purchasing new 9-track tapes?

From: John Lawson <jpl15_at_panix.com>
Date: Mon Mar 15 12:22:19 2004

On Mon, 15 Mar 2004, John Willis wrote:

> 1/2" tape on reels is still the norm for bouncing
> tracks and final mixdown from a 2" reel to reel system in analog
> recording. I would search for some high quality audio
> type tape (rated for 30 inches per second) on a site
> like www.musiciansfriend.com or www.sweetwater.com
>
> I use BASF Gold in my studio, and computer room. Works
> very nicely.

   I'm in awe.


 Speaking as a life-long musician, studio owner / builder / architect and
former Chief Engineer of MGM Studios AS WELL AS a crazed computer
collector with several working 9-trk drives.... i have one sardonic,
sarcastic, but mostly tongue-in-cheek question:

  John, old buddy, do you have even the slightest concept of the
fundamentals of tape recording?

  Because if you do, are you actually *trying* to cause some poor sod a
vanload of grief?


  I'll save the long treatise on coercivity, bias points, oxide and binder
formulations and tape lubrication....

    So what actually prompted you to recommend Audio Tape for digital
use?? And, yes I've tried, and no, not only does it work poorly or not at
all, it's hell on the 9trk drive.... (think: sapphire scrapers vs Ampex
456)

  I really am boggled that BASF is working on your drives - how do you
reconcile the operating points??? How long do you think the data will
last??? Nothing I ever tried would even write/read with any reliability
at all, on various Kennedys and Ciphers and a TS11.

  This harks back to the old 'slit-video' cheap 1/4 bulk tape scams in the
70s. Also I knew several guys in the late 60s who were slitting 800 BPI
computer tape and selling *that* for home audio use...! A few thousand
feet and your head-gap resembles the San Andreas Fault... not to
mention 1 good and one raggedy edge... ;}

  And I buy lots from Sweetwater - have been since Chuck used to answer
the phone himself.



  BUT: I.M.(not so)H.O. - DO NOT use 1/2" audio tape, of any manufacturer,
for your 9trk!!!!!!!!!!!! NOS, or used-once, tape is easy to find, new
tape is still being made, is it not??


  Cheers

John (Swami Audionanda)
Received on Mon Mar 15 2004 - 12:22:19 GMT