The Official R2R Owners Thread

[FreddieFerric]

Just picked up one of these today. Should have it delivered early next week. Did someone say Tape Project?





Mine is not a Time Code model, so no "T" after the BR-20

Have to admit though, that is one gorgeous machine.

[richteer]

VERY nice!

[pentatonic]

I know nothing about these things but that thing is drop dead gorgeous, congrats

[Johnny Vinyl]

Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! And congrats Fred! That makes what....3 R2R's now? It that a 15ips as well?

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by Johnny Vinyl

Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! And congrats Fred! That makes what....3 R2R's now? It that a 15ips as well?

Thanks John! It actually makes four now. And yes it is a pure 2 track machine with either NAB or IEC equalization and either 7.5 or 15 ips.

I bought it primarily to make my own tapes with and I wanted a bit better sound than the 4 track machines offer. You know the Tape Project tapes are very expensive so it's not something that I'll get into immediately, but it's nice to know that I have a capable machine if I eventually go that route.

Now the deck just needs to arrive in one piece and be as advertised. And I am keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

[DangeRuss]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

Just picked up one of these today. Should have it delivered early next week. Did someone say Tape Project?

[Show spoiler]

Mine is not a Time Code model, so no "T" after the BR-20

Have to admit though, that is one gorgeous machine.

That machine is an absolute STUNNER !!!!!

I'm just starting my RTR research now & I can only pray to score something like that.

[FreddieFerric]

The Tascam was on my doorstep when I got home from work late last night. Only had time to open the box, give it a good inspection, check its functions, clean and demagnatize the tape path and give it a general once over with a cleaning cloth.

The machine is in excellent condition and appears to have been well cared for.

I set it up tonight in the listening room and am recording Steely Dan's Everything Must Go lp at 15ips with the IEC equalization selected. I did a test recording of a single track and the playback sounded phenom!

Going to be having some fun this weekend gents!

[DangeRuss]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

The Tascam was on my doorstep when I got home from work late last night. Only had time to open the box, give it a good inspection, check its functions, clean and demagnatize the tape path and give it a general once over with a cleaning cloth.

The machine is in excellent condition and appears to have been well cared for.

I set it up tonight in the listening room and am recording Steely Dan's Everything Must Go lp at 15ips with the IEC equalization selected. I did a test recording of a single track and the playback sounded phenom!

Going to be having some fun this weekend gents!

Congrats on that phenomenal purchase

I'm glad everything is working out for you and I hope I am as lucky once I take the plunge

Happy Recording

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by DangeRuss

Congrats on that phenomenal purchase

I'm glad everything is working out for you and I hope I am as lucky once I take the plunge

Happy Recording

Thanks Russ! The recording last night came out great. Really good.

Did you ever own a RTR at some point in the past? You'll notice that tape is making a big comeback at the CES, RMAF, etc., these days, and getting rave reviews for sound quality.

Seems like tape was just kicked to the curb when digital really came on and now it seems that most people have just forgotten how great that analog tape can really sound. Plus, those big wheels turning at night with the lights down and those VU meters flicking away has a high chick factor and look totally awesome!

[DangeRuss]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

Thanks Russ! The recording last night came out great. Really good.

Did you ever own a RTR at some point in the past? You'll notice that tape is making a big comeback at the CES, RMAF, etc., these days, and getting rave reviews for sound quality.

Seems like tape was just kicked to the curb when digital really came on and now it seems that most people have just forgotten how great that analog tape can really sound. Plus, those big wheels turning at night with the lights down and those VU meters flicking away has a high chick factor and look totally awesome!

No...... I never owned one personally but, I had the chance to use them at radio stations and recording studios....... I've always loved them but cassettes were more universally accepted amongst my friends for their portability. I really hope to see some manufacturers creating new machines in the near future

And I too was hoodwinked and bamboozled into thinking digital media (CD's) were the way to go . That's why my present turntable had so few miles on it. CD's like other digital media are just more convenient to use and access certain tracks ........ but the quality just isn't there. You can spend thousands of dollars on cutting edge DAC's and still not be able to create a perfect waveform (which of course is analog) .

But I hope I'm as lucky as you were in scoring a machine . You did good

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

Did you ever own a RTR at some point in the past? You'll notice that tape is making a big comeback at the CES, RMAF, etc., these days, and getting rave reviews for sound quality.

