A820 1" 2 channel - The ULTIMATE audio format by Studer
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- čas přidán 26. 01. 2013
- 2 channel Studer A820 recording at 45 IPS on 1" tape.
Tape duration is only about 22 min for this extremely expensive tape format, but simply NO OTHER MEANS can record and reproduce like that! Droooooling :-)
Music is an introduction to the 2012 Novellara Blues Festival.
Audio is coming from the main monitors of my workshop but it was too loud for the microphone of the iPhone, hence some passages are slightly clipped. Being here resembles the LIVE performance...
The empty reel I've placed on the left is for normal 1/4" tape, 10.5" in diameter, just to make comparison.
Note that the recorder is still to be refurbished, so the pinch roller is not the right one, two lamps inside the left meter are blown, capacitors are still to be replaced and so on. Also the tape is not a proper audio tape, so bias and levels were not set correctly. The video is just to see how the unit is running fast.
EDIT: as of July 2021 the recorder is still to be refurbished and modified. Too little time available to invest in research now. Before going to extreme 45 IPS standard, it will be set to act as an editing recorder for the tapes recorded with this particular A80:
• Studer A80 1" open ree...
More pictures of this and other machines can be found here:
www.monoandstereo.com/2015/10/... - Věda a technologie
One advantage of having the tape run at this high speed is that the inherent tape hiss and noise gets lifted above the highest frequency threshold.
45 fucking inches per second??????daaaaammmmnn nite that skins like IMAX clarity in the sound. I love your tape recorder
they really should go back to recording albums on this format! then no matter what lower format you transfer it to, you'll always have that opportunity to go back to the best quality as soon as people come to their senses and start appreciating good sound again!
Recording to tape takes 1) real musicians 2) foresight 3) real engineers … all three of which our current music industry is lacking more and more
Ширина 1", 45 IPS скорость - зверюга!!!
Где тогда такую ленту покупать?... Очень много надо её при такой скорости.
1" 2 track, wow, this is absolutely fantastic! Thanks Scotty!
I can smell the heads smoking from here!
45ips!! I bet that sounds amazing in the flesh.
That's true beauty and craftsmanship stunning I miss analog and reel to reel.
Incredible piece of equipment. I didn't know there were any 1 inch half track decks. I had only heard of 1/4 and 1/2 inch mastering decks.
Beautiful machine. I use Studers, have for a long time.
It is a neat video to watch, but why didn't you directly feed the signal from the tape machine into the video? I see this so many times on these videos. It defeats the purpose of hearing just how good these machines sound when you are using the microphone from a camera for audio.
Probably because they are, ironically, recording with a cell phone. Which doesn't have an easy means to record off the tape machine.
...and a Hammond organ only has the range of AM Radio. It's all done before 7.510Khz.
Truth
because you wouldn't really be able to appreciate the sound quality that way- woudlnt get you too much closer really
Now that is some fine gear!
Pretty insane. Beautiful deck.
Yes, 45 IPS is really a tape and head consuming speed!
As far as I know, Studer made very few units like that I've goto from EMI. It probably was the only one in Italy. The unit has some modded electronics, firmware and mechanical parts, in order to handle 1" reels. Te electronics recognizes the 1inch headblock and shows 1" near to tape A/B preset on the matrix LCD. Yes, there is a picture of that machine at page 80 of the book "Die analogen Hitmaschinen".
Never knew that 45 IPS speed existed, always thought 30 IPS was the highest recording speed.
30 IPS is the fastest standard tape speed commonly in use before development ceased. This recorder is using varispeed to get the 45 IPS speed.
I think there was even a 60ips mode. Never have seen it.
30ips and 60ips were more common in instrumentationally recorders like data.
200 ips machines also exist
240ips
now this...this is a proper studio master tape recorder. I am 100% sure
As you can see, there is no limit to perfection.😉
That's very true of anything analog. With digital u need to change a "standard"
Wonderful machine, wish I had one.
beautiful!!!
No, I've introduced a special equalization to compensate for the LF drop and frequancy extension at low end is very flat. In the future, before the end of this year I'll publish some measurement's results of this "monster".
The PR was taken from the 1/4" machine, which I also have, just to try this recorder since its original was completely melted. Now I've got the spare and it is of the right size.
The speed is easily reached in the standard varsipeeed deviation, which can be used in RECORD too. I'm modding the unit to extend bass frequency response and to introduce a new speed calibration bank, discarding the lowest one (3.75 IPS).This part is not that easy and requires some time...
