I've noticed that many producers use these for their tracks (or at least have one in their studio), and i'm sure there's some of you here that use one.
I've stumbled across a Revox A77 and B77 for a good price and i want to know if it's worth having. Over the last few years i've been moving on from "commercial" minimal to a more raw, organic techno-based platform and i'm trying to switch from software to hardware so i think it could be useful to have one, but i really have no knowledge about this particular gear so i have some questions.
First off, how does it really work? Do you plug in a mic to it, or can you record through a line in? What are the advantages/disadvantages of recording with a reel to reel? Are the A77 or B77 any good, or should i look around for something better?
And what i really like to know before i decide; is it worth having? I mean, i could buy one just because it's a beautiful piece of gear and i'm quite in to retro gear, but is it worth having one. Is it something you use all the time or will it stand in a corner collecting dust?
Reel to reel recorder questions
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livecollective
- mnml maxi
- Posts: 1150
- Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2007 8:23 pm
Re: Reel to reel recorder questions
boudo wrote:I've noticed that many producers use these for their tracks (or at least have one in their studio), and i'm sure there's some of you here that use one.
I've stumbled across a Revox A77 and B77 for a good price and i want to know if it's worth having. Over the last few years i've been moving on from "commercial" minimal to a more raw, organic techno-based platform and i'm trying to switch from software to hardware so i think it could be useful to have one, but i really have no knowledge about this particular gear so i have some questions.
First off, how does it really work? Do you plug in a mic to it, or can you record through a line in? What are the advantages/disadvantages of recording with a reel to reel? Are the A77 or B77 any good, or should i look around for something better?
And what i really like to know before i decide; is it worth having? I mean, i could buy one just because it's a beautiful piece of gear and i'm quite in to retro gear, but is it worth having one. Is it something you use all the time or will it stand in a corner collecting dust?
How much is it?
Does it have the ability to monitor while you record?, (i think this means having another head, but i am not positive)
If so I would get one just to use as a make shift tape delay. I have a portable 1/4 inch reel to reel and its tons of fun, once you have it set up, no reason for it to collect dust.
That's a good price for a Revox, cheaper than I've seen them here in Finland lately.
You can always sell it for what you bought it if you decide you don't need it.
It's a very nice machine, much better than some cheappo consumer grade tape recorders that aren't really worth using. It'll definitely warm up your recordings nicely.
Make sure it's in good shape though, or at least find a tech who can do some basic maintenance.
You can always sell it for what you bought it if you decide you don't need it.
It's a very nice machine, much better than some cheappo consumer grade tape recorders that aren't really worth using. It'll definitely warm up your recordings nicely.
Make sure it's in good shape though, or at least find a tech who can do some basic maintenance.
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Casanova808
- mnml mmbr
- Posts: 146
- Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2010 12:57 am
-Check the recording heads to see if they are worn. Replacement heads will cost more than the machine itself.
-Get a service manual for the unit because you are going to have to repair this machine yourself when it breaks down.
-Get a reference tape so that you can bias and adjust the azimuth of the play heads.
-Source tape cakes, uptake reels, and archival storage boxes for your masters.
-Get a degaussing wand because you will need to demagnetize the heads for every 10 hours of recording time.
-Start looking for dead machines so that you can have a parts supply to cannibalize when when part wear out. Dealers will rape you if you are looking for individual parts on the open market.
Recording to tape is cool, but expect to invest a lot of time and money into it. This isn't something that you can step into casually. Don't expect that cheap machine to be ready to go right away. It is likely that they are selling it cheap because it has issues or they don't know what it is and it hasn't been properly taken care of or maintained for a good long while.
-Get a service manual for the unit because you are going to have to repair this machine yourself when it breaks down.
-Get a reference tape so that you can bias and adjust the azimuth of the play heads.
-Source tape cakes, uptake reels, and archival storage boxes for your masters.
-Get a degaussing wand because you will need to demagnetize the heads for every 10 hours of recording time.
-Start looking for dead machines so that you can have a parts supply to cannibalize when when part wear out. Dealers will rape you if you are looking for individual parts on the open market.
Recording to tape is cool, but expect to invest a lot of time and money into it. This isn't something that you can step into casually. Don't expect that cheap machine to be ready to go right away. It is likely that they are selling it cheap because it has issues or they don't know what it is and it hasn't been properly taken care of or maintained for a good long while.
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damagedgoods
- mnml mmbr
- Posts: 349
- Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:38 am
A77s and B77s tend to be durable; I haven't had any problems at all with my B77. I use it for tape delay (did a post on this a while back for how to rig up a tape echo with a B77 and ableton) and general warming duties, bouncing drums, sampling tape noise etc. I don't often use it for bouncing entire mixes because all the tape I've got is pretty old and crusty and the fidelity drops too much to use on a master, but with a properly setup machine and decent tape you definitely could.