Hello, electronics service tech here, I'd recommend getting all the electrolytic capacitors replaced regardless of their ESR just for peace of mind, wouldn't want that beauty popping a cap 🙂
My brother has our Grandads Sony tape player with the beautiful toggle switches and the green play button and brushed steel fascia; dull lamps illuminating the VU's. It looks amazing, feels great to use and still sounds good.
Analog recorder users like this typically store the tapes "Tails Out", meaning the tape needs to be rewound onto the supply reel before it can be played. Adam's tape was upside-down and backwards. The reason to do this is to help prevent "print-through" where magnetism from one wrap of the tape can be transferred to the next wrap. That audio is more noticeable if it happens before the original sound (Tape stored Heads-Out), rather than after (Tails Out). A great example of this effect is the faint "hey hey mama" at the start of Black Dog by Led Zeppelin. That tape was stored "Heads Out", so the faint echo is heard first, before Robert Plant starts singing.
Another possibility: I've done no research but this machine could be a half track, each stereo track recorded on one half the width of the tape. Consumer machines are quarter track, with side 1 tracks alternating with side 2 tracks running the opposite direction. Playing one of these on a half track would output all four tracks, two of them being in reverse.
I was saying out loud as Adam put the tape on, "Wrong way! That tape was probably wound and stored tails out!" LOL I was not a bit surprised when the playback was backwards.
Dang... haven't worked with audio tape in nearly 2 decades, and you just gave me full-on flashbacks to being taught this, in a studio that was rapidly going all digital. Very cool.
Hey brother, thank you for the shout out. Yes, yes, and yes…. David Fincher 100% was extremely meticulous about detail on this reel to reel. His specifications was .005 of an inch chamfer on the reels edges alone. We had two machines at our disposal and I took one to create a superhero prop for that opening sequence alone. Since a good portion of the recorder had damages, such as deep scratches, gouges, etc etc, I had to re-create those parts by CNC machining. The seal for the top cover I 3-D print it and even the top cover is not original. I had to make a new one from scratch. The top cover where the pick ups are that says Sony, I did not remove the logo, because that part as well I had to remake from scratch. Again, CNC machining. There were areas of machining that I was holding half a thou tolerance. Lol, I know, crazy. But, I was instructed that this would be an extreme close-up scene. The rest of the machine I tore down, refinished the side panels the back panel to take out all of the scratches gouges and then did a refinish using KG gun coatings. There was some Cerakote as well in there. The real’s were probably the most pain in the butt. Machining, thin metal like that can be problematic with vibration so I had to form a custom jig that sandwiched the reels down so I can machine the chamfers. The center hub is 3-D printed and if you look closely on the Opening sequence when he is tightening the reel knob, you will see my company initials KCP. That actually was an accident and no one was supposed to see that but someone put the reels upside down. I’m not gonna complain. Lol. Truth be told this task of refinishing/fabricating. This reel to reel went in front of two other prop shops before it ultimately ended up in my hands. David was extremely adamant about the quality of this prop that the Prop Master took it to two shops. One of the shops tried, but could not give the quality level of work David was asking for. That second shop gave me a call one day and said “on “Kenney don’t be mad at me but I’m sending somebody your way. They are being truly anal about the detail and I told them if you’re looking for someone that’s anal, you need to go to Ken shop“. Not five minutes later Prop Master called me at about 20 minutes later I was on a flight to Pittsburgh for a morning meeting the next day. I looked at the previous work done by the last shop, and thought to myself this is some pretty good work and question whether I could pull off with David wanted. Ultimately, that opening sequence is a project I’m most proud of being a part of and definitely one of the most beautifully done. And last, I did make mention to the art department that in exchange for the hard work, David needed to bring me on for World War Z 2. Lol there was a lot more to this project but that’s pretty much the gist of it. Thanks again, brother, for the shout out. If by any chance, you would like files to the the reel to reel or any of the other parts, let me know.
I admire the beauty of the sequence, but I cannot wrap my head around the fact that this is not accompanied with the same meticulousness about the usage. In the sequence, they start the tape, and the recording, and just then plug in and position the mic. It really took me out of the sequence when I first watched it, and I kept thinking why anyone would DO such a thing. I also learned that the guy in the sequence is fiddling with a knob which does absolutely nothing. Again... maybe that's just me, but if you do tech porn incorrectly, I get infuriated. (I'm getting seriously ecstatic when obscure stuff is done correctly, so porn is the appropriate word here ;) )
When the music came in playing backwards, my first thought was "Oh, it's tails out." I recall (from some 50 years ago working with tape) that it's done for archival storage of magnetic tape. It's meant to be rewound, then played. I think the rewinding process lets the tape "relax" prior to the first playing.
Mindhunter would have made a better sequel to the first season of true detective than any other season of true detective. The whole cast is great, writing is amazing. Also Techmoan is a real treasure and its really great to see you give him so many shout outs. I hope he does a follow up and you two can collaborate on another audio system from the screen.
