Yes, dear Kevin, as long these Otari live...
My heavily modded MX5050 sounds like heaven to me....I may have found a new old stock Tape Head...
With the mods to the (baluned) power supply and repro amp, I no longer feel the need to build or purchase an external amp.
After the RV, who knows...
Cheers,
M.
My heavily modded MX5050 sounds like heaven to me....I may have found a new old stock Tape Head...
With the mods to the (baluned) power supply and repro amp, I no longer feel the need to build or purchase an external amp.
After the RV, who knows...
Cheers,
M.
The MX-50 is a contemporary of the MX-5050 series but is an entirely different machine. Only available in 2 track format. Mine are 1988 (N) and 1992 NII series MX-50s. There is a DIN version as well. The transport is very different from the MX-5050, reel tables and nails are conventional locking types - no clamps needed. The unit does not support sound on sound, but will play/record IEC and NAB EQ tapes. The signal path is more direct, but not particularly simple. 3 Head only. While not quite a match sonically to an A810, it is the Otari I generally recommend to friends looking for an affordable 2 track machine, quite nice, and somewhat gentler on tape. It lacks the sophisticated tape tension servo of the A810 amongst other things. (The electronicss are more sophisticated than MKIII and BII series MX-5050, more less the same as BIII and MKIV) The MX-55 is a bit nicer, but generally a lot more money - I don't currently have one.
"I don't think any other brand is more gentle in tape handling than a Studer."
Studers are FINE machines and among the VERY best. HOWEVER, IMO, the best tape handling machine in the world of analog audio is the Ampex ATR-100. The best tape handling machine ever built would be the Ampex AVR-1, a quadraplex video machine---built in the early 70s when it cost $250,000!
Studers are FINE machines and among the VERY best. HOWEVER, IMO, the best tape handling machine in the world of analog audio is the Ampex ATR-100. The best tape handling machine ever built would be the Ampex AVR-1, a quadraplex video machine---built in the early 70s when it cost $250,000!
Well, the Ampex AVR-1 is video product. Audio guys would never see one. At that time to get the HF response you'd need extremely good tape handling and head contact. Tensions would be critical in video. This has just linear tape travel doesn't it? Or did it have a rotating head like VTRs I used?
Anyway, entirely different application and the audio response on even rough machines blow that one away. Still, pretty amazing and expensive for the time. I can't imagine any recording studio paying near $250K for a machine, and they needed two locked 24 track machines for 46 tracks at times. I didn't see Ampex too much, but Studer A-800 machines ruled. I honestly have no idea how tape could be handled more gently. Tape was never jerked, startup being extremely smooth.
Too bad I didn't get a chance to see an ATR-100 in operation.
Anyway, entirely different application and the audio response on even rough machines blow that one away. Still, pretty amazing and expensive for the time. I can't imagine any recording studio paying near $250K for a machine, and they needed two locked 24 track machines for 46 tracks at times. I didn't see Ampex too much, but Studer A-800 machines ruled. I honestly have no idea how tape could be handled more gently. Tape was never jerked, startup being extremely smooth.
Too bad I didn't get a chance to see an ATR-100 in operation.
How amazingly nostalgic for me >
In the 80's I worked in the technical/service dept. of the sole importer-distributor of all Otari products in Australia.
I was the guy that aligned & calibrated machines to any tape / SRL & EQ requirements. We had some big orders for the ABC.
I was also replacing worn heads + alignment. ( height, wrap, zenith, azimuth )
The 2 Ch. MX 5050's were indeed an industry 'work hoarse', always a pleasure to work on due to good Japanese quality.
After passing years, in a mastering position it became apparent that for old-decaying-shedding master tapes there was
one definite shortcoming of the MX machines, and that was the lack of rotating tape guides. Except for the 'counter wheel'
they are all fixed guides. This played havoc for tape-shed and is also why machines like the Studer A80 is superior for the
purpose of archival transfer re-mastering. I found it interesting that regarding age, two of the very best tapes were >
3M Scotch tape and EMI tape. (good luck for the Beatles) There was a very bad period of time for Ampex tape.
