The Music Tape - Not so musical

[vidguy]

Well, I bought a few tapes off the 'bay called "The Music Tape"
10.5" NOS Metal Reels.

Thought I'd made a score, unfortuately not so.

Trying one tape so far, encountering a few drop-outs.

Well, the reels are pretty, in any case.

[vidguy]

Beware this seller

Just tried 2 more tapes.
This stuff is junk. Full of dropouts.

The reels are nice, however, so are the boxes.

Buy a couple for the reels maybe, not the tape.

[Des-Lab]

Well it may or may not be the sellers fault. That tape is pretty ancient. Unless of course he's selling it as "mint" and "guaranteed".

I had a case of those (http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=3802) awhile back and I basically gave them away because they had a bunch of suspicious powder on them. The boxes and tape may or may not be ok, but those quirky reels with the bulbous shaped cutouts do have a certain character to them.

[Warped Bezel]

That's because Crockett and Tubbs finally got the Columbian and they didn't find all his stuff, of course.

[vidguy]

Well it may or may not be the sellers fault. That tape is pretty ancient. Unless of course he's selling it as "mint" and "guaranteed".

I had a case of those (http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=3802) awhile back and I basically gave them away because they had a bunch of suspicious powder on them. The boxes and tape may or may not be ok, but those quirky reels with the bulbous shaped cutouts do have a certain character to them.


True, I should have said "Beware of Tape" instead.

Oh well, I've got 6 shiny reels that have a funky look.

I've paid more, for less, so I'll be happy.

[vidguy]

That's because Crockett and Tubbs finally got the Columbian and they didn't find all his stuff, of course.

It took me a while, but I finally got the reference.

*lmao*

[Lance Lawson]

Buying reel to reel tape on ebay is a risky business! I have avoided the temptation and will only buy new or verifiable NOS from reputable sellers. Most of the the ebay tape is over priced. Lastly we the reel to reel community need to buy new manufactured tape or we're likely to lose the option of buying brand new tape altogether. And that'll mean we're forever at the mercy of ebay sharks and the choices there will become more and more dicey as the used/old tape supplies dry up.

[bob955i]

....Lastly we the reel to reel community need to buy new manufactured tape or we're likely to lose the option of buying brand new tape altogether. And that'll mean we're forever at the mercy of ebay sharks and the choices there will become more and more dicey as the used/old tape supplies dry up.

+1 to the above. I also do photography and the same analogy applies to that when it comes to film. Essentially, if we don't buy the stuff they'll stop making it. That said, they could still pull the plug on tape and film anyway eventually, but if there's a reasonably healthy market, it would hopefully make it harder for the beancounters to justify.

As an example, Fuji stopped making the massively popular for landscapes Velvia slide film resulting in a huge upsurge in last ever batch buy-ups and demand for its return. And return it did, but it's up to those who shoot it to try and keep it viable for Fuji to continue with.

[Des-Lab]

Buying reel to reel tape on ebay is a risky business! I have avoided the temptation and will only buy new or verifiable NOS from reputable sellers. Most of the the ebay tape is over priced. Lastly we the reel to reel community need to buy new manufactured tape or we're likely to lose the option of buying brand new tape altogether. And that'll mean we're forever at the mercy of ebay sharks and the choices there will become more and more dicey as the used/old tape supplies dry up.

Once again, this is a double edged sword. For all of the sharks that call themselves sellers out there, there is likewise no shortage of buyers as well that are vultures and look to game the system any way they can. This is the fundamental difference between "cheap" and "frugal". The latter is careful with their money but is generous with others and doesn't cut corners or chase pennies and believes in an honest price on both sides of the transaction. The former on the other hand specifically goes out of his or her way to "stick it to" the seller and/or walk away believing he got something for nothing, which is his primary objective. He isn't happy unless he is thinking "chump sucker" in his mind. In that vein, you can only hang so much of those prices on sellers. If they are pricing in line with what current prices are, he isn't really taking advantage of anything; it's buyers who are ginning those prices up. I agree that we should purchase new items whenever possible. But that's only assuming that they are suitable for your needs and that you can trust spending your hard earned money on them. Although I do feel somewhat relieved following my chat with RMGI, the issue still remains to be definitively settled. For starters, let's see if he even sends the replacement tapes as promised or decides to do an about-face and plays the "they're out of warranty" hard line. Then, the tape[s] will need to be re-recorded and ran in. I see your logic in wanting to avoid supporting independent sellers (even though as often as not, they aren't the ones setting the prices. The bidders are.) And remember with regards to the new makers. It doesn't matter how high demand might be, there are absolute minimum prices that much be charged to cover costs of production, staffing, and distribution. If not enough buyers are out there willing to support the product at those levels, then they go under. The line between "what [you think] it's worth" against economic realities of the maker can be a big one. Remember. Demand need not fall to zero before an industry or product can die off.

