#390

@antiphon Cool project, I might try that one.

#391

I’ve got all the stuff to try it, just need to motivate.

I’ve also always wanted to try to adapt Laurie Anderson’s Tape Bow Violin concept–a kind of one-trick Mellotron–in some way. Manually drawing a length of tape back and forth past a tape head would create interesting speed and pitch variations.

LaurieAndersonTapeBowViolin1977
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#392
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#393

Whoa, I never realized how small those Nagra SN’s are.

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#394

That reminded me of this relatively simpler approach:

Also ORE is generally worth some investigation:

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#395

Very cool stuff. Thanks for the links!

#396

That looks like so much fun. To watch and to play…

#397

Also having some triple tape recorder fun today :slight_smile:

#398

Yep, fit in a jacket pocket. :wink:

Also they run mono, at least the one I have. Which is nice because s/n etc etc.

#399

I’m on the fence about mono: there’s a shop near me that has a Nagra 4.2 at a reasonable price but I’m hesitating due to being mono. I image that S/N is a bigger concern with the SN though

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#400

The 4.2 is, in my opinion, one of the best reel to reel decks available. You’re getting sound quality equivalent of 1/2" Stereo in that format. I have several and they are beasts and I love them.

One thing to be mindful of with the 4.2 is that usually these were in use by film or video houses and have miles and miles of tape dragged across the heads. You can get the heads replaced though so it isn’t a big worry. But if you can see the thing ahead of time and know how to check the heads it’s worth knowing. Not a deal killer–you can get them replaced.

Also you will want to know which audio curve is built in, again not a dealkiller (both curves are great) but something to know.

You will also need a collection of cables and adaptors to fit it into a contemporary music production universe–the line out is banana jack, unbalanced. The line in (if you are using your own preamps) is a specific DIN connection. If you are using the Nagra preamps (which are nice enough honestly) check which setup it has as there a zillion variants with and without phantom etc etc.

If there was a Nagra 4.2 near me at a reasonable price and the mechanical functions were more or less in working order I would not hesitate to buy it. Mono is a fantastic format and worth exploring.

I don’t know where you are located but if in the US, Trew Audio in Nashville has done service work on my Nagra collection and always been prompt, professional, and done good work. They can also get you the cables you need for interfacing it with contemporary audio production gear if you don’t want to make your own cables.

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#401

Thanks for the detailed response! The store selling it mostly sells used camera equipment, so it’s possible it’s seen heavy use as you describe. Getting it serviced is a bit of a concern, my friend brought his 4 track into a local shop that came recommended and got it back worse than when he brought it in…

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#402

If it works at all I would buy it. They are built to take the abuse. If it needs work Trew Audio will treat you right. There’s a shop in the UK somewhere too but I don’t remember the name. They’re great machines.

#403

I remember reading somewhere (but forgot where exactly) that it should be avoided to play back or record on old tapes, since the material gets brittle over time and releases a huge amount of tiny fragments into the machinery potentially causing problems and destroying things.
I was wondering if any of you knew more about it.

#404

Sound experiment with walkman mod tape loops, video here.

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#405

This is called “sticky shed” and effects old tape that was not stored well. Not much to worry about unless you have very old masters on reel to reel tape (it does not occur on cassette).

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#406

It can be used for effect as well. (Disintegration loops). Bibio did an hommage to Basinski that seemed pretty interesting.

Read/listen here: http://www.relayproject.com/bibio.html

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#407

Good to know. I only have cassettes for now.

@janglesoul: of course I know Basinski! And yes, now that you mention it, the connection is pretty obvious. I’ll check out the Bibio thing, thanks!

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#408

Doing some research (thanks @Gahlord for the proper terminology, searching is very hard if you don’t know the words to search for) I found this.
http://www.tangible-technology.com/tape/baking1.html
From this article and others it does look like reel-based tape made until the 80s is most affected.

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#409

Short clip from Isn’tses tape sacrifice performance at Scrap Club recently: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Bu2dHAwYl/

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