Recording quad 8 track to reel to reel tape.

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rawmacias

300 Club - QQ All-Star
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Joined
Jun 2, 2012
Messages
378
Location
Merced, Calif
In the near future I am going to try and record my discrete quad Pink Floyd tapes to reel to reel. Question is ; what is the best blank reel to reel tape for this endeavor and how do I eliminate the gap made when the tape changes programs? I have never recorded on reel to reel or 8 track before. I also would like to try and record 8 track to 8 track as I have quite a few blank quad tapes.

I have an Akai CR-80D-SS , Sansui SD-5050 and a Sansui QRX 7001 .
 
You should just go direct to digital, no need to record to another analog format. Get a multichannel USB interface and record them into Adobe Audition or some other DAW. You can then make a DVD-A or a DTS-CD from your recorded digital files.

Once you have the waveforms on the computer, you can simply delete the track change noise.

Also, all of Pink Floyd's quads have been released on digital formats...
 
Yeah , I might try that later. But right now I think I have the means to record analog and anyway , that is where my heart is at.
Iā€™d like to know what tape is quality and available also, Iā€™ve got a Teac A-2340 that I want to do some work on. These audio programs like Audition intimidate me, seems like you need a degree in audio engineering just to get the lingo down šŸ¤Ŗ
 
Yeah, I have a usb turntable and have made digital copies using software before and I also have a few i7 quad core computers that I can record from . But again , My heart is with analog , so that is where I like to experiment. I have quite the collection of analog quad equipt ; From "all" of Sansui's QRX -001 series receivers , Sansui SD 5050 R/R , 5 Akai 280D-SS R/R, 2 Akai CR-80D-SS 8 tracks, Fosgate Tate II, Sansui SR 838 TT, and the list goes on.
I want to use this equipt to the fullest of their analog ability. That, to me , is the fun part. That is why I think this site is so great! Can not do without it here in Merced , CA. I haven't found a person near here that is into analog quad .
 
Iā€™d like to know what tape is quality and available also, Iā€™ve got a Teac A-2340 that I want to do some work on. These audio programs like Audition intimidate me, seems like you need a degree in audio engineering just to get the lingo down šŸ¤Ŗ
I've Maxell 35-90B I bought years ago from http://www.tapecity.co.uk/acatalog/Open-Reel-Tapes.html (which I use on my 2 Akai Stereo Reels-to-Reels) but it seems there are only a few manufacturers making tape these days. I'm virtually all to digital now. But I love analogue Reel-to-Reel - its like watching a real fire with those tapes rotating and the VU meters flickering!
 
RMGI AMERICAS. Their tapes are expensive though. I think I will try some NOS tapes first . When I get proficient with my technic, then I will use the RMGI which are being made today as far as I know.
 
Iā€™d like to know what tape is quality and available also, Iā€™ve got a Teac A-2340 that I want to do some work on. These audio programs like Audition intimidate me, seems like you need a degree in audio engineering just to get the lingo down šŸ¤Ŗ
RMGI AMERICAS still make tapes in many sizes. I also found out since my first inquiry , that the MAXELL black/white box and the blue and white box UD tapes are the latest made. Took me a few hours digging through other sites to find this out.
 
I've Maxell 35-90B I bought years ago from http://www.tapecity.co.uk/acatalog/Open-Reel-Tapes.html (which I use on my 2 Akai Stereo Reels-to-Reels) but it seems there are only a few manufacturers making tape these days. I'm virtually all to digital now. But I love analogue Reel-to-Reel - its like watching a real fire with those tapes rotating and the VU meters flickering!
Thanks for the info and connection. Much appreciated! Yeah , I was in the military (72-76) during the heydays of quad. Being paid below poverty was not condusive to purchasing nice equipt. I was allotted to checking out the equip Officers had. Then a few years ago , my brother came across a 70's Sansui receiver and gave it to me. The bug bit! I did some research and decided to collect quad stuff as a hobby and nostalgia . Haven't looked back since!
 
The best of the best reel to reel tape out there is Maxell UD 35-90. Pay pal has tons of it for sale, but it IS pricey.

I record my quad records to tape on an Akai GX 270D SS. I would be glad to explain how I quiet the spaces between songs, but I would rather explain it some other way then on here.

PM me and we will work on it. I would be glad to let everyone know how to do it except it would be long winded and could be confusing.
 
Also, what speed would you transfer these tapes from Q8>Reel to Reel? In an all analogue domain, would 3 3/4 ips suffice and what benefits would be derived in transferring in the digital domain...would there be any uptick in quality if 7 1/2 ips was
utilized?
 
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