+1 to the above. I also do photography and the same analogy applies to that when it comes to film. Essentially, if we don't buy the stuff they'll stop making it. That said, they could still pull the plug on tape and film anyway eventually, but if there's a reasonably healthy market, it would hopefully make it harder for the beancounters to justify.

As an example, Fuji stopped making the massively popular for landscapes Velvia slide film resulting in a huge upsurge in last ever batch buy-ups and demand for its return. And return it did, but it's up to those who shoot it to try and keep it viable for Fuji to continue with.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but unlike magnetic recording tape, which if it's stable, can have almost an indefinite shelf life (i.e. NOS tapes of certain makes from the 70's, 80's, and 90's are still usable today with excellent results), doesn't photographic film have to be used within a specific time frame lest the dyes and pigments in the film lose their retentivity thus rendering it useless for good pictures?

[bob955i]

.....Correct me if I'm wrong, but unlike magnetic recording tape, which if it's stable, can have almost an indefinite shelf life (i.e. NOS tapes of certain makes from the 70's, 80's, and 90's are still usable today with excellent results), doesn't photographic film have to be used within a specific time frame lest the dyes and pigments in the film lose their retentivity thus rendering it useless for good pictures?

Not always - much like tape, film is quite durable but the key is the same in regard to how the film's been stored.

Monochrome for example is generally very robust when it comes to long term storage although you may get more grain which might not even show and even if it did, it's not necessarily a problem. As for colour, you may get a slight colour shift or sometimes a more grainy look either of which doesn't always manifest. Depending on the hue, a colour shift can usually be compensated for in PS.

I used to mod a photography site where there were a lot of film shooters who used out of date film - sometimes decades out of date and who reported no issues or if they did, they were still happy with the results. A couple of times I've mislaid exposed film rolls that I rediscover a few years later and send off to get developed and when I get the slides back, there's nothing wrong with them.

That said, I wouldn't like to claim that film would have an indefinite shelf life like what tape can have.

[macman007]

It took me a while, but I finally got the reference.

*lmao*

Wasn't that from the episode "Free Fall", the finale'? Then there is "Calderon's Return"..the reason it all started.....


....big Miami Vice fan here too, btw.

[vidguy]

Wasn't that from the episode "Free Fall", the finale'? Then there is "Calderon's Return"..the reason it all started.....


....big Miami Vice fan here too, btw.

Oh man, I was a teenager back then, I remeber walking around with jeans, t-shirt or muscle shirt, light sport jacket...

How can you not love watching a Ferrari chasing a Lambo..

As far as this tape goes, I'm trying one more reel. Just recording a pass off the radio, we'll see if I can get one reasonably drop-out free. It does sound pretty good.

Otherwise I'll just load up the reels with Maxell, instead.

[vidguy]

Hey, I've come up with 3 tapes that are fine.

So, half the tapes are still good.

If I include the value of the reels, then I suppose I can't complain too much.

[toddbailey]

Buying reel to reel tape on ebay is a risky business! I have avoided the temptation and will only buy new or verifiable NOS from reputable sellers. Most of the the ebay tape is over priced. Lastly we the reel to reel community need to buy new manufactured tape or we're likely to lose the option of buying brand new tape altogether. And that'll mean we're forever at the mercy of ebay sharks and the choices there will become more and more dicey as the used/old tape supplies dry up.


