What Was I Thinking.. I BOUGHT A 16 TRACK STUDIO REEL TO REEL.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Name a tape machine

[@danerd8978]

Studer

[@ozzelot3349]

I'd call it Bertram McSquibbly

[@FredBloggs919]

Roland Space Echo (if that counts?) because it is awesome

[@groovedodger]

I've got a Teac 80-8 gathering dust along with a Bell electronics 8 track noise reduction unit.

[@MS-Patriot2]

Flangella

[@Hainbach]

Such a lovely machine! Not sorry for infecting you with tapemania

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Yeah 😂 man gunna never have money again at this rate. Thanks a lot 😂

[@martinwinther6013]

16 tracks should have you covered from here and to infinity and beyond.

[@OriginalDaveInchy]

It's the best infection to pass on if you ask me... but I'm an incurable victim of 2" tape... and 1/4"... and cassettes... OMG, I'm going to have to reassess my life choices now too!!! 😩

[@AltGrendel]

Hainbach, you devil you. 😂

[@PWMaarten]

Finally real flanging! Not that SAD1024 new age sci-fi magic..

[@SOBINTAXIDRIVER]

3:17 "This thing got 16 tracks in it, it's basically infinite!" God I love to imagine that same sentence back in somewhere like the 80's, like a guy just showing off his studio

[@MinorLG]

You see the thing is it being 16 tracks isn't actually 16 tracks because what you do you fill up like 11 of them and then record those 11 of those tracks into a single track. So that point you have 15 new tracks to record and one 11 track track. And then you'd record another 11 or so and mix them onto the 15th track, Then 11 or so more onto the 14th track. So at this point, your 33 tracks in and only occupying three tracks. Or if you're recording in stereo, that's Seven stereo tracks to record at a time, dubbed onto the 15th and 16th track. This allows 21 stereo tracks or 42 mono tracks to be used.

[@svenjansen2134]

16 tracks was early 70s. 80s was mostly digital and/or linked 48 track machines.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

⁠@@svenjansen2134every studio I was in back in the 80’s was 2” 24, a few had them locked into 48. Digital in the 80’s? When? Late 80’s, maybe, find me an example of hardware sold for it that was accessible. Sony and Mitsubishi had units but the cost was out of reach for nearly everyone. DASH wasn’t cheap then.

[@pontram]

@@MinorLG But the more you do that (is it called bouncing ?), the more you lose the benefits of multitrack. If you do it with synth1 and synth2, for instance, and you later wish to give synth2 more reverb, or make synth1 more silent, you have a problem.

[@MinorLG]

@pontram true, you do have to actively master the tracks if bouncing

[@mickleman52]

0:31 Those switches obviously control how the real reel registers with the rear reel, and if not properly adjusted can result in reel peel, as noted by the teal seal on it's heel wheel.

[@EntropicEcho]

For real!

[@donerskine7935]

Just feel the seal on the keel reel.

[@mickleman52]

@@donerskine7935 After my meal of veal.

[@FuzzWoof]

Watching this as someone who spent most of my early music career in and out of analogue studios brings back memories of just how much of a complete faff multitrack tape recording was, how many things could go wrong, how awkward the entire process was just to achieve simple things, and... I miss it so much, haha. There was something special about the experience that I've just never got from digital, it's not even related to the sound quality, it's the fact that the whole vibe of the recording process just felt like a mix of playing another instrument, wrestling a wild animal and conducting ancient wizardry rather than a using an efficient tool. Don't miss editing stuff with a razor blade and sticky tape though, haha.

[@TheDogPa]

Actually required skills...why music is so bad today, grandma uses AI and presets...LMAO!

[@JeffGeerling]

Ooh I used to clean the heads on one of those in a radio production studio as a junior engineer. Come to think of it, 99% of that job was cleaning... tape heads, plugs, belts, etc it all got so much dirtier back when things were so mechanical.

[@cubeaceuk9034]

The problem now is getting new reels of tape. Oxide shedding of old tape not only clogs up heads but reduces the efficiency of the recording. That and getting hold of a tape to set bias to. Heads also wear. I don't miss using analogue at all.

