How to create reel to reel tape delay & echo using a TEAC A-2340 ||| MADE ON TAPE

[@mikewolfe9458]

Heck yeah this was great. Thanks for sharing. There’s an A-2340R and an A-3440 for sale near me, and it’s tempting to get one for sure. What do you think of one of these R2R units and a mixer for tracking versus something like a portastudio?

[@MadeOnTape]

definitely great sounds are available with that set up! Arguably "better" than a portastudio. The Brothers Nylon might call it "mid-fi"

[@R3TR0R4V3]

So just to reiterate, you're running guitar directly into the 2340, no amping (other than it's internal pre)? Then from there, into the the Porta2? I don't think you really showed your whole signal chain, IINM. Just curious! Cheers ✌️

[@MadeOnTape]

ahhh my older videos could use some updating. I'm using the Portastudio as a mixer, so ... the guitar is going directly into channel 1. Then, using the effects send, I am sending the signal to the TEAC r2r then, instead of using the effects return, the signal is going back into one of the channels on the portastudio. That way, you can use the effects send on that channel to get feedback and more echos. hope that's clear!

[@absolving]

For some reason I'm just realising what tape echo actually means - how it works. Mad. Is this why so many demos from the 80s have a slapback delay/short echo on the vocals etc?

[@MadeOnTape]

once you learn, the world opens up! thanks for watching!

[@parachuteman4]

Tape echo is still my fave

[@MadeOnTape]

me too!

[@bboycrazymonkey]

I don't know how to turn it off😢

[@MadeOnTape]

just unplug it!

[@hughellisATL]

this is my new fave channel - I have the R version of your model, love it - thx for the tutorial and humor!

[@MadeOnTape]

thanks for the kind words and for watching!

[@GIBKEL]

Have you ever modified a reel to reel to have a variable speed with a potentiometer ….or are those dc motors only able to switch between the 2 speeds being fixed? Or is that what you are doing by feeding it back? Wicked cool. Picked up an old 60’s/early 70’s Sony TC650 tube reel to reel for less that a song….60$. Works well just needs a service. The service will be Herculean though I’m afraid.

[@MadeOnTape]

mods are beyond my intellect, so I haven't made a variable speed reel. Hope you're having fun with the Sony!

[@goodbyeworldhelloalgorythm1871]

could you make a tutorial on how to record phase shift and flanger effects onto a 4 track using only tape equipment?

[@MadeOnTape]

i would love to explore that! to do it old school, you need two machines and some kind of synchronization ... definitely down the road!

[@goodbyeworldhelloalgorythm1871]

@@MadeOnTape yeah its the synchronization that's got me stuck, but they used to do it!

[@Halliday7895]

dig the John Lennon vibes

[@MadeOnTape]

i love how tape slap gets you so close

[@zachramsden9549]

Does it need to be a 3 head rtr machine? I just picked up an old Robers rtr but it does not have an erase head. So I'm not sure if I can actually record with it.

[@MadeOnTape]

you can record with it, if it’s still functional! however, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to use it as a tape delay machine. your machine does have an erase head, but it doesn’t have a separate record and play head. that’s where the delay comes from: the distance between the record head and playback head. machines with three heads usually give you an option to “monitor the source, or the signal you’re sending to the machine, or monitor the tape” monitoring the tape gives you tape delay. hopefully you still find inspiration in your reel to reel!

[@zachramsden9549]

@Made on Tape thanks so much for the reply. Love your channel and what you do! Peace, mate! ✌️

[@andymclain2574]

Does a single main output of the mixer say go into the input of a amplifier for a live rig

[@MadeOnTape]

mixers always have a stereo out along with other possibilities (aux sends for example)… this is a line level signal, so you need to send it to something expecting that. i don’t have experience using my mixer on stage in a performance setting, but have you checked out Hainbach ? His youtube channel and subreddit would be a great resource for live applications. thanks for watching! 🙏

[@Sonikbytes]

I wonder what would happen if you put the machine on an AC dimmer to get running slower (for greater delay) I know it sounds crazy but what doesnt

[@MadeOnTape]

hmmmm that's a fascinating idea omg

[@Radar23]

the capstan on the teac is DC I think

[@falklandss]

Wicked, can you explain the connections? What kind of mixer do you use ?

