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Jonesd90

Joined: 23/05/10
Posts: 83
Loc: United Kingdom, Manchester

Ampex 407 mastering tape new

#971992 - 24/02/12 10:48 AM

Does anybody know where to buy some unused Ampex 407 mastering tape?

If anybody has a source for something similar that I can get which is new/unused please let me know.

Running mostly at 7.5 ips.

Cheers, Dave

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James Perrett

Joined: 10/09/01
Posts: 9645
Loc: The wilds of Hampshire

Re: Ampex 407 mastering tape new

[Re: Jonesd90]
#972027 - 24/02/12 12:51 PM

Any Ampex labelled 407 is likely to have gone sticky by now so I wouldn't advise buying any. You might have some luck if you can find some Quantegy labelled 407 but even that will probably go sticky soon. You would probably be better off with something from RMGI - possibly the LPR35.

James.

--------------------
JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

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Hugh Robjohns
SOS Technical Editor

Joined: 25/07/03
Posts: 18348
Loc: Worcestershire

Re: Ampex 407 mastering tape new

[Re: Jonesd90]
#972041 - 24/02/12 01:44 PM

Ampex 407 is the thin 1mm long-play version of the standard 1.5mm 406.

I've converted to RMGI tapes and use 911 now with very good results. The long play version of 911 is LPR-35. Obviously, for optimum results you should re-bias and re-equalise for the RPGI tape, but it the formulation is actually very similar to 406 and it doesn't take much tweaking!

Hugh

--------------------
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

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tacitus

Joined: 04/02/08
Posts: 754

Re: Ampex 407 mastering tape new

[Re: Jonesd90]
#972047 - 24/02/12 02:28 PM

I've just remembered why I got so excited about digital and even more excited when we moved to hard drives and dumped tape altogether. It's like central heating - however much you think it's a modern wimp-out, you wouldn't want your children not to have it. And my son would soon make any tape sticky, admittedly with jam.

Gotta go, fires to lay, kindling to chop ...

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vetsdiggy

Joined: 27/10/05
Posts: 170

Re: Ampex 407 mastering tape new

[Re: Hugh Robjohns]
#972694 - 27/02/12 10:15 PM

Hugh....
I'm about to move over to the RMG tape with a Fostex B16. How should I go about re aligning the machine?
Thanks!

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James Perrett

Joined: 10/09/01
Posts: 9645
Loc: The wilds of Hampshire

Re: Ampex 407 mastering tape new

[Re: vetsdiggy]
#972763 - 28/02/12 10:13 AM

Aligning any of the Fostex 16 track machines is a bit of a pain because you don't have separate record and playback heads. So you have to tweak something, record a test tone for a few seconds, rewind, playback, rewind, tweak again and repeat until you've found the optimum setting for that control. You then move on to the next control. The procedure is described in the owners manual and in the service manual - I don't have a B16 manual but I have a .pdf of the E16 service manual (which is big) so let me know if you would like a copy.

Edit - just found the B16 manual at

http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/tech_support/pdfs/b16_owners_manua l.pdf

but it is a bit vague on the exact calibration procedure.

I'd be tempted to just try a reel of RMGI tape, record a frequency response sweep and if the level is within 3dB between 250 and 10kHz (as suggested by the service manual) assume that the bias is OK.

Cheers

James.

--------------------
JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Edited by James Perrett (28/02/12 10:23 AM)

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vetsdiggy

Joined: 27/10/05
Posts: 170

Re: Ampex 407 mastering tape [Re: James Perrett]
#972827 - 28/02/12 02:18 PM

Thanks for that!!
I'll get hold of that manual!
Yeah it seems a little tricky so I'll let you know how I get on!

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