Otari MX-5050 BII-2 Calibration (How to Calibrate the Reel to Reel Recorder)
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- This is the proper way to calibrate Otari MX-5050 BII-2 reel to reel recorder. Just pick the tape you desire and re-calibrate the Bias and EQ to your needs.
Followup- Today I re did EVERYTHING from the bias to everything showed here, and my MX 5050 sounds fantastic. Very happy. Thank you for a good comprehensive walkthrough on alignment.
So hab ich das heute bei meiner Teac 80 8 eingestellt... und es funktioniert sehr gut!
AMAZING!!! I did this with my MK1 and external 10k oscillator and oh boi it sounds all alligned and sweet now. Thank you so much!!!
i don't have this machine, i just find it fascinating. wish i had one even though i don't know what i'd do with it. very noble looking beast.
I am not an audiophile, but I hear and have heard great music live and recorded and I can say there is no doubt about the quality of a properly maintained and calibrated reel to reel. Music is the only religion that delivers the goods!
I was working on my MX 5050 BII all last night trying to adjust the 7.5 ips rec EQ. 15 ips adjusted fine. 7.5 ips i cannot get the EQ adjustments to null down far enough. In the manual it tells to flip the srl switch to normal and adjust with the knobs. On yours it stays at -10 going from source to tape with the srl on but mine comes way up past 0 db. Recording on 15 ips sounds fine but 7.5 is way too bright and alot of tape hiss. In the manual, it says the amplifier should be adjusted when speed is changed from the low half to the higher speed selections. But there is NO walkthrough of what to adjust in the bottom amp section and I wonder if that's where the issue is. Is like the EQ threshhold needs brought down into the adjustable range. Also there is a level imbalance from channel 1 and 2. Right channel for the input has to be turned back and same with output. Is there no trimmer adjustments to level up the main controls on these things?
Hi I couldn’t get the eq to work this way, so I went back to manual and What worked for me was to-
At 1k in SRL set record level to 0 for 15 ips & -10 for 7.5
Then turn off SRL and adjust output to 0
Then at 10k adjust eq to 0
Thank you for such amazing job .How to calibrate this beautiful otari reel to reel recorder.
Thank you for answering. Yes both Record buttons were pressed and the SRL was on. Still nothing heard while switching back and forth from Source to Tape mode. I'm stuck. I bought it used. Could a part have been removed before?
Doing a head alignment is first,
Then replay level
Then record levels.
There could be a cro on the output with X Y to see the phase errors.
I never had a problem at 0 for 10 khz,
Interesting to watch.
Thanks for the video
Head alignment only needs to be done once. You can leave it alone thereafter.
This machine was engineered for "easy" calibration. I wish someone out there would do a video concerning the calibration of a Teac a-3440!!!!!!!!! I have spoken. So let it be written. So let it be done.
I know this is an old video, but I have a question. When he is over-biasing 3 db, is this because of the particular tape he is using? Are there settings that you have to know in advance, depending on what kind of tape you are calibrating to?
Just for that speed found solution for universal type of tapes. For lower speed procedure is slightly different.
Thanks for your video!!! I'm wondering if you may have some advice, I believe I need to make a "tape lifter adjustment" on my biii-2 Otari...
(it's what allows tape to make contact w/heads on playback, & lifts tape when ff & rewinding, you may know)...i found the manual online, but it's not super elaborate on this...perhaps when I get in there, it will make more sense...Do I need to be concerned about getting shocked, if I'm just opening up the back & making a couple screw adjustments, it sounds? Thanks & any & all advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!! (p.s. Would you say changing the VU light bulbs is pretty simple, too? Would you recommend a certain bulb &/or place to get them?
I have a much earlier MX5050 that doesn't have the 10 kHz switch. I assume I can do the same thing with an external sine generator set at the frequency. Very helpful video, by the way.
I have a question I haven't used mine in a while, I rewind the tape and reset counter to 0, I recorded something 3 mins long. When I started rewinding the counter started counting up rather than back down to 0. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I think you'll find a better calibration of the bias adjust if you set the 10K tone to around -15db. At 0 vu, the high frequency can oversaturate and give a less accurate bias adjust. It's not easy to see the overbias on the deck's meter this way, but since all your doing is looking for a drop of 3.5db, you can use a meter on your console set to zero while you feed it the -15db signal from the deck.
Very interesting comment. You might be right. .. the only thing I want to add might be that if there is a fault with the bias
You might not notice it, but if it is working OK, you may have a useful idea.....thankyou
52 years I’m watching Maintenance guys do alignments and I never remember anyone bringing 7-1/2IPS Coming down -10db. Then again, I haven’t recorded at 7-1/2IPS in 40 years either.
Hello, i put the source leven in 0db and récord level in 0db and the recording is saturated...
The only thing I can't catch, what do you use as source? Is it calibrating signal or music?
Hi, I’ve got a MX-5050 B2HD It has only 1 big button that says test tone. Does this mean I need an external oscillator to complete the calibration?
Cheers
I have a B2HD without the inbuilt test oscillators.. What can I do
Hello, when you are in recording, is there an audio source coming in? If not why the needle is moving? Thanks.
This machine has built in tone generator (10khz and 1khz). When 10khz is "ON" you can proceed with calibration, then do the same procedure with 1khz (as stated in this video or operating manual).
@@vinylhifi When I put it in source, Yes, the first part of your tutoring is fine. at 0.32 My questions is when I press record and I put into tape - my vu needles is at - where the 20 is. My tape is a blank tape. I can not understand from there. Please help. Thanks
@@vinylhifi Q.) at 2:29 you switch to 10khz without disengaging the 1khz tone button. Was that an oversight? or does the 10khz override the 1khz? I hope that was clear, and thanks for this very helpful vid.
