Re: arsclist reel to reel player/recorder

[Mwcpc6@xxxxxxx]

I have been following this discussion with great interest since I have been 
working semiprofessionally with tape transfers for over 40 years. The 
emphasis on proper alignment, equalization, and audio levels is well taken. 
One thing that has not been mentioned in the recommendations is the 
importance of speed stability (wow and flutter).

In the late 1960s when I was attending AES conventions a major topic of 
discussion was wow and flutter in mastering tape recorders and cutting 
lathes.  Accurate and stable flutter meters had just become available and 
engineers were dismayed at the poor performance of their beloved equipment.

The effects of speed instability are subtle and not easily noticed as such. I 
was unaware of them myself until I started working with professional 
equipment and even knew an audio engineer that didn't think an off-center 
record hole affected the sound of the music. Nevertheless even a small amount 
of flutter in a recording will make it "just not sound right."

If one is using older equipment for transfers, even professional decks, it is 
unlikely that they meet their original wow and flutter specs. Dual-capstan 
systems had the best performance at the time but aging of bearing lubricants 
and rubber drive components quickly degrade performance.

 The best approach was the closed-loop servo driven system used in mastering 
recorders by 3M and incorporated in the Technics 1500 series recommended 
elsewhere in this thread. When I checked my 1500 against an older Ampex 
professional deck I had a hard time convincing myself I was looking at the 
playback, the signal was so stable compared to what I was used to from 
conventional transports.

I would strongly recommended this deck, from Ebay or elsewhere as mentioned 
earlier.  I also would hope that people making professional transfers have 
and regularly use a high quality flutter meter to regularly check the 
performance of their analog playback equipment.

Mike Csontos