Messages

1

Prerecorded Tapes / Re: James Brown "Soul On Top" 120Hz hum.

« on: December 05, 2011, 07:25:38 PM »

Thank's docb.
Hum is on running master, this tape is rare, only couple I see on ebay last year.
So if another batch with different running master did not exist, look for another does not make sense.

2

Prerecorded Tapes / James Brown "Soul On Top" 120Hz hum.

« on: December 05, 2011, 05:52:43 PM »

Hello all.
Got this tape (GRT made KING 0032-1100), and it has noticeable 120Hz hum, I have about 150 pre-records, and only this tape got this type of defect.
Should I search another exemplar? Or they all sick with it?

Anton.

3

Tape Project Albums - general / How about budget version of TP albums?

« on: May 29, 2011, 09:31:38 PM »

Hello.
I talk about TP albums on hub in plain box without album art (even maybe 35 micron tape?),
less weight - less shipping cost, maybe it may help you slightly rise up number of subscribers.
What do you think about it?

Sorry for my poor English.
Anton.

4

Tape Tech / Re: tonight I run first version of tubed dolby decoder

« on: November 22, 2010, 07:53:42 AM »

Hi ironbut, thank you. I try to find these tapes.

Hi xcortes, I took first original transistor version of decoder, and replace all amplification stages in audio path with vacuum triodes, first I try it in microcap simulation, and it help me so much, to choose tubes and voltages.
But in schematic still present transistors, one FET in variable filter, diodes in limiter (indefeasible part of dolby circuit), and one bipolar in FET control signal amplifier.

Anton.

5

Tape Tech / tonight I run first version of tubed dolby decoder

« on: November 21, 2010, 06:14:34 PM »

Hi guys!
Last year I spend a lot of time thinking about how to built tubed dolby decoder,
and today I finish soldering, and it works!

Sound pretty good compared to IC based decoder, but I'm still not finished a calibration of this tube unit.

After calibration I can record some demo files, unfortunately I don't have a BC tapes, but I have some Mo-Fi cassette tapes.

Sorry for my poor english.

Anton.

6

General Discussion / horrors of REAL life

« on: June 16, 2010, 03:02:28 AM »

Labels Strive to Rectify Past Archival Problems

BY BILL HOLLAND - Today, catalog preservation is more of a priority for the major U.S. record companies than at any time in the history of the century-old industry. But these efforts come too late for untold numbers of recordings, old and not so old, that have been thrown away, mislaid, left behind in warehouses, and even sold for scrap......

more:
http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~presley/elnews-VaultLosses.htm

7

General Discussion / Re: Hello, I'm new here.

« on: April 12, 2010, 07:10:09 PM »

What can I expect from the outboard Dolby B units as far as trying to match the original record settings? 

If cassette tapes stored correctly and not partially demagnetized:

First you need to adjust playback head asimuth on _actual tape_ for best HF response (NR OFF),
second you need a external dolby unit that can be adjusted to actual level of you tapes, that you must adjust by ear for best result
(NR ON, minimum "breathing" and correct dynamics), or you can adjust playback level trimpots inside of your Tascam, that do the same thing, but after all you need to recalibrate playback electrionics.

Couple of days of adjustments, and you get a good result.

If tapes stored incorrectly, and slightly demagnetized you may add a parametric EQ between playback deck and dolby decoder, but in this case adjustmets take a more time an be too complicated.
(or you can try to adjust playback EQ trimpots inside tape deck).

Sorry for my poor english, I just try to share some of my experience in dolby-b encoded tape transfer.
Anton.

8

Prerecorded Tapes / Re: Whats on the reel tonight.

« on: December 11, 2008, 09:54:00 PM »

Soul'n with  Isaac Hayes - The Isaac Hayes Movement

9

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Re: Can a Dolby emphasis curve be constructed passively?

« on: December 03, 2008, 10:37:38 PM »

stellavox, first thing you can do to imrove sonics of a tandberg dolby board - is a remove bias and MPX filter elements (l701,702 and related capacitors).
second thing- bypass all electrolytic capacitors with a 0.1mkf good polypropylene caps.
thrid thing - replace all ceramic caps (if board has it) by polypropylene.

all this things in complex can help to improve sonics very much.


PS sorry for my poor english.
Best regards.
Anton.

10

Prerecorded Tapes / Re: sticky shed on prerecorded tapes ?

« on: November 07, 2008, 06:02:05 PM »

Hi Anton. Pelon is a cleaning tissue that comes on a roll (2" wide). It kinda reminds me of lens cleaning tissue. It does contain some lubricants that's supposed to help a little with LOL but not much. It's pretty cheap and can be had from US Recording Media;
http://usrecordingmedia-store.stores.yahoo.net/
I know I've read some info specific to LOL and I'll see if I can dig it up. If so, I'll post it here.
Some of the smaller outfits that had releases on R2R used some very funky tape. Can you tell if it's an acetate backed tape? (you can see light through the side of the reel if you hold it up to a light)

Hi Ironbut.

I wipe all used tapes with cotton disc with few drops of izopropyle alcohol, it helps to remove dust, metal particles (on used pre-records I found a lot of metal particles, maybe from heads/guides??), and tobacco residue. It absolutely necessary for low speed 3 3/4 ips tapes. Without wet wiping this tapes had a lot of dropouts.
My experience shows, that 3 3/4 ips tapes collect a lot more dust than 7 1/2 ones.

Recently, I get pre-record "Blind Faith", seems one of previous owners love to smoke a LOT, label almost YELLOW, I run wiping for FIVE TIMES to remove all visible tobacco residue sticked to a dust.

My tapes with LOL is a polyester tape, some old russian tapes fabricateb by "Tacma" factory (polyester, black oxide) affected to LOL too.

Thank's for information about Pelon, I try to get some and try, but US Recording Media ship to USA only :-(

P.S. Sorry for my poor english.

11

Prerecorded Tapes / Re: sticky shed on prerecorded tapes ?

« on: November 06, 2008, 03:12:08 AM »

I have some Chess-Cadet pre-record's thet suffer from Loss Of Lubricant, and have some oxide shedding on heads.
Tape is thin and look's like cheap logging tape.

You could try cleaning it with Pelon but I doubt that it would help that much.

I'm trying to gooogle "Pelon", but it didn't help.
Please explain what it is (is it some kind of chemical)?

Thank you.

12

Tape Tech / Re: Dolby A Decoders

« on: August 29, 2008, 04:49:40 PM »

Here is a photo of cat.22 module PCB.


Notice a quantity of yellow drop-tantalium capacitor - not a best solution for good sonics.

13

Tape Tech / Re: Studer C37 restoration

« on: July 26, 2008, 03:39:09 PM »

cool post! great job!
congratulations!

thank's for photos.

14

General Discussion / Re: Dolby Pro Unit 363- and A-301

« on: January 17, 2008, 02:24:58 AM »

The later Dolby A (360, 361 and later) were all chip based and sounded like it :-(

No! 360/361 cards (cat.22) are fully discrete.
Here is a photo of my cat.22 card:

http://photofile.ru/photo/intell/1369074/large/36319824.jpg

http://photofile.ru/photo/intell/1369074/large/36319763.jpg

15

Prerecorded Tapes / Re: I don't listen to my own advice

« on: October 02, 2007, 03:11:43 PM »

here is some negative moments:

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/t.mpl?f=tape&m=9447