Do I need to align & bias my tape machine?

[Dor]

Hello there. I just picked up a otari mx-55 to dump my logic mixes to . Sounds pretty good slamming Quantegy 456 from my apogee d/a.

Will I benefit from aligning & biasing the machine? I still have a ton of reading to do on the subject. There's a sticker on the the front saying "ampex 456 BF" dated may 2003. I'm guessing this is the last time the machine was biased? No clue.

I plan on going back into peak/digital for mastering.

Thanks in advance.

D

[XSergeantD]

2003? Yeah, basically every session it should be checked and adjusted and depending on the engineers request, checked daily. if it hasn't been checkedd in that long it shouuld get the whole 9 yards.
Don't forget meter cal, I/O cal, erase current, azimuth,...

[MDK]

Agreed

anytime the machine has been moved or used in a session......

azimuth, calibration, alignment........not in that specific order

[Riccardo]

Get the manual and an MRL tape.
Some machines hold cal/alignment better than others but six years...... Do a bit of reading it isn't difficult, you just need bit of patience at the beginning

[Fletcher]

Originally Posted by Dor

No clue.

No shit.

Yes, you have to check the machine's alignment E-V-E-R-Y time you use it if you want the machine to behave properly. If you don't care how the machine behaves just hit red and move on with your day.

One of my absolute favorite Steve Albini quotes is: "Tape machines ought to be big and cumbersome and difficult to use, if only to keep the riff-raff out." which he wrote in an article called "The Problem with Music"... I suggest you read it... there are some interesting theories on Neumann's and Pultecs as well as tape machines and record contracts.

Peace.

[Riccardo]

http://home.flash.net/~mrltapes/

http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_analo...t_2/index.html

[Dor]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

No shit.

Yes, you have to check the machine's alignment E-V-E-R-Y time you use it if you want the machine to behave properly. If you don't care how the machine behaves just hit red and move on with your day.

One of my absolute favorite Steve Albini quotes is: "Tape machines ought to be big and cumbersome and difficult to use, if only to keep the riff-raff out." which he wrote in an article called "The Problem with Music"... I suggest you read it... there are some interesting theories on Neumann's and Pultecs as well as tape machines and record contracts.

Peace.

I hear ya. I've been reading a ton on the subject & now need to get the proper tools to do the job. I didn't buy the thing thinking it would be as simple as setting up a DAW. Was thinking of hiring someone that knows what they are doing to give the machine a once over and show me a few things.

Any recommended reading materials would certainly be helpful.


D

[noiseintheattic]

ATR Services (www.atrservice.com) is having a tape calibration seminar next Friday 8/25


ATR Summer Seminar on August 25th, 2006
Learn to calibrate your tape machine like a pro! ATR's next analog tape machine alignment and calibration seminar will be held at our York, PA facility on Friday, August 25th, 2006. Attendees of all ability and experience levels are welcome, as we cover a wide range of topics and tailor each seminar to the particular needs and questions of the participants. The seminar will held from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM at our York, PA location. The cost is $250 per person for those attendees that have not purchased or restored a machine with us, and $150 for those that have. This cost includes lunch and all materials. Please click here for more information or to sign up for the seminar. Space is limited and seminars sell out quickly.

I'm attending having just bought an ATR 102 and having it refurbed by them. It's been 20 years since I used a tape machine - time to re-learn everything. -- Rob

[Dor]

Wish i still lived PA I would love to attend.

[XSergeantD]

Go back there for a visit and hit the class. When I went to pick up our 1" 2-trk for Hit, I picked up the unit the day of the class I think, or made a short trip out there for the class. Anyway, even though I had been aligning machines for nearly a decade, they go into detail that would give a huge advantage to the novice. Sure I knew what was going on, but it was a fun class as they had some test equipment I never was able to get my hands on. And I learned why I always recorded the HF hot. I never knew why the mixes sounded a smidge duller a few days after printing which got me into bumping the HF rec. up a bit. When I went to the class Mike explained tape scatter. I said, thats why I was doing that.
He'll go over all the stuff you need to know for owning a tape machine.

[Musiclab]

just get an mrl and a good tech to do a once over on the deck. Get him to teach you how to do an alignment

[Dor]

Sounds like a plan. Can anyone recommend a tech in the San Francisco Bay area?

D

[Lynn Fuston]

Originally Posted by Dor

Will I benefit from aligning & biasing the machine?

No. Tape machines are like guitars. They come pretuned from the factory.

[stellar]

you guys are hysterical. do you also wear condoms every time???

by the way - you are supposed to load the tape onto the right side and rewind it all the way. took me a while to figure that out. I noticed from the pic that you were probably doing it the other way.

[Dor]

Originally Posted by stellar

you guys are hysterical. do you also wear condoms every time???

by the way - you are supposed to load the tape onto the right side and rewind it all the way. took me a while to figure that out. I noticed from the pic that you were probably doing it the other way.

Is that right? My manual shows the take up reel on the right hand side.

[RadioMoo]

Originally Posted by Dor

Is that right? My manual shows the take up reel on the right hand side.

