Hi
I bought a Sony TC-558 reel to reel tape deck at a thrift store, it's in excellent condition and all functions are good except the significant amount of tape hiss. I cleaned the heads and I am using a tape I found at a garage sale. There is a place nearby that services vintage audio. Will having it tweeked eliminate the noise?
I bought a Sony TC-558 reel to reel tape deck at a thrift store, it's in excellent condition and all functions are good except the significant amount of tape hiss. I cleaned the heads and I am using a tape I found at a garage sale. There is a place nearby that services vintage audio. Will having it tweeked eliminate the noise?
Probably not and it will make it worse if the "tweaker" isn't familiar with setting up the bias oscillator.
Is it noisy with no tape?
Is it noisy with no tape?
I'll check to see if it's noisy with no tape. I'll be experimenting with tracking live acoustic guitars, drums, bass etc. I'll also be looking out for fresh tape if anyone still makes it. Thanks.
locate a schematic
get a freezer spray
locate the head's amplifier
locate the first transistor that is connected to the head
freeze it
If behavior changes replace all
that is a method and its quite common failure tracing .Often though there can be other reasons related to this problem such is capacitors or bias problems
Kind regards
Sakis
get a freezer spray
locate the head's amplifier
locate the first transistor that is connected to the head
freeze it
If behavior changes replace all
that is a method and its quite common failure tracing .Often though there can be other reasons related to this problem such is capacitors or bias problems
Kind regards
Sakis
Before you do anything make sure the tape you have is not rubbish, if any doubt pick up some decent tape on eBay.
The cheapest open reel tape sold by Radio Shack and similar types sold by many music retailers was quite noisy.
Note also that badly underbiased premium tapes may hiss more than expected - properly set up will outperform..
The cheapest open reel tape sold by Radio Shack and similar types sold by many music retailers was quite noisy.
Note also that badly underbiased premium tapes may hiss more than expected - properly set up will outperform..
There are only two company's making magnetic tape anymore.
Some times you can get a bunch of reels of good tape on Ebay.
ATR Magnetics is made in the U.S.A.,
ATR Magnetics | ATR Magnetics – ATR Tape
I just got some of this stuff and it is incredible !!!
Then there is RMGI that is made in France I think,
RMGI Americas - Distributors of Analog Recording Tape
Keep an eye out for some Ampex 457,456 for average good quality tape.
Try to find some Ampex 499 or 3M 996 if you are searching for great high quality older stuff.
Although you may have to bake these as they are old and have shedding issues due to moisture absorption issues.
In the past these were the only two formula's that I would use on my machines in my recording studio.
Like I said I just got some of the ATR stuff and it is super great!!!
The 1/4 stuff is very affordable and new tape would be a better way to go because of the above mentioned shedding issues using older tape.
My machines are 1/2" so I buy it in Pancake form to save some money as I have plenty of reels.
If you have some extra reels dump the old stuff and get a pancake and transfer it to the 7" reels if that is the only size your machine can handle.
1/4″ Master Tape | ATR Magnetics
They will ship directly to you right from the factory.
Check them out and Good luck with your machine and Hope that you have some fun with it.
I know I still do with mine and they still sound as good as the day I bought them some 20years ago.
You just can't beat a good analog machine,
Nothing Sounds Like Tape | ATR Magnetics
ATR Master Tape Specifications | ATR Magnetics
Enjoy!!!
jer 🙂
P.S. I have used the old Radio Shack Supertape and Maxell's UD 35 but they don't compare to a good master recording type tape such as the ones I have mentioned above.
Some times you can get a bunch of reels of good tape on Ebay.
ATR Magnetics is made in the U.S.A.,
ATR Magnetics | ATR Magnetics – ATR Tape
I just got some of this stuff and it is incredible !!!
Then there is RMGI that is made in France I think,
RMGI Americas - Distributors of Analog Recording Tape
Keep an eye out for some Ampex 457,456 for average good quality tape.
Try to find some Ampex 499 or 3M 996 if you are searching for great high quality older stuff.