The Techmoan channel is my favourite for old gadgets and very welcome trips down memory lane as I remember most of the tech he covers. I do remember his video featuring this tape recorder. I would recommend his channel to everyone who is interested in old and unusual gadgets and gizmos
My dad owned this recorder at the time. As a kid I frequently asked him if I could play with it. After he finally said yes I did al lot of fun experiments with it. Fun to see it again in this video. Sweet memories.
Thanks for the rec on Mindhunter! I can see why you fell in love with that recorder. The closeups in the opening sequence are beautiful! I loooove clean close-ups on details. Starting on the show now!
I’m glad he mentioned the Nagra IV. I used to use the mono (L), and stereo (S) versions regularly in the 70s and 80s. They were spectacularly well engineered and assembled, I never looked inside the Sonys, but they’re probably the only Japanese manufacturer that could pull it off.
Great video. You are making a lot of analog audiotape/reel to reel enthusiasts very happy to give this hobby some attention. Also great that you reached out to Matt and his Techmoan UA-cam channel. He deserves credit for what he does too. Technology is moving at light speed and way too fast for many people. If you dive deeper into this you will find workmanship and design in early electronics that is similar to what stradivarius did for violins.
10:10 - hoohhhhh, I have never heard this skipping as a REAL SOUND, I've only ever heard it digitally re-created, and now I understand what it IS! The SOUND that came outta that reel was WILD, man, absolutely peak for an analogue-horror short, my lord!
Adam. I imagine that you need not be reminded of this but you are an amazing and fortunate man. How I've longed to have such a fine example of some of the neatest gadgetry. Yet, financial constraints bid me to using cassette recoders. But I'm here to tell you, I'd have no other nerd than you to provide me with the benefit of living vicariously. Godspeed man and keep up the good work!
@Charles Lybrand According to Anthony Grimani, formerly a lead engineer at Dolby Labratories, in the listening tests that they conducted, people could not distinguish between digital CD playback and a Cassette Tape recording if it used Dolby C or later noise reduction. So you're all good. 😉 I use a 3-track (L & R + Cue) Fostex E2 R2R and an Akai GX-95 3-head cassette deck.
My father had a reel to reel tape player and that is one of my earliest memories. Him playing his music while he got ready for work. He still has it to this day, though it hasn't been used in years.
This is SO geeky and I LOVE IT! Techmoan is one of my subscriptions, and for good reason. It is uplifting to see you on youtube!! Thanks for the detailed video.
You talk about how happy you are to have these in your collection. Can you imagine I really used this for daily work, and now it sits in someone's collection as a relic of times gone by....
That recording is simply on the finishing reel that someone just didn’t rewind but took it off after they finished listening. I have lots of reel to reel recorders & I’m 99.9999 % positive all you need to do is dump that tape on a different reel then put the empty on the other side & listen to that magical recording in all of its glory. Love your videos & your spirit Adam
I once had a reel to reel when I was younger, it was bigger than that one, but I loved using it to record over and over again. I was a big radio geek growing up.
I owned one of these (well, the TC-510-2 export version) in the 70s. Used it to gather, edit and replay sound effects and music for stage productions. A great machine, and one of my most prized possessions at the time. Great to see it highlighted!
Hi David, seeing this vid reminded me of your beloved TC-510-2 from the 70s, which in turn reminds me of the Sony MXP-42 portable audio mixer which I bought in 1985. Very similar aesthetic, very high performance and built to last. It met with a Nasty Accident a few years ago; its storage case got filled with rain water when the grip truck roof leaked! After carefully drying it out it worked perfectly. Most unexpected. Still working today as a constantly-on pre-amp on my office desk. Big ups to the golden age of Sony. 🎤😊
@@wombatperson Hi Peter, great to hear from you! Funny, another TC-510-2 came across a friend's workbench (he mainly services musical gear). He was overloaded so I said I'd have a crack at repairing it. I found out the battery pack connections had come adrift inside the case. Opened it up and put them back in place. It worked perfectly. Yes, great gear.
This video was a reminder that I should give my Nagra IS field recorder more attention. I obtained it on a yard sale at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) some years ago, and the machine is still in pristine condition, albeit a bit battered through many years of heavy use. A sticker on the side says that the unit was last serviced just months before I bought it. These things are amazing!
My "Strange and Unique Tape Recorder" is a Tascam 488MkII Portastudio, which takes standard Phillips Cassette Tapes. What makes it special, however, is that it's a _8 track_ tape recorder. On a standard (although Chrome) Phillips Cassette Tape *_EIGHT TRACKS_* It uses both the A side and B side at the same time (that's 4 tracks, 2 stereo pairs normally) and squeezes another 4 tracks in between. To make that possible, as well as a Tascam designed custom 8 track head, it doubles the transport speed. This means that a C60, the longest tape recommended, gets it's run length quartered and you really should only use brand new sealed tapes and it's specifically biased for TDK Type II tapes. It's wild and great fun to use.