[@MadeOnTape]

yo! this was a TASCAM Porta Two, but any mixer with an aux or effect send will work. The R2R taks RCA in the back, but the mixer sends 1/4". RCA-1/4" adapters are easy and reliable. I am playing an instrument in one channel, sending its signal out via "effects send" to the tape machine. Then, I return it back to a separate channel. So, whether you're recording to tape or in a DAW, your "delay" signal is being recorded on a separate track from your original source. Does that make sense? Let me know if you need clarification!

[@falklandss]

@@MadeOnTape thanks buddy, I'm getting one this week

[@albie5429]

I have a question for you, if you could help, how long is the time delay (distance/time) between the original recording when using playback if simul sync is not used?

[@MadeOnTape]

I gotta pull in a sample to analyze in a DAW to give you a precise answer! I'll do this asap, thanks for asking! (it's definitely quick in milliseconds at 7.5IPS ... like a slapback delay)

[@albie5429]

Thanks so much, really appreciate it, Iused to own one many years ago and used to not use the simul synch as an echo/ reverb effect, I would love to try and recreate that exact sound, thanks again

[@jamesdoctor8079]

okay, second question. when recording are you leaving the switch at “tape” or “input” once you engage the rec+play buttons?

[@MadeOnTape]

if you are recording to the tape, it’s best to monitor the tape instead of the “input” or “source”. that’s the benefit of having three tape heads: it’s so you can monitor the tape as you record. does that make sense? sometimes i can’t tell when i’m writing if i’m making any sense 😂

[@jamesdoctor8079]

@@MadeOnTape makes perfect sense. my problem was that i was monitoring from the input (because i’m used to doing that when recording normally) but for this particular application you need to be monitoring directly from tape

[@bilnabiln]

Slightly off topic from tape echo, but I have a question about using a tape machine for summing. How do you get a stereo track from your DAW into the tape machine and back into the DAW as a stereo track? I have an Akai 1720W tape machine and it bounces my stereo track to mono coming back into the DAW. The machine def can do stereo bc when I play the tape on the machine it's stereo... just don't know why it keeps coming out the machine in mono.

[@MadeOnTape]

hmmm this could be one of a few things. what's your cable and interface situation? if you have a two channel interface, you should be sending or receiving a left and right channel, obviously... ...is your software combining the signals on the way in? Could be an input setting in your DAW? Are your channels hard panned left and right? What DAW are you using? thanks for the question and hopefully we can get to the bottom of it

[@bilnabiln]

@@MadeOnTape **EDIT: Nevermind, I figured out 🤦🏻‍♂️ I had to change the input of the track I was recording to to stereo inputs 1&2 in my DAW instead of inputs 3&4. thanks man! Really appreciate u looking into this. So my Apollo Twin MKII’s OUTPUTS 3 and 4 are going into the Akai’s Line left and right INPUTS via dual RCA to 1/4” TS unbalanced cable (RCA on tape machine, 1/4” jacks on Apollo). The Akai’s left and right line OUTPUTS are going into the Apollo’s INPUTS 1 and 2 via two RCA-to-XLR cables (one each). My DAW is Ableton Live 10 and I have the tape bounce track set as a single stereo track with its external input being the stereo inputs 3/4 (from the tape machine).

[@MadeOnTape]

@@bilnabiln i feel you. It's always something like that! Often software and routing...

[@Jesseweijer]

Sick!!

[@zachariahcarter2606]

Wow thanks for showing us how to do it

[@MadeOnTape]

thanks for watching! this is one of my favorite sounds😃

[@iRockFloyd]

thanks man really good video

[@MadeOnTape]

appreciate it!

