Tape Project Forum
General Category => Raw Tape => Topic started by: lego-beast on April 04, 2009, 09:35:29 AM
-
Hi ! Just joined this forum and am already impressed, I was wondering if
there was a recommendation for a replacement tape for Quantegy 407
which is the equivelent of the Maxell tape which my Revox is biased for.
I live in the Uk but cant seem to locate any tape...What are my options... ?
I would like to find a supplier here at home....
-
Hi lego-beast, welcome to the forum. Quantegy 407/3M-207 is a +3dB tape and as far as I know, no one currently makes a tape that's directly equivalent. You could use any of the +6 tapes but you'd be missing the advantage of these more modern formulations (more headroom=lower noise floor=less audible noise). I think it would be much better if you spent a little money and have you machine biased to something like RMGI 468 or 911/LPR 35 (if you want the option to use 3600' reels for long play/record times).
Regarding the purchase of tape in the UK, you should contact RMGI and find a local distributor of their products. There's no need to spend any extra money on shipping if you don't have to (it's made in Holland).
http://www.rmgi-usa.com/rmg_studio.html
-
I have found a dealer in Zonal tape ? I am not sure of this brand , any ideas on
the quality and which one would be the nearest equivalent to the maxell or 407
..... Does it really make that much of a difference if i was to use Ampex 456
....
-
I've never used Zonal and I did find one bad experience regarding this tape on a google search; http://www.electrical.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=41942
Regarding 456, it is a tape that is also no longer in production. There's still lots of it out there to be had. You can usually find this tape at bargain prices compared to RMGI but if you have a problem with it, you're on your own. Tape is unlike other media types. It can and has had entire decades of production problems. 456 is ground zero for these problems and if you happen to get some from one of these era's, the seller won't be able to tell that some thing's wrong with it and you might not for a while. I don't know how much tape you plan on using or how important what you'll be putting on the tape is, but if you don't mind possible headaches related to buying unusable tape or some that will degrade over time, than the money you save by buying 456 might be worth it. Bear in mind, you'd have to have your machine biased to 456 just like any of the RMGI to take advantage of the headroom.
If you plan on using tape for a while and consider what you've recorded on it important (in otherwise, won't be recorded over or not needed right away) I think it's important to support the few companies who have stuck their necks out to re-introduce new production reel to reel tape. It wasn't that long ago that Quantegy was the only producer in the world. And it seemed like every couple of years, they'd announce that they were stopping production. It sent users of tape on a roller coaster until RMGI finally stepped in and started a new company based on the Agfa/Emtec formulas. If the users of reel to reel tape don't support these guys (and Mike Spitz at ATR Magnetics, the only other current producer) then we won't have a choice anymore and will have to buy questionable products from eBay and closeouts.
That's my soapbox speech for the day.
-
I can totally agree with your sentiments and I guess were at that turning point
that valves became transistor, analogue became digital and vinyl became a free download..
I have found a supplier of Zonal 840 tape and someone to calibrate the Revox near where i live in Sussex
so not all doom and gloom for example yesterday I found a nice supply of 2 micron foil in some tungston starter caps, so can now repair my ribbon mic...