At least you got 7.5ips.
understandably so. You need quite the insane ampliffication at the low end. Considering the gap width is probably low. I wonder how is tape noise if you use a a high speed and a relatively large gap width. So that you can reproduce audio effectively, highs and lows too and require a 7,5ips eq to do the 45ips tape speed. So I wonder if tape noise would still be lower with a larger gap width instead of going with a tiny gap and record only from 100Hz but up to 100kHz (is what I would assume the machine is capable of relyably at those speeds)
45 IPS!? I'm very, very impressed! :)
magnifique !!
Wonderful.dont suppose you have a link to this music? Couldn’t find? Thanks for uploading
it is interesting how equilisation is done on the machine
That's right.
Running time of a 50 µm thick tape at 30 IPS is about 33 min. 45 IPS speed reduces the lenght of 33,3%, so 22 min in total.
HDVS, did you made the necessary adjustments in the electronics of this A820 (bias, etc)?
Quite like the music, do you have a direct transfer anywhere or is there a CD available of it...?
This was just to try if the recorder can safely handle the tape, running at something like 114,3 cm/s. I'm developing a special equalization that will optimize frequency response in the lower end. This unit will be used only to produce session tapes from which we will produce master tapes.
Impressive!
At 45 ips you could use an FM modulator and have no low frequency loss...or hiss. In a previous job I used Bell & Howell System 80 tape machines running at 120 ips (max 240) with 19,200 feet rolls of 1" tape. These machines were used to record fairly high frequency signals.
No low end, obviously.
Damn this is realy fast like rewinding the tape XD i hope it didn't shred the tape, it's so insane, but the dynamic seems to be awesome XD !!! did you released that on any SACD or other high resolution PCM format ?
Didn't know yet. What I found amazing was 1/2" with 30 ips. 45 ips is much more, than the initial 1 m/s, what tape recorder prototypes had.
45 ips..!!?? Do ye you lose alot of low end?, or you got special extended heads on there?
No tape lifters, way less oxide shedding. Ampex really missed out on including that in the otherwise superb ATR-100 series.
No Bose bullshit in front of Studer. Ultimate!! Nothing can beat studer
Didn't realise any decks surpassed 30ips. Thanks for sharing.
Where can i buy this music ? :-) Great !
Hi, where did you get new 1" pinch roller? I need replace my old sticky one.
Simply magnificent. In the late 70's I was using their B 77 biased for the 1/4 inch, Ampex 456 Grandmaster tape I'd purchase from a recording studio in Berlin CT @ 15ips, just to archive my albums. Listening through Stax Mk3/SRD 7's powered by their B750 integrated amp and B 790 TT, I couldn't perceive a difference between the vinyl and tape playback. I've since moved onto vacuum tube amplification from Transcendent Sound, with pre amplification based on the 300B and for bass, OTL's( Output Transformer Less) using the 6C 19PI running Class AB and mid-highs using single ended Class A OTLs with JJ 509's. In between I was building my own Class A electronics based on Hitachi MOSFETs. From my own observation only, solid state cannot compete with tubes, correctly implemented. How does your Studer's performance compare with the DSD format in performance vis a vis, live recording?
Scott Wolf Have you had much SSS issues with the 456 ?
I find once I get to 45 IPS tape running direct into top end Audio Research mono tube amps feeding Pipedreams you really don't need a woman anymore. Sort of. I never was good at dusting. (Kidding!)
I wonder was it biased up for that tape speed (45 inches per second) as each tape speed needs a different bias level, so just turning up the speed may not be technically correct. I can see it was set to 30ips.
Hello Stefan, nice to hear from you again.
Unfortunately I only have the Serial Remote Controller and not the Serial Interface kit.
100 cm/s... almost breaking the sound barrier ;-)
I am not familiar with this machine. What type of dynamic range preservation scheme does it use to overcome the lackluster dynamic range (usually
Hey Mike, I think we're listening to playback anyway as the machine is in "Repro Mode". :-) Recording but monitoring the playback head.. :)
I would like to turn mine into a 1" recorder. I have all of the transport parts from another 1" 8 track A820 tape machine with less than 1,000 hours use. Need the 1" 2 track heads and the proper Hubs.
I did 100 cm/s/2.54 = 39.37 ips on my machine. of course varispeed scales as usual but I did not yet try 45 ips caring about the heads of my machine.- Queston: are there more 1 inch machines in Italy which are converted in non-standard Studer manner ? I think one used Studer A820 Multichannel parts for tape guidance, but also tape tension auf A820 2CH is not fitted for 1 inch, as well as the NAB seem to come from the multichannel machines. In a book about tape recorders a saw a similar machine
Potrei sapere come siete in possesso di un registratore della EMI ITALANA?
