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Author Topic: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?  (Read 47131 times)

Offline ironbut

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Re: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?
« Reply #45 on: February 11, 2009, 05:14:00 PM »
I was just reading an old post on the Ampex list and even here , they used pin 3 hot. I guess in some studios, the techs would switch the in/out to pin 2 hot sometimes so when folks source used record/playback electronics some will be one way, while others will be the other. The poor guy had an 8 channel 440 and two channels just wouldn't send an signal. All kinds of suggestions were given and after a few days, somebody figured it out. Talk about confusing!
steve koto
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Offline steveidosound

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Re: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?
« Reply #46 on: February 11, 2009, 09:26:27 PM »
I saw some of that on the Ampex list too.
"The poor guy had an 8 channel 440 and two channels just wouldn't send an signal. All kinds of suggestions were given and after a few days, somebody figured it out. Talk about confusing!"

Then I feel good about helping Larry to figure out his issue with the line inputs. Turns out they are on common switchable XLR connectors with the microphone inputs but unbalanced.  He was running the inputs via RCA to XLR cables to these connectors that were wired pin 2 hot.
Larry's situation seemed as if it might be related to this but we did the diagnosis via email rather than on the forum.
I have been dealing most of my life with interfacing issues like this dealing with both home and pro equipment.
BTW, anyone got any work out there for a "quasi-retired" underemployed audio tech? :)
Steve Williams

you don't want to know what equipment I listen to...

Offline Ben

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Re: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?
« Reply #47 on: February 11, 2009, 10:20:05 PM »
for the BTW.
Well I guess you could offer your free time in making more TP duplications.
I hear they want Saturday off. :)
Set 45,Open baffle speakers,Otari 5050,,Pioneer DV-79AVi DVD/CD/SCAD player

Offline astrotoy

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Re: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?
« Reply #48 on: February 18, 2009, 02:50:42 AM »
I made three copies of records over the weekend, before I left for London on Monday. They were all from Classic Record 45rpm reissues of well known recordings. I have the original LPs of all of them also. They are RCA LSC-1806 Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zarathusthra by Reiner (the first stereo release by RCA on vinyl - recorded in 1954), RCA LSC-1817 Offenbach Gaite Parisienne by Fiedler (the second stereo vinyl release - recorded in 1956) - BTW both were not issued on stereo vinyl until 1958, as I remember. Finally, the last was the Columbia JC35305 Stardust by Willie Nelson. All of them are on Harry Pearson's Super Disc List. I really like all of the albums also. I did a very easy A/B comparison while recording, by listening to the tape playback of the Ampex and switching the preamp tape monitor (remotely) between the record input and the tape setting. I matched volume levels carefully and absolutely could not tell the difference between the vinyl and the tape. I used the RMGI SM468 tape that I got from Romo (what Doc wrote about) and I used the IEC EQ setting on the Ampex. Playing the 45's is a real pain - getting up every 10 minutes or less to change a side. THere is another issue that the tape ameliorates, but not solves completely. That is on many of the classical albums which have long movements or one continuous piece, the end of an LP side is faded out - so there is not a smooth transition between sides. This is particularly true in the Also Sprach. Having the tape, there is still the fade out (I cannot edit that well) but there is not the minute or so pause while I flip the sides of the LP. Of course with pop and jazz albums andsome classical - the tracks are separate enough that this is not a problem. Romo also put enough tape on the pancakes (much more than 2500' - that I had no problem fitting the entire albums (34' 36' and 38' respectively) on one reel without tape spilling over.   

On a separate issue, by chance I did score a couple of cases of the original ENTEC SM911 which was mentioned briefly in the Audio Asylum. The fellow lives in England and he is sending the cases to my hotel in London. The price was certainly right, especially with the fall in the pound - I'll let you know how they sound when I get back home.

Larry   
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Re: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?
« Reply #49 on: February 18, 2009, 10:38:45 AM »
Larry-I am glad you are enjoying the Ampex ATR-700 you received from me and that it is making great recordings.  I hope when you get home that you will play the tapes you made on your other deck which has the TP repro electronics to see if you hear any differences for the better over the SS Ampex repro electronics.

I continue to be amazed at the differences between straight up LP playback and the sound of the LP as played back through the Otari MX-55 into my pair of Ampex 350s.  I firmly believe the Ampex 350s are very special pieces.

