I'm considering picking up a tape machine...

[-Gavin-]

such as http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AKAI-GX-4000-...yZ109002QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem To run completed mixes out of, then play them back in from the machine.

Does anyone do this or is it fuckign stupid?

Just curious!

 

[CJWall]

haha, might be awesome for a certain effect but I certainly wouldn't run a whole mix through that kind of machine.

would probably sound akin to a glorified cassette kind of 4-track sound.

it does look fucking cool though! lol. seems in awesome shape

 

[Kevin Kitchel]

You're not going to like that deck's sound. For a cheap machine that actually works, and you can service, look for a Studer b67 (class a/b), or a Otari MX 5050. In all honesty, I've worked with tape on both tracking and mixing, and much prefer tracking drums to tape, then dumping to a DAW and finishing from there. You can't use a pro-sumer deck for mixdown because it doesn't have the headroom you need for overbiasing at even 6 dB.

 

[Jaymz]

OLD SKOOOOOL!

 

[metalkingdom]

On the specs, it says the bias freq is 100Khz! Obviously a typo. I didn't see what size tape it takes, but it looks like 1/4".

If the price stays low, I'd buy it just for the cool look. Who knows, maybe since it runs at 7 1/2 ips you may get a huge low end mixing to it... 7 1/2 ips also means noise without proper alignment.

If you're gonna get this, you're gonna have to buy a MRL tape and learn how to align tapemachines before you do anything. I'd think that this particular machine will hold a +3 bias just fine.

 

[sparkyness]

*shudder* tape alignment.....internship.....bad.....memories.....

 

[metalkingdom]

You should feel lucky that as an intern you even got the chance to learn alignment.

I can align two A800's in under 30 mins.

 

[KeithRT99]

it's not worth the hassle, although it does look cool (studio decor perhaps?).

as metalkingdom said: you need to learn how to align tape machines, and MRLs are expensive.

it's only speed is 7.5 ips? i wouldn't get it just becuase of that.

 

[-Gavin-]

Hahaha, it's just one of those things that, if it had a use, i'd kiss the floor form having it. And if it didn't have a use? Ebay in 30 years after starting a rumor that Prince used one :lol