Although you may have to bake these as they are old and have shedding issues due to moisture absorption issues.
In the past these were the only two formula's that I would use on my machines in my recording studio.
Like I said I just got some of the ATR stuff and it is super great!!!
The 1/4 stuff is very affordable and new tape would be a better way to go because of the above mentioned shedding issues using older tape.
My machines are 1/2" so I buy it in Pancake form to save some money as I have plenty of reels.
If you have some extra reels dump the old stuff and get a pancake and transfer it to the 7" reels if that is the only size your machine can handle.
1/4″ Master Tape | ATR Magnetics
They will ship directly to you right from the factory.
Check them out and Good luck with your machine and Hope that you have some fun with it.
I know I still do with mine and they still sound as good as the day I bought them some 20years ago.
You just can't beat a good analog machine,
Nothing Sounds Like Tape | ATR Magnetics
ATR Master Tape Specifications | ATR Magnetics
Enjoy!!!
jer 🙂
P.S. I have used the old Radio Shack Supertape and Maxell's UD 35 but they don't compare to a good master recording type tape such as the ones I have mentioned above.
Last edited:
I'm sure there are many who are more knowledgeable and honestly, i have way more experience with cassette machines than open reel ones but my first thoughts were whether the tape path had been demagnetized, if the tapes machine's bias was set to the tape being used and what record levels were used.
Typically the tape bias standard was set to 185nW/m for most all machines.
Many of the pro machines are set at higher levels such as 250nW/m and 355nW/m.
An alignment test tape determines what level you set everything to.
By First setting the playback level using the tape.
Then everything else is referenced to the now calibrated playback levels.
Yes, The tape path should be very clean and demagnetized as well.
If it is not demagnetized it may cause a little more noise but mostly you will just experience a severe drop in the high frequency response.
I have to do this on my MSR-16 Tascam multi-track after about 20 to 30 hours of playback use.
And, I do it every time I fire it up to do any recording or mix down sessions.
I check it every time with the test tape Before and After demagnetizing just to be sure it was done right.
Test tapes are very expensive so don't go changing the bias unless you fully understand the process and know how to go about making a test tape that you can use using your machine as it is.
It is not the proper way to go about this, But it is better than nothing at all.
This was how I used to keep my older Teac's in alignment before I could afford to finally get a real MRL (Master Reference Level)test tape.
But First you must start with a good high quality tape as I had mentioned earlier!!
Changing or setting the bias will have absolutely no effect on playback performance as it is for tape level recording purposes only!!!
So don't change the bias!!!
Tape Hiss generally caused from the tape itself as some are noisier than others.
The hiss that you are hearing is actually the lowest noise floor of the tape.
That Hiss you are hearing compared to the highest level you can record with out distorting gives you the dynamic range that your system is capable of reproducing.
The new ATR stuff has about an 86db dynamic range with no DBX or noise reduction.
With noise floor of -68db (as per spec sheet).
This alone is the range of your typical 16bit CD and with the DBX system on I get better than 110db of dynamic range but at a much higher resolution because it is analog!!
Note-DBX is not the same as Dolby!!
Dolby is a filter and DBX is a Companding system (Compression and expansion).
You can hit this tape at 18db to 23db over zero before much distortion.
In fact my equipment distorts before the tape does.
Because I have not set my machine up to this particular tape yet I just use +3db for my 0db reference.
This is the same thing as setting up the machine 3db hotter although have not optimized my bias setting for this type of level.
I may go a full +6db when I do finally set it up for the tape.
I keep my peaks about no more than +8db to+12db on drums and everything else is about +6db.
So my THD is quite low and clean at below .1% for the most part.
This is very comparable to the 3M 996 but I think that the stated THD specs for the 996 is slightly better.
Although I think the ATR has a much higher dynamic range of at least +6db or more.
This results in a lower overall noise floor on playback as long as the signal was recorded hot enough.
Basically I just love this stuff and especially since I got the new tape.
I was almost ready to do away with my big ole clunky machines because I couldn't find any more 996......But Not Any More!!!
