reel to reel tape formulation question

[rodney sherman]

Im going to get a reel to reel deck.I do know that cassettee decks use 3 to 4 tape types.does reel to reel decks use different formulations to? What improvements are made when you record faster? Is it better high range and louder output?

[Richard Feirstein]

You should standardize on a tape the vender tells you it was setup for. If you intended to use Dolby Noise Reduction, the output level of the tape used should be kept the same or you will need to recalibrate each time you change tapes. Each tape brand and sub-brand and price point product can have slightly different output and bias requirements, thus changes in tape formulation can impact frequency response and Dolby Calibration.

The higher the tape speed, the greater the s/n ratio, but the increase is slight. Wow and flutter can be slightly lower at higher tape speeds. The biggest advantage with higher speeds is that if any when you do an edit it is easier to find the edit point. Some hardware has slightly expanded high end response at higher speeds. Some hardware with cross-field heads give decent response at lower speeds but I haven't seen those on the market for some time.

If you use Dolby NR it is a good idea to mark on the box what type you used and to put on the tape a Dolby calibration tone. Also be sure to pickup a Dolby level test tape with a standard calibration output level.

[Bob Lovely]

Rodney,

As a long time reel recordist (since 1966), I will share my recent experiences and add some additional information to Richard's post.

There are essentially two types of formulations today: standard and high output. However, there are differences in formulations from manufacturer to manufacturer. I have tried them all and for my machine, my application and for sound I prefer BASF SM-900 High Output Tape. It sounds great, stores well and it is manufactured to high, consistent standards. The high output formula provides me with greater "headroom" for making dynamic recordings from CDs.

I never use noise reduction because I do not like the "color" it adds to the recorded music eventhough I have DBX Type I built in to my recorder. Perhaps, if I had an outboard Dolby S unit, I might consider using it.

I agree with Richard's comments about bias and tape speed except that I would add that as tape speed increases the amount of tape recorder EQ decreases. As such, the higher record speeds have less EQ as a part of the recording process of the recorder. Additionally, to my ears, the sonics are better with higher tape speed. I have run numerous tests on this with my recorder and clearly, there are audible differences. Personally, I record all my programs at 7.5ips. While I might prefer 15ips, the higher speed simply burns up too much tape.

I will share with you that making successful recordings on a reel recorder is more of an art than a science. You have to learn how to "drive" record levels just right to hit the "sweet spot" whereby your recordings will come alive. With patience and your increasing skills you will be able to make great sounding, highly dynamic and warm recordings even from CDs.

If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Bob

:)

[Richard Feirstein]

Well, I have used Dolby A and Dolby B on reel-to-reel recordings. Dolby B is especially sensitive to changes in calibration level. This is why all those folks over the years who think they are helping improve their sound of their cassette recordings by purchasing high output tapes when the vender said use something like TDK SA, were introducing problems in decoding accuracy. If you decide to use a Dolby noise reduction system with reel-to-reel be sure to have the bias and output calibrated to the tape of your choice and then stick to that. Even thinner tapes of the same name and type can have different output levels. Once calibrated even Dolby B can be very effective and relatively transparent. Now what you really want is an outboard Dolby Spectrial Noise Reduction System (SE). Many in the idustry think it allows analog Reel-to-Reel to match professional digital systems in many characteristics. But again, Steve Hoffman and other mastering folks would like to see that the recorder was properly setup and that complete calibration level tones were recorded on the tape so that their playback hardware can be matched to the recording. (I bet Steve would want to know what brand and make of noise reduction hardware was in use). Basic set up requires that one confirm that it is recording and playing at a standard speed, that the heads are clean and properly aligned, that bias levels are set properly and that nothing in the tape path is magnatized. Also, confirm that your record level indicators are understood by the operator so that levels are kept low enough to avoid tape head saturation which can compress the high frequencies (a self bias effect), and avoid tape saturation at all costs. A bit more hiss is better than lost highs and distortion.

