Noise in 238 Recordings

[Bobby Character]

Hello all,
I've been using a 238 Syncaset for some months now, bought it in what seemed like very good working order.
Now I'm having issues with recordings- sustained mid to high frequency material creates lots of noise- 'bumps' or intermittent drop-outs. I

It is a problem that has occurred across a few different tapes I've recorded with (some worse than others) and seems to happen differently on different track (in other words, noise will not occur across all tracks at same time). I have cleaned the heads regularly.

Here is a link to an example of this happening on a saxophone recording: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QxywBN9clVBfDJInpMO107iIM61POidC

Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SkywaveTDR]

Remember how slow the tape is moving and the area and density of the track. These decks were not made for a finished product like people like to use them for. The tape you are using may have wear on it. Drop outs on tapes are very common and I see them on the scope all the time.
It all has to do with tape to head contact and any debris that is encountered in the tape path.
I listen to the track and heard what you were referring to. Try using a new tape.
This is why they use large format tape and wider tracks. Better results would be had with a Tascam 58 with 1/2" tape.

 

[Bobby Character]

thanks for this! I have done some further tests and am starting to suspect it is the tape, not the heads! I have ordered some sealed Chrome type II tapes to see if this changes things.

What you say about speed/surface area is true for sure! I would really like to move to an open reel 8-track, ideally a Tascam 38 (1/2 inch) but am struggling to find one for sale that is in my area!

 

[SkywaveTDR]

You what Chrome tapes you use. A lot of that BASF 799 type stuff is inferior tape as I have tested it.
The best tape I have found is Maxell XL II. The best Chrome tape would be TDK HDX but that will be kind of hard to find as it is a weak Metal type tape.
If the tape you get is not the kind that prints a 0 dB level at 0dB then it may be some of that cheap stuff a lot of people are shoveling that comes from Korea. Name brand stuf TDK or Maxell is the best.

 

[Bobby Character]

This is helpful.
The tape I've been using (and that is in the recording) is indeed unused stock of BASF Superchrome tape that is custