[[email protected]]

Ok you don,t have to tell me I have a problem, but I am a analog
tape deck junkie.
What is it this time ? You say. Ok I will tell ya. A Tascam ATR 80 24
track. Cheap. My palms are sweating as I type this. Lips dry. I,ve got
a fever. I record a lot of blues and rock. Should I invest in more pro
tools plug ins, mics and nick nacs or buy a big fat ANALOG RECORDER?
GT.

[david correia]

In article
,
wrote:

Ok you don,t have to tell me I have a problem, but I am a analog
tape deck junkie.
What is it this time ? You say. Ok I will tell ya. A Tascam ATR 80 24
track. Cheap. My palms are sweating as I type this. Lips dry. I,ve got
a fever. I record a lot of blues and rock. Should I invest in more pro
tools plug ins, mics and nick nacs or buy a big fat ANALOG RECORDER?
GT.


Check the price of tape. Someone's gonna have to pay for it.

Also, a Tascam 24 track was not something you'd find in the big ass
studio back in the day. It was a Sony/MCI/Otari/Studer 24 track.

Do you know how to keep the machine happy? They do need to be maintained.

Have you had the machine checked by someone who *really* knows analog
multitracks?

Has the head stack been sent to John French so you know what you are
buying, no matter what the price is? (If the heads are shot your palms
will be sweaty thinking about paying for new ones.)

Are parts easily available for that machine? It was not a big seller
like the 4 manufacturers above.

Are you ready to buy and pay for a new alignment tape? A demag?

Do you have a console that can take the output level?

Do you know they drink electricity? My monthly electric bill went down
more than $200 when we sold ours.

I could go on and on.

Think of it like buying a used car. The purchase price can be cheap but
how much will it actually cost to get the thing to spec?

btw I love analog. And for rock and roll I prefer the sound of 2" tape
on a well maintained Sony/MCI/Otari/Studer 24 track machine driven by an
engineer familiar with the intricacies of analog tape recording.





David Correia
www.Celebrationsound.com

[Mike Rivers]

On Apr 7, 10:04 pm, wrote:

What is it this time ? You say. Ok I will tell ya. A Tascam ATR 80 24
track. Cheap.

It's only cheap if the heads are in good shape. The ATR-80 wasn't very
popular - I'd be surprised if there were even 100 of them sold, but it
was a very well designed and well built recorder.

You can't expect it to be perfect when you get it, or even if it is,
to stay that way. You will eventually need mechanical and electrical
parts that will be difficult to obtain, and you have to be resourceful
in order to keep it running. I assume you're prepared to pay for tape,
that you have (or will obtain) a calibration tape, and at least a
signal generator, oscilloscope, and accurate analog AC voltmeter, plus
the documentation to do regular alignments.

If you would consider a more practical workhorse that can be had
cheap, you might want to look for an Ampex MM1200. The biggest
advantage over the TASCAM for a junkie like you is the strong support,
both in knowledge and in parts donor machines. If you need a relay
that hasn't been manufactured for years, or a switch that was custom
made for Ampex, there are people who have those parts and are
generally willing to sell them at a fair price to someone who wants to
keep a machine running. And because the Ampex MM series didn't have
any computer stuff inside, they're a lot easier to troubleshoot and
repair.

Perhaps there's such a support group for TASCAM ATRs, but it would be
good to investigate it before you end up with an orphan that you can't
support.

[Scott Dorsey]

In article ,
wrote:
Ok you don,t have to tell me I have a problem, but I am a analog
tape deck junkie.
What is it this time ? You say. Ok I will tell ya. A Tascam ATR 80 24
track. Cheap. My palms are sweating as I type this. Lips dry. I,ve got
a fever. I record a lot of blues and rock. Should I invest in more pro
tools plug ins, mics and nick nacs or buy a big fat ANALOG RECORDER?

I record to analogue tape all the time and it's great.

The ATR-80 isn't a bad machine. It's not a Studer but it's head and shoulders
above any narrowtrack machine out there, and the Tascam name on the label
means they usually sell for a lot less than they are worth.

If you buy it, get the heads checked out first. The machine is worth what
the heads are worth. If the heads are shot, the machine is not worth
anything.

Be aware that 2" tape is expensive. On the other hand, for a lot of folks
these days, you can get a couple of 2" reels, bump a project to a digital
backup after mixing, and reuse the tape.

Also be aware that these machines run hot and many of them may need new
capacitors. Try and do a full alignment before you put your money down.
If you can't make the response flat on the bottom end, suspect caps. If
you can't make it flat on the top end, suspect heads.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[KGT]

On Apr 8, 9:56*am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
In article ,

wrote:
*Ok you don,t have to tell me I have a problem, but I am a analog
tape deck junkie.
What is it this time ? You say. Ok I will tell ya. A Tascam ATR 80 24
track. Cheap. My palms are sweating as I type this. Lips dry. I,ve got
a fever. I record a lot of blues and rock. Should I invest in more pro
tools plug ins, mics and nick nacs or buy a big fat ANALOG RECORDER?

I record to analogue tape all the time and it's great.

The ATR-80 isn't a bad machine. *It's not a Studer but it's head and shoulders
above any narrowtrack machine out there, and the Tascam name on the label
means they usually sell for a lot less than they are worth.

If you buy it, get the heads checked out first. *The machine is worth what
the heads are worth. *If the heads are shot, the machine is not worth
anything. *

Be aware that 2" tape is expensive. *On the other hand, for a lot of folks
these days, you can get a couple of 2" reels, bump a project to a digital
backup after mixing, and reuse the tape. *

Also be aware that these machines run hot and many of them may need new
capacitors. *Try and do a full alignment before you put your money down..
If you can't make the response flat on the bottom end, suspect caps. *If
you can't make it flat on the top end, suspect heads.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. *C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Dave at Hilltop returned to analog & is happy

hilltopstudios.com

[[email protected]]

On Apr 8, 9:56*am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
In article ,

wrote:
*Ok you don,t have to tell me I have a problem, but I am a analog
tape deck junkie.
What is it this time ? You say. Ok I will tell ya. A Tascam ATR 80 24
track. Cheap. My palms are sweating as I type this. Lips dry. I,ve got
a fever. I record a lot of blues and rock. Should I invest in more pro
tools plug ins, mics and nick nacs or buy a big fat ANALOG RECORDER?

I record to analogue tape all the time and it's great.

The ATR-80 isn't a bad machine. *It's not a Studer but it's head and shoulders
above any narrowtrack machine out there, and the Tascam name on the label
means they usually sell for a lot less than they are worth.

If you buy it, get the heads checked out first. *The machine is worth what
the heads are worth. *If the heads are shot, the machine is not worth
anything. *

Be aware that 2" tape is expensive. *On the other hand, for a lot of folks
these days, you can get a couple of 2" reels, bump a project to a digital
backup after mixing, and reuse the tape. *

Also be aware that these machines run hot and many of them may need new
capacitors. *Try and do a full alignment before you put your money down..
If you can't make the response flat on the bottom end, suspect caps. *If
you can't make it flat on the top end, suspect heads.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. *C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Thanks for the info guys. Head life is 85 to 90 percent c/o john
french. The machine is One Owner. He is giving me a MRL tape. The
price is good. The catch is he lost the power cable. He said there is
a missing chip in the remote. He said it is an easy fix. Thats the
problem I have had with people with these decks. If they say there two
problems that will take 1 hour to fix. There is usually or can be 6
problems that will take 10 hours to fix. i have heard the buttons are
always going bad by a few guys that still own these decks and run them
love em. But I hear you. I am gonna think about this.
GT.