It isn't set in stone, but some people rewind a fresh reel from the right reel onto the left, then fast forward it onto the right reel for storage (referred to as "tails out"). I think it's supposed to prevent print-through, but it doesn't.

[Han]

FYI: Preface http://www.bilver.com/tape.html

Have fun!

[Jim Williams]

Here's a fact for you tape aligner's out there; the tape maker's recommended over bias points are all WRONG! Add to that each track will be slightly different then the next.

The only way to nail the bias is to use a distortion analyzer, I use the Audio Precision System One. I set up a distortion vs frequency test from 50 hz to 10k with a rapid sweep and redraw. Feed the machine and then watch what happens. The "curve" you see is a smily face curve, with distortion lowest at 1k and rising in the tops and low end, especially below 100 hz. I set the bias for the least THD at 1k. Typically, bias setting are 1/4 to 3/4 db off from the recommended settings. Each track will be different due to head inconsistancies.
Typically, one can get distortion from about .55% at +3 with 456 at 1k hz to .15% at +9 on GP-9. Three times the level at 1/3 the distortion, that will work. THD will still be through the roof at 10k and 50 hz, but that's what analog tape does. Expect to see 4~5% THD at those frequencies.

Now you know why I sold off my analog machines in the early 90's. I like my converters better. There is something about 5% THD at 10k when a cymbal crashes that bothers me. Like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[stagefright13]

OMG they still make Ampex 456? I mean Quantegy 456? Your gonna need a alignment tape and a couple of screwdrivers. You should be ok doing it yourself just get an osiliscope program for your computer. And a signal generator program.
Looks like an awesome deck congrats!

[stagefright13]

And BTW always wind "tails out" or you WILL get an imprint that comes previous to the music. And it is noticable. Especially if you cut it hot. And always wind the tape in play mode. Fast forward always makes the edges of the tape arie (yeah I spelled that right) Hmm and always loosen the tape when resting so the capstan doesn't run for hours while ya do other stuff. Just some pointers.
Hmm makes me wanna mess with tape again and razor blades. Is there still money in that?

[Han]

I have an Otari MX80 and a Tascam MSR24S, both machines have a 'spool' mode. The machine runs at 1 m/sec to wind the tape neatly.

[Hope209]

analogrules.com

[drundall]

Originally Posted by RadioMoo

It isn't set in stone, but some people rewind a fresh reel from the right reel onto the left, then fast forward it onto the right reel for storage (referred to as "tails out"). I think it's supposed to prevent print-through, but it doesn't.

It doesn't prevent print through but at least it shows up as a musical effect if you do get it, as a delay rather than a pre-delay.

But if you want that whole lotta love effect on every instrument, do it the other way.

[Dor]

Thanks for the responses guys. For now i'm going to clean the heads with some alcohol and demag the heads with a Han-D-Mag (once i pick one up). I guess i can use the oscillator and tone generator in Logic ... still need to pick up a MRL tape once I figure out which one I need.

I notice that my mixes I put down on tape have less high end than my ITB bounces. I'm guessing this is an attribute of tape. Will proper biasing increase the high end freq response? I'm diggin' how balanced and round the tape is making my mixes sound even if the machine is out of wack.

D

[XSergeantD]

Originally Posted by Dor

Thanks for the responses guys. For now i'm going to clean the heads with some alcohol and demag the heads with a Han-D-Mag (once i pick one up). I guess i can use the oscillator and tone generator in Logic ... still need to pick up a MRL tape once I figure out which one I need.

Be sure to turn your machine off when ya try out your new han-d-mag.
Oh, get some good cotton tip swaps, Don't use q-tips, they're too soft and can let some of its strands loose while your cleaning.
Come back after figuring out what MRL tape you've picked before you order it - I know it's very confusing

[Dor]

Will do, XSergeantD. Thanks for the guidance ...

[Han]

Dor, a machine that gives less hi in playback isn't aligned properly. If you put a 10khz sinus in at 0dB it should come out as 0dB.

Analog machines will have a low bump anyway, but people like that.

[Lynn Fuston]

And whatever you do, don't turn off the demagger within 3 feet of the heads. If you turn it off in proximity of the heads, you could magnetize instead of demagnetize them.

[Dor]

Lynn, thanks for the pointer. I've been reading up on the demag process and should be good. The otari has a built in tone generator. Shoud I use the built in generator or an external oscillator?

Thanks,

D

[RadioMoo]

Originally Posted by stagefright13

Fast forward always makes the edges of the tape arie (yeah I spelled that right)

Right, and I assume too often that everyone knows how to use a tape deck; I meant to alternate between the fast forward and rewind buttons rather than fast forward full blast.

And just in case Dor (or anyone else) decides to get a bulk eraser, the same applies as with the tape head demagnetizer: put the tape on the eraser, turn it on, turn the tape about five full turns, don't shut it off until you've moved the tape about three feet away from the eraser, flip the reel over and repeat - and get a real bulk eraser, too (gigantic table-top model).