Best Sounding 1/4" Tape?

[Ron Resnick]

What is your recommendation for the best-sounding and currently available brand new 1/4" recording tape?

 

[c1ferrari]

SM900 @ 30 ips...CCIR/IEC, of course.

 

[astrotoy]

SM900 @ 30 ips...CCIR/IEC, of course.

Sam, I thought 30ips was done with AES. Or can it be done with both? Larry

 

[astrotoy]

Some people like ATR which along with SM900 are the generally preferred tapes for live recording with the most headroom. Bruce Brown may want to comment also. I like several tapes for my dubbing - ATR, SM911, SM468 for the regular 1.5mil tape. For 1 mil tape, I have been using LPR90 which has the same tape formulation as SM900.

Larry

 

[c1ferrari]

Sam, I thought 30ips was done with AES. Or can it be done with both? Larry

Mea culpa, Larry and all -- 30 in/s is AES/IEC2 EQ.

Sam, I thought 30ips was done with AES. Or can it be done with both? Larry

 

[microstrip]

What is your recommendation for the best-sounding and currently available brand new 1/4" recording tape?

Are you considering recording live or just dubbing vinyl?

 

[Bruce B]

I've always used SM900. Yes, tried them all. Would never use thinner tape either. Just the quietest, most reliable there is..... for me.

 

[rockitman]

I've always used SM900. Yes, tried them all. Would never use thinner tape either. Just the quietest, most reliable there is..... for me.

I certainly agree with this. 90% of my collection is on it....

 

[Ron Resnick]

Some people like ATR which along with SM900 are the generally preferred tapes for live recording with the most headroom. Bruce Brown may want to comment also. I like several tapes for my dubbing - ATR, SM911, SM468 for the regular 1.5mil tape. For 1 mil tape, I have been using LPR90 which has the same tape formulation as SM900.

Larry

Larry,

What are the sonic pros and cons of SM900 versus SM911 versus SM468 (I understand the difference in output levels)?

 

[Ron Resnick]

Are you considering recording live or just dubbing vinyl?

I am considering a vinyl dubbing project.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Gentlemen: Is there a concern these days about the quality control or the consistency of SM900 tape?

 

[c1ferrari]

Well, it's been opined current RTM is good; however, I haven't direct experience with it.

 

[Bruce B]

Gentlemen: Is there a concern these days about the quality control or the consistency of SM900 tape?

During the company changeover years ago, there were some hiccups, but the past 3-4yr, everything has been consistent.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Thank you, Bruce.

 

[microstrip]

I am considering a vinyl dubbing project.

Then you should take a look at this thread at the Tapeproject site: https://tapeproject.com/smf/index.php?topic=1674.0 I remembered at the time I selected SM468 because I was only dubbing, but digital! Also because I owned a lot of empty reels and I could get pancakes, much cheaper than tape reels!

 

[Ron Resnick]

So why is the 900 considered less archival than the 911 or the 468?

 

[microstrip]

So why is the 900 considered less archival than the 911 or the 468?

Probably because the the signal retention over time is not as good as this of the 911 or the 468, as said by Dan Schmale. For more detail see : https://homerecording.com/bbs/gener...ear/preferred-best-tape-3440-250-nw-m-297863/

Anyway, if you are dubbing your own vinyl, long time signal retention is not an issue - if tape looses quality you record it again!

 

[astrotoy]

According to RTM, the main advantage to the SM468 is its archival lifetime. I know a few engineers who like the sound it imparts to the recordings they do. It doesn't have as much headroom as has been mentioned. Almost all of my safety masters were done on SM911 from the '80's before SM900 was around. I haven't heard any deterioration problems in the 30 years of those tapes. Of course, both SM900 and particularly ATR are relatively new formulations, so we haven't had a really long time for them (SM468s have been around a long time, IIRC around 40-50 years).

Another issue that distinguishes tapes is that if you have an older consumer machine, it may not be able to take the high bias needed for the hotter tapes, and won't be able to take advantage of the headroom of those tapes.

Larry