Calling all tape heads, I need your help!

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abby normal

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Feb 20, 2008
Messages
364
Location
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I'm trying to find the best 1/4" tape to buy in reel form to make loops for an old tape delay unit. I've read that the hi-fi mastering stuff is bad on the heads especially since it loops over and over.

What might you recommend that's good quality, readily available, and easy on the heads?
 
I believe you'll want to use what's known as 'lubricated' tape, which is the kind of stuff found in 8-track cartridges. You can usually find blank 8-track carts on ebay and just pull one apart for the tape. I'm pretty sure you can also get it in open reel form, but have a feeling a blank 8-track cartridge will be easier to find.
 
Dan Kennedy said:
Find an old 8 track at a flea market and use the tape out of that?

Donny Osmond, or something else never played.

I'd bet the specially lubricated tape they used in them would work for your application.

I wish but you're not supposed to use old tape like that.  But you're right I think you're supposed to use that lube tape or the like but I need a name of good quality that I can pick up a reel of.
 
Ah, Dan beat me to it earlier, but yeah, try to find a blank/unrecorded 8-track cart rather than some worn out one with music on it. I've seen blanks which I think were by Maxell, and these should have decent tape on them. I think Maxell also had this tape in the open reel form I referred to earlier, but I haven't come across these reels very often. It's been a while since I've looked though, so who knows...
 
Scotch 3M was the one who sell lubricated tape (reel to reel) in the old days.
you can try also try the  broadcast jingle cardtridges such fidelipac.
came in several lenghts.
search on google.
what is your tape echo brand?
audioforge
 
I think that you can still buy carts from Maestro if it is an echoplex.  I even got a Roland loop about 5 years ago from Roland. 
The scotch on the reel, yes, graphite backed, is harder to find.  It is also used to load the "carts" if they are still used in broadcast.
Make sure to adjust your erase and bias once you load the new tape.
What brand delay?
Mike
 
I wish i could say something more funny than
Dan said Osmond because he's still practicing
with his ABBA 8 tracks

On a small side note ,they shot some scenes
for one of those made for t.v.movie of the week things
on the osmonds at a studio i was working at here in Winnipeg
I didn't know Dan then  , but i snuck one of Bruce Siefrieds
Evil Twin tube direct boxes into a scene , made me laugh to
think of product placement , doubt anyone saw it

Good luck , what kind of echo ?
 
>I wish but you're not supposed to use old tape like that.

Why the heck not?  Most 8 tracks predate the days of environmental controls and are chalked full of nasty carcinogens, the way tape was meant to be.  We're not talking about old 456 which you can use to stick posters on your wall.  I betcha you can find unopened 8 tracks at the Goodwill.  Bulk zap it, splice, load, & be happy.
 
I was crawling behind a group of dead brain cells the other day and could swear I saw some charred synapses with recollections of graphite backed tape...for the style with tape bing pulled from the middle like
8 tracks. Had a chance to pick up a pancake some years ago, but didn't. Bummed about that.

Can't say I support the idea of old tape. Don't wanna get started on that one. Though it could work.

What ever tape you use, biggest problem will be the splice.  Use as small of a piece of splicing tape as you can, as this will minimize the doink in tape speed that is likely at the splice.  In bin loop designs (Roland Space Echo for example) if you have the old loop as a guide, don't exceed it's length, as more tape is more weight for the motor and capstan to pull.  If the original was 1 mill stuff, (the thinner tape) maybe a little shorter piece. 

If you have problems with wow & flutter recap the power supply if it is sporting the original caps.
Examine the transport mechanism.  See how it works & what makes the pinch roller swing against the
capstan. Any adjustment?  Do Not put more pressure on the capstan than is necessary to get wow free tape movement. Excessive sideways force will damage capstan over time. That goes for any capstan driven tape
machine, from ampex to wollensack.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. You pointed me in the right direction. There's a lot of people using 8 track tape. I think the old tape stigma might be about using really old reel stuff? Looks like the 8 track is the way to go.
 
i still play this 8 track zz top de guello, you know, "i'm bad, i'm    .................click........................nation wide....

why do they do that to the best tracks, some of those guys had no brains.
but the different song order could be refreshing,...


or not.


the best bet is to throw away your machine and start over.

get an old akai, like ritchie blackmore, ssl keefs favorite rock star personality, and make it so the whole reel gets used.
one reel will last a lifetime, you can use your favorite chrome mix, no problem, even some dolby b or c, plus, you can leave it on the whole time, but mix it out, thus by recording every nites performance, guitar only, weather you like it or not.

does anybody like waffles and sausage?
man, i do.
 
Waffles freakin' ROCK!  Sausage or Bacon    bacon, all those chemicals... I usually squeeze my sausage
patties between a couple of napkins-soaks up a lot of grease I don't want.  But those crack like chemicals in bacon.

My mom used to make some yeast pancakes that were incredible! Took a while to make tho...
 
i  just had these sausages that had french toast inside them, can't beat that, colesterol and colesterol, all in one easy to jigest package.
,
,
which is kind of like digest, but, see,  when you ji-jest something, well, it's like hospital food, you could roll up the whole menu into one big tofu ball sculpeted like a pig and use it fror a butt plug, the food is so bad.

so you have to ji-gest that hospital food, because it is so full of jive, eat that, spell checker!
 
Whoa!  I'd hafta really butter up the french toast to protect it from sausage grease.

Do they put syrup on the toast before sealing it up?
 

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