[@jeffredd9965]

and smokey.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

@@cubeaceuk9034RTM are the ones to get. Damn sight better than the old stuff too. I have those old anpex stuff and it just clogged up the reel to reel. So I bought some new RTM stuff and it's great

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Luckily straight forward to make a bias tape with a signal generator too.

[@tapewolf]

@@cubeaceuk9034 New studio tape is easy - it's just very pricey. The MS16 is factory set for 456, the modern equivalent being RTM SM911 which appears to be what Sam has.

[@mattholmes908]

Hi Sam. I'm probably the 6,211th person to say this but patchbays like the Behringer shouldn't need patching in all the time like that. Though do need lots of cables. They can be wored in at the back and 'normalled' so that the connections go to where you would want them to be without repatching. On each patchbay the outputs are the top row and the inputs to the next oiece of equipment the second. So your instrument line outs would be patched in at the back of the top row and then these would automatically flow to the output at the back of the second row, which you would plug into the input of the mixer. The direct or tape out of the mixer would then be plugged into the next patchbay down's first row which would be 'normalled' so the output of the second row then goes to the input of the tape machine. The output of the tape machine would then come into the back of the top of the third patchbay down which would go to the output st thr back of the 2nd row of the 3rd patchbay which would be wired to the tape in of the mixer, which would obvously go to the 2-bus which would go to another patchbay. The pstchbays usually come in 24s so you would still have space for the outputs from auxes or inputs to/from effects and synths etc. The desks often have direct outs that switch to group outs also. You should monitor the tape output not input. I can't remember why. The point is you basically shouls be able to route everything on the desk or via the choice of inputs. Of course I may be missing something. You probably know all of this. Apologies if I am teaching you to count to 10. www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/patchbays

[@Neffers_UK]

Thanks for the reminder. You got it right, mostly. I say mostly as there's many ways to skin a cat when designing a patch bay. I typed a similar sized paragraph, but then thought nah. You covered most bases. There's some early Behringer patch bays that have the normal, un-normal and pass thru switches, heads up if you use nickel coated jacks on the back for "permanent use", they have a really bad metallurgic reaction, all of the corrosion.

[@thomasbroker69]

Some random tips as an engineer for over 30 odd years - get your self some leader tape for the start & end of the tape, you won’t waste any tape.. look it it up, the tape machine shouldn’t be put into inserts, you use groups or bus sends that are linked to the tape inputs, then tape outs come back as tape returns. Your patch bay is all wrong because of this, just look it up as someone else’s posted the sends & returns are usually normalised on the patch bay , again look up the way patch bays are done, it’s really simple.. Depending on the desk type but the basic setup is instruments & mics come in on left side of desk & send to tape machine which returns on the right , a dual channel desk returns on the same channels . The noise reduction on those machines is terrible don’t bother..

[@jmalmsten]

Though I am learning things from these comments. I am also hearing mr NoComputer going "NAH NO! YOU CAN'T DO IT LIKE THAT, YOU NEED TO DO IT LIKE THIIIIS!!!" 😂

[@colinhamilton2217]

It is genuinely informative....but just need to space carefully between the sentences and see more clearly the separate stages...but I love cables everywhere so I will take the time to follow this handy explaination🤝

[@althejazzman]

I came here to say this. Glad it's already covered.

[@OriginalDaveInchy]

You are not going to regret owning a proper multi-track machine Squire, it's not just a totally usable bit of kit, but it's waaaaaaay more fun than any computer based system. You chose wisely getting a Tascam, they're wickedly reliable and pretty easy to maintain and repair... relatively speaking. Of course now you're about to discover the ongoing expense of buying large format tapes, but hey, that is the price of living the analogue life in 2024, and your 1" tapes are way cheaper than my 2" ones. Congratulations 🎉 👏

[@seoverus7805]

Got to admit I smile Everytime you Overdub with your comments... Your 101 on Talent, humour, scientific explanation and MASSIVE FUN. Perfect.

