TEAC reel machines

[Jim Coash]

Greetings:  For more than 30 years I used reel to reel machines as the primary source(s) for my DJ work.  They were heavy, so reliable and sounded great.  Many times I had two or even three of them running on the table during a wedding or party.  I never took a single record or turntable out of the house, despite having over 10K records at one point.  I custom recorded 7 1/2" reels and carried about 75 to every gig.  I was very fast at mixing with them, often cuing up requests on one deck while another finished a song.  My Dad owned a TEAC A-1500 that served me well for years but it quit working and this week I completely re-configured his two systems.  All three of his tape machines had stopped due to the belts being worthless.  I fixed his Carver at his house, replacing the main belt in about an hour but his Yamaha cassette and TEAC reel came back to my shop for further surgery.  The Yamaha is ready to go back but his decision was to return the old reel machine to me along with the tapes.  I spent the day yesterday with my two grandsons tearing it down and replacing the rubber.  I t works just as good as ever and sounds fantastic.  That machine must be more than 40 years old.  I think I will sell my TEAC X-7R MkII.  Jim

[Platefire]

In the 90's when I got into recording I use to subscribe to Electronic Musician. The 90's was very much a time when digital recording was being born. There was very much a struggle between the use of the standard analog magnetic tape machines and new digital. I witnessed this issue by issue as it came to pass. I no longer keep up with the cutting edge of recording anymore but use to on early digital machines they were using a combination of reel to reel analog to warm up the digital tracks. That may no longer be necessary with the progress of digital??? I still have my old Tascam 424 cassette that works fine and is still the quickest way to record an idea. I do have a Tascam Digital DP-2 8 track. When I was recording digital on my computer(Digital Orchestrator Plus), my recording flourished but when I got the DP-2 it all stopped. Seems like my drive to record has burned out Platefire

[Jim Coash]

I still make recordings all the time.  I often give custom recordings to people as gifts and when they don't get one, they let me know about it.
Recording a digital source to a reel machine is the best way to "improve" it, in my book.  Much of the digital harshness is eliminated just by turning it into analog.  CDs are better now than they were but I still have no trouble telling the difference.  When I record for custom CDs I make the master on 7 1/2" reel and then copy it to CD.  Often the source is CD to begin with but I still use analog whenever I can.  I can remember a situation at the CES Show In Vegas probably in 1985, or close to that year where I attended a demonstration at one of the audio companies hotel display.  They had their new CD machine set up with a very good turntable and compared the vinyl to the CD telling everyone that no one could possibly hear the difference.  It was a blind A/B test.  After picking the vinyl a dozen times in a row I got up, laughed at the guy running the test and walked out.  Julian Hirsch (the well known audio critic) smiled at me and shook my hand as I went by.  Jim

[Ritchie200]

Yeah even after we have gotten numb to the digital crush, when I put on vinyl or a cassette (even through a SS amp) they are head and tales over a CD.  Even my kids can tell the difference.


Tom Scholz is probably the last man standing with tape as he still uses a razor to cut and splice as needed.  I just saw a blurb on Slash and he made a big deal about using tape for his stuff.  I'm not sure if this in on the front end or the back end.


Plate, you know I HATE my 424!!!  If you ever want to add to, or replace yours - let me know!!!


Jim

[Platefire]

What! You hate teles and now 424's. Whats this world coming to  Seriously! Thanks for letting me know you got one you would move. I really don't record on mine anymore but I keep it because I've got tons of tapes I recorded in the 90's
and early 2000's. I mostly use it to mix down existing tapes to record to mp3, download to Sound Cloud and then post. If I do anymore tracking it will be the Tascam DP-02 as it has on board effects. If my present 424 dies on me, I might be hollering at you. Thanks, Platefire