Offline astrotoy

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Re: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?
« Reply #50 on: February 18, 2009, 11:44:35 AM »
Mark, thanks for both starting this thread - which got me started thinking about copying some of my LP's, and then providing the means by which I am copying them!! The Ampex ATR-700 has worked out to be a great machine. I will be playing some of the TP tapes through it to compare its playback electronics to the Bottlehead Technics Repro when I get back.  Larry
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Offline X-Factor

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Re: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?
« Reply #51 on: February 22, 2009, 03:30:37 AM »
Staying with the original subject topic, yes.
The purpose was to use the Technics 1500 reel deck as an analytical tool in comparisons involving various "factors" recorded on two track 15 IPS for the best audio quality in the pursuit of obtaining better sound quality using LPs and 12" singles as source material. The factors varied from software; for example, the recording of original LPs vs remastered or imported pressings, and going as far as different LP stampers A1, A2 etc; and hardware components in the recording chain. Hardware being amplification components and transducers (phono cartridge), cables and tweaks. Cartridge and tone arm adjustments were checked through recording to tape and playback as well as being done in real (no pun intended) time.
It seemed wiser to record to two track to examine the recordings since over a longer term through repeated listening. If the same disc or LP track was used, it was recorded only once within a twenty hour period to help minimize groove wear on the discs and still benefit from maximum fidelity.
My first tries at two track recording @1983 (I first started this process with a quarter track Technics 1700 in 1979) involved a solid state pre-amp which had variable capacitance on one of it's two phono inputs. The testing of varying capacitance with various cartridges was an eye (and ear) opener!
The sources and components varied over the years of course. Going from solid state to tube electronics and vastly improved the audio quality of the recordings though the reel electronics were still solid state.
One thing I learned over time and a growing vinyl collection was that it was redundant to make archival tape copies of my own vinyl recordings. If your turntable, meaning your cartridge/ tone arm as well are properly set up there should be little concern to wear due repeated playing. (So spend your money on TP tapes!) It was tedious to re-record vinyl to tape after every upgrade.
A suggestion; Make a compilation tape of the tracks you play the most often. Saves time, $, and resources.

Leslie
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Offline ironbut

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Re: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?
« Reply #52 on: February 22, 2009, 01:23:12 PM »
Hi Leslie, welcome to the forum. For the most part, I gave up on transferring my lp's to reel to reel pretty early on but that was with stock playback electronics.
On the other hand, it was pretty common during the 80's for folks to make compilation cassette tapes (usually with some sort of theme) and give them to friends. I knew a couple of guys that went to the trouble to do custom artwork that they'd use a copy machine (pre printer stuff here) to make duplicates of. I think I still have a few running around here someplace and when I listen to them, it reminds me of the maker and the times it was made in. I thought it was an excellent idea then, and I wonder if anyone goes to the same effort with cdr's today.
I guess it's a little like what a DJ does (either live or on the air). Even though the pieces are made up of other artists work, a good DJ reacts to the feedback that he feels coming from the audience and creates a document of that slice of time and place. Of course the key to that document is some link to that slice. But just like any other musical composition, it communicates with our emotions in a way that only art can.
How's that for a tangent?
steve koto
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Offline astrotoy

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Re: ANYONE MADE 15 ips 2 TRACK COPIES OF LPs?
« Reply #53 on: March 31, 2009, 05:35:38 PM »
I'm currently about 25% through my major project of taping all of my 45RPM Reissues (almost all Classic Records - almost all classical except for a few jazz/pop greats - KOB, Ah Um, Sketches, Belafonte at Carnegie Hall). I restarted the taping this weekend after getting my Ampex ATR-700 worked on and biased correctly for the two types of tape I am using (RMGI SM468 and Emtech SM911). I have been sampling both types of tapes and comparing to the vinyl. They are very close. The best test is not switching between the tape playback and the source - A/B - which I did earlier and which tends to disguise the differences, but to play one cut on the vinyl and then play the same cut on the tape. I am using my Technics/Repro to play back, which is better than the playback on the Ampex. By doing this a few times on one cut, one can hear the nuances much better. The tape copy is very very nice. It also eliminates the changing sides every 8 to 12 minutes on the 45 and the maddening edits on some of the Classic reissues - take the Heifetz Beethoven Violin Con for example. My edits are not perfect, but they are so much better than the vinyl. One great new 45 album is the 20th anniversary Famous Blue Raincoat. My project will cover about 65-70 titles when I am finished - about 100 tapes in all. That of course is a small fraction of my records - I will not be copying my vinyl in general - I agree with Leslie - with a good TT setup you don't need to. 

BTW, the "reel" test of the copy was dubbing a cut from a TP tape - which I did this afternoon. I reported on it on another post. THere is definitely more of a difference than with the vinyl. But the copy is still very nice.  BTW, everything is copied 15 ips/2 track, IEC Eq. 

Larry

Larry
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