Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (
More info?)
What were you smoking and where can I get some?
I don't know how one can make the assumption that a tried and true 499
calibration would equate to GP9, even if it were a simple recalibration.
996, yes. I haven't had any real appreciable differences although I like
996 more for rock and 499 more for jazz, but GP9? Just the substrate itself
is thick enough to cause problems without even worrying about biasing, and
even if one biases the recorder correctly for GP9 one still has to worry
that the heavier tape will cause enough fluctuations due to the transport
mechanism that the calibration could/would go to hell. Seems to me that GP9
would involve a mechanical problem as much, if not more, than a
recalibration problem. You said a JH-24? How long ago was it mechanically
refurbed? Can you pass signal and measure the consistancy of playback or
record?
I kinda like Scott's suggestion that moving back to 406 might be a
reasonable solution only in that it's a formulation/thickness/stiffness that
the machine would be familiar with. But then, I only do political posts
anymore, and usually I don't know what I'm talking about then, either.
--
Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio
"David Morgan (MAMS)" <mams@NOSPAm-a-m-s.com> wrote in message
news:BKu7d.460$pw4.264@trnddc01...
>
> "Scott Dorsey" <kludge@panix.com> wrote in message
news:cjh8rl$10e$1@panix2.panix.com...
> > David Morgan \(MAMS\) <mams@NOSPAm-a-m-s.com> wrote:
> > >"Scott Dorsey" <kludge@panix.com> wrote in message
news:cjh06e$1uo$1@panix2.panix.com...
>
> > >> You will, of course, need to reset the bias for the new tape.
> > >
> > >You have to realize that I haven't worked on anything but digital reels
> > >for the last 18 years or so. This is the first time that I've been on
2-inch
> > >since the late 80s. My memory tells me that 'bias' is strictly related
to
> > >the erase head, unless you're in reference to EQ. Am I having a brain
> > >fart?
> >
> > No, bias is the AC signal that is applied both to the erase and record
heads.
> > Umm... I am assuming that you aren't the person doing the weekly
alignment on
> > this machine, right?
>
>
> Are you kidding...? ;-)
>
> Since you usually require a little background.... It's a long story, but
I'll try
> to make it interesting and short...
>
> I've been working with a dentist who desires a working studio to be in
place
> in a space which he already owns, sometime around mid-summer of next
> year. We've been talking about this for a couple of years, and over that
> period of time I have been picking out and purchasing some gear on his
> behalf.
>
> Eventually, Russ Berger is going to do the control room, and we'll
probably do
> the rest of the facility 'in-house'. Plans are to have a large number of
formats
> and be able to provide a fairly massive transfer service. We already have
> 24 tracks of DAxx, 24 tracks of ADAT, 16 tracks of Mitsu, 32 tracks of
Mitsu,
> 24 tracks of Paris, ProTools funding in the can, some UFCs, ISDN
capability,
> some cool mics and outboard, etc., etc...
>
> A few months ago we purchased Joe Egan's Sony MCI JH-24 and last month
> we bought the personal DC-2000 from Soundcraft's US sales rep.
>
> Well... a friend of a friend of a friend (you know the story) happened to
know
> someone at a record label that just signed someone local, and the dentist
> is friends with the executive producer. So... said money-man convinces
the
> dentist that he should put his new gear to use and let the basic tracks be
> recorded in what was once his upstairs apartment and offices.
>
> About 20 days ago I find out that this may really happen, so walls start
being
> demolished, the electricians come in, the HVAC people come in, and
suddenly
> I am looking at about six days to have the 2" machine and the Soundcraft
desk
> moved in from storage, up two flights of stairs and wired up well enough
to
> function through tracking a session with a 40 year veteran
producer/engineer.
>
> Unfortunately, the remaining walls still had to be shored up, glass
installed,
> at least *some* absorption or diffusion put in place, windows to the
outside
> of the building sealed and baffled, some special AC wiring run, florescent
> fixtures replaced with incandescents, and parts & wire ordered to
interface
> the gear.
>
> Before I knew it, the dust was finally settling and I had just two days
left to \
> uncover the equipment and get it interfaced and checked out.
>
> To get back to the point.... the machine and console were fired up for the
> first time in a few months last Friday night, just 52 hours before the
session
> was scheduled to begin. The temporary control room was set up on
> Saturday, and with one helper, the console, the tape machine, and minimal
> outboard gear was interfaced by Sunday afternoon.
