Hey people,
I joined THE TAPE PROJECT forum and read a lot about this TAPE PROJECT. Hmmm seems to be an very interesting concept, so perfect you can nearly smell BACH's sweat but I had something else in mind. I already own over 2000 tapes and I wanted a reel to reel to produce best quality tapes which I can play on any reel to reel. Most of my recordings are on 10-1/2" tapes with 7-1/2ips (19cm/s). On 7" we normaly record on 3-3/4ips (9.5cm/s). So all was pretty much set to these speeds and to be efficient in 1/4 track (play both sides). Huh, what machine do I choose????
I had 3 x B77 doing this but I was not quite happy with the results. I alwas loved this REVOX C270 which I had for nearly 5 years but never used as was 1/2 track and 7.5 - 15ips.
So that is it, that is the machine and this is the project. The machine I had was an IEC machine set up 7-1/2 and 15ips, 1/2 track machine. Yes already a TAPE PROJECT machine but, who is prepared to spend over $300.00 to but his first tape or better say $1800.00USD for a subscription and wait until you get your tapes. They might even get damaget in transit and you will not know so I gave the TAPE PROJECT a miss so far. Maybe I will put it on my "BUCKET LIST".
Biggest problem I had was change of heads. E-bay offered me a set of 1/4 track heads for just over 275.00 EURO from REVOX.DE. Bought them but still a problem....alignment.
With help of the TAPE PROJECT FORUM I found John French from JRF Magnetic Sciences in New Jersey which aftewr a couple e-mails and one phone call I decided to put my destiny in his hands. Send him my head block together with another 2 B77 head block for reconditioning.
Unfortunatly the heads from Germany were not quite up to standard, reconditioned of cource.
John came out with a solution pretty good. I trust him 110%.
When it arrived I started to assembly. I discovered that my capstan control board has a few problems.... Found in e-bay a brand new board for $US 180.00 from IRINCO. Also purchased a new lower board BRAND NEW. Hmmm pulling machine appart was another mission.
All done but now comes the time for electrical alignments. Had all equipment necessary but manual is calling for an extension cable set for C270. No one has them, everybody says " I made my own" so I have to make my own too. If you do not know, main board of C270 has 19 connectors. I did not had to do all of them but done lots and lots. Finaly the speed was adjusted and all boards back in.
Doing the input and output calibration was another mission. Hmmm sounded so simple in instructions...but hard to achieve. Maybe in German language is more obvious(that will be the next step to learn I guess). So much dependent on your DIP SWITCH settings. Because I choose NAB equalization had to be +4DB which I found a little bit high as my B77 been adjusted to 0DB(0.775mV output). Obviously on C270 Willi Studer had a totaly different thinking. At the end I stuck to the instructions as every time I tried to be creative all tuned in a desaster zone.
This Sunday I called the project done and made some recodings from MP3 (my computer). Played them for a friend which "HATES" reel to reels as been such obsolete things. His words were that HE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THIS! So I guess is pretty well worthwhile.
Now what is the next project????
Let is to your comments and questions if you have any.
From down under,
Eugen
I joined THE TAPE PROJECT forum and read a lot about this TAPE PROJECT. Hmmm seems to be an very interesting concept, so perfect you can nearly smell BACH's sweat but I had something else in mind. I already own over 2000 tapes and I wanted a reel to reel to produce best quality tapes which I can play on any reel to reel. Most of my recordings are on 10-1/2" tapes with 7-1/2ips (19cm/s). On 7" we normaly record on 3-3/4ips (9.5cm/s). So all was pretty much set to these speeds and to be efficient in 1/4 track (play both sides). Huh, what machine do I choose????
I had 3 x B77 doing this but I was not quite happy with the results. I alwas loved this REVOX C270 which I had for nearly 5 years but never used as was 1/2 track and 7.5 - 15ips.
So that is it, that is the machine and this is the project. The machine I had was an IEC machine set up 7-1/2 and 15ips, 1/2 track machine. Yes already a TAPE PROJECT machine but, who is prepared to spend over $300.00 to but his first tape or better say $1800.00USD for a subscription and wait until you get your tapes. They might even get damaget in transit and you will not know so I gave the TAPE PROJECT a miss so far. Maybe I will put it on my "BUCKET LIST".
Biggest problem I had was change of heads. E-bay offered me a set of 1/4 track heads for just over 275.00 EURO from REVOX.DE. Bought them but still a problem....alignment.
With help of the TAPE PROJECT FORUM I found John French from JRF Magnetic Sciences in New Jersey which aftewr a couple e-mails and one phone call I decided to put my destiny in his hands. Send him my head block together with another 2 B77 head block for reconditioning.
Unfortunatly the heads from Germany were not quite up to standard, reconditioned of cource.
John came out with a solution pretty good. I trust him 110%.
When it arrived I started to assembly. I discovered that my capstan control board has a few problems.... Found in e-bay a brand new board for $US 180.00 from IRINCO. Also purchased a new lower board BRAND NEW. Hmmm pulling machine appart was another mission.
All done but now comes the time for electrical alignments. Had all equipment necessary but manual is calling for an extension cable set for C270. No one has them, everybody says " I made my own" so I have to make my own too. If you do not know, main board of C270 has 19 connectors. I did not had to do all of them but done lots and lots. Finaly the speed was adjusted and all boards back in.
Doing the input and output calibration was another mission. Hmmm sounded so simple in instructions...but hard to achieve. Maybe in German language is more obvious(that will be the next step to learn I guess). So much dependent on your DIP SWITCH settings. Because I choose NAB equalization had to be +4DB which I found a little bit high as my B77 been adjusted to 0DB(0.775mV output). Obviously on C270 Willi Studer had a totaly different thinking. At the end I stuck to the instructions as every time I tried to be creative all tuned in a desaster zone.
This Sunday I called the project done and made some recodings from MP3 (my computer). Played them for a friend which "HATES" reel to reels as been such obsolete things. His words were that HE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THIS! So I guess is pretty well worthwhile.
Now what is the next project????
Let is to your comments and questions if you have any.
From down under,
Eugen
Attachments
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C270..jpg
Winston was one of the first championing the Tape Project 15 ips tapes and played them at CES in his room! He was in fact responsible for TTP getting the Decca releases they offered since Winston had them to make a digital K2 release. So he's been a big supporter of R2R tape and sure he has a R2R in his system-that I understand is quite spectacular. Perhaps if Bruce reads this he can comment more.