[@duncan-rmi]

les paul has a lot to answer for. but the great thing about tape, especially in today's DAW copy-&-paste culture, is that it imposes a commit-&-move-on ethos on yr workflow. one huge & underestimated benefit of this is the decision & time saving when it comes to post-producing. in short, the less you can alter afterwards, the less time you'll waste, & I think that people can tell the results are more honest, somehow. revox 274 here, & an R8 that I've never used.

[@duncan-rmi]

also, +4/+8 dB output level, innit?

[@BobbiFarren]

ah, loved my studer-revox...

[@BobbiFarren]

​​@@duncan-rmisince the beginning of analog, depending on sound desired, it was often desired to overdrive analog preamp stages. Digital signals clip at absolute 0db, whereas analog merely overdrived the signal to be "hotter", "saturated, "overdriven, and ultimately, "distortion"...this could be many or many tens of dbs. . a function of the linear range of the s curve of a "class C" range of analog transistors edit: wait. revox? you should know these things.🤔cheers

[@jeffseven2194]

Long time R8 user, I much prefer tape to digital

[@rlm4471]

It's not more honest to record music without editing it. It's just a different workflow.

[@mindovermuzic]

That machine takes me back to 2001 in Nashville, TN. While road dj and studio engineer/producer for Juvenile and his artist Young Buck, Skip and Wacko. I was fortunate to engineer with John JP Pegram at The Love Shack studio. I produced the track on a Korg Triton Workstation (digital) but John wanted to preserve that phat analog kick and snare. So we spent..no lie..almost 20 hours in the studio wrecking our brain trying to sync that keyboard to the 16 track tape while the entourage was out club hopping. I fell asleep on John and when i woke up it was after 10am the next day and he had it synced and tracked out. Not sure if he used Time Code or what, but real OGs in the game, like Dre still use these. He also has a rack mount that converts digital to analog but it’s a hefty price tag.

[@grahamehadden4320]

You'll have to get a SMPTE synchroniser and get all your MIDI going together like all the 80s synth bands WOOOOOOOOOO

[@TheSynthnut]

JL Cooper PPS100 or a Friendchip SRC. You can do it Moroder style with just a pulse from a synth and amp it to a level that clocks your DIN sync or analogue sequencer.

[@shayneoneill1506]

oh it gets sooooo much more expensive when SMPTE gets involved. Not because the gear is expensive, its cheap as chips, but suddenly having your tape machine services becomes very necessary very regularly, cos SMPTE falls to pieces once you get even the slightest bit of flutter in those ageing servos

[@seoverus7805]

@@TheSynthnut I remember Moroder explaining that on a Video soon after the Donna Summer Drop. Amazing talent for the late 1970's & I was IN on Synth Experiments from that day...

[@mattshannon4578]

I had a Tascam MSR 16S with a Midiizer SMPTE to SMPTE / MIDI synchronizer. I’d bounce 15 tracks ( one track was used for SMPTE ) bounce those in two takes (right and left ) to a DAT machine (one side SMPTE one side audio) then bounce it back to two channels of the MSR 16S. Or a guide track bounced to DAT then had 14 tracks to overdub vocals …. The sky was the limit. It forced you to make decisions. Then stand by them. I still have the Tascam MTS 100 MIDIizer. It will generate and track SMPTE but I have nothing to try out to Sync. Anybody know any good markets to sell it ?

[@poofygoof]

a full synchronizer so you can get the tape deck to chase to SMPTE, not the typical other way around. use the tape deck as extra tracks for your DAW. I have a microlynx and an otari MX5050-8 1/2" and while I've had success with my sequencer chasing SMPTE from tape, getting the right cable built to go the other way is on my bucket list. remote control like that is nothing short of magic. it's also a way to sync multiple tape machines together in case you need more than 16 tracks. ;)

[@SoundandMelodies]

Love this guy. It’s so fun to see him create heavenly analogue sounds. Sending greetings from Estonia. ❤

[@sea-ferring]

I can't wait for the tape machine repair and calibration videos 😁

[@_zzpza]

I need to see the back light in the VU meter on channel 13 working! :)

[@sea-ferring]

@_zzpza I got a little twitchy when I saw that 🤣

[@davidbuchan2909]

Bless you dude! This type of video makes my soul happy.

