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Author Topic: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida  (Read 37121 times)

Offline U47

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New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« on: February 11, 2009, 09:56:14 PM »
Just got my second Lyrec PTR-1 from Lyrec of Canada last weekend. Fully sorted out and tasty sounding. 27 pounds and handles 12 inch reels with switchable NAB/IEC eq at 3 3/4 to 15 ips. Perhaps the last designed analog tape recorder- was introduced in 1989.

Rich
Technics 1500 with King/Cello playback electronics, Stellavox SP-7, Technics 1500/Ampex MR70, Tascam BR-20 .

Offline Ben

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2009, 10:11:58 PM »
How did you find them? I just did google search on "Lyrec of Canada" for fun and not one hit. Good luck with your toy.
Set 45,Open baffle speakers,Otari 5050,,Pioneer DV-79AVi DVD/CD/SCAD player

Offline U47

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2009, 10:38:29 PM »
Hi Ben
A friend of mine is just starting out with Lyrec and has supplied me with two Frida PTR-1 decks. Two things I don't like about them are the lousy headphone amps and the lack of microphone preamps. Also forgot to mention that they are balanced input/output.

Rich
Technics 1500 with King/Cello playback electronics, Stellavox SP-7, Technics 1500/Ampex MR70, Tascam BR-20 .

Offline docb

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2009, 01:07:39 PM »
I'd see the lack of mic preamps as an opportunity to use some nice outboard preamps.
Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
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Managing Director - retired, The Tape Project

Offline steveidosound

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2009, 01:56:08 PM »
Did the same search as Ben with the same result. Do they have a website?
What is some history behind these machines? Did you get the last ones in captivity?
Are they directly TP tape compatible? I guess they would be.
The disc lathe I am supposed to set up at my house has a Lyrec motor. Do they have parts?
The company is pretty unknown in the US, though I think I knew they made tape recorders.
Steve Williams

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

Offline Ben

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2009, 02:02:05 PM »
I can see the image now .... some where in Denmark  roams the wild reel to reel decks. Who will bring them back? :)
Set 45,Open baffle speakers,Otari 5050,,Pioneer DV-79AVi DVD/CD/SCAD player

Offline niklasthedolphin

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2009, 03:18:40 PM »
Just got my second Lyrec PTR-1 from Lyrec of Canada last weekend. Fully sorted out and tasty sounding. 27 pounds and handles 12 inch reels with switchable NAB/IEC eq at 3 3/4 to 15 ips. Perhaps the last designed analog tape recorder- was introduced in 1989.

Rich

What headphones did you test the headphone jack with?

"dolph"

Offline U47

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2009, 03:27:21 PM »
Hi Guys
I used Grado and Sennheiser phones to test the headphone section. It could be that they did not like the impedance of the Grados.

The website is http://www.lyrec.dk . They should have some machines for sale shortly.

Regarding mic preamps, I am going to use the slightly massaged Ampex MX-10 tube mixer on my next orchestral recording next week. I'm looking for an assistant to man the Lyrec/Ampex rig, as I'll also be recording to Digital with my Sound Devices 722 recorder. The Ampex/Lyrec will have to be in another room, as they are too noisy mechanically to be in the hall.

Rich
Technics 1500 with King/Cello playback electronics, Stellavox SP-7, Technics 1500/Ampex MR70, Tascam BR-20 .

Offline U47

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2009, 03:37:55 PM »
Forgot to add that the two Lyrecs I recently picked up are Mark I versions from 1989/1990. Lyrec produced a Mark II version in 1991/1992. One interesting upgrade was a scrape flutter filter. I find it surprising that they did not include it in the original model. One of my decks is ex-Suisse Radio and the other is ex-BBC. Suisse Radio sold many of  their Nagra decks when the Lyrec was introduced- that is saying something! I would love to find a small Studer mixer from the 70s to use with the Lyrec.

Lyrec Fridas are fully Tape Project compatible, as they are 15 ips/2 track with IEC eq..

Lyrec made some incredible disc cutting equipment. The one Lyrec piece that I knew from the 70s was the Lyrec tape counter, which could be attached to some large studio reel decks. It measured in minutes and seconds at 15 ips and was a thing of great build quality. Lyrec was not well known at all in the US, compared to Europe.

Rich
Technics 1500 with King/Cello playback electronics, Stellavox SP-7, Technics 1500/Ampex MR70, Tascam BR-20 .

Offline steveidosound

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2009, 05:01:12 PM »
Hi Guys
I used Grado and Sennheiser phones to test the headphone section. It could be that they did not like the impedance of the Grados.

The website is http://www.lyrec.dk . They should have some machines for sale shortly.

Regarding mic preamps, I am going to use the slightly massaged Ampex MX-10 tube mixer on my next orchestral recording next week. I'm looking for an assistant to man the Lyrec/Ampex rig, as I'll also be recording to Digital with my Sound Devices 722 recorder. The Ampex/Lyrec will have to be in another room, as they are too noisy mechanically to be in the hall.