I can remember as a 3-4yo boy recording tapes that my 2 brothers and my Mom sent and received Tapes from my dad while he was deployed in Vietnam. Probably 1966 thru 1968ish . He served 2 tours and this was my first memory of my Dad. I miss you Dad
I think the reason I subscribe to this channel is it's based on pure joy and not hatred. It's clear everyone who works here loves their job, and loves the industry. It's so refreshing from other channels that just spew hate all the time.
Adam thank you for bringing up "Mind Hunter" series. Didn't take long to find both seasons to download and watch. Such a pleasure to see Anna Torv back on the tube, I truly loved watching her on "Fringe", it's just a treat to see her do something else...
Translated the backwards audio: "Satan is your pal, Satan is your friend". Great vid. In the 70s our neighbor Charlie was a tech/DJ for WLLE am radio. In his basement he had a huge HAM radio set up and would let us suburban kids check it out from time to time. He also had a work bench full of Nagras of all kinds. I got obsessed with the Nagra SN Portables, just a work of art. I remember tons of government license plated cars stopping by at all hours dropping off and picking up boxes of stuff. At his funeral I asked his wife about those sedans, she said that Charlie did lots of work for the government. Nice.
It's considered technically correct practice to store your reels end-out, so that if someone threads it up to play, it will be playing backwards. Just put it onto the other reel, and then play it. The reason for storing reels "tails out" is so that if there is bleed-through (magnetic imprinting from one layer of tape to the next) it will sound like a natural echo, and not a creepy pre-sound.
Forward or backward, that's got to be Tom Jones. I guess reversing a vocal signal doesn't alter the formant. Great stuff as always! It's good to see someone appreciating older technology in an unironic way.
I thought the same, and just confirmed it by capturing the audio and reversing it. The first thing we hear is Tom Jones performing "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and then after Adam scrubs through the tape, we then hear "Till I Can't Take It Anymore." Apropos for the age of the reels. Kinda cool. The tapes too are artifacts ;)
Adam, would love to see you explore the world of electric guitar effects!!! It’s an amazing, tactile world full of switches, toggles, knobs, and sliders where vintage analog tech like magnetic drum echo units collide with cutting edge digital circuit modeling of vintage bucket brigade integrated circuits. Maker musicians of all levels build unique signal chains connecting modular units via quater inch cables and 9volt power supplies that click satisfyingly into place and leds that pulse with the life in rhythmic synchronization. Let me know if you need any suggestions on where to start.
What a wonderful piece of technology. I love classic tech like that, so tactile, with switches and dials and knobs that move with a satisfying click, none of the swipie swipie technology we have now.
NOTHING beats the early days of music equipment/ tech! The metal, wood, glass, gauges, etc! I wish i could remember what the brand and style of record, tape and radio all in one was. It was like 4 feet high by 2 feet wide or so....silver.......Me being born in 1988 and getting it in my room around age 7.....i only used it for tapes and radio.....but man i loved everything about it!
Tape is usually stored tape out - stops print through and also kinder to the tape as its not so tightly wrapped from rewind as opposed to 'played' onto the reel.
Such beautiful industrial design. They really don’t make this kind of tech anymore. The tactile nature of its use gives the user a real connection to the process. Amazing.
Sony audio kit from that era has such a distinct look. I've got a few bits of Sony hi-fi kit from the 80's and 90's, and while the sound wasn't much more than decent, the look was absolutely iconic.
I love the older mechanical gear that can be operated without even looking at it. Same for cars. I'll take knobs and switches over a touchpanel any day of the week. Off to watch the Techmoan video. :)
I remember this machine. I was so lucky to have a Mum in Media so I had a Sony to play with AND a Dad working for the national broadcaster so I also had access to a Nagra! Amazing machines.
Those switches and that display is gorgeous, it feels like the inside of an X wing…that design and the look is something beautiful….I get why you want that in your collection…
Hi Adam, great video, and I wanted to say I have this same deck in my collection as well. This deck needs some service though. Take-up is not at all what it should be when engaging play. Usually, it's hardened grease, a typical Sony thing. You can fix this by yourself quite easely, just take the top cover off, and remove the c-clips to take out the arms holding the idler wheels. Another thing with these is a small clip keeping the rec-play knob in place. this clip tends to brake. Replacing it is no easy job, but a new part can be found online with some searching or manufactured yourself if you have access to a workshop. Keep up the good work!
The reason why it's playing backwards is because it is playing the wrong tracks. The recorder recording that tape may have a different track layout than this player thus you are actually playing the track that was recorded on the other side of the tape (the take up spool on the recorder became the supply spool) as the tape was flipped over on the recorder to record the other side.
If I remember correctly, Matt had his reels custom made and shorts after, the company he had bought them from started selling the replicas on their online store.