[@davidbuchan2909]

I think it's that nothing overwhelms you.

[@adeleloffler534]

So a few years ago I got the same MS-16 without the frame…for free. It's been sitting in the back of my home studio (It is awfully heavy) and I feel like today's video is a message from the electro gods to finally getting me to use it

[@Groeliker]

Puh-lease yes! revive it. enjoy.

[@stubrakon9683]

Do it!!

[@MrMargaretScratcher]

Same for a Revox PR-99 I've got awaiting repair...

[@simonellis369]

Not only the glue effect that tape gives you but the more streamlined workflow will get your creative juices flowing in ways you never imagined-the extra effort required is definitely worth it including the cost of those 1” reels. Happy Days

[@McTroyd]

NGL... all those peak lights made this sound engineer twitch. Being a live guy, not a studio guy, I had to keep reminding myself, "Tape saturation is a thing. Tape saturation is a thing. _TAPE SATURATION IS A THING!"_ Time for more anxiety meds, I think. 😅👍

[@Mister_Brown]

that's definitely the mantra needed, peak lights aren't clip lights, you're not blowing speakers and amps you're just using the free compressor that came with your tape machine. one of my favorite cassettes from my childhood is a copy of genesis-genesis recorded well into saturation, it sounds terrible but also great, hard to explain how much nostalgia tape distortion can trigger.

[@amp4105]

Literally doesn't matter unless it's going loud enough to break a speaker

[@McTroyd]

@@amp4105 Having mixed on line arrays worth more than my house, blowing speakers was definitely a going concern at one point. 😅

[@jagmarc]

The magic of tape happens after the VU goes past 0 and into the red.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

Just spew something about “artistic and creative liberty” and say farts sound good. I mean, I could be viable.

[@georgecovetskie6717]

Ha, I use to calibrate and repair those machines back around the early 80's. They are fantastic machines. What I seen was lots of recording guys loved to record the actual drums on that machine using around 12 tracks on average. They Loved the sound the tape machines had for drums. I had to agree. Funny, I still have a Tascam 38 ( 8 Track Rell to Reel ) and it works absolutly fine. Funny, I had more recordings back then played on local stations from that machine than I do from this all digital system. Have Fun Man ! Thats was worth the purchase !

[@guyh3403]

Your energy level is from beyond this universe! You made my day ;)

[@Lagrange_Point_6]

What a beautiful machine. Those things sound fantastic. I had some Tascam gear back in the day but never this beast! I really hope you get it all working properly and then record an album on it!

[@johnkaplun9619]

Calibrate the noise reduction and the tape deck and both will sound great together! NR fucks up the frequency response when it's out of calibration

[@browe]

Yet another brilliant example of how natural, how approachable, how merely mortal + human you allow the process of creativity--any flavour of creativity--to feel. That's invaluable. 💙Cheers.

[@SpaceCliffie]

My friend and I missed the Ramsgate Music Festival. We only had literal hours to see the museum (which was incredibly rad!). It was a pleasure to meet you on the sidewalk just after you finished the festival. Your crew in the museum is fantastic. ❤❤❤

[@suebarnes6426]

Absolutely brilliant mate - I love your sound signature! I so glad I found you. Chris

[@The_Weirdness42]

dude your content is fantastic! keep up the great crazy work!

[@matthewseymour8972]

I love how you've created the studio that I would have loved to have access to when I was in a band in the late 90s. 8 tracks and cheap studiomaster desks was the best we could hope to afford

[@silicon1138]

Beautiful music you have already recorded with it. It also looks stunning. Great to see a Powertran delay unit getting some love too! Lovely stuff in every direction :)

[@kennethgroves6552]

I am questioning life choices as well. I bought a broken ADAT by Alesis. 8 track tape recorders that, record digitally on VHS tape. I've been working a lot, so I'm just sporadically messing with them. I am hoping that by late November I can record some multi track synth music. I love the channel, and I'm not afraid to try it. Thank you Sam! Good on you.

[@searchiemusic]

they're unfortunately really fussy machines, i messed with two before finally saying screw it and buying a fostex multitrack tape machine

[@SiloSoundStudios]

Why.... why..... why.... ADAT was all the bad of analog (shitty transport) and the bad of digital. Throw it away. If you really want to hear one, I'm sure someone will give you a working one.