[Bob Lovely]

Richard,

I agree with your comments. Put simply, I have not heard a nosie reduction product yet that did not "color" the recorded sound in a way that I did not find displeasing. I priced a Dolby SE unit once but it was, in my opinion, cost prohibitive. Tape hiss does not really bother me that much, in that, the manner in which I record keeps hiss below the level of distraction while playing back the recorded work.

I certainly agree with your observations about driving tape levels just right to avoid compression. With high output tape, on my recorder, I have discovered, over many recordings (270 reels since 1992), that I have more "headroom" and can drive the tape harder without hitting the compression point. With experience you can actually hear when the recorder compresses if you are monitoring the recording as you are recording. Typically, with high output tape, I do not hear compression unless I drive the tape consistently above about +10 VU. Occasional peaks that are higher are OK as long as that higher record level is not sustained. This is what I call hitting the "sweet spot" in the tape. Underdrive the tape and your recording will be dull, without "pop" and will have audible tape hiss. Drive it just right and you will have a great sounding and enjoyable recording.

Bob :)

[Richard Feirstein]

Especiallyy at the lower tape speeds, self bias high end attenuation is a fact of life and you will not necessarly hear this but it sure can be measured and head if you learn what to listen for. In mastering sometimes eq is applied to "compensate" but compressed and lost high frequencies are lost forever. The advantage of noise reduciton is that it lets you lower levels and avoid self bias and tape saturation and still boost overall dynamic range. In the cassette format Dolby has another technology that monitors high end levels and actually backs off the bias so that the self bias of the music takes over, thus avoiding self-bias attenuation of the high frequencies. This technology was developed by Dolby Labs and a northern European company whose name I don't recall as I smash these keys. It is critical at the 17/8 speed and small head gaps used with the cassette recorder. It is not an issue at 15 ips.

Ray Dolby could not get any US producer to use his new Type A system. In the UK he set up a demonstration where he ran a master tape through a number of encoders and decoders and then let the producers guess which was the streight output and which had gone through the many steps of Dolby A encoding and decoding. No one could tell, the industry adopted Dolby A very quickly after that demonstration, and the rest is history. But today, when someone like Steve Hoffman gets his hands on a vintage Dolby A master and does not know what encoder was used, and does not have adequate calibration tones on each reel, well let's just say that this is not a good situation. All I can tell you is that a lot of great sounding recordings were made with Dolby A and especially Dolby SE encoding. Dolby S for home use is superb, but CD-R's have mostly driven high end cassette recorders off the market. Most cassette users today (who trade live tapes), use high output cassette tapes with Type II EQ and no Dolby, to relatively good effect. DAT is taking over as is the mini-disk for such live recordings.

[Bob Lovely]

Richard,

Thanks for the Dolby history lesson. I am well aware of Dolby A and it's historical use in professional recording. I have a Sony ES high end cassette deck with Dolby S and I certainly like the sound of tapes recorded with Dolby S played back on that unit. I have connected the output from my Reel recorder directly into the inputs of the Sony for some great sounding cassette recordings.

I record my reel programs at 7.5 ips (I would prefer to record at 15 ips) in order to make efficient use of tape and I have observed that if I drive the tape at the right level I avoid compression and do not need to use noise reduction, especially with high output reel tape. About 90% of my recordings are made from CDs. I then make CD-R dubs of programs on a professional HHB CD recorder for everyday enjoyment of my recorded programs both for in the home and in the car.

Thanks for the exchanges!

Bob

[BeatleFred]

I just bought a Teac X-300R recorder on Ebay. Do they still make EE (extra efficiency tape) anymore? Any recommendations on the best brand tape to use and where I can buy it? (7" reel size). Thanks, B/F.

[Bob Lovely]

Originally posted by BeatleFred
I just bought a Teac X-300R recorder on Ebay. Do they still make EE (extra efficiency tape) anymore? Any recommendations on the best brand tape to use and where I can buy it? (7" reel size). Thanks, B/F.