Rich

How do you manage that? Is the Ampex stereo mixer driving the Lyrec and the digital with your stereo mix or do you have some sort of mic split to another mixer for digital?  I see the Sound devices is not multitrack. That is almost unheard of in the digital world! I mean, doing a stereo mix on the fly, not going multi-track for multi-mic and mixing down later. I guess if it is a known mic array or just a spaced or coincident pair. The guy I record symphonic stuff with always wants to do coincident and M/S in a couple of hall positions and perhaps very wide space omnis and then pick and choose at mixdown.
I have an MX-10 as well. What did you do to make it better?
Steve Williams

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

Offline U47

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2009, 06:15:43 PM »
I am planning on using two independent mic rigs- one for analog and one for digital. I'll likely use spaced omni mics with the analog and an ORTF setup with one spot mic for the soloist in the concerto. The Ampex is a 4 in/2 out device. I almost never use more than two or three microphones. For a large orchestra in a good hall, I prefer to use three spaced omni microphones, but generally I use ORTF(two cardioids at 110 degrees with a 6 inch spacing). Pic is of my Sound Devices 722 digital recorder. It records on compact flash and hard drive at up to 24 bit 192K.
Technics 1500 with King/Cello playback electronics, Stellavox SP-7, Technics 1500/Ampex MR70, Tascam BR-20 .

Offline hticheno

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #11 on: February 27, 2009, 08:22:11 AM »
U47 has generously called me "Lyrec of Canada".  I have in fact had six of these great machines so far and am actively seeking more for other interested users.  I have been using them for the past few years and am continually impressed with their build and sound quality.  The problem of course is the fact that the manufacturer went out of business early last year and a successor company is only just now setting up in Denmark.  However, gradually I am identifying original sources of many of the replacement parts with the help of Charles King.  The machine is built in a modular fashion so there are in fact very few parts that are custom to the Lyrec only.  And since it uses plug in boards, if you have a pair of machines it is very easy to locate the source of any problem by swapping boards. I did stumble across an owner of something like a dozen potential parts machines that were in very poor condition. Unfortunately he did not realize how degraded his units were and was dissatisfied with any offer below the prices warranted by only a near mint machine. I continue to hope to find salvage grade machines that can serve as donors for the remaining good machines. If there are users out there that need the full manual for the Mark I machines I can email you pdfs if you request them.  I am trying to locate a scan or pdf of the Frida Mark II manual and will make that freely available when I have it as well.  I'd love to hear from other Frida users.  Harold Tichenor Bowen Island, BC [email protected]
Simon Yorke S7 tt/Lyrec Fridas r2r/Technics 1500s r2r/Sony TC 770 & 772 r2r/Tandberg 3014 cassette/Tandberg 3001 tuner/Tandberg 3015 cd/Musical Fidelity 3D cd/Pioneer DV-AX10 sacd/Musical Fidelity M3 integrated/B&W 804s/Dolby A301 and 330 decoders/Ashley PQX572/and a whole mess of master tapes

Offline hticheno

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #12 on: February 27, 2009, 08:37:13 AM »
By the way, the picture that U47 posted at the start of this thread is of a pair of my Fridas in use while dubbing a couple of weekends ago. The one on the left is a Mark II and the one on the right a Mark I.  The gear below them includes a rarely used Ashly PQX 572, a Dolby 330 B decoder, a Dolby A301 A decoder, and since the photo was taken I have installed a patch panel to make my dubbing life bearable. I maintain the units using a Sound Technology 1510, a Vellemann scope and a Nakamichi T100. 

Simon Yorke S7 tt/Lyrec Fridas r2r/Technics 1500s r2r/Sony TC 770 & 772 r2r/Tandberg 3014 cassette/Tandberg 3001 tuner/Tandberg 3015 cd/Musical Fidelity 3D cd/Pioneer DV-AX10 sacd/Musical Fidelity M3 integrated/B&W 804s/Dolby A301 and 330 decoders/Ashley PQX572/and a whole mess of master tapes

Offline niklasthedolphin

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #13 on: February 27, 2009, 09:25:43 AM »
I know from the person that was chief engineer on Lyrec factory, that many of these machines were build with specific features on demand.
Price from new was high, around Dkr 76.000,- / US$ ~15.000, and the machine was meant to take over from any studio machine like Studer, Nagra or whatever.
And it did.
I have been told about many studios in Europe, even in Switzerland, in the Middle East and Far East, where These machines took over from exactly Studer and Nagra.

I wonder, however, what differences mkI and mkII had?

Can you tell a little about this?

"dolph"

Offline hticheno

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Re: New Toy from Denmark- Lyrec Frida
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2009, 03:42:33 PM »
I'm not sure of all the differences between the Mk I and Mk II.  I understand that there are some added electronic control functions and there appear to be changes to how the self test functions operate.  An easy way to see which is which is that the Mk II has an led with each of the REV and FF buttons and the Mk I did not.  The Mk II will also remember the last timer position when the unit was turned off. There are also changes to the main audio board and to the placement of the erase bias trimmer. Other than that I will not be sure until I can locate a Mk II manual and read it. In terms of operation they appear basically the same and used the same heads in the MK II and in the later Mk I although the connectors for the heads to the boards differ.  I would say they are equally fine machines and no great distinction should be drawn between them.  If there are any Frida users interested I had a quantity of good quality dust covers made for them.
Simon Yorke S7 tt/Lyrec Fridas r2r/Technics 1500s r2r/Sony TC 770 & 772 r2r/Tandberg 3014 cassette/Tandberg 3001 tuner/Tandberg 3015 cd/Musical Fidelity 3D cd/Pioneer DV-AX10 sacd/Musical Fidelity M3 integrated/B&W 804s/Dolby A301 and 330 decoders/Ashley PQX572/and a whole mess of master tapes