Many moons ago, I recorded the field audio for five of the Public Service Announcements in MTV’s “Rock Against Drugs” on-air campaign, and for every one of them I used the Nagra IV-s version of this machine, along with a portable mic boom and a selection of shotgun condenser mics. All the audio (even though each one was filmed in a different location) came out sounding GORGEOUS! I have no experience with the SONY version of this machine. But I can say that the Nagra version was a true gem. And it would most likely take me as long as it took to thread the tape through the machine to have mastered every function. As far as I can see, the meter panel (and its attendant switches and such) are identical to the ones I used on each shoot I worked on for that campaign.
Just watched opening scene from Mindhunter. Remarkable. The juxtaposition of the pristine TC-5550-2 stereo tape recorder with murder victims was truly jarring. Question: will Adam rebuild/refurbish his recorder to match the one in Mindhunter? Would be magnificent and completely insane if he did.
I'm so old, that I used to mix sound on commercials on a Nagra. It was during the waning years before tascam, but I was lucky enough to learn on that piece of machinery!
The way the head stack looks, black anodize on top and individual heads mounted to and adjusted from it looks very muck like the MCI JH-110 style of tape deck. As I recall, MCI was originally a Florida based company. Their decks were interesting in that the capstan motor shaft was ceramic, not metal and the speed was controlled like a PLL synthesizer referenced to a crystal clock! The supply and takeup motors were dc motors that were in a loop that monitored and adjusted the tape tension before and after the capstan and corrected the drive automatically. They were nice decks that recorded and reproduced very cleanly. I still have a couple "kicking around, including a JH-24, 2" 24 track that was produced after Sony took over the company! Enjoy your deck!
I remember having Mononucleosis in high school and I watched 5th Element, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Empire Strikes Back on VHS time and again as I was relegated to the couch.
Check out @techmoan's channel here: www.youtube.com/@Techmoan
Techmoan does awesome videos! Never disappointed over on his channel!
@@silveradoguy87 100% agree, been looking forward to Techmoans weeklyish videos for a long while now.
@@warhamsterful I've been watching him for years now. I miss the puppets! Lol
Hello, electronics service tech here, I'd recommend getting all the electrolytic capacitors replaced regardless of their ESR just for peace of mind, wouldn't want that beauty popping a cap 🙂
@@dizzy2020 that name (which may not be his real name ) has been used on UA-cam by his friends
This feels like a sequel for the Techmoans' video.
Just the good quality vu meters would sell it for Techmoan 👍
lol He was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thumbnail
I like that Adam name dropped Techmoan
This is what makes UA-cam so awesome
both tech nerds need to meet up and nerd out some more about vintage tech
Adam X techmoan is INCREDIBLE. Few things in the tech world are more beautiful than a vintage piece of Sony equipment.
That's it for the moment. As always, thanks for watching.
"Adam X techmoan"
That is a PERFECT description of this video!
Hahahah! Red=Rewind! 😅
My brother has our Grandads Sony tape player with the beautiful toggle switches and the green play button and brushed steel fascia; dull lamps illuminating the VU's. It looks amazing, feels great to use and still sounds good.
Yea, with Adam actually fixing something, like that Japanese microsystem of late might survive
Analog recorder users like this typically store the tapes "Tails Out", meaning the tape needs to be rewound onto the supply reel before it can be played. Adam's tape was upside-down and backwards. The reason to do this is to help prevent "print-through" where magnetism from one wrap of the tape can be transferred to the next wrap. That audio is more noticeable if it happens before the original sound (Tape stored Heads-Out), rather than after (Tails Out). A great example of this effect is the faint "hey hey mama" at the start of Black Dog by Led Zeppelin. That tape was stored "Heads Out", so the faint echo is heard first, before Robert Plant starts singing.
Another possibility: I've done no research but this machine could be a half track, each stereo track recorded on one half the width of the tape. Consumer machines are quarter track, with side 1 tracks alternating with side 2 tracks running the opposite direction. Playing one of these on a half track would output all four tracks, two of them being in reverse.
I was saying out loud as Adam put the tape on, "Wrong way! That tape was probably wound and stored tails out!" LOL I was not a bit surprised when the playback was backwards.
Dang... haven't worked with audio tape in nearly 2 decades, and you just gave me full-on flashbacks to being taught this, in a studio that was rapidly going all digital. Very cool.
Figured the same myself. I recall using items similar to this in college. Loved the simplicity of them. Ironic given Adams slight error there!
I didn't know that but I thought it was backwards from the bit of tape sticking out from the center of the reel. That would clearly be at the top.
Nice to see TechMoan get a shout-out. Fascinating channel.
