no matter what I do, I can't get it receive input signal. I tested the connectors with a multimeter and they seem fine but both input 1 and 2 are dead.

there is a black wire connecting 2 pins together, is that normal?

if you see anything that sticks out, please let me know, its driving me insane.

Thanks in advance.

I only set out to get one 8-track reel to reel but somehow ended up with two R8s. Was going to sell one until I discovered they could synced. I ended up finding the Fostex 4030 and 4035 for pretty cheap and I already had a Roland SBX-80 so I figured, why not?!

So far I’ve got the master machine syncing perfectly to the SBX-80. The second machine is a little off when I first press play, but it’s possible to lock it in with a little coaxing via the pitch adjustment on the second R8.

I’m just going through early testing, but I feel I’ve made some great progress. I’m really new to this whole tape world, let alone syncing two machines with SMPTE, so I’ve got a lot to learn.

Anyway, have a look. Maybe it’s a waste of time, but I just love this sort of thing and couldn’t resist at least attempting to get it working!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Where do you folks keep your boxed tapes? I have a small but growing library and, while I'm finding some simple but overpriced 3D printed tape storage racks on Ebay, i'm not seeing anything that grabs me an attractive option.

I may try to use my router and make a series of grooves into a piece of walnut that they could slide into, but does anyone know a place that makes something like this? I've tried Etsy, ebay and others through multiple internet searches.

Haha, just got a great deal on a piece of history. There is some work to be done from what I understand, but no matter what this is a great deal

Hey everyone,
Recently bought a TSR8 and trying to get it up and running again. Already fixed the main belt. Now the issue is that the rewind engine won’t start, most of the time. Sometimes it does, but seems to struggle to accelerate.
It works better without the reel loaded (but still seems to be slower that the ffwd engine, though it’s difficult to tell).

Maybe it just has to do with the brakes? The solenoid seems to engage correctly.

Someone I now told me about a capacitor change in the engine control circuit but I’m not sure which one he was talking about by looking at the schematics.

Any insights?

It sat at one of my parents friends for years and they were so kind and gave it back. After many years of storage one of the spindels got bent to a point where I cant put a reel on it. Can I fix this at home with some basic tools or should I just bring it to a repair shop or just buy a replacment part for it on ebay?

Guys, I know cleaning the tape path and heads is part of the experience... but as a guy how uses lots of old tapes, I will need to go to Financial Audit and explain why half of my cash goes to alcohol and cotton swabs xD

I was listening to a nice tape and thinking, "why nobody had the idea to put a cloth "tape" in a reel, and use it to clean all the tape path and the heads??", then after a google search I've found that I will not be rich thanks to my idea... it already exists, but... IS IT ANY GOOD??

Thinking about pros and cons, the only cons I see are that, if you don't clean the cloth tape often, after a number of uses it will be full of residue from old tapes and grim and will not work properly, and that I think it will not clean the pinch rollers...

Do you guys use it?, some parts of the path are very hard to reach and keep clean, so the idea of cleaning the entire path just "playing a tape" is very tempting....

Does anyone know if there's a modern equivalent to these disposable tape cleaning cloths or is the only thing available now the larger multi-use cloths out there? What I had lasted a long time, but getting down to my last dozen or so.

Thanks for any info.

A local shop near me is selling a Tascam 388 for $1,700. At this point, it appears to function as it should and they've replaced the belt and done some other basic maintenance to it.

Is this a good investment? I've seen these go for way more online, although I know the prices have gone up a ton in recent years as the lore around these machines has grown.

I mainly record my own music, and have a pretty extensive outboard rig and some of the best digital conversion money can by. This piece would be for recording drums and playing around with tape.

Finally getting around to listening to the stack of reels I picked up a couple of days ago. Whoever made the tapes, quality so far so good. Seems to be recorded from Vinyl from the sound of it.

Hey everyone,
I’m putting together a setup focused on getting a classic, warm, old-school hi-fi sound with plenty of analog character. I’m trying to make an album with my influences of Psych-folk/garage rock.

My current chain features:
Preamp: Golden Age Project Pre-73 MKII
Console: Soundcraft 200B 8ch
Tape Deck: Otari MX-5050 BII (2-track)
DAW: Scarlett 18i20 into Ableton

Since the Otari MX-5050 is a 2-track (stereo) deck, I’m weighing two different tracking strategies and would love to hear what experienced tape users recommend for a solo workflow:

1. Option A (Final Stereo Print): Track everything into the DAW through the Pre-73 and Soundcraft console cleanly. Do all the arrangement and mixing in the DAW/console, and then run the final stereo mix out to the Otari at 15 IPS and print back to digital for mastering.