[@colourbasscolourbassweapon2135]

that good analog warm clipping that not bad clipping on tape no cap

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

You know it!

[@biggrime]

Sounds great. Will have a multitrack tape recorder one day 🎉

[@ScottGrammer]

The part you're getting into is called the "meter bridge." I used to run that very model back in the early 90's, along with ProTools v1.0. Leave the DBX turned off. More hiss? Yes. Better sound? Definitely.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Meter bridge is on the front of that box indeed. But the actual box is all of the voice cards and yeah! Dbx off for now :D

[@MegaBaellchen]

thank you for that history lesson. It makes sense to look at what has been done on all edges for getting a better grasp on what is going on now.

[@rephlexc]

subbed to patreon. I could not stop grinning the whole time. This is great. Even if i don't know what is going on.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Thankyou! Hope you find something of use on there!

[@gregoryisom8333]

I'm a new fan of this guy. I was mesmerized by his radical techniques. I love his recording ideas. His approach brings free thinking and high-end testing. Great video! This was so cool!

[@curtishoffmann6956]

Wrong answer: The switches vary local gravity. The parking lot just got a LOT heavier.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

That's the right answer though haha

[@wideyxyz2271]

Boink, that takes me back when I first started recording in the mid 1980s we had a Tascam 4 track. The hours of fun 😵‍💫 bouncing tracks to make room for further tracks, was a real ball ache but that's how it was done back then. You made the best of what you had and it worked. the other thing was you made sure you played your best as making and correcting mistakes was a real PITA. Good to see you having fun with the 16 tracker !

[@s.lindland]

I figured it was only a matter of time before you bought one of these, you always seem to "go big or go home". I've got a revox but can't imagine having the money, the space or even the time to have one of these BEASTS.

[@RaverOperator]

I'm glad Sam pulled the trigger on the purchase! it's so nice to see how all this old setup works! i visited the museum for first time earlier this year, it's great! would love it if this was it in the museum to use next time i visit ♥️

[@dacomputernerd4096]

The mystery switches are obviously vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry

[@sebastianvega4576]

so interesting to see you work! absolutely amazing

[@IpfxTwin]

Your museum could easily be booked as a studio in the off seasons with all of the sonic possibilities it possesses.

[@ljones2087]

Nightmare for the mix engineer though.

[@IpfxTwin]

@@ljones2087 True, especially if everything in the museum were either mic'd or lined out through some sort of ultra bus. However on a per-use basis rigging for specific items it probably wouldn't be too terrible. Certainly nowhere near the effort or complexity of some of Sam's monstrosities.

[@rugososphotos3646]

I really enjoy analogue producing but only vicariously through you and others like you :)

[@skelingtonrick]

mystery switches, " Oil slick, Caltrops, Smoke screen"

[@rolymiller]

bringing me right back

[@gyorgylukacs7672]

Take good care of it! This machine is a legend in studio circles.

[@Clutch275]

Wait till you try 2 - 24 track 2in Studer machines. Yeah 48 tracks. Thats what I was using when I started my adventure in Audio Engineering. Now im all digital but miss tape. Dont forget to get an MLR reel to "align the heads"..

[@annother3350]

I bet you dont miss the editing

[@piccalillipit9211]

Genuine question - do you think the old RtR studio masters sound better than the new digital...??

[@poofygoof]

MRL -- RIP Jay McKnight

[@Ahremel]

I have been after one of these for years, esp. with the autolocate and the trolley. Well done.

[@FredBloggs919]

Oooooh service nightmare!

[@nbhelenatashnbex5736]

Top-o-the-list, cheers Sam... Uber cool machine... lots of memories!

[@donerskine7935]

Remember to set up the bias. EVERY MORNING.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Every morning?

[@donerskine7935]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER ... which is why I wouldn't touch another reel-to-reel with a sh*tty stick!

[@donerskine7935]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER ... and strictly speaking bias needs to be re-set if you change tape type.

