trott@olorin.DEC (Dale at TWO/A07, DTN:247-2146) (05/05/84)
[...]
I've been having some problems recently in making cassettes and I was
hoping someone out there may be able to shed some light on the situation.
I have a Nak LX-3, a Yamaha CA-810 amp and a Technics SL-D2 table with a
MA 3002 cartridge. I know it's not the "best equipment in the world" but
it suits my current needs, I say this because I'm really not interested
in any "why don't you buy some `real' equipment" flames from the "golden
ears" gallery. No offense to anyone who considers themselves a member of
the golden ears gallery or any similar organizations. (-:
The problem occurs when I am making a tape from a record. I always use Dolby-C
and most of the stuff I am recording is "high energy" type rock music. I do
not exceed the recommended volume level while recording and I've recently
de-magnetized the Nak so I don't think the problem lies there.
The problem is that when I play the tape back I get what sounds like a
"fluttering" or maybe a "dropout", it can last anywhere from one to three
seconds and it's definitely on the tape as it happens in the same places
every time. The problem does not necessarily occur in particularly high
volume areas of the recording which tells me it's probably not saturation
but I'm no expert so anything is possible I suppose. The obvious cause to
me appears to be bad tape and have considered this as the cause but it has
happened to me (in varying degrees) with every tape I've tried so it's got
me wondering if all tape could be that bad. I think it's important to
note here that all the tapes in question have been of the 90-minute variety
(I like to get one whole album on a side) and I have heard rumors to the
effect that 60-minute tapes are better because the tape inside a C90 is
thinner and tends not to perform as well as the thicker C60 tape. Does
anyone know if this is true? It sounds like it may be reasonable.
I recently bought two Maxell XLII-S's (their latest formula I believe) and I
had more problems than usual. I got the "fluttering" problem about ten times
on one side! I usually buy Maxell because it seemed to perform well in the
past. I have tried most of the major brands of tape TDK, Sony, NAK and a few
others and have found no major difference in their over-all performance.
Anyone have any specific recommendations?
As you probably noticed I am still suspicious of the tape but I figured I
have nothing to lose by throwing this into the net.audio forum and see if
any of the experts have some ideas. I'm all ears (or eyes in this case).
"For the words of the prophits are written on the studio wall..."
- Dale -
UUCP :{decvax, ucbvax, allegra}!decwrl!rhea!olorin!trott
ARPA :olorin%trott.DEC@DECWRL.ARPAwjm@whuxj.UUCP (MITCHELL) (05/07/84)
Dale's tape problem sounds like one of two problems (although I can't say for sure without seeing the equipment). 1. The Dolby levels may not be set properly and the Dolby is mistracking. Since Dolby systems (and especially Dolby C) are level sensitive, if the system is not calibrated properly you will get mis-matching between the treble boost on encode and the corresponding cut on decode. Check to make sure the deck is calibrated before you record each tape, since this can vary from tape to tape (not just brand to brand). 2. There may be some mechanical problem in your tape transport - XLII-S is a good tape and generally not prone to dropouts - Your deck is not generally prone to this type of problem, so I'd suggest having it checked out by a competent service shop (I don't know where you are, but if you're in the Boston area I'd suggest Q Audio in Cambridge, or Harveys if you're in the NYC area). General Comment: Yes C-60's use thicker tape than C-90's but 90's from reputable brands (like Maxell, TDK, Fuji, BASF, 3M, Nak, Denon, this is only a partial list) should work OK. Bill Mitchell Bell Communications Research, Inc Whippany, NJ (whuxj!wjm)
wjhe@hlexa.UUCP (Bill Hery) (05/08/84)
I had a similar problem with my cassette deck: mid-high frequency response falling off drastically and then coming back up in a cyclical manor, particularly at the begining of a recording (playback of previously recorded tapes was ok).). The problem turned out to be that the heads needed a GOOD cleaning. I had been using cheap Radio Shack head cleaner fluid regularly, but it just didn't do a decent job. (I later tried the more expensive RS cleaner, which did a better job of cleaning, but evaporated by the time I was ready to use it again.) Regular cleaning with a quality head cleaner has solved the problem. Bill Hery
grd@iwu1d.UUCP (grd) (05/12/84)
!!!!!
Your audio problem relating to your tape deck sounds like its your
deck. You said you demagnetized your heads. Did you touch the heads
while you did this and probably magnetized the heads permenantly?
It is impossible to believe that all of your tapes are bad. I own
a Nakamichi deck. I own ONLY C-90 cassette tapes. I know that there
is a difference in the tape density between the c-120 and c-90. I would
not reccommend getting 120 minute tapes because of the tape being too thin.
I have not heard of any problems with 90 minute tapes.
I would reccommend having your deck checked out. Depending upon what
type of deck you have, you may or may not have to have your tape
deck adjusted for bias and equalization at the shop. All Nakimichi's
(except the self adjusting ones which are $$) have to have this done.
Normally factory settings are not good enough! The audio shop will
adjust these settings for you and ask you what type of tape you will
use. Maxell tape does not share the same settings as TDK or Advent or
Nakimichi tape. This forces you to one brand of tape. I have used
TDK since Advent went out of business years ago and have had no drop
out problems. If you store your tapes near a magnetic field, such
as your speakers, tv etc., you will invite these type of problems also.
A special note: I have been told that TDK buys their tape from Nakimichi.
I see no difference between the two to justify the increased
cost for the Nakimichi tape (~$6.00 / tape -- TDK = ~ $3.00)
I hope you can solve your problem. I'm not sure if are having the problem
with just from record recording or from the amp etc. This could be another
avenue to check out.
Garry Daly
AT&T Technology
iwu1d!grd
!!!!!jsf007@trsvax.UUCP (05/22/84)
#R:decwrl:-768700:trsvax:55100045:000:288 trsvax!jsf007 May 22 07:40:00 1984 > A special note: I have been told that TDK buys their tape from Nakimichi. > I see no difference between the two to justify the increased cost for the > Nakimichi tape (~$6.00 / tape -- TDK = ~ $3.00) Does anyone on this net really believe that TDK buys tapes from Nakamichi???
ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (05/25/84)
>> A special note: I have been told that TDK buys their tape from Nakimichi. >> I see no difference between the two to justify the increased cost for the >> Nakimichi tape (~$6.00 / tape -- TDK = ~ $3.00) > Does anyone on this net really believe that TDK buys tapes from No, but I would be prepared to believe that Nakamichi buys tapes from TDK! Seriously, I saw in a recent review of a Nakamichi product that Nakamichi does NOT manufacture their own tape, but has it made for them. This does not, of course, means that it is identical to anything else on the market, because they might well ask for different specs from the manufacturer.