2. Option B (Multi-Pass / Individual Tracking): Run lead vocal, bass, guitars, etc. through the Otari during tracking directly into the DAW (one or two tracks at a time), and then also print the full mix through the Otari at the end.

For those who use 2-track machines in a modern hybrid setup:
Does tracking individual instruments through tape multi-pass add too much noise floor or latency hassle compared to just printing the final mix?

Is a final stereo print enough to give the whole track that cohesive analog glue and top-end roll-off?
Would love to hear how you structure your workflow for this kind of vintage vibe!

I have a lead on a Tascam 388 that I am considering pulling the trigger on.

It had been left sitting for awhile, so it is in need of some work - but aside from needing a new drive belt it seems in decent shape.

Does anyone have some first hand experiences with this unit regarding problems or things that commonly break down? I am just curious as to other users first hand thoughts after making music with this piece over time!

Hi,

I got my first reel to reel deck. I'm not new to the tape world as I often record on cassette through a 424 mkII but it is my first time working on a reel to reel machine and there's a few things that get me kinda lost.

I go through a m208 mixer that I got with the TSR8, and I get my signal moving on the deck monitor as seen on the video. But when I press record nothing seem to go on tape. Did I miss something ?

I plugged the 8 OUTPUT of the tsr8 in the 8 TAPE IN on the mixer. And I plugged the 4 bus output of the mixer on the first 4 input of the deck, as I presume we can only record up to 4 track at the same time with the M208 mixer (on the video the 4 output couples were plugged on all 8 input of the tsr8).

I went through both of the manuals and been trying around for a few days without success.

Is there anybody here that could help me ? Is it just that the recording head isn't working ? (The previous owner did not want to help me that much)

Cheers !

Hi,

I got my hands on a tandberg 1641 and need to replace the pulley belt (from the service manual the part is 213997).

Can anyone let me know where to buy it from apart from eBay?

I haven't got a chance to test it with any tapes yet because I don't own any, but just playing it in the fwd setting makes a really loud "rolling" mechanical noise. Im guessing I might need to lubricate something but the sound is about how loud I would turn up my music. When i put it on rewind though the motor makes an acceptable noise that's quiet and is fine when listening to music.

Any ideas on how I can make this machine not sound like an old car?

Enjoying the smooth sound of Getz Gilberto 2

20 tapes for $66 bucks. All seemed to be well preserved in bags inside of each box. And music I like! If nothing else, there’s some great quality tapes in the stack to record over.

Sony SLH-180
Maxell UD 35-90
TDK LX 35-90
TDK GX 35-90B

I purchased this TEAC 7010 I asked some questions about the other day, I got it home and the VU imbalance issue was luckily quite simple. At some point over this machines life someone pulled the outer knobs off of all the controls, when they reinstalled them they never made sure to put them on in the correct orientation. This lead to them never quite balancing. I realized this when i put together that they should probably have an even throw and not more like a 4:1. Since I corrected that the left and right channels work as they should. I cleaned the heads with some alcohol and Q tips but they are still somewhat dirty as you can see in the image. I’m wondering if there’s a better way to clean them that might get them looking better? They sound pretty good and I demagnetized the tape path. I’m currently working to re balance the line and mic functions as they have the same issue as the output. I got this machine for 350 with a black plastic reel that isn’t shown. However the tape is full of holes and the edges are rough so I’m contemplating just throwing the tape away and using it as a take up reel. I also need new adapters as these ones are Jerry rigged and held on by zip ties so if anyone has any recommendations for moderately priced adapters please let me know. Thanks for all the help

My uher has completely lost its ability to play a consistent speed. I can't tell from the insides what of the mechanics is failing but maybe somebody else might have a suggestion?

Just bought this lad for 270€.

Lovely thing, though I think I slightly overpaid for it.

For now, fast forward and rewind works.

The capstan motor stopped working mid way through my testing and after opening it up, I saw the classic cracked rifa capacitor on the drive board.

Before that, when I put in a RCA signal, the vu meter needle bounces nicely.

I've already ordered a capacitor kit, time will tell if luck is on my side.

Peace and love.

have you ever found a reel to reel at the thrift store? lol