51 (edited by Squadra Smackos 2009-02-03 22:02:34)

Re: mastering query

mr pauli wrote:

As i seem to have hit the epicenter of tape loving robots in this thread i'll post it here:

If any of you is interested in this Pioneer CT-F 1250 cassette deck contact me.
I prefer a trade for some other nice gadget.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/ … -F1250.gif

From what i read this is supposed to be as close to a reel to reel recorder as it gets.

It is working but it needs some looking after, because when a tape is getting to the middle it starts
wining and playing slower.  New belts ?

edit send you a message

52 (edited by Brian Chinetti 2009-02-04 00:03:26)

Re: mastering query

mr pauli wrote:

As i seem to have hit the epicenter of tape loving robots in this thread i'll post it here:

If any of you is interested in this Pioneer CT-F 1250 cassette deck contact me.
I prefer a trade for some other nice gadget.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/ … -F1250.gif

From what i read this is supposed to be as close to a reel to reel recorder as it gets.

It is working but it needs some looking after, because when a tape is getting to the middle it starts
wining and playing slower.  New belts ?

Could be a really minor problem, the winey sound makes me think it's the capstan. How are the rubber pulley wheels (aandrukrollen, de rubber rolletjes bij de capstan)? They might need some cleaning. Because of uneven tension from the capstan the engines will slow down when the take up reel takes up more and more tape (ie in the middle of the tape). They just can't pull the tape across the tape path anymore, and the uneven tension makes the sound winey.
Worse would be if it's the capstan engine. But first try to clean the wheels.

Edit: got to be complete I guess... Don't use alcohol to clean the rubber wheels, it will make matters even worse. Best way to clean them is with cottons swaps and some dish washing soap. If you take the machine apart you could use a soft toothbrush. It's best to take the machine apart (it's a cassette so you can't really access all parts easily), but if you are lazy you could do it with the machine running. The capstan will move the rubber wheel, all you have to do is hold the slightly wet (don't drain it!) cotton swap against the wheel. If you do it with the machine powered on (this will make the capstan and pulley wheel roll) use good cotton swaps that don't 'flake' (pluizen), so stay away from supermarket crap. If it ' flakes', the cotton will wind itself in your capstan shaft and that's not a good thing... You can get good cotton swaps at a chemist, it's the ones they sell to mothers with new born babies...

Beautiful looking machine btw.

Re: mastering query

wow you must love tape machines !

well on closer inspection this thing might need more than some cleaning
( which i'm not even gonna try cause i will mess up something for sure )

I've been using it maybe once every three months to listen to half a tape and that's it.
Playing with the pitch control and applauding the cool display and stuff smile

But tonight i was really getting into my old tape collection and the thing seemed to be playing slower and slower,
up to the point i am now where it won't play at all sad

It still rewinds and FastFwd normally. Just doesn't play.
I think a belt or whatever on the inside has worn out or something.
It should really find a new home where they know how to take care of it..

54 (edited by Brian Chinetti 2009-02-04 01:12:50)

Re: mastering query

Nah, if it winds well I wouldn't look for the belt in the first place. It's more likely the tape path, either the pulley wheel or the capstan shaft or engine (like the capstan bearings, they might need some sawing machine oil). A loose belt would not sound winy, it would just sound pitched down. But it can be both, I can only guess from here.

This is what sucks about 90% of all those older recorders you find, either reel recorders or cassette recorders: they are often in a horrible condition, even the ones that look all pro and cool and stuff. They should be kept clean, maintained and running. Most people never really did this, they would just consider the recorder broken and replaced it with a new one. My dad was one of them... But I can't blame them, one certain problem can have different sorts of causes, it often wasn't worth the technicians research fee...

Oh, and I have to admit I'm like that too smile I have an old Philips PMC100 with a busted tape player, but I won't even think about repairing it. Maybe when I'm utterly bored, but definitely not because I think it's good fun wink

Re: mastering query

Look what I found:

http://audioklassiks.de/Bilder/Pioneer/PIONEER.CTF1250.2.gif

Sheer beauty.

Re: mastering query

yep that's what she looked like a few hours ago when she was still playing...

57

Re: mastering query

baz wrote:

Can anybody awnser this question:

Say I would like to press this track on vinyl, would it be possible? (due to the heavy panning in the bassline).

Much appriciated!

nobody knows?

Re: mastering query

the track could be mastered to monofy the bass freqs. then it could be pressed. i think this is a standard practice when pressing.

Re: mastering query

@ronin and bas: it is possible to press stereo bass on vinyl.. it's been done before.. big_smile
what you basically have to take into account is the length of the track..these kind of basses need wide grooves. 6.30 is doable on 45 rpm, and certainly on 33.

the whole track also sounds fine in mono.. just switch your headphones or amp to mono to hear it.. so monofying and then copying the channel to both sides will also work.


@pauli and brian: that sure is a beauty. its worth saving.. i'd say it could be the belt, depending on how many motors it has. or otherwise i'd follow brians suggestion.
do casssette players have brakes like tape decks? i had this same thing once with a tape deck, and it was a hanging brake.. very easy to fix also.

Re: mastering query

Yeah it looks great ! And mine is even the deluxe version with a wood casing smile
She will get saved anyway, but i don't think i will ever get to giving her a 'grote beurt'.

If Smackos isn't going to be her new boss, maybe one of you guys should ?

Re: mastering query

it would look nice with my vintage b&o receiver.. big_smile

edit: did a little research, this sucker has indeed 2 motors. a seperate one for driving the capstan and for driving the reels. dual closed-loop capstans too.. poeh poeh. they were not kidding around when they designed this..

what would you like for it, herr pauli?