[@TiqueO6]

Don't think you have to reset it every day, just warm it up or don't turn it off if it's the same project or same tape bias.

[@donerskine7935]

@@TiqueO6 Multiple sources used to say that bias should be set every day or so. I doubt many tape ops actually did so , but to get the maximum performance out of a tape deck, re=biasing was explicitly required. Personally, I don't miss tape recorders. Even their idiosyncrasies can be emulated digitally nowadays. I gave away my Tascam 38 to my nephew years ago and don't miss it. Respect to Sam though, for preserving a bit of audio history.

[@MarkAllen-s8p]

Congratulations! I have something very similar. I've got a 12-channel 24/96 Alesis HD24XR and another HD24. It takes up less rack space. I'll use these to track mostly. I do have options for using computer software but I probably won't use the computer much.

[@RoofAndAMeal4UsAll]

15 inches per second! Now thats a fat slice on that there tape!

[@A3Kr0n]

Don't lick while operating!

[@CTRIX64]

Those 1-inch Tascams have a lot of charm - great to see you enjoying the process! Those NR boxes do gate / flatten the sound a bit (I personally never use them). I've spent a bunch of time with the slightly earlier MCI machines and they super fun to track to and mixdown from.

[@christopherrodriguez2747]

That’s a great tape machine and from the era of audio recording that I 1st started my career in Audio Post Production. I had a Tascam 388 & worked with an Atari 16 Track, 16 Track Studer. Those were the studio standards of 80s & 90s and still being used today to educate future Audio Recording Engineers. I miss my 388 & may buy another soon. Blending the two technologies sounds better than just Digital for Sure! “Keep Making Music”

[@dubmaster01]

Pro audio and recording engineer for 40 years in high-end studios here. I specialize in Reggae Dub. You are intelligent! You have a lot of learning to do; and that's a good thing worthy of study. RTZ(Return to Zero) is a point on the tape you can mark with a button, along with other accessible points used on a reel. The remote control unit you apparently don't possess would have those and other controls. You still probably have RTZ on the deck. 15 inches per second is 30 minutes of record time, so enjoy your iron rust glued to mylar tape experience. Respect

[@resistor27]

I’ve got a 388. Used that button all the time.

[@brandon1351]

Things that never happened #1,976

[@searchiemusic]

he even was attempting to use the autolocator, he was so close, the button is right there GJFDJGFD

[@stephentrageser8162]

Had the good fortune of growing up in a town home to a combination record store, screen print shop, venue and studio (where the venue was the live room). They had this machine, with a Neotek console. Got to record on it a few times, what a blast. Congrats!

[@djbryce]

Please replace the bulb on Channel 13 💡My OCD is kicking in 😉

[@marcse7en]

It's unlucky that Channel 13's bulb has gone! ... My OCD means that I have to have the TV volume on an even number! ... Do you do that?

[@londreslush]

@@marcse7en .. i do that but it has to be an uneven number , does this mean i have OCD ?

[@magikjoe3789]

Please refer to it as a lamp, bulbs are for planting in the garden. My OCD is now in the lead.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

I'm not going to fix it just to get on people's nerves. It's fine 😂.

[@djbryce]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER LOL

[@SamHarrisonMusic]

Hey man, so glad you did this, not daft at all! Tape does sound better, and I leant that through physically using the stuff and having my mind blown by the results. Well done mate! Enjoy that beautiful saturation :)

[@By_Rant_Or_Ruin]

Late 60's experimental LSD droppin', brain poppin' simulation. Good work. As usual great video edit and the sound was excellent. I don't think I appreciate all of the mics you use but that's on me. Thanks.

[@glennk1931]

This is so cool to watch. You are very talented, and have a wonderful sense of humor. You have a new subscriber.

[@AlexBallMusic]

So cool that you've done this, as much as it's a massive pain! It'll pay off in the long term. This really reminded me of recording in the 90s in a studio in Weston Super Mare. Massive desk, 16 track tape machine, loads of outboard and no computer anywhere! I also remember going out for fresh air whilst the poor engineer pulled all the cabling to set it up for the mix, much like you were. A labour of love.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

You Know it!!! And I know you empathise the labour of love feeling 😂

[@AlexBallMusic]

@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER Knights of the vintage gear unite!