Fantastico
45 IPS WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW I know the clarity is high running that speed. Does it naturally vary up to 45? Ive seen an atr-102 do 45 nut i know it was modded.
Hello, I just saw this video, amazing. Can you please tell what specs did this format result in? Flux level, S/N mainly. I am interested what is the possibly achivable limitation of magnetic tape recording for audio, and this setup is close to that I think..
Thanks in advance.
Haha audio frequencies are a piece of cake! Try a video tape machine that needs to have a 6MHZ bandwidth!! Thats insane engineering!
In order to record such a high bandwidth you need to have a very fast speed of tape pass over a head quickly. This is known as writing speed. The normal thinking was "increase tape speed!" Or to make the head gap smaller. There were many many problems with this design. As u can see here a fast tape speed requires very large reels. Try recording 90 min at this tape speed..
So AMPEX had a BRILLIANT idea! Make a rotating head! Now if you understand electronics at all, the tape still has to move past a head, but now the head can rotate at extremely high speeds. In fact the heads rotate at 14,400rpm!! Ball bearings could not tale that speed for long, so AMPEX again invented air bearings for the heads to spin on!
So professional 2" quad video tape machines are a thing of engineering marvels!
What you hear in this video is not a master tape but a recording test form a digital source. I do have the original music programme recorded on DAT at 48KHz 16 bit, during the live session of the concert. The concert was never edited till now and is not available to the end user. I can send some samples anyway.
You can ask audiohouse in Switzerland (add a DOT ch to find their website) or, if you like to get your old one re-rubbered, search for "terry rubber rollers" and pick the first result.
half an inch per track?
Do you think you could do a high bitrate rip of that?
Che macchina 😍😍
Nice Video. How many hours of rec/play does it take until the heads must be replaced?
From the look of it, about two hours......
REVOX STUDER A 820 Professional recording
Wow! 45ips!!!
Anyone knows source where to get A820 ?
45 IPS? Shiiiiiit... how does the low end spec out like that? On 2" 24 track the low end can be a bit underwhelming but it's alright on 2-track 1/2" so I guess you're good in that department, I'm just curious on the specifics...
The faster the tapes speed the better quality!
also, where can i download this?
Great music, how to get a copy?
I like the end!
~1500 m; 35 mkm tape.
And what of the singer composition?
Probably has frequency response up to 100Khz.
Is second hand gadget available in India?
It seems in the video that the tape is set to "record". So I'm wondering if the sound is really coming from the tape.
Still a very nice thing.
Correct, machine in RECORD. Sound you're listening, comes out from playback head of the machine anyway.
WOW
hi guys, I plan to rebuild my Studer A820 1" 8track to 2track mastering version. HDVS> Please do you have schematics of modded electronics? And could you make video of your head block?
..btw. I'm programming PC interface for serial controlling A820.
cheers from prague
113 CM/s impressive
CRAP! I can barely afford 1/4 tape at 15ips! I can't imagine 1 inch tape at 45ips! Perfect fidelity for some Pink Floyd I would think!
Good luck finding a mastering facility that accepts this format...
Better yet, open yer own.
well, this is already a mastertape.
@@jjcale2288 I'm talking about mastering for vinyl or cd, hence "mastering facility"
@@jeffreyhunt1727 👍I got it!
The project of converting the machine is not finished. When ready it will be used to produce the session tapes which then will be mastered on 1/4" inch tape.
Where did you obtain the 1" 2-track heads from?
JRF Magnetics
hdvs so the heads aren’t original studers
Only two channels on the whole 1" width? They make heads like that?
22.5 square inches per second per channel?
Nucking futs!
This is a real rare machine because of 1" 2-tracks and 45 ips. But it shows why they died. These machines are highly expensive ever since. They had been produced only by order in very low quantity. The quantity of produced 1"-Tape is also very low ever since. Therefore in the early 80's a reel was about 300,- DM. And the maintenance is also extensive and expensive too. The machine has to be cleaned and demagnetized regularly. Additionally the machine has to be calibrated regularly because of normal aging. And also ever since, the deviation between the production batches of the tape is an critical issue. Even compelete batches where not accepted by large companies because the necessary recalibration of all machines costed to much time and efford. The sound is special and thats the reason why are plugins for DAW's are available. But today various execellent sounding digital master-recording solutions are existing for use at the end of an analog production process which are far cheaper.
+Eric Berger Do you think it would be possible to use 1" Type A/B/C videotape for one of these? It might be in larger supply.
+JJ Warner Dispite of size and look videotape is different in so many ways. You could not use as audio tape.
22 mins at 45 IPS?