He also made a shout-out to Tom Scott recently. I guess all the nerds watch the same channels. :-)
Hey brother, thank you for the shout out. Yes, yes, and yes…. David Fincher 100% was extremely meticulous about detail on this reel to reel. His specifications was .005 of an inch chamfer on the reels edges alone. We had two machines at our disposal and I took one to create a superhero prop for that opening sequence alone. Since a good portion of the recorder had damages, such as deep scratches, gouges, etc etc, I had to re-create those parts by CNC machining. The seal for the top cover I 3-D print it and even the top cover is not original. I had to make a new one from scratch. The top cover where the pick ups are that says Sony, I did not remove the logo, because that part as well I had to remake from scratch. Again, CNC machining. There were areas of machining that I was holding half a thou tolerance. Lol, I know, crazy. But, I was instructed that this would be an extreme close-up scene. The rest of the machine I tore down, refinished the side panels the back panel to take out all of the scratches gouges and then did a refinish using KG gun coatings. There was some Cerakote as well in there.
The real’s were probably the most pain in the butt. Machining, thin metal like that can be problematic with vibration so I had to form a custom jig that sandwiched the reels down so I can machine the chamfers. The center hub is 3-D printed and if you look closely on the Opening sequence when he is tightening the reel knob, you will see my company initials KCP. That actually was an accident and no one was supposed to see that but someone put the reels upside down. I’m not gonna complain. Lol.
Truth be told this task of refinishing/fabricating. This reel to reel went in front of two other prop shops before it ultimately ended up in my hands. David was extremely adamant about the quality of this prop that the Prop Master took it to two shops. One of the shops tried, but could not give the quality level of work David was asking for.
That second shop gave me a call one day and said “on “Kenney don’t be mad at me but I’m sending somebody your way. They are being truly anal about the detail and I told them if you’re looking for someone that’s anal, you need to go to Ken shop“. Not five minutes later Prop Master called me at about 20 minutes later I was on a flight to Pittsburgh for a morning meeting the next day. I looked at the previous work done by the last shop, and thought to myself this is some pretty good work and question whether I could pull off with David wanted. Ultimately, that opening sequence is a project I’m most proud of being a part of and definitely one of the most beautifully done.
And last, I did make mention to the art department that in exchange for the hard work, David needed to bring me on for World War Z 2. Lol there was a lot more to this project but that’s pretty much the gist of it. Thanks again, brother, for the shout out.
If by any chance, you would like files to the the reel to reel or any of the other parts, let me know.
Beautiful and considerate work. Loved the titles and it looked pristine.
the reel's edges .... The reals
Where can we find the video of you making the reels? Couldn’t find them @kcpstudio UA-cam. Amazing work!
I admire the beauty of the sequence, but I cannot wrap my head around the fact that this is not accompanied with the same meticulousness about the usage. In the sequence, they start the tape, and the recording, and just then plug in and position the mic. It really took me out of the sequence when I first watched it, and I kept thinking why anyone would DO such a thing.
I also learned that the guy in the sequence is fiddling with a knob which does absolutely nothing. Again... maybe that's just me, but if you do tech porn incorrectly, I get infuriated. (I'm getting seriously ecstatic when obscure stuff is done correctly, so porn is the appropriate word here ;) )
Techmoan: officially goated 🙏🏽 that's it for the moment
When the music came in playing backwards, my first thought was "Oh, it's tails out." I recall (from some 50 years ago working with tape) that it's done for archival storage of magnetic tape. It's meant to be rewound, then played. I think the rewinding process lets the tape "relax" prior to the first playing.
Bring. Back. Mindhunter!
It was fantastic television.
Netflix cancels all their good shows.
SO good, right?
I still find it hilarious whenever Adam says, "Aziz, light!" Such a great randomly used quote.
Much better thank you Aziz
My wife and I use that one randomly because we're huge 5th Element fans. It's fun to hear someone else "sound like us".
@@kencoxdesign same, I say it all the time and no one gets it. Glad I'm not the only crazy one out there. Haha.
Oh I dunno about randomly used - it's completely appropriate very time he says it!
@@MemphisHills "I say it all the time and no one gets it" name checks out.... :)
Adam, I love seeing you geek out over technology, even when it’s something I’m not into. The pure joy on your face is contagious lol.
Mindhunter would have made a better sequel to the first season of true detective than any other season of true detective. The whole cast is great, writing is amazing.
Also Techmoan is a real treasure and its really great to see you give him so many shout outs. I hope he does a follow up and you two can collaborate on another audio system from the screen.
The Techmoan channel is my favourite for old gadgets and very welcome trips down memory lane as I remember most of the tech he covers. I do remember his video featuring this tape recorder. I would recommend his channel to everyone who is interested in old and unusual gadgets and gizmos
A good looking reel-to-reel is a work of art!
My dad owned this recorder at the time. As a kid I frequently asked him if I could play with it. After he finally said yes I did al lot of fun experiments with it. Fun to see it again in this video. Sweet memories.
Thanks for the rec on Mindhunter! I can see why you fell in love with that recorder. The closeups in the opening sequence are beautiful! I loooove clean close-ups on details. Starting on the show now!
I’m glad he mentioned the Nagra IV.
I used to use the mono (L), and stereo (S) versions regularly in the 70s and 80s.
They were spectacularly well engineered and assembled, I never looked inside the Sonys, but they’re probably the only Japanese manufacturer that could pull it off.
