Re: [ARSCLIST] 1/4" tape player

["Richard L. Hess" <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 10:23 AM 2007-12-28, D P Ingram wrote:
> On 24 dec 2007, at 22.09, Cary Ginell wrote:
>
> Thanks all for the various replies that came over the holidays. I had
> not thought to post a lot of information since it was probably
> tangential to the list :)

This is a common question with varying "twists" to the requirements.

I think first and foremost, you need to find the correct machine. A 
small rolling "printer stand" or "copier stand" could suffice as a 
trolley. I wouldn't pass up the correct machine for want of a 
trolley, but I do understand. I had the reverse problem--I needed 
more space and had machines on trolleys, so my handyman rushed 
through a little project for me to turn Studer A80s into tables <smile>
http://richardhess.com/notes/2007/11/19/studer-a80-covers-%e2%80%94-protection-and-more-work-area/

From what you describe, many of the tapes are "quarter track stereo" 
where you can record stereo on both sides.

You also need to make sure the machine has at least 3.75 and 7.5 in/s.

If there are two-track tapes, then it should have a two-track play 
head as well.

It needs to be gentle on the tape and you will need to demagnetize it 
and make sure it is working correctly so you do not damage the tapes.

With that said, depending on your price range, there are many 
options, both consumer and professional, that would be useful. Too 
many to name.

If you're using this for triage rather than transfer, then the 
requirements for playback fidelity diminish. I use a Studer A807 with 
a 4-track head installed and I have four toggle switches at the head 
that permits me to switch each track to either preamp A or preamp B. 
Using that, I can usually quickly determine what is on a tape. The 
A807 does reverse play as well, which is a help for this application.

Cheers,

Richard


> The primary aim is to go through several hundred old tape reels
> (including, I guess, many "home audio" recordings to save any
> interesting fragments for the future. So the odd (what's the
> translation) multi track format where you could double up the tape to
> save tape (I remember doing that in the 70s anyway with the family set
> we had at home whilst recording pop music).  Good output and
> reliability. The reason for the trolley is that the studio is quite
> full already and not a lot of space for a large bookshelf unit and the
> trolley would be good to move out as required into store rather than
> me doing even more back injuries and problems than before :)

Richard L. Hess                   email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aurora, Ontario, Canada       (905) 713 6733     1-877-TAPE-FIX
Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.