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Reel to Reel Tape Machines / R2R newbie -- help me pick my first deck!

« on: October 07, 2007, 07:26:04 PM »

Greetings,

I'm taking the plunge into reel to reel. Can you help put together a short list of decks to consider?

I'll be doing some recording in my home studio, but also listening to pre-recorded tapes, and transferring older tapes to digital format. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking the machine should handle speeds of 3 3/4 ips to 15 ips, in a 1/4" format.

Realistically, I only need two recording tracks (channels) UNLESS there is some compelling reason to go 4 track that I don't know about. For multitrack recording, I would most likely use my digital system, which is fully in place.

One key question: can I play back 2-track tapes on a 4-track machine or are these different animals altogether? Obviously, I need to do some reading. Right now, I'm a little confused by tracks vs. channels. It appears there are many pre-recorded tapes in 4-track, so does that automatically mean I must have a 4-track machine to play them? I want to get something that will play common formats--either recorded privately or commercially--that's the bottom line.

Any specific models that would you recommend?

So far, I've come across the Otari 5050, Tascam 44, and Pioneer RT-909.

All advice appreciated, thanks!