Nakamichi made some great cassette tape decks. Nagra was in a class of it's own
Great video. You are making a lot of analog audiotape/reel to reel enthusiasts very happy to give this hobby some attention. Also great that you reached out to Matt and his Techmoan UA-cam channel. He deserves credit for what he does too. Technology is moving at light speed and way too fast for many people. If you dive deeper into this you will find workmanship and design in early electronics that is similar to what stradivarius did for violins.
10:10 - hoohhhhh, I have never heard this skipping as a REAL SOUND, I've only ever heard it digitally re-created, and now I understand what it IS! The SOUND that came outta that reel was WILD, man, absolutely peak for an analogue-horror short, my lord!
Ditto. Wow, so glad that happened.
👍 Gonna capture/sample that RIGHT NOW! 😛 And then reverse it as well for a "ramp up".
That was way worse that it typically would be on a properly working machine
@@joelsanfordphoto Worse... or better? :3
I also love Techmoan, thank you for plugging him!
Adam. I imagine that you need not be reminded of this but you are an amazing and fortunate man. How I've longed to have such a fine example of some of the neatest gadgetry. Yet, financial constraints bid me to using cassette recoders. But I'm here to tell you, I'd have no other nerd than you to provide me with the benefit of living vicariously. Godspeed man and keep up the good work!
@Charles Lybrand
According to Anthony Grimani, formerly a lead engineer at Dolby Labratories, in the listening tests that they conducted, people could not distinguish between digital CD playback and a Cassette Tape recording if it used Dolby C or later noise reduction. So you're all good. 😉
I use a 3-track (L & R + Cue) Fostex E2 R2R and an Akai GX-95 3-head cassette deck.
Can't wait to see what type of case you are going to make for it.
You know Adam well!
My father had a reel to reel tape player and that is one of my earliest memories. Him playing his music while he got ready for work. He still has it to this day, though it hasn't been used in years.
I just love the way you communicate with your audience, just brilliant !
This is SO geeky and I LOVE IT! Techmoan is one of my subscriptions, and for good reason. It is uplifting to see you on youtube!! Thanks for the detailed video.
One of my heroes talking about something I would expect from my other heroes. I love it, and I also love Techmoan
Loving Techmoan getting a Savage shout-out!
hah! love the shoutout to Techmoan ... he's definitely the king of retro audio on youtube
You talk about how happy you are to have these in your collection. Can you imagine I really used this for daily work, and now it sits in someone's collection as a relic of times gone by....
The tape is “tails out” which is a proper storage technique.
Place the reel on the takeup side and rewind to the beginning to play it forward.
The fact that Adam Savage possibly also goes "Uhhh, nice, a new Techmoan video!" sometimes, somehow makes the world a happier place for me..
That recording is simply on the finishing reel that someone just didn’t rewind but took it off after they finished listening. I have lots of reel to reel recorders & I’m 99.9999 % positive all you need to do is dump that tape on a different reel then put the empty on the other side & listen to that magical recording in all of its glory. Love your videos & your spirit Adam
Beautiful piece. Thank you for showing and telling!
Also a huge Mindhunter fan. Cool piece, Adam. Thanks for the show-and-tell!
I loved mindhunter we need another season!
Tested and Techmoan what a crossover
I used to repair Nagra 1/4" stereo tape recorders. Absolutely beautiful piece of Swiss engineering. I also repaired Uher recorders.
Hearing that you know and love Techmoan is right up there with the time Jack White covered Jason Isbell. Just makes my soul happy
I love it every time you say “Assize, light!”
I once had a reel to reel when I was younger, it was bigger than that one, but I loved using it to record over and over again. I was a big radio geek growing up.
Loveddd Mindhunter! I have done a couple rewatches. This is such a cool machine.
I owned one of these (well, the TC-510-2 export version) in the 70s. Used it to gather, edit and replay sound effects and music for stage productions. A great machine, and one of my most prized possessions at the time. Great to see it highlighted!
Hi David, seeing this vid reminded me of your beloved TC-510-2 from the 70s, which in turn reminds me of the Sony MXP-42 portable audio mixer which I bought in 1985. Very similar aesthetic, very high performance and built to last. It met with a Nasty Accident a few years ago; its storage case got filled with rain water when the grip truck roof leaked! After carefully drying it out it worked perfectly. Most unexpected. Still working today as a constantly-on pre-amp on my office desk. Big ups to the golden age of Sony. 🎤😊
@@wombatperson Hi Peter, great to hear from you! Funny, another TC-510-2 came across a friend's workbench (he mainly services musical gear). He was overloaded so I said I'd have a crack at repairing it. I found out the battery pack connections had come adrift inside the case. Opened it up and put them back in place. It worked perfectly. Yes, great gear.
I absolutely love the ritual of preparing and operating analog audio gear.