[@Haroun-El-Poussah]

Bought a 24 tracks reel-to-reel last year, the Tascam MSR-24 is a bit more compact, but no fuss, the MS-16 is absolutely great! Nothing beats the sound of tapes. BTW, there is an interface called MTS-30 that will allow you, at the cost of the use of one track, to sync your tape machine to a sequencer, a DAW or whatever you want. I'd have somewhat preferred to go for a 3M M79 I could have but 2" tapes are REALLY way too expensive. I could secure an Amek Big-44 and a Big-28 a few years ago for cheaper than dirt. they can be linked bus-to-buss and you have automation and compression per channel and the cool thing is that the ICs are all mounted on sockets so you can easily replace these by the same Burr-Browns that can be found into Neve or SSL consoles😜

[@rewind2play]

You have to marvel at the engineering components of these machines.. Interesting video

[@TheMixClub]

This was one of my setups back in the day. with a tascam M-520 console.. Loved it

[@markedis5902]

I had the 8 track version of that machine back in the day. Fantastic machine.

[@Positive_Tea]

So cool!! Analog for life! Cheers from California USA

[@PAN77769]

She's a beauty! Happy for you!

[@nilsqvis1337]

Looking forward to your upcoming dungeon synth album, Sam! Those are some scary critters indeed

[@dieselbaby]

dude you are such a legend, thank you for keeping some of this stuff around for future generations

[@joelrivera3285]

Bro!!!!!! You are amazing. Thank you for sharing your talent and your knowledge. God bless you!!!!!!!

[@jbrown21m]

Love it! I was you when your Tasc was new LOL. And still plug'n. Keep it going, keeps ya young.

[@scottk3292]

Oh man, that is a truly amazing machine you've purchased! I'd been thinking about those studio 1" machines lately. Glad to see that there are still some around.

[@magnavision207]

Love this I have an older Teac 4 Track the same model The Beatles recorded on being a contrarian is my life digitized gadgets and apps are so cold and boring even though they have some good features

[@cajuncrackerranch7990]

Have fun. Be creative. That’s a sweet tape machine you found… enjoy it! Peace ✌️

[@vikramjitbanerjeetuki]

That was super loved it❤

[@resynthesizer4565]

Lovely bit of kit you have there

[@busterandbusteret]

Hey Sam really digging the late 70s/early 80s synthy post-punk? whatever type vibes from your music lately! I feel like that era of electronic music is often overlooked

[@AndrewAHayes]

Oh god! that brings back some memories, the studio I worked at had two of these although one was a newer upgrade model, the tapes cost a fortune back in the day, I can see new tapes still costing a fortune. There were not many customers that used a brand new tape, when DAT came out that was a real game changer, the tapes were much less expensive, I even had a multitrack digital tape recorder at home, an Alesis ADAT 8 track that used VHS tapes

[@alistairsteadman3765]

Analog tape, Holsten Pils and a reach-around. The perfect afternoon. Nice work Sam.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Haha I found that bottle when knocking through a plasterboard cover on an old window. Dated to 1989 thought I'd keep it

[@buckycore]

NO WAY!!! Thats the exact tape machine that was used at the first recording studio I recorded my rarly demos at during the 80s. This feels like watching a long lost home video from my childhood

[@NathanaNobody]

So glad the mod master is still here love you LMNC

[@richiebricker]

Cool Recorder. I used to have that same mixer that I would record on a 4 channel Reel with , I guess, half inch tape, but we didnt have any wiring troubles. Thats insane. The aesthetics work well with your synths. Looks really cool

[@Johnsormani]

When I was 19 or so , back in the early 80s we used to record in a professional recording studio of my band mate’s dad. They had studer and otari multitracks there in their main and sub studios. I still remember they had bought the first lexicon reverb which was the price of a house

[@pablowentscobar]

Good stuff. I think reel to reel tape machines are just about the coolest things out. I've been thinking about getting just cassette 8 track recorder, there's lots of interesting things you can do with them and they are fun. One of my friends had a crappy 4 track recorder, and we had so much damn fun in the early 90's just making tapes and handing them out. Like everyday we'd make a new band, everyone plays something different, add/remove people, different genre (punk/hardcore/sludge/grindcore) make new art work and crank out a few tapes and hand tem out. Next day new band. We'd make compilations, all sorts of stupid fun sh*t.