Seems like tape was just kicked to the curb when digital really came on and now it seems that most people have just forgotten how great that analog tape can really sound. Plus, those big wheels turning at night with the lights down and those VU meters flicking away has a high chick factor and look totally awesome!

Tape is making a comeback on a consumer level? While I'm all for it, where did you hear about this? Are manufacturers making decks again, or are artists releasing music on the 2 or 4 track format? If you have any links about this I'd love to read them!

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

The Tascam was on my doorstep when I got home from work late last night. Only had time to open the box, give it a good inspection, check its functions, clean and demagnatize the tape path and give it a general once over with a cleaning cloth.

The machine is in excellent condition and appears to have been well cared for.

I set it up tonight in the listening room and am recording Steely Dan's Everything Must Go lp at 15ips with the IEC equalization selected. I did a test recording of a single track and the playback sounded phenom!

Going to be having some fun this weekend gents!

It's the bolded part that came as very pleasant news and I'm sure you breathed a sigh of relief at that discovery. Congrats on a super find Fred! I wish I was there to experience it!

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by Johnny Vinyl

It's the bolded part that came as very pleasant news and I'm sure you breathed a sigh of relief at that discovery. Congrats on a super find Fred! I wish I was there to experience it!

Thank you John! Yes, it was a HUGE relief, especially considering the atrocious packaging. Mickey Mouse could have done better. My first reaction when I saw the box was: I'm soooo screwed! Thankfully everthing inside was good!

[FreddieFerric]

Based upon the amount of traffic I see on other forums, I thought it would be cool to have a RTR owner's thread started here. Also please feel free to post what tapes you've made, particularly recently. Also let us know what type of tapes you have and how you go about acquiring them.

My RTR machines:

Tascam BR-20
Teac X-1000R
Dokoder 1120
Pioneer RT-707

I just recorded Keith Richards solo work "Talk is Cheap" on the Tascam which is a 2 track recorder at 15ips on a vintage Maxell UD 35-180.

I'll tell you about how I go about tape acquisition when/if this thread gets some replies.

[West E]

Don't own one but i thought it was really cool that the latest Shins album was also released on reel-to-reel. Maybe a few other bands will follow suit.

[singhcr]

I have a Pioneer RT-707 quarter-track 3.75/7.5ips R2R deck that's in excellent condition. I have only created recordings of CD based material and it really does improve the sound, I've found. With good TDK Audua tape at 7.5ips there's no loss in high end or increase in hiss with CD sourced recordings.

I have a few commercial tapes that I have and I've found them off of Ebay. Local bookstores like Half Price Books sometimes have R2R tapes but not terribly often.

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by singhcr

I have a Pioneer RT-707 quarter-track 3.75/7.5ips R2R deck that's in excellent condition. I have only created recordings of CD based material and it really does improve the sound, I've found. With good TDK Audua tape at 7.5ips there's no loss in high end or increase in hiss with CD sourced recordings.

I have a few commercial tapes that I have and I've found them off of Ebay. Local bookstores like Half Price Books sometimes have R2R tapes but not terribly often.

Excellent, are you the original owner of your deck? I ran across my 707 on craigslist. One of the best deals I ever made. The Pioneer decks are great sounding machines and very unique looking. Adds a nice touch of elegance to any audio rack.

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

Excellent, are you the original owner of your deck? I ran across my 707 on craigslist. One of the best deals I ever made. The Pioneer decks are great sounding machines and very unique looking. Adds a nice touch of elegance to any audio rack.

No, I got mine off of Ebay. It is in excellent condition now that I've cleaned it up. I agree that they look and sound lovely and it makes a good conversation piece.

[hakstone]

Originally Posted by singhcr

I have only created recordings of CD based material and it really does improve the sound, I've found.

Can you explain. It's my experience you can't improve on the source.

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by hakstone

Can you explain. It's my experience you can't improve on the source.

I'll agree with you on that for the most part, but in the case of CD to tape recordings, I find that the reel to reel tape will eliminate a lot of the issues that I dislike about low-fidelity digital recordings, such as a shrillness at the high end and a lack of depth and a soundstage to the music.

I recorded a Journey CD to tape at 7.5ips and I found that piano sections, for example, have far more depth and bass to them. The notes were more distinct, and the recording had more of a presence to it. I also found the vocals to be more pleasing for the same reasons. Tape has a fuller sound to it as compared to CD and while the tape recording of the CD doesn't have anywhere close to the fidelity of a high quality analog source like an LP or reel to reel tape, it does improve the sound, I've found.