This video was a reminder that I should give my Nagra IS field recorder more attention. I obtained it on a yard sale at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) some years ago, and the machine is still in pristine condition, albeit a bit battered through many years of heavy use. A sticker on the side says that the unit was last serviced just months before I bought it. These things are amazing!
Apart from the Sony TC-5550 being stereo, the IS is a far better machine in every other aspect...
My "Strange and Unique Tape Recorder" is a Tascam 488MkII Portastudio, which takes standard Phillips Cassette Tapes.
What makes it special, however, is that it's a _8 track_ tape recorder.
On a standard (although Chrome) Phillips Cassette Tape
*_EIGHT TRACKS_*
It uses both the A side and B side at the same time (that's 4 tracks, 2 stereo pairs normally) and squeezes another 4 tracks in between.
To make that possible, as well as a Tascam designed custom 8 track head, it doubles the transport speed.
This means that a C60, the longest tape recommended, gets it's run length quartered and you really should only use brand new sealed tapes and it's specifically biased for TDK Type II tapes.
It's wild and great fun to use.
Appreciate the 5th Element joke, I say it all the time! "Aziz...LIGHT!!"
Every BBC local radio station had at least one of those, but they had the Uher Report L version. So beautiful!
Those gauges 🤌🤌
Thank god you finally talked about it.
I was curious the whole time!
I can remember as a 3-4yo boy recording tapes that my 2 brothers and my Mom sent and received Tapes from my dad while he was deployed in Vietnam. Probably 1966 thru 1968ish . He served 2 tours and this was my first memory of my Dad. I miss you Dad
Need to see more of this stuff ahead =) !!!!
I think the reason I subscribe to this channel is it's based on pure joy and not hatred. It's clear everyone who works here loves their job, and loves the industry. It's so refreshing from other channels that just spew hate all the time.
Have to immediately comment, but hearing Adam Savage mention Techmoan was a delightful surprise!
Adam thank you for bringing up "Mind Hunter" series. Didn't take long to find both seasons to download and watch. Such a pleasure to see Anna Torv back on the tube, I truly loved watching her on "Fringe", it's just a treat to see her do something else...
Let's all show some public appreciation for Matt @ TechMoan and all the great work he does.
Great tape machine, thanks for showing it! The tape was stored tails-out which is why it played backwards.
Very cool piece of equipment and history and a Fifth Element reference as the cherry on the top. 😀
Very well explained, also technically (audio) excellently recorded!
5:21 - Im glad its not just me that Quotes this when looking for lights!
Thanks for getting me to finally watch MINDHUNTER! It’s been on my list but the mention of Anna Torv got me to mash play.
Damn what a beautiful piece of technology
Props to Adam for citing Techmoan
Translated the backwards audio: "Satan is your pal, Satan is your friend". Great vid.
In the 70s our neighbor Charlie was a tech/DJ for WLLE am radio. In his basement he had a huge HAM radio set up and would let us suburban kids check it out from time to time. He also had a work bench full of Nagras of all kinds. I got obsessed with the Nagra SN Portables, just a work of art. I remember tons of government license plated cars stopping by at all hours dropping off and picking up boxes of stuff. At his funeral I asked his wife about those sedans, she said that Charlie did lots of work for the government. Nice.
As one tech collector to an other bless you for taking care of and loving them all.
It's considered technically correct practice to store your reels end-out, so that if someone threads it up to play, it will be playing backwards. Just put it onto the other reel, and then play it. The reason for storing reels "tails out" is so that if there is bleed-through (magnetic imprinting from one layer of tape to the next) it will sound like a natural echo, and not a creepy pre-sound.
Forward or backward, that's got to be Tom Jones. I guess reversing a vocal signal doesn't alter the formant. Great stuff as always! It's good to see someone appreciating older technology in an unironic way.
I thought the same, and just confirmed it by capturing the audio and reversing it. The first thing we hear is Tom Jones performing "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and then after Adam scrubs through the tape, we then hear "Till I Can't Take It Anymore." Apropos for the age of the reels. Kinda cool. The tapes too are artifacts ;)
I had to go watch the opening credits, and I agree, it is a great introduction to the recorder... I love these types of tech...
HUGE shout out to Techmoan! these things are so beautiful. they really do not make them like they used to.
Adam, would love to see you explore the world of electric guitar effects!!! It’s an amazing, tactile world full of switches, toggles, knobs, and sliders where vintage analog tech like magnetic drum echo units collide with cutting edge digital circuit modeling of vintage bucket brigade integrated circuits. Maker musicians of all levels build unique signal chains connecting modular units via quater inch cables and 9volt power supplies that click satisfyingly into place and leds that pulse with the life in rhythmic synchronization. Let me know if you need any suggestions on where to start.
Thank you for your super thanks! We appreciate your support!
What a wonderful piece of technology. I love classic tech like that, so tactile, with switches and dials and knobs that move with a satisfying click, none of the swipie swipie technology we have now.
