Messages

1

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Re: Sanyo MR 929

« on: April 04, 2015, 10:12:49 PM »

I think I have your answer if you have not figured it out already.
There are 2 tiny set screws in the record knobs. If you push the top (left ch.) slider left to the record position you will see the screw in the right ch. knob below. If you then do the opposite you will see the screw in the bottom of the left channel slider.
They are face to face. Bottom of left ch. knob, top of right ch. knob. so if you move both you would never see the set screws.
I know this because I collect old consumer machines and have one with the same transport. These were also marketed under Craig and Channel Master as well as Sanyo. Hope that helps.
BTW, these have that cool "joystick" transport control shared with smaller Craig mono battery portables. I always liked those as opposed to mechanical push buttons or the ubiquitous lever that so many consumer Sonys and other brands have.
I think it is used on a Lafayette consumer stereo early Japanese deck I have and also on the rare  Newcomb 10.5" semi-pro tube machine, which I wish I had. :-)

2

Suggestion Box / Tape Project Christmas Album ?

« on: January 09, 2015, 06:58:18 PM »

I hope everyone had a good holiday season and thanks for the New Years surprise beautiful new website look!

Was listening to a variety of music again throughout the season on (mostly) vinyl and pondered whether Tape Project had ever considered releasing either a Christmas album or a licensed Christmas / holiday compilation of various classic tracks.
In fact so little new music has come along of any note in the past couple of decades, that I doubt if there would be any trouble finding analog masters, unless they have all been trashed.

For a complete album, a couple of thoughts come to mind, one being either of the first two Fresh Aire / Mannheim Steamroller albums which are creatively produced and well recorded, if a bit kitsch, Christmas confections. Don't know how "open" their catalog is to you. Back in earlier audiophile days their Fresh Aire III was all the rage. Their "magic" is using pretty much every style of instrumental combo available in nice sounding ways, from whatever synth technology was current at the time to Baroque style instrumentation, to full symphonic presence, back to solo guitar or toy piano.

Another candidate from a closely associated label might be "Star of Wonder" from Reference Recordings.
Goes without saying that that option is a wonderful recording technically and musically.
...Argh! Alas, I just looked at my CD copy and it is not quite old enough to be from Keith's magical analog source recorder.
Says Nakamichi DMP-100 Digital Encoder whatever that was. Now I will have to look it up. Perhaps a back-up analog master exists? :-)

3

General Discussion / Re: Paul Stubblebine Interview

« on: January 05, 2015, 11:31:20 AM »

Fascinating hearing the history.
I started out doing exactly the same things back in the day. (Where did I go wrong? :-)
Paul, you are blessed to have had such a life.
In a way you, (and the whole Tape Project crew), Martin Theophilus for his collecting, Len Horowitz for his activities with collecting restoration and advancement of the legacy of Westrex cutters, and  Keith Johnson @ Reference for his advancement of the state of the audio art in many areas, are all my heroes.

4

General Discussion / Re: 16 Ton Studio & Ampex 401

« on: November 04, 2014, 09:31:25 PM »

Very cool !
Thanks Steve !
Interesting that both that studio and Les Paul had hit songs recorded with what is considered to be the most questionable early Ampex pro portable machine. The 400 series with the capstan and pinch roller metering tape on the input side of the head block. Only machine I am aware of made that way. 
A half inch 3 track Ampex shown (as a 4 track) was still missing some parts, but a lot of classic gear there.
My friend has a pair of those Altec mixers and I have one of the Ampex stereo ones.
LOL, I think I spied an Alesis master link (or maybe an ADAT) sitting there on the shelf. Either way, that's one more piece of equipment I have that they do. :-)

5

General Discussion / Re: My Decca Book Finally Published - FIM Decca:Supreme Stereophonic Legacy

« on: August 22, 2014, 11:58:20 PM »

I saw it at the show.
Was in the room that was selling re-mastered CDs. Sorry, can't find literature or reference to who that was.
Were you there?

6

General Discussion / Re: My Decca Book Finally Published - FIM Decca:Supreme Stereophonic Legacy

« on: August 10, 2014, 10:30:01 PM »

Wonderful news !
Congratulations.

7

General Discussion / Re: Progress on Austin Recording Tech Museum

« on: August 10, 2014, 10:28:23 PM »

Would like to see that but now the link seems to be broken. I have VanPraag's book.
I emailed with him in the past. Wondering how he is doing. I thought at one point he had to sell his collection he based his book on.