[@Halliday7895]

is he as stoned as me ?

[@MadeOnTape]

😂

[@STRUMMERBOY1975]

UnReel!! 😀Thanks!!

[@MadeOnTape]

😂 thanks for watching!

[@NikosPage]

Informative !

[@MadeOnTape]

thanks for watching!

[@JRP3music]

I have that same model Teac, but mine needs to be serviced.

[@MadeOnTape]

hopefully you're near someone who can! It's a solid machine, thanks for watching!

[@JRP3music]

@@MadeOnTape I think the heads need a proper cleaning. I just need to research how to maintain it. I have the open reel 4 track and a 2 track open reel machine. Also that cool mix down device by Teac.

[@MadeOnTape]

@@JRP3music what's the mixdown device?

[@JRP3music]

@@MadeOnTape It has inputs for all for tracks. It is essentially a RCA line mixer that allows you to blend combinations of the tracks down to 2 tracks for bouncing or mix down to stereo 2 track.

[@schipbreukeling3]

lol, I totally missed this one.

[@MadeOnTape]

i have many more plans with it! need more time in the day 😂

[@schipbreukeling3]

@@MadeOnTape Yeah at least more then 3 hours😂

[@bipbong2906]

stimmy came in, tape delay time

[@bipbong2906]

also I was surprised by your lennon impression, good stuff mate ✌️

[@MadeOnTape]

ahh thank you! what machine are you looking at?

[@SeriousGear]

Wow this was reel useful!-ful!

[@MadeOnTape]

🙄 love u mean it

[@RyansCustomShopandGearOutlet]

Ah, the classic Sun Studio slapback sound. Nothing sounds like real analog tape. There are pedals and plugins that get pretty close, but there is a special magic that happens with magnetic tape. Great demo! You also get extra bonus points for including a Beatles song. Liked, shared, and subscribed!

[@MadeOnTape]

thank you! Love this sound so much 🤘

[@RyansCustomShopandGearOutlet]

@@MadeOnTape keep carrying the torch. It’s fun to see younger generations getting into analog. Digital loses so many of the nuances of the old school sound.

[@schipbreukeling3]

yesterday I bought a akAI gx-210d. It was never used because the seller didn't know how it worked. I am from Holland and the seller was walking in wooden shoes, the manual is in English so... what can I say I am just lucky.

[@MadeOnTape]

ohhh my goodness i wasn't aware that some of our Dutch brethren still rocked the wooden shoes! I believe you can put the 10" reels on that machine! You enjoy yourself now! Make a tape echo improv album!

[@schipbreukeling3]

@@MadeOnTape Yeah some of them really do, but they can't read English manuals.

[@schipbreukeling3]

the machine is in fact brand new!!!

[@MadeOnTape]

@@schipbreukeling3 that's a score for you! It's crazy because Dutch and English are so similar, yet so different at the same time......just across the Channel.

[@schipbreukeling3]

@@MadeOnTape It's even more extreme, I live in a town and used to see bands like Nirvana ,Sonic youth, Beck etc etc and about 40 km away are people who have never seen an escalator or elevator

[@Mark_Williams300]

What about the pitch control?

[@MadeOnTape]

on the TASCAM? dang i didn't think about that

[@MadeOnTape]

but the TEAC doesn't have a pitch control. There were several generations of this reel to reel, and this is an early one: the A-2340

[@Mark_Williams300]

@@MadeOnTape Ah right. Yeah, it was the TEAC I was thinking of. Do you know how to make a tape loop?

[@MadeOnTape]

i’m going to start to dabble. do you have any pointers?

[@Mark_Williams300]

@@MadeOnTape Erm. Make sure you have splicing tape, a splicing block and a nice sharp razor? That's all I've got

[@Snuff_Porn]

Thanks man.