Re: [ARSCLIST] PreRecorded Tape Duplicators

[carlstephen koto <cskoto@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tom Fine wrote:


> They made a nice "wow, this is stereo" demo tape for that machine  
> that featured some of RCA's earliest stereo material. Their later  
> demo tape, for the A series machines, included material from RCA,  
> Concertapes, Livingston and Omegatapes. That demo tape was also  
> done in quarter-track to accompany the later 1200 series machines.  
> The A, 900 and 1200 machines were all the same belt-drive  
> transports. The later F series was a varient with some  
> improvements. The audio quality was actually very good on those  
> machines (quality Ampex heads, tube electronics similar to the 351  
> circuits and using Telefunken and Mullard tubes, even decent  
> quality microphone preamps minus transformer-balanced inputs), but  
> the transports were awful -- even in their day, despite golden- 
> tinged memories to the contrary. The pro/broadcast 600 series  
> portable decks had _slightly_ better transports but still wow/ 
> flutter-prone belt drives. Even back when these machines were new,  
> people who wanted and made high-quality music recordings used the  
> heavy duty but not-so-portable 300 and 350 type machines with their  
> heavy-duty transports.

As a matter of fact I have a F-4460 (the suitcase version without  
speakers or amp). I've done my best to minimize the wow and flutter  
while still maintaining it's vintage sound. When I open it up I  
sometimes wonder what modern designers would've said if they were  
presented with the task of making a consumer version of a 351 which  
is compact, almost never needs adjustment and oh yeah, do it with one  
motor!

Regarding  demo tapes, I'm not much of a fan of them but I do have  
one that I can't resist  playing for the uninitiated. It's the 1/2  
track RCA "Bob and Ray Throw a Stereo Spectacular (1958).  Pretty  
timeless humor.

Steve Koto