This seems to be a link to the interview. -
http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/Video/Phil0712314.mov

8

Events / Re: Listening party at the studio, SF

« on: July 21, 2014, 01:04:59 AM »

Thanks to our hosts.
A good time was had by all I trust.
Appreciate the hang-out time and great music.

9

Events / Re: Listening party at the studio, SF

« on: July 18, 2014, 03:20:01 PM »

Are you going to be set up to play 1/4 track as well as 2 track 7" reel,  7 1/2 ips. NAB tapes?
(of course as well as Tape Project ones)

10

Events / Re: Listening party at the studio, SF

« on: July 06, 2014, 10:15:33 PM »

Remember me...? :-)
If I would still be welcome, I will try to email Bottlehead and set it up to be there.

11

Prerecorded Tapes / Re: Bert Kaempfert

« on: April 21, 2014, 09:37:28 PM »

"That Happy Feeling" album  is available used on US Decca 7 1/2 ips. 4 track stereo reel to reel.

12

Prerecorded Tapes / Beatles pre-records

« on: February 09, 2014, 05:24:16 PM »

Kind of surprised this didn't come up.
Since it's Beatlemainia anniversary weekend I thought I would bring it up.
Any people have liked or thought were worth seeking?
Can't claim to own any now. Had the Capitol Magical Mystery Tour from
High School days till the early 90s. I think it was 3 3/4.
Do not recall the sound as being particularly bad
nor good with respect to its equivalent vinyl copy.
At least it was better than the very early cassette of Abbey Road
I also had from when the album was new.
I do wish I still had both today.

13

General Discussion / Re: Early Stereo Tapes

« on: January 26, 2014, 07:06:47 PM »

Wow ! I had no idea these archives or old publications even existed. Thanks !
I clicked my way to the one mentioned, but unfortunately that one particular page with the info. you were talking about was poorly scanned and just barely readable. Unfortunate because it also has an ad for Magnecord, showing early models. (pg. 9)
http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Tape-Recording/50s/Tape-Recording-1953-11-12.pdf
If you ever do find one of those early 15 ips. binaural  releases I would love to hear it.

It is interesting that there is a Shure ad a few pages earlier (pg. 4) that is essentially the same photograph of the Fine Arts Quartet, promoting the use of their Sonodyne 51 microphone to record it. I really hope not, with at least that mic, as it was not very good even for the mid 50s microphone state of the art. My catalogs list the frequency response spec. as 60-10,000 with no further qualification. It was not their best mic even at the time, with the now so called "Elvis mic" having a wider stated response. Ironically it is also the microphone The 78 Project is using with their traveling Presto lathe for nostalgia, to record their discs on location. It is probably just a bit wider response than the Presto disc cutting head.

Ah, just read the Shure ad again. They stated they were using it to record their own  _rehearsals_. :-)

One more mod. Apparently not all PDF readers do a good job with their files, particularly one used in Firefox.
They suggest not using that one, which I was. Certain fonts below a particular size are not clear.

14

General Discussion / More History

« on: January 05, 2014, 03:03:25 PM »

Nowhere near as old as the previous post, but I found this cool little old Audio Devices (Audiotape) branded head demagnetizer in a junk box @ WeirdStuff electronics surplus yesterday.
Shown with it's listing in my 1963 Allied Radio catalog, at that point it was $5.88. Can't say how long it had been in production by that point, but it looks old.
In the same listing a 2,500', 10.5" reel of their normal tape was $7.12
A bit more research found it as far back as '59, but not in my 1951 Radio Master catalog. At that point they were mostly selling cutting styli and lacquer discs, though there were listings for acetate and paper base tape.

15

General Discussion / Re: The Blattnerphone

« on: January 05, 2014, 01:45:39 PM »

Very interesting first post of 2014. Thanks. I can't remember if the Ampex museum had an actual non-functional one or just a picture.
In any case it was fun to see one actually play..."tape".
The other article was also interesting.  I do disagree with one of the opening statements, however. They said -
"the process involved in making a record took at least twelve hours". Perhaps to make a pressing, but certainly by that time there were instantaneous lacquer or other discs that could be cut and played back immediately. In fact, from any point, with a needle drop, which has always been the advantage of disc over linear storage media, to the very hard discs in our computers today.
Anyway, very fun stuff, but I wouldn't want to be too close  to a Blattnerphone when it was rewinding!