Re: Reel to reel quality

[Daryl <highhorse@mhorse.com>]

Congratulations!  I'm envious!

You might check this link out for some info:

http://community-2.webtv.net/cnagorka/OpenReelForever/page4.html

Tapeop is a fantastic resource too.

456 was the industry standard for rock stuff up until a few years ago, but 
doesn't have much headroom
or the frequency response of the newer tapes.  Machines like the Tascam 38 
can't deal with the
thicker backing of the good stuff like BASF 900 (pretty much the standard 
at this point) so they have
to use 456.  I'm not sure about the Otari - is it a half-inch player?  
It's much more of a pro
machine, so I'm pretty sure it could handle 900, or Quantegy GP9 which is 
also good.

Older tape is a crapshoot.  Some makes (like 456 in particular) get sticky 
after being stored a long
time.  I've actually had problems with a session for my band I had on 456 
that was stored for only
two years, in "home" conditions, ie, on a shelf in a bedroom.  It really 
depends on how it's stored.
If you're trying to save money, I'd go for tape as new as possible that's 
been bulk demagged, maybe
talk to studios to see if you can buy one-pass.

Daryl Shawn
highhorse@mhorse.com