62 (edited by mr pauli 2009-02-05 02:31:21)

Re: mastering query

yeah i read that this and maybe a few others was really the heyday of cassete decks.
Maybe because by then cd came around and they stopped developments ? I don't know. 
But they were serious about this one.
On the other hand i can hardly believe in the later 80's there weren't even better ones..

Anyway, Smackos contacted me first so i have to see what kind of nice thingy he comes up with.
I'll be away from a computer to check mail for two days, but if that doesn't work out i'll mail you
this weekend or something. No hurry it's not for sale anywhere and i'm not throwing it away smile

63 (edited by baz 2009-02-05 09:31:26)

Re: mastering query

@ ronin & Rude: thnx for the advice. Got me a bit worried. Now at least I know it can be done... continuing my search for a good pressing deal smile

Modifing the track is only possible in a wave editor now. I made it 1,5 years ago and my hardware and software parts are gone, only have the master copy left sad

64 (edited by Brian Chinetti 2009-02-05 11:41:46)

Re: mastering query

rude66 wrote:

it would look nice with my vintage b&o receiver.. big_smile

Only thing looking good with a B&O receiver is a B&O deck, and you know it wink

What B&O do you have btw? I use mine (a beomaster 8000) as my studio amp big_smile It's actually 2 separate mono blocks with preamp build in one fancy case. You can even bypass the preamp... Not bad for a receiver...

Re: mastering query

mr pauli wrote:

Anyway, Smackos contacted me first so i have to see what kind of nice thingy he comes up with.
I'll be away from a computer to check mail for two days, but if that doesn't work out i'll mail you
this weekend or something. No hurry it's not for sale anywhere and i'm not throwing it away smile

Yeah thats ok I still have to make an inventory with things to trade (Ferengi - Space Pirate Elite style). I will mail it in two days then.

That is the best GIF I ever saw from that pioneer

Re: mastering query

@ brian: a beomaster 3000-2. a last year's queens day find for 5 euro. took a little cleaning, but works perfect. i'd love to use it, but its too big to fit in my studio.. and my luxman is also a nice amp for the studio.

@smackos and mr pauli: of course, smackos is no.1.. hell, i don't even know if i have anything for trade, or if i actually need that deck.. big_smile

Re: mastering query

Ah yeah, in that case the Pioneer would fit nicely, it's not one of those 'swept' designs like mine. 5 euro is nothing, almost all that B&O stuff is collectible I think.

I'm gonna redo my studio in the summer and the B&O is probably one of the first things that's gonna leave. I love it but it's also too big, almost 70cm wide... when I do that I'm gonna search for the Beocord 9000 cassette deck to complete the set and give it a nice space in the living room...

http://www.beoworld.org/assets/thumbnails/beocord9000b.jpg

Re: mastering query

rude66 wrote:

basically anyone with some knowledge of tape recorders can service a revox if you have the service manual..

why do you need to have it serviced? anything wrong with it?

yeah, well the left channel records very badly (distorted). Could be the heads so i bought 'new' one (used, but in good condition). And i liked to check other parts because the few times i turned it on because of the dust it signed the coming of a new pope wink
I cleaned it, but i'm still afraid something may have shortwired. And i only bought it for like 50 euro, for the rest it is in mint condition.

Re: mastering query

@brian: that stuff is so good looking it almost hurts.. you have the speakers too?

@actinet6: thats the heads. but nothing a good cleaning very likely can't fix..
and a revox doesn't just short out. theyre built like a tank, they laugh at a bit of dust. but hey, you got yourself a steal there!

Re: mastering query

a couple of weeks ago there was a beocenter 4600 at the front door of my job (i run a 'kringwinkel') under a pile of crap. People love to leave stuff at the door when you're closed. Strangely everything worked, even the mc20 cartridge is ok. It's in my small office now, great for playing some records when i'm doing the paperwork.
http://www.beoworld.org/assets/thumbnails/alpha_1.jpg

Some old man that frequents the shop saw it and we started talking about how he used to sell discotheque equipment in the 70ies, and he actually worked with ROger DEClerck (yep, rodec) back in those days. he couldn't believe they were a worldwide brand of djmixers even to this day. He knew him when he started building amps first, in a little backroom somewhere. Then he told me stories about how he would do the sound equipment for the pirate stations on boats back then. Taking mixing boards  and what not on small boats to the ship in the middle of a storm. Great stories. He still has a warehouse filled with old stuff, when he cleans it out i could have it he said. Some jbl bullet horns and such.

Re: mastering query

Brian Chinetti wrote:

Ah yeah, in that case the Pioneer would fit nicely, it's not one of those 'swept' designs like mine. 5 euro is nothing, almost all that B&O stuff is collectible I think.

I'm gonna redo my studio in the summer and the B&O is probably one of the first things that's gonna leave. I love it but it's also too big, almost 70cm wide... when I do that I'm gonna search for the Beocord 9000 cassette deck to complete the set and give it a nice space in the living room...

http://www.beoworld.org/assets/thumbnai … d9000b.jpg

B+O rock the aesthetic. my dad had B+O and i have always had a soft spot for their style, and have got hold of various beocentres over the years. The stuff they do nowadays seems accessible only by very well paid people.

Re: mastering query

@tom: those are good stories. guys like that are the ones you want to stay friends with.. they have the most amazing collection of stuff!

Re: mastering query

rude66 wrote:

@tom: those are good stories. guys like that are the ones you want to stay friends with.. they have the most amazing collection of stuff!

yes, i'm really curious as to what he still has lying around. The stories to me are at least as valuable, especially about the pirate stations, i have always been a bit fascinated by them (just too young to have lived that era)

Re: mastering query

i

Re: mastering query

theres lot's of logic and mixing tips in the SoS website.