Newbie seeking help on reel conversion....

[hvann]

Hello all! I'd like some advice on the type of machine I need to buy to listen to and digitize these old reels (I have dozens more), mostly recordings made by my father's jazz band back in the day. If anyone can help shed light on the most suitable player, and where I might find it, and perhaps some advice on how to do the conversion to HDD, I'd appreciate it. I understand already from Nando that I may need an analog-digital converter.... Thanks!

[vinyldavid]

First you need to pin down what track formats and speeds those tapes are. Then, you need to find the machine(s) to play them......if there are many different speeds and track formats, then it might be more economical to send them off for transfer.

[westgate]

hvann, i would suggest a teac 2300 series machine as a place to start. to listen and find out if all the tapes are compatible with its quarter-track stereo format. the odds are those tapes will match that format and play at the decks speeds, 3 3/4 ips or 7.5 ips (inches per second).
some may not; then a half-track machine or mono machine may be necessary for best playback results.

teac 2300 series decks can be found for not a lot of money on ebay, they are built like tanks, and sound very good.

and yes, you'll need a analog to digital converter. whether a stand-alone or one built into your computer, not sure.

if the tapes in the pics are all there are, i'd consider just having someone else do it. shouldn't be too expensive.

(edit-oops, i see you say you have dozens more). go with the teac!

[Elite-ist]

Hi hvann,

My father-in-law plays an alto sax and spent his younger years in a local jazz band in the 60's. Back then, they didn't use a very complicated machine for recording their sets. In fact it was a table top top model he still has today. I think it was a Seabreeze. It'll be hard to squeeze any more musical fidelity, than the capability of the machine used to make the original recording. Is there any information on the reel boxes indicating the tape machine used in making the original recording, or recording speed? I think, based on that information it would help you choose an appropiate R2R machine. Like you, I would take up the challenge of doing it myself, rather than farm it out. You didn't join THs if you weren't going that route.

Nando.

[Kent T]

I am going to bet your tapes were made on a 1/2 track mono recorder at 3 3/4 IPS or 7 1/2 IPS or a 1/4 track Stereo deck.

[hvann]

Great advice, thank you all! I'll check in again with results once I've found a deck.

[Jonny Ramone]

I bought a sony TC-366 last summer, for the same reason- a TON of recorded family history. It has three speeds- 1 7/8, 3 3/4, and 7.5 ips. It also has individual track selection. With this machine, you can record in the left channel, rewind, and record in the right( My uncle did this a lot). Lots on ebay- with patience, you can get one shipped for $50. A TC-377 has long wear heads, and a higher price tag.