@@malcolmpalm........that's correct: 10khz override the 1khz. Thanks for the comment
@@vinylhifi Terrific, good to know.
OTARI looks like new.
Could you please put that into words? I had trouble following the instructions in the manual or this video. Thanks. BTW, the manual states that you need an oscillator to calibrate the Record EQ (last step). Also, why over -bias by 3.5 Db? Would this be the same for RTM SM468 tape?
You should follow the calibration procedure for each tape you switching from one brand to another, if you need properly sounding material on your tape you are going to record on.
The oscillator or MRL Calibration Test Tape you'll need to calibrate the unit to manufacture recommended characteristic (usually made by tech after overhauling, recapping etc.)
@@vinylhifi I could not follow the manual as it is confusing (as it says that you need an oscillator for the Record Eq which you did not use). Your video is much better. However, I'd like to know why you over-biased by 3.5db? Did you also calibrate the REPRO BEFORE doing the things in your video? Greatly appreciate your help. I'd to see how you calibrate the REPRO with an MRL tape, too. Anything about the MX5050 BII-2 would help greatly.
where do you live? ill pay you to do this for me. do you repair these? I'm getting one tomorrow. Anybody know a good tech on long island NY
if you do let me know
I calibrated to 0 VU with the 1kHz tone, then switch to tape monitor with the tape and tone running but my levels tank and adjusting bias doesn't help much. It goes up a bit on the channel 1, but won't go down after saturating. No bell curve there. Channel 2 not very responsive. Are there other setting I need to tweak?
meticulously clean the heads, swap the different tape (new tape would be recommended) ...then redo the bias procedure. everything pretty much the same as described in original manual.
Fantastic video! Very easy to follow. However I am having one problem:
I switch to 15 IPS, adjust the 1 Kz tone with the mode on Source, then the 10 Kz. That is all fine and well, but after I hit Record and Play, I can not hear any tone in the headphones when I switch back to Tape mode. So I can not monitor to tweak the other controls you mentioned. Am I missing something? Man, I hope it's something simple!
Please let me know. Thank you.
make sure your switch is on SRL mode and the red led diode lights
@@vinylhifi Thank you for answering. Yes both Record buttons were pressed and the SRL was on. Still nothing heard while switching back and forth from Source to Tape mode. I'm stuck. I bought it used. Could something have been removed before?
@@Ronjohn73 are you in 2T or 4T? I switched to 2T and it worked
Can anyone tell me if its normal when running a mix through the mx5050 it cuts about 5db of lows and boosts 5 db oh highs from the original digital mix? I just got this back from the shop and everything appears to be working fine but he said he didnt calibrate it so I’ll likely try this. Tape used is supposed to be scotch 966 and did shed a bit when first put on. Also machine slows to a stop before fully rewinding an 1800ft (i think) reel of tape. Weak motors or resistance somewhere i need to find?
The symptoms you described shows that your unit NEED to be calibrated with proper tape (new tape preferably).....Using "old/vintage" tape, specially back coated with obvious SSS syndrome like yours, causes that "slowing down" problem.....This is sticky grease and dirt your tapepath collected during FF and REW.......Nothing wrong with the motor. Tape path, heads, tension arms and all associated surfaces where tape travels need to be cleaned. MX5050 is a working horse. Just Don't use cheap/bad/outdated tapes to get good results.
@@vinylhifi Any good sources for finding good tape? I got mine off ebay (which I had success with before).My "mechanic" said he lubed and cleaned everything in it and seems reputable. I did calibrate it today using this video and turned out better; About 2-3 db off in highs and low frequency which I can work with...I'll play around with other music and levels and see what happens.
I am about to buy one of this. Do you still need a calibration tape to calibrate this machine or you are good doing this?
I am between an Ampex atr700 or a Otari mx5050 mini pro ... both 7.5 and 15ips. What would you choose?
Thanks in advance
Particular unit no need calibration tape, it has tone generator on the board, just throw in your desired tape and calibrate/recalibrate following instructions in this video. Otari the best for pro studio recording, the ATR-700 most versatile unit to use for both applications.
If you can visit US, I can help to get most suitable unit for your needs from my collection and provide all required service to it.
Thanks for your interest!
@@vinylhifi Thanks for your reply!....as I'd use it on my studio, for mastering purposes i'd go with the OTARI.
Can you use this same process on the mx5050 8 channel?
yes
This is the most bizarre method I have ever seen.
Why is that? I'd like to know an explained clear method, as there are several videos and manuals out there, but non of them are explanatory and clear for every single step and why. My point is proven by the huge amounts of questions and remarks that is here and with other videos, and on every single tape forum I've seen so far.
I hope you can help me, and I know this will be a big help for other owners as well.
Kind regards.
@@monzarace first of all, the over bias of 3 1/2 dB is not a standard, it depends on the tape manufacturer. That's why setting the bias level should be done using the 1 kHz tone. Over bias a half dB using the 1 kHz tone as you will get better results with the tape.
Second, you check the EQ settings BEFORE the record level adjustment. He did the level first then went back and did the EQ and that can screw up the recording level.
My preferred method is to calibrate to the tape speed I intend to use, in which case the EQ can be completely rolled off as it won't be needed. In this method, I set bias so that 1 kHz and 10 kHz are equal at the speed I will be using for the recording.
Also, the guy kept shooting the bird at the camera which is annoying!
....господин-ты паришься конкретно с эквализацией УЗ.
...учи user manual!