads? anything show up on the cotton swabs when you did?

Another option could be tape scatter which will make some HF disappear, but it settles in after a few play passes after the original recording or some days of sitting on the shelf, I can't see that causing lots and lots of HF loss.

[maskedman72]

the heads are clean. ill try some of the things suggested next time i have the chance.
the alignment thing is starting to sound like the culprit to me now.

[PhilE]

Alignment sounds the most likely- but no tones on the reel? Could be bad recording cos tones a no brainer!

[Velvetfreddy]

Have you tried another roll of tape with audio on it?

[maskedman72]

Originally Posted by Velvetfreddy

Have you tried another roll of tape with audio on it?

no problem there, just this reel.