The biggest issue I have now is deteriorating rubber parts and luckily I have only two wheels to worry about but they are about $90 s piece for some kind of new or rebuilt ones and badly need to be replaced.
I also have a Tascam 38 (1/2" 8-track) that uses the same wheel and needs a belt too.
The Ampex 456 and 457 types were pretty much the standard lowest noise tape after the industry standard Scotch 226.
I still have a reel or two of the ole' 226 and actually it is not too bad but the newer stuff is much much better by at least 8db to12db lower noise floor (just guessing on that).
Then along came came the 3M 996 and this changed everything and I never had to use any noise reduction systems if I chose not to after that.
It was a short lived formula and it was at the dawn of the digital age but it was the tape that saved analog tape recording at the time.
As the 996 disappeared, Ampex came out with the 499 formula to fill the gap but I like the 996 better.
I believe that it was RMGI that bought out Ampex and/or BASF has a similar formula to the 499 and 996 called 911 and they have one that is comparable to the ATR stuff as well.
Reports I have read say the ATR is now the best, and now since that I have started using the ATR master formula it is Great, and I have no complaints what so ever.
The sound is incredibly clean sounding and noise free.
There are some very good demonstrations of this tape and RMGI on YouTube using Otari MTR machines and they are not lying when you hear the quality even in those video's.
I have a MTR-10 and MTR-15 so I know how good these machines are supposed to sound.
But, I still hold the 3M 996 dear to my heart and is still my favorite tape as I still have some of it left over from way back in the mid 90's.
I used to pay only $14 for a 7" reel of it at the local music store!!!
As for as cassettes are concerned, I have tested everything that was out there and IMHO Sony SR was the best tape in that format I have ever had the pleasure of using.
Not only did I test them by listening, I also used my scope and signal generator monitoring the as recorded waveform's on my Tascam 103 three head machine.
I used the TDK's and Maxell's too, But the Sony SR by far had the lowest noise and THD ever made in that format!!
I even had a stereo magazine article the proved my findings as well and I only found that article on the web once some years later and now I can't seem to find it again.
Here is some good reading on Tape machine Biasing,
The Practitioners Guide - Analog Tape Machine Alignment
ANALOG TAPE 101, Bias Magic
http://home.comcast.net/~mrltapes/mcknight_biasing.pdf
http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/3mtape/soundtalk/soundtalkv1n2.pdf
http://www.srctape.com/pdf/term.pdf
There is a lot more stuff but I hope this will get you started.
Do gets some good tape and enjoy that fine machine you have acquired!!!
You won't be sorry at all in the long run.
Analog is starting to make a big come back and after a 15 year break from recording, I am in a new area and people are starting to pound on my door because they found out that I have analog machines still!!!
Enjoy!!!
jer 🙂
Many of the pro machines are set at higher levels such as 250nW/m and 355nW/m.
An alignment test tape determines what level you set everything to.
By First setting the playback level using the tape.
Then everything else is referenced to the now calibrated playback levels.
Yes, The tape path should be very clean and demagnetized as well.
If it is not demagnetized it may cause a little more noise but mostly you will just experience a severe drop in the high frequency response.
I have to do this on my MSR-16 Tascam multi-track after about 20 to 30 hours of playback use.
And, I do it every time I fire it up to do any recording or mix down sessions.
I check it every time with the test tape Before and After demagnetizing just to be sure it was done right.
Test tapes are very expensive so don't go changing the bias unless you fully understand the process and know how to go about making a test tape that you can use using your machine as it is.
It is not the proper way to go about this, But it is better than nothing at all.
This was how I used to keep my older Teac's in alignment before I could afford to finally get a real MRL (Master Reference Level)test tape.
But First you must start with a good high quality tape as I had mentioned earlier!!
Changing or setting the bias will have absolutely no effect on playback performance as it is for tape level recording purposes only!!!
So don't change the bias!!!
Tape Hiss generally caused from the tape itself as some are noisier than others.
The hiss that you are hearing is actually the lowest noise floor of the tape.
That Hiss you are hearing compared to the highest level you can record with out distorting gives you the dynamic range that your system is capable of reproducing.
