The good people at Universal Audio have engineered a digital plugin that brings the feature of this classic reel-to-reel recorder to your fingertips. It’ll be challenging to get your hands on a tape machine like the A800 by Studer, but there’s no need to worry. Finally, the VU meter helps you in keeping track of your output level. The “CAL” or calibrate switch gives you control over how much saturation should be present depending on how hard the tape is being hit. The faster the tape moves, the more trebly it sounds, while at slow speeds, the lower end fills in. The IPS or inch-per-second knob switch can help toggle between 7.5-inch, 15-inch, or 30-inch depending on how slow or fast you want your reel to go. The types are arranged from the dirtiest to the cleanest setting in terms of saturation. The tape type selector lets you choose between 250, 456, 900, and G9P settings. The tape machine has all the necessary controls to experiment with the highs and lows of the frequency spectrum. No wonder it was employed to produce truckloads of albums from infamous bands and artists like Metallica, Tom Petty, Jeff Buckley, and even Stevie Wonder, solidifying its high stature in the annals of music history. It has a rich analog sound with a well-defined low-end and crisp sound delivery. This is because it was the first tape machine controlled by a microprocessor. The Uniquely designed A800 was one of its kind when it was released in 1978. One of the most renowned tape machines of its generation, the A800 was an integral part of most studios from the 80s. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to find a few vintage devices online, and as you’ll notice when you read on, some companies are making modern recreations of these tape decks too, but be sure to set aside a small fortune as these players do not come cheap.Ĥ Readings that you may like: Top 12 Reel-To-Reel Tape Machines/Recorders Of All Time 1. But let’s face it, having reel-to-reel equipment somewhere in your studio not only serves you well but becomes somewhat of a conversation piece for sure, looking at how rare these players have become. You’ll see many machines on the list with different capabilities, technical details, dimensions, and appearances. While compact cassettes and CDs did take the focus away from reels from the affordability and convenience point of view to this day, few can hold a candle against the crispness, clarity, and analog brilliance of tape decks. Reel-to-reel tape machines set the standard for high-fidelity analog audio. Today we’ve put together a list of old vintage models and modern machines from brands like Studer, Ampex, TEAC, Metaxas & Sins, Sony, Analog Audio Design, Balfinger, Philips, Akai, and Pioneer. If you’re a fan of reel-to-reel tape recorders, you’re at the right place.
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