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the3jsgrve
Location: USA
Posts: 442
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 Posted - Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:37 pm
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OK everyone, just looking for some quick, up-to-date responses.
My studio is bidding on a job to do some vinyl and cassette remastering for a local college music library. Any suggestions on affordable turtables and/or cassette decks that will give me a clean signal?
Thanks,
Josh
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Haas
Location: USA
Posts: 5
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Posted - Wed Mar 26, 2003 1:23 pm
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I like the Stanton Str8-80. It's clean, professional grade, and the cheapest of the decks that come with a digital out - about as clean as you can get!
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Commercial Production Director
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VoodooRadio
Location: USA
Posts: 3971
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Posted - Wed Mar 26, 2003 1:32 pm
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As for cassette decks.... If you can find a good/clean "used" Nakamichi then by all means scoop it up. I have an old Dragon that I would never part with. I also have a rackmountable Tascam that performs well. That's really all I can recommend, because it's 2 that I have experience with. Sorry, but I can't help in the turn-table department... Graeme, Beetle, Younglove or some of the other "vinyl" guys can probably steer you in the right direction. 
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Voodoo
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the3jsgrve
Location: USA
Posts: 442
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Posted - Wed Mar 26, 2003 2:38 pm
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Thanks for the suggestions guys! I'll definitely give those a look...
and hopefully "Graeme, Beetle, Younglove or some of the other 'vinyl' guys" will throw in some suggestions as well!
:D
Josh
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Graeme
Member
Location: Spain
Posts: 4663
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Posted - Wed Mar 26, 2003 3:02 pm
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I can tell you what I use for these processes;
Records:
For general run-of-the-mill transciption of LP's and 78's, I have a (much modified) Technics SL1800 MKII turntable, with its original arm. This is the 'workhorse' and I guess 90+% of my work gets played on this unit.
I also have a Garrard 301 with an SME arm, which is used only for 78's on the odd occasion and a Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference turntable with a Transciptors Fluid arm, which I use mainly for personal listening to LP's, since it doesn't lend itself to rapid cartridge changes - or any other adjustment for that matter (although it is the best of the bunch).
Philips Cassette:
Teac R919X - old, but very solidly built machine. Slightly modified for easy external adjustment of azimuth.
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Andrew Rose
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 875
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Posted - Thu Mar 27, 2003 9:16 am
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I'll follow up Graeme's post - again it's a matter of personal usage:
Vinyl:
Originally I worked using a Rega Planar 2 - a very good deck you can easily pick up on E-Bay for not too much money, punching well beyond its price-range. The turntable is still made, now known as the P2. Rega have recently released a motor upgrade for the Planar 2 (& 3 I think) which greatly improves pitch stability. The RB250 tonearm that comes with it is excellent, and easily upgraded.
I've recently bought a Nottingham Analogue Interspace turntable which is rather delicious, but may be both hard to find and outside your price range. I'm still using the upgraded Rega tonearm, with a Rega Elys cartridge - a very musical combination to these ears.
(I also use a Rega Planar 78 with RB78 cartridge for playing 78s - it's essentially a very slightly modified Planar 2...)
Cassettes:
I've never heard anything to rival a good Nakamichi. My top-rated Aiwa ADS-950 can't touch my Nakamichi DR2 - I only keep it for Dolby S...
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the3jsgrve
Location: USA
Posts: 442
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Posted - Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:58 pm
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Thanks! I've found some decent deals on Nakamichi's online, and I found someone to hook me up with a decent turntable until I can buy a good one of my own.
Of course, as soon as I get that figured out, life throws me a curve. The majority of the restoration the school needs done is on old Reel to Reel tapes. Any suggestions on a good Reel to Reel machine?
Thanks!
Josh
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Graeme
Member
Location: Spain
Posts: 4663
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Posted - Thu Mar 27, 2003 4:37 pm
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| the3jsgrve wrote: |
| Any suggestions on a good Reel to Reel machine? |
For mono/stereo work, I have a Revox B77 (1/2 track Stereo) which is not bad machine for the money. The earlier A77 is not a bad machine either, but finding a decent one might prove difficult these days. I also have a Technics 1506 (which has both 1/2 and 1/4 track heads) which is really extremely good for the domestic machine it was marketed as.
Other manufacturers worth looking at are Otari and Teac. You really need to sit down and decide which speeds/formats you need to cover, since this might be a big influence on how much you need to pay.
Since reel tape machines are largely mechanical in operation, they do tend to suffer, particularly if they have been left lying fallow in a cupboard for many years (which is often the case). Your biggest problem is finding machines which are still in good condition and, in particular, don't have knackered heads. These latter can be replaced or re-lapped, but it's not a cheap operation, so it's better to try and find a machine which is still in reasonable condition. Be prepared to replace any belts there might be, also rubber pinch rollers.
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Andrew Rose
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 875
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Posted - Fri Mar 28, 2003 4:53 am
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Reel to reel? Have a look around the net for companies dealing with gear being thrown out by radio stations. Certainly you can pick up some great stuff in the UK right now at prices well below what E-Bay auctions are reaching - often fully refurbished into the bargain.
My main 1/2-track machine is a Studer A807, which replaced my Revox PR-99 Mk III mainly thanks to it offering 3 speeds, though it is undoubtedly a better machine.
1/4-track seems more of a hit and miss affair, largely because it was never really a pro format, and you're looking mainly at domestic machines that are at least 20-30 years old. I have seen Revox 1/4-track machines go for ridiculous amounts on E-Bay, and again have found these available elsewhere for much less. It pays to shop around - though you may well find perfectly good machines by other manufacturers. I run a Teac A-5500 for most of my 1/4-track work, which does sound very nice on playback. My back-up option is a 1960's Akai M-8, which adds 1 7/8 IPS operation to the Teac's 3 3/4 & 7 1/2...
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