NOTHING beats the early days of music equipment/ tech! The metal, wood, glass, gauges, etc! I wish i could remember what the brand and style of record, tape and radio all in one was. It was like 4 feet high by 2 feet wide or so....silver.......Me being born in 1988 and getting it in my room around age 7.....i only used it for tapes and radio.....but man i loved everything about it!
Tape is usually stored tape out - stops print through and also kinder to the tape as its not so tightly wrapped from rewind as opposed to 'played' onto the reel.
These things are so rare for some reason, I've only ever seen 3 of these come up in the UK.
Such beautiful industrial design. They really don’t make this kind of tech anymore. The tactile nature of its use gives the user a real connection to the process. Amazing.
+1 for Techmoan!
Sony audio kit from that era has such a distinct look. I've got a few bits of Sony hi-fi kit from the 80's and 90's, and while the sound wasn't much more than decent, the look was absolutely iconic.
Great machine sir you are awesome Adam sir nice this Recorder is rare
That’s so neat. It’s so cool to see something from so far in the past, and you can see it working and listen to it.
😂so far in the past...1976. For the record (uhuh) the phonograph was invented in 1877.
Beautiful piece of tech.
I grew up with you guys on MythBusters and I still want you today those were good times
The Mindhunter show amazing the recorder in the show and yours amazing! I want one.
I love the older mechanical gear that can be operated without even looking at it. Same for cars. I'll take knobs and switches over a touchpanel any day of the week.
Off to watch the Techmoan video. :)
I remember this machine. I was so lucky to have a Mum in Media so I had a Sony to play with AND a Dad working for the national broadcaster so I also had access to a Nagra! Amazing machines.
Those switches and that display is gorgeous, it feels like the inside of an X wing…that design and the look is something beautiful….I get why you want that in your collection…
That is friggin' eerie, the way that backwards opera starts seeping into the soundscape 😂
Hi Adam, great video, and I wanted to say I have this same deck in my collection as well. This deck needs some service though. Take-up is not at all what it should be when engaging play. Usually, it's hardened grease, a typical Sony thing. You can fix this by yourself quite easely, just take the top cover off, and remove the c-clips to take out the arms holding the idler wheels. Another thing with these is a small clip keeping the rec-play knob in place. this clip tends to brake. Replacing it is no easy job, but a new part can be found online with some searching or manufactured yourself if you have access to a workshop. Keep up the good work!
The reason why it's playing backwards is because it is playing the wrong tracks. The recorder recording that tape may have a different track layout than this player thus you are actually playing the track that was recorded on the other side of the tape (the take up spool on the recorder became the supply spool) as the tape was flipped over on the recorder to record the other side.
Correct
If I remember correctly, Matt had his reels custom made and shorts after, the company he had bought them from started selling the replicas on their online store.
05:20 I greatly enjoyed that Fifth Element quote.
Many moons ago, I recorded the field audio for five of the Public Service Announcements in MTV’s “Rock Against Drugs” on-air campaign, and for every one of them I used the Nagra IV-s version of this machine, along with a portable mic boom and a selection of shotgun condenser mics. All the audio (even though each one was filmed in a different location) came out sounding GORGEOUS! I have no experience with the SONY version of this machine. But I can say that the Nagra version was a true gem. And it would most likely take me as long as it took to thread the tape through the machine to have mastered every function. As far as I can see, the meter panel (and its attendant switches and such) are identical to the ones I used on each shoot I worked on for that campaign.
Amazing Tech
I had never heard of it
Just saw episode 1
I'm sold!
Thanks Adam
🇳🇱🥰
Just watched opening scene from Mindhunter. Remarkable. The juxtaposition of the pristine TC-5550-2 stereo tape recorder with murder victims was truly jarring.
Question: will Adam rebuild/refurbish his recorder to match the one in Mindhunter? Would be magnificent and completely insane if he did.
I'm so old, that I used to mix sound on commercials on a Nagra. It was during the waning years before tascam, but I was lucky enough to learn on that piece of machinery!
The way the head stack looks, black anodize on top and individual heads mounted to and adjusted from it looks very muck like the MCI JH-110 style of tape deck. As I recall, MCI was originally a Florida based company. Their decks were interesting in that the capstan motor shaft was ceramic, not metal and the speed was controlled like a PLL synthesizer referenced to a crystal clock! The supply and takeup motors were dc motors that were in a loop that monitored and adjusted the tape tension before and after the capstan and corrected the drive automatically. They were nice decks that recorded and reproduced very cleanly. I still have a couple "kicking around, including a JH-24, 2" 24 track that was produced after Sony took over the company!
Enjoy your deck!
5:20 "Aziz light!" - I had to laugh at that. Usually if I use that, no one gets my 5th Element reference (any more) ;-)
I remember having Mononucleosis in high school and I watched 5th Element, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Empire Strikes Back on VHS time and again as I was relegated to the couch.
Adam mentioning Techmoan as inspiration? DANG!
Wooo! @Techmoan with the shout-out!
We all love a bit of techmoan =) =)
This is such a cool piece.