Tape Project Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: MylesAstor on October 02, 2010, 03:07:59 PM

Title: Ebay 15 ips tapes
Post by: MylesAstor on October 02, 2010, 03:07:59 PM
Here are some 15 ips/1/4 inch dubs Dolby B tapes up for sale on Ebay.

Check out his total list!

http://cgi.ebay.com/15ips-BEETHOVEN-Symph-8-Finest-recording-obtainable-/150501577062?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item230a97d166#ht_500wt_1156
Title: Re: Ebay 15 ips tapes
Post by: c1ferrari on October 02, 2010, 10:17:15 PM
Hi Myles,

I think I purchased my Beveridge Model II loudspeakers from this party...what a small world :-)

Best,
Sam
Title: Re: Ebay 15 ips tapes
Post by: ironbut on October 03, 2010, 01:49:51 PM
I guess the main concern with these tapes is the tape itself. Given the era in which they were dubbed I emailed the seller to ask what tape these pancakes are recorded on.
His reply was that the particular tape (Beethoven 8th) that I asked about is on Scotch. The other tapes are either on Scotch or Ampex.
In his ad he states that they were "properly stored" In his reply he also stated that they had " just been professionally treated and will perform perfectly".
I assume this means that they've been recently baked.
This doesn't mean that they were sticky before the treatment or that the "treatment" was necessarily baking for that matter.
Just something to keep in mind. (it might be a good idea to make a dub the tape on your first couple of plays)
Title: Re: Ebay 15 ips tapes
Post by: c1ferrari on October 03, 2010, 02:29:59 PM
Hi Steve,

Great questions and informative post...thanks!

-Sam
Title: Re: Ebay 15 ips tapes
Post by: esb1954 on October 09, 2010, 09:00:45 PM
I have purchased a few tapes from him.  Make sure that you dub them on the first or second listen.  The back coating will make a mess of your rollers, however, they sound fantastic. I am waiting to get my Studer A80 up and running so that I can make a dub of them when I listen for the second time.  Just be prepared to clean your machine.
Title: Re: Ebay 15 ips tapes
Post by: ironbut on October 09, 2010, 10:29:36 PM
Probably the best procedure for dubbing these tapes would be to only play them soon after baking and cooling.
Assuming that the "treatment" that the seller mentioned was baking, it's only a temporary fix. Depending on the original condition of the tape (how hydrolyzed), the baking, and the humidity that the tape's been exposed to, the "fix" might last for months, weeks or days.
The biggest problem that these sticky tapes have is when the back coating and the oxide stick to each other. When this happens, either of these coatings can shear off of the backing effectively ruining that section of tape. Once either of these coatings pulls loose, there's no repairing it. Because of this, avoid playing these tapes when sticky.

So, wait till you have your dubbing system totally set. Bake the tapes and dub them within a day or two. Rest assured that no matter how dry an environment you store those tapes in, hydrolysis begins as soon as the tape cools.

Even if you are able to play through the tape without it stopping the machine, squealing audibly or slowing the tape speed, if the tape is depositing on your tape path, the sound will be effected. The main culprit here is the "stick-slip" of the tape movement (scrape flutter). Deposits on the heads will also cause level imbalance caused by spacing losses.

Your lucky, not only is an A80 a fantastic machine, it's tape path is one of the best for minimizing issues with problem tapes.