I agree but new tape is way over priced, at least at US recording media.
I've purchased 3 UD35-180 Maxell tapes for what a single pancake goes for.
I'd prefer to support US companies, but just can't justify the cost.
If you know of a better cost solution let me know.


BTW: I've also purchased a few "music tapes" in the past on 10 1/5 metal reels, and it wasn't all that bad...
Price was good as well 5 reels for $25 plus media mail shipping, another 7 bucks.

[vidguy]

I turned one of the tapes into a "Background Music" tape.
Recorded at 3-1/4, with DBX.

Put all my "Stratovarius" CDs in the auto-changer, set the levels a couple of steps below 0dB, hit REC and left the room.
Now I've got hours of my own personal "MUZAK" without having to get up.

Listening to it now, not bad at all, like listening to a strong FM signal on a good tuner.

It's kind of cool, "The Music Tape" Logo spinning slowly enough to read.

Boy, DBX even turns slow speed recordings into silence.

[Des-Lab]

I agree but new tape is way over priced, at least at US recording media.

Overpriced. Compared to what? From what I've seen, USR's prices are pretty much in line with everyone else. So either there's some collusion going on or else the entire tape market is "overpriced". But again. Compared to what? A roll of 1977 Scotch Classic 10' X 3600', which back then, sold for about $23 a roll. However, once inflation is factored in (http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm), that comes to about $85 today!!!! So in terms of spending power, dollar for dollar, tapes today cost the same or less than their counterparts from a generation ago! A roll of LPR 35 on a 10" reel goes for about $60 which puts it well below parity of what a comparable tape cost for back in the Glory Days. Gotta put it into perspective. Now if you are talking about paying 1977 prices in 2011 dollars, then that's a whole different animal and a blissful dose of Wishful Thinking.

I've purchased 3 UD35-180 Maxell tapes for what a single pancake goes for.

New or used? When and where? And was it a one-time "got lucky" score or have you been able to do it consistently?

I'd prefer to support US companies, but just can't justify the cost.

Well we all would. And we also all know that "Buy American" is usually thinly veiled Xenophobia when in reality, we will vote with our dollars before we vote our hearts. This is why virtually everything you buy was made in the Third World and/or Asia. But that too is an entirely separate discussion.

If you know of a better cost solution let me know.

Frankly I don't know that there IS one. The economies of scale simply won't allow it. With a convergence of so many factors including inflation, a devalued dollar, costs of raw materials, labor, and a very small niche market, all of it points to high[er] prices. At least in absolute terms. But in RELATIVE terms, they still aren't all that far off from what they were in the past even when all of the resistance factors I just mentioned are factored in. Your best (or least bad) options are to either stick with used tape or else buy only pancakes and load them onto used reels.

[Lance Lawson]

As for used/NOS reel tape on ebay it's not quite the same for the buyer/seller as it was in the glory years. For instance much of the tape being sold was purchased for next to nothing or purchased so long ago that the outlay of $$$ was absorbed years ago. Also in the glory years you didn't even think about buying used tape. Today used tape gets sold at insane prices and kids ITS USED TAPE!!! WAKE UP!!! In 1980 I used to pay $100 for a reel of 1" Ampex. Sadly I'm of the opinion, as one poster mentions, that US Recording Media is over priced. Consider this when you can find the same tape being retailed on pricey Long Island for ultimately the same price as the best priced seller the (one in Oregon) then you have to wonder how a concern in the wilds of inexpensive Pennsylvania get's away with it.

Once again its worth repeating if you don't buy new tape from the makers of it there will be no new tape at at all. Can you imagine how folks will scream when the ebay tape sharks rule the market? Now I've purchased a bit of NOS tape from a very reputable source direct from the source. Price was great quality of the tape? Very nice considering the pancakes have been sitting around for 20 years. But my test reel indicates that it's not that happy being run and recorded over a bunch of times. So that particular stuff will be relegated to recording albums or CD's.

That said if I'm going to bemoan the fact that my newly purchased tape is not what I'd hoped for or not what it's cracked up to be it's going to be brand new production tape where there is still a right and proper manufacturer to communicate with.