The new ATR stuff has about an 86db dynamic range with no DBX or noise reduction.
With noise floor of -68db (as per spec sheet).
This alone is the range of your typical 16bit CD and with the DBX system on I get better than 110db of dynamic range but at a much higher resolution because it is analog!!
Note-DBX is not the same as Dolby!!
Dolby is a filter and DBX is a Companding system (Compression and expansion).
You can hit this tape at 18db to 23db over zero before much distortion.
In fact my equipment distorts before the tape does.
Because I have not set my machine up to this particular tape yet I just use +3db for my 0db reference.
This is the same thing as setting up the machine 3db hotter although have not optimized my bias setting for this type of level.
I may go a full +6db when I do finally set it up for the tape.
I keep my peaks about no more than +8db to+12db on drums and everything else is about +6db.
So my THD is quite low and clean at below .1% for the most part.
This is very comparable to the 3M 996 but I think that the stated THD specs for the 996 is slightly better.
Although I think the ATR has a much higher dynamic range of at least +6db or more.
This results in a lower overall noise floor on playback as long as the signal was recorded hot enough.
Basically I just love this stuff and especially since I got the new tape.
I was almost ready to do away with my big ole clunky machines because I couldn't find any more 996......But Not Any More!!!
The biggest issue I have now is deteriorating rubber parts and luckily I have only two wheels to worry about but they are about $90 s piece for some kind of new or rebuilt ones and badly need to be replaced.
I also have a Tascam 38 (1/2" 8-track) that uses the same wheel and needs a belt too.
The Ampex 456 and 457 types were pretty much the standard lowest noise tape after the industry standard Scotch 226.
I still have a reel or two of the ole' 226 and actually it is not too bad but the newer stuff is much much better by at least 8db to12db lower noise floor (just guessing on that).
Then along came came the 3M 996 and this changed everything and I never had to use any noise reduction systems if I chose not to after that.
It was a short lived formula and it was at the dawn of the digital age but it was the tape that saved analog tape recording at the time.
As the 996 disappeared, Ampex came out with the 499 formula to fill the gap but I like the 996 better.
I believe that it was RMGI that bought out Ampex and/or BASF has a similar formula to the 499 and 996 called 911 and they have one that is comparable to the ATR stuff as well.
Reports I have read say the ATR is now the best, and now since that I have started using the ATR master formula it is Great, and I have no complaints what so ever.
The sound is incredibly clean sounding and noise free.
There are some very good demonstrations of this tape and RMGI on YouTube using Otari MTR machines and they are not lying when you hear the quality even in those video's.
I have a MTR-10 and MTR-15 so I know how good these machines are supposed to sound.
But, I still hold the 3M 996 dear to my heart and is still my favorite tape as I still have some of it left over from way back in the mid 90's.
I used to pay only $14 for a 7" reel of it at the local music store!!!
As for as cassettes are concerned, I have tested everything that was out there and IMHO Sony SR was the best tape in that format I have ever had the pleasure of using.
Not only did I test them by listening, I also used my scope and signal generator monitoring the as recorded waveform's on my Tascam 103 three head machine.
I used the TDK's and Maxell's too, But the Sony SR by far had the lowest noise and THD ever made in that format!!
I even had a stereo magazine article the proved my findings as well and I only found that article on the web once some years later and now I can't seem to find it again.
Here is some good reading on Tape machine Biasing,
The Practitioners Guide - Analog Tape Machine Alignment
ANALOG TAPE 101, Bias Magic
http://home.comcast.net/~mrltapes/mcknight_biasing.pdf
http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/3mtape/soundtalk/soundtalkv1n2.pdf
http://www.srctape.com/pdf/term.pdf
There is a lot more stuff but I hope this will get you started.
Do gets some good tape and enjoy that fine machine you have acquired!!!
You won't be sorry at all in the long run.
Analog is starting to make a big come back and after a 15 year break from recording, I am in a new area and people are starting to pound on my door because they found out that I have analog machines still!!!
Enjoy!!!
jer 🙂
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