[@curtpalme6425]

Nice to see the 'kids' getting back into analog recording. (yes, that makes me old!). I can't keep up with the demand of people wanting RTR machines repaired, and/or are getting into them for the first time!

[@evaodland7349]

Stumbled across this...brings back memories of recording ventures with bands in the 80's...recorded in 16 and 32 track studios....during a few mixdown sessions, we had five or six hands on the mixing console "automating" effects with EQ, effects, pan and volume. Stuff that is so intuitive in a digital mixing environment was difficult to plan and execute in the analog world. So getting the take right was the way to go 90% of the time. But one could bounce two separate takes of a part and take the best parts of each into one. Either with an outboard 1/4" 2 track or onto an available empty track. But on 8, 16 tracks you had to be careful of using up the tracks too quickly. A lot of engineers had a workflows already planned for various kinds of band configurations to make the recording process efficient. Sometimes we could "save" track takes on the outboard 1/4" and recall them later just in case. This one studio had two other 1/4 machines , one just for saving off takes and the other specialized one for final mastering that would be used of either cassette or vinyl reproduction. In my last band, we recorded digitally but bounced the mix down to tape, and then redigitized that recording for mastering so we could get the warm "tape saturation" and smoothing of the top end.

[@stubrakon9683]

I have two reels in the loft from a demo i did in 94 with one of these machines. Great sound!!😃

[@konstantingroove]

Great machine, one of the best sounding in its class!

[@adam872]

I've used an MS16 a number of times and I have to say that I don't miss tape at all! God there's a lot of stuffing about. Nothing wrong with the sound, but I started recording at the cross over point of reel to reel in the studio and the beginnings of ADAT/DA88 and hard disk based systems. Once I was able to get a machine both affordable and powerful enough to be a useful DAW I never looked back and a lot of other people clearly felt the same way.

[@deutsch4205]

Looks like a lot of fun, but it reminds me of the conundrum I have whenever I consider going this route: okay, I have the machine, now I need a console, now I need a patch bay, an outboard compressor, etc etc. It racks up quickly.

[@soundguydon]

Love this vid!! I've always loved tape. Never *quite* got over it from my youth ;) You have a hell of a machine right there, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm jealous!

[@kropjesla01]

the sabre console is in fact an inline console meaning that there are 2 inpunts on each channel. iF you set up up the tape-outputs to go to the secondary inputs there is no need to repatch all those channels. instead you can push the flip-switch and the outputs of your tapedeck will become the channels on your desk.

[@budgetkeyboardist]

My college band recorded several demos in a 16 track college studio back in the 80s. It was so much fun!

[@theDelinquenC]

That sounds legit amazing

[@louisl7788]

Yep - defo different to digital - like shooting film instead of digital - has its own vibe that can't be replicated

[@tomh4680]

I used to do sessions at a studio in Boston that used that exact same combination A&H Saber x Tascam MS-16. Great combination for the time 1995-98ish What came out of that studio always sounded so much better and warmer than many other comparable local studios that were using the Alesis adat digital machines or DA-88s

[@Geopholus]

Allen & Heath mixers are really great ! Hot so much the 16 tk 1" Tascam .... I do like what You managed to create on it !

[@donniecatalano]

In the very early 90's, I was lucky enough to have had the chance to work with one of these in recording vocals for several dance productions. Good times. Hard but unforgettable!

[@paulchristey]

great watching this 16 track in action :) the spooky track with critters could sound interesting slowed down but maybe leave the vocal channel turned all the way down!

[@gwoodtones]

Wow really nice... a friend of mine has a 8 track tape studio but the 16 track is the real deal! Really awesome man. Nice what you do. Nice music aswell! I would like to hear drums and guitars on it as well!

[@WayneLambrightIII]

Epic purchase, well done. You're at a new level.