Years later I was the service & maintenance technician for a high-speed tape duplication plant > also Otari machines.
I was always a little amazed that tape bias frequencies were full-on radio frequency > The 32 X speed was 1 Mhz.
From memory, the 64 X speed was 4 Mhz. ( can you imagine the head-gap required for 15Khz becoming 960Khz ? )
Once again, the Master-drive and slave recorders were a pleasure to work on due to great Japanese quality & parts.
Anyway, this is a highly nostalgic thread for me
anatech: "This has just linear tape travel doesn't it? Or did it have a rotating head like VTRs I used?'
ALL video tape recorders (VTRs) used rotating heads of one form or another. (Except for the very early prototype experiments by Ampex and RCA). The AVR-1 was a VTR using a quadraplex rotating head on 2" tape. Its transport was remarkable in that it was pinch-roller-less (a vacuum capstan) and had large horizontal columns of air bearings to control the tension.
The Studer A-800 was the very best multitrack analog tape recorder ever produced. Very smooth tape handling and incredibly reliable. Ampex's ATR-24 (a multitrack ATR-100) had much promise but was VERY unreliable, as it was Ampex's first foray into microprocessor control.
I believe there is a third party that makes tape path rotating bearings for retrofit on to Otari MX-5050s.
ALL video tape recorders (VTRs) used rotating heads of one form or another. (Except for the very early prototype experiments by Ampex and RCA). The AVR-1 was a VTR using a quadraplex rotating head on 2" tape. Its transport was remarkable in that it was pinch-roller-less (a vacuum capstan) and had large horizontal columns of air bearings to control the tension.
The Studer A-800 was the very best multitrack analog tape recorder ever produced. Very smooth tape handling and incredibly reliable. Ampex's ATR-24 (a multitrack ATR-100) had much promise but was VERY unreliable, as it was Ampex's first foray into microprocessor control.
I believe there is a third party that makes tape path rotating bearings for retrofit on to Otari MX-5050s.
Hi dotneck335,
That's what I thought, but not knowing I would rather ask. Early in the game, who knows? I'll absolutely take your work for it, you worked with them.
The reliability issue is what I heard when speaking to other techs. I've never encountered one so i don't know. News travels very quickly in the recording studio industry.
Hi Mister Audio,
One thing I noticed as differences between German and Japanese engineering thinking was very basic. The Germans milled parts to fit exactly with minimal adjustment. If it's out, replace it. The Japanese adjusted everything. I went through hell aligning Tascam to the same standards as Studer (Revox), but I got them there. Lot's of shimming. Both had very high build quality. I did service some Otari and they were nice, but not nearly as popular here.
That's what I thought, but not knowing I would rather ask. Early in the game, who knows? I'll absolutely take your work for it, you worked with them.
The reliability issue is what I heard when speaking to other techs. I've never encountered one so i don't know. News travels very quickly in the recording studio industry.
Hi Mister Audio,
One thing I noticed as differences between German and Japanese engineering thinking was very basic. The Germans milled parts to fit exactly with minimal adjustment. If it's out, replace it. The Japanese adjusted everything. I went through hell aligning Tascam to the same standards as Studer (Revox), but I got them there. Lot's of shimming. Both had very high build quality. I did service some Otari and they were nice, but not nearly as popular here.
In the same cassette duplication plant I was the technician for there was a multitude of other machines.
The one that came after the American APEX printer was a German ( Heino IIsemann ) boxing machine >
It was large, ingenious and 'built like a battle ship'. Although I couldn't read the German service manual
I could always decipher its mechanics due to its build/design. TRUE GERMAN GRUNT & PRACTICALITY !
The one that came after the American APEX printer was a German ( Heino IIsemann ) boxing machine >
It was large, ingenious and 'built like a battle ship'. Although I couldn't read the German service manual
I could always decipher its mechanics due to its build/design. TRUE GERMAN GRUNT & PRACTICALITY !