>
> The producer flew in on Sunday and naturally stopped by to see the place
> and what he would be working with. At least three people were vacuuming
> and carrying out scrap wood, wall covering was being applied to the areas
> that still looked like a house, and I was wiring outboard gear while
listening
> to the 24-track masters of the client's previous album. He shook his head
> in disbelief more than once, as did a few members of the band who had
> also dropped by the night before, when it was even more of a shambles.
>
> The producer and I met at 10:00 am on Monday to set up the machine
> as best we could. Both of us had to call technician acquaintances to
assure
> ourselves that we were on the right track with the alignment. No
specialty
> tools of any kind were there except my little Fluke 8600, an HP
oscillator,
> an EDAC pin crimper and extractor.
>
> When he arrived, no real audio had been run through but 16 of the 32
channels
> on the desk, and nothing of significance had been recorded to the tape
machine.
> (Needless to say, this man is an audio warrior, a positive thinker and
very, very
> forgiving).
>
>
> So no.... I'm not the guy doing the <ahem> "weekly" alignment. <g>
>
>
> > >I'm working for a decent producer in a different room for a few more
days.
> > >We tweaked the machine EQs, record and playback levels for the first
batch
> > >of tape, and the second is arriving at noon today.... it may be GP9.
Either way,
> > >GP9 or 499, I'll have another good look at the machine levels and EQ.
>
> The second batch of tape turned out to be 499 also.
>
> > Is there a house engineer who normally sets the machine up? Is there a
log
> > on the machine that shows when it was last set up and what it was set up
> > for? That's a service that the studio should be providing for you
before
> > beginning billable time, although I realize many today don't have the
staff
> > to do so.
>
> With part of your question answered, my advice to the dentist two weeks
> ago was to tell his (executive producer) friend to make other arrangements
> with the producer for another place to record so as not to embarrass
himself,
> but he committed and I was silly enough to like the idea of a challenge,
so I
> agreed to tackle it.
>
>
> > You should be able to call in and say "I want the machine set up
> > for this tape I am sending over, I want this level and this amount of
overbias"
> > and have it all ready when you get there.
>
> I remember those days... I just haven't seen them in 17 years. I'm not
sure
> I like the idea of going that direction, but I will eventually be doing
what ever
> is required for the machine and the test equipment *will* be in house.
>
>
> > >Mechanically speaking, I haven't tweaked at all on the likes of
azimuth, and
> > >after the producer ran a few minutes of erasure on a piece of
pre-existing tape
> > >with good results, he decided to have me pass on erase bias and
mechanical
> > >adjustments. I really don't have the gear on site to measure the
mechanical
> > >stuff anyway. Playback results really sound a great deal better than I
remember
> > >for analogue tape. Damn good AAMOF...
> >
> > If the studio has an analogue tape machine, and they don't have a scope
and
> > a reference tape in the cabinet beside it, something is terribly wrong.
>
> A corner of the building we're calling the 'control room' is indeed,
"wrong". <g>
> The astonishing thing is that when the band arrived we did have a
functioning
> drum room, a vocal room, an amp room, and a control room that modestly
told
> the better portion of the truth about what we were hearing.
>
> The sad part about this (other than the fact that this super-cool producer
whom
> I thoroughly enjoyed my week with, has to leave this weekend) is that
everything
> we've done has to be torn down in order for the _real_ construction to
begin.
>
> Amazingly enough however, after a good bit of 'down-time' (2 or 3 hours)
on
> the first day, not only have we gotten 97% of the rhythm tracks down,
which
> was the single objective, but we have totally completed 4 of the 12 songs
> and are well into overdubs and vocals.
>
>
> > >The only annoyance is listening to the faint audio during rw and ff
while in
> > >sync mode to do punches and od's.
> >
> > That's not a bug, that's a feature to help you find your place!
>
> Right. If that's what I wanted, I'd go press a finger down on the tape
over
> the head stack. <g>
>
> Sorry about the dumb question to begin with... my head's been a flurry
> for too many days. I still ccn't believe we tried this and are actually
pulling
> it off with a decent degree of success.
>
> --
> David Morgan (MAMS)
>
http
/www.m-a-m-s DOT com
> Morgan Audio Media Service
> Dallas, Texas (214) 662-9901
> _______________________________________
>
http/www.artisan-recordingstudio.com
>
>
>
>
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