Fred,

EE tape has long since gone by the wayside due to primarily, poor shelf life. All my EE tapes, although properly stored, have long since bit the dust. While they sounded great, they simply, began self-destructing after 10 years. EE tape has not been manufactured since the late 80's. This self-destruction was most likely caused by a formulation problem. I have a TEAC X-1000R. I use professional grade BASF SM-900 with great success. I believe most professional grade tapes are still available in the 7" format. Try Tape World that is located in your area. I buy mine from a professional audio house, Full Compass Systems. located in Madison, Wisconsin although I have purchased from Tape World in the past.

If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know!

Bob :)

[Richard Feirstein]

Just pick a formulation and length you like and stick to it. Have the bias adjusted to calibrate your recorder to the tape and keep the heads aligned and clean and you will be a happy camper.

[BeatleFred]

Is the bias-setting procedure explained in the Service Manual? I have the Owners/Operating Manual and they just show the basic functions of all the controls- and to just set the Tape Selector according to which type of tape used. On another page, they have a table with listings for EE, LHI and LHII and some brands of tape for each such as: BASF LP-35 for LHI and Maxell UD-35, XL-35 for LHII. If I go with Bob's recommendation to use BASF high output, whats involved to do the bias adjustment?

[Bob Lovely]

Originally posted by BeatleFred
Is the bias-setting procedure explained in the Service Manual? I have the Owners/Operating Manual and they just show the basic functions of all the controls- and to just set the Tape Selector according to which type of tape used. On another page, they have a table with listings for EE, LHI and LHII and some brands of tape for each such as: BASF LP-35 for LHI and Maxell UD-35, XL-35 for LHII. If I go with Bob's recommendation to use BASF high output, whats involved to do the bias adjustment?

Fred,

I agree with Richard's comments. The bias settings should be in the manual. I had mine completed by a trusted technician here in town. I would use LH II on that machine for most modern tape formulations. I use the EE setting for the BASF SM-900 and get fine results. I ran accross this by accident. At the EE setting there is less record equalization and your recordings will be recorded more "flat" and the saturation point on the tape will be at a higher record level.

Bob

[Richard Feirstein]

Yes and no. It depends upon how your meters are calibrated. Example for the cassette. CRO2 tape had much higher high end saturation characteristics (Type II). One can take advantage of this by raising recording levels, but only if the meters accurately report that part of the input that will cause overload. But with such an improved formulation self bias problems were reduced. But the industry took a different tact. It changed the record EQ so that the high end was boosted to take advantage of the high end saturation characteristic of the tape and gave the user a significant reduction in hiss on playback. This, combined with Dolby B made the dictation cassette into a hi-fi medium. Hiss was the big problem with early cassette technology. In some ways it took the skills out of the hands of the user and put it into the hardware standard.

If you meters and eq setting will let you take advantage of the high end saturation characteristic of your tape you are ahead of the game. In the end it depends upon your settings, calibration, nature of the source material, your skill and experience and some luck.

A wide dynamic range live recording or a CD can present over 100 dB of dynamic range to deal with. At best a 71/2 ips reel to reel without Dolby NR can deal with about 55 to 60 dB. With Dolby B about 65 to 70, with Dolby A about 75 to 80 bass and mid rage also covered by Dolby A), and with Dolby SE it is a good match to PCM. Most pre-recorded stuff and FM is so highly compressed reel to reel is a good match at 71/2 without the need for much noise reduction, if levels are set with care.

[Bob Lovely]

Richard,

Good comments. Since the dynamic range on most contemporary music recordings is far, far below the capability of the CD, it is my experience that dynamic range compression rarely presents a problem unless, of course, one would "overdrive" the tape. Of course, I have been recording for years and my skills have increased over that time. As I had previously said in an earlier post recording great sounding music on a Reel recorder is a combination of skill, art and knowing how to utilize the potential of the tape. I certainly agree with your earlier post about picking out a "tape", having your machine calibrated for that particular tape and using sound recording techniques in your recording process. Knowing your machine and it's particular characteristics is also valuable in making great sounding recordings.

Bob