How does it compare to audio mastered at 24 bit 384 KBPS?
Are you kidding?
It'll kick digitals ass!
YES !!!!!!!!
Do yot know how many of them where made? Do you sell this machine as it is?
I believe just three units were equipped with 1" transport in origin. I don't know of any other survived. In the meanwhile 2-track heads have been installed and the unit is now totally restored. And no, it isn't for sale.
Why was there no Dolby on the big mashines?
Not needed with these trackwidths and speeds. Even 1/4” 15IPS doesn’t really need Dolby
Now this is what I call recording headroom. You don't even need any amplifier, just listen to the fcking heads 😃😃😃
I too have never heard of 45ips. I have however heard of 60 ips.
Any place I could get the music from the video ?
Sorry, the concert has never been released, maybe in the future.
@@hdvs it has been 8 years...I doubt it will be released ever.
Esa es el mismo modelo que aparece en el video clip Patience de Guns N Roses
That is sweet, But isnt 45ips a little fast to replicate the bass accurately? I guess that wouldnt be a problem with a 1" though honestly, haha.
That pinch roller looks like the wrong size though.
45 IPS is just too excessive. I'm sure that 15 IPS would be sufficient for Master recordings.
I agree, it's sufficient, even more then sufficient.
hdvs Yeah, today's tapes are made of such high quality material that can produce amazing sounds even at 7 IPS.
I don't know your age, but, being in the field for 35 years, I'm sure that tapes made today are much much worse than those in production 20 years ago. I'm technically speaking, not jest "sensations". I refer to mechanical issues on the tape like uneven oxide deposit, out of tolerance height, too evident print-through effect and so one. Many emails spent with the R&D of a famous media producer, but really few refinements followed my suggestions... Problem is that in the market there is actually only one tape manufacturer. No competition means no effort to make things better. This is one of the reasons why I decided to leave the music label I founded some years ago. There is too bad quality in new tapes....
hdvs I was comparing the tapes from the 1950's with the ones from the 1990's. Today nobody uses tapes anyway, and I'm glad about that. I had many problems with tape recording when I was a kid (my dad bought me a reel to reel deck) and when I switched to digital back in 2002 I was very happy about that, because I could make good recordings without much effort.
I don't know if you mean just blank media or programmes on tape of the Fifties. Blank media 60 years old can't be compared to the latest formulations of tape discovered in the late 80's / first 90's. I don't even know what kind of recorder you used, if professional or consumer grade. Anyway to say that today nobody uses tapes isn't correct, just look at the column to the right of this text and you'll nothing but tapes and reels ;-). I respect you choice to use digital. I use digital too with good satisfaction and great comfort, but not to get the very best.
what curve do you use for 45IPS? AES? cheers
Looks like its playing in fast forward.
what i know...higher speed of tape loses bass..
no way!
Heads won't last too long at these speeds....
45 inches per second? It looks like rewind. )))
Of course, this is the ultimate and exclusively studio format. My system has only 15 ips, Revox-A700.
76 speed? As fast forward
Overkill speedwise.
Lavori alla EMI Italiana?
No, in Hemiolia Records
I love tape. I love the mechanical and analog nature of the beast. It sets the standard for sound quality.
BUT...if you were to take a deck like this in absolutely top condition and record its output to a perfectly aligned DAW at 24/383 and then dump that output back to the monitoring system, NOBODY could tell the difference between the live from tape feed and the digitized, looped thru feed. Not if the test was done double blind.
Even at 96 KHz, the largest magnitude errors are too fine to be detected after it's been through a tape machine.
Digital can sound as good as tape but I prefer tape because the added tape saturation adds a richness that digital lacks. I'll put one of my 15ips tapes against digital any day! Thankfully, my old ears are still good enough to hear the difference!
Remove the D/A converter and that might have a chance of being true.
For all of you, interested in the concert, please send me a PM, and I will forward the request to my brother, the leader of the group.
hdvs ciao, dove posso scaricare una copia del concerto?
A Mercedes in your room! You are lucky to live in a hot climate. Otherwise your wife will never swap her fur with your Studer )))
Those heads must need to be cooled with all that tape friction causing heat!
Why is 30ips lighted but 15ips isn't? Shouldn't they be lighted together to get 45ips?
45 is not a factory setting. They modified the machine to go that fast.
Wished they lighted 30 and 15, like with the varispeed 45 in LCD and LED.
Rapisu and Hamutarou it’s not a calculator 😉
Rapisu and Hamutarou it’s not a calculator 😉
Rapisu and Hamutarou it’s not a calculator ;-)
The speed preset is 30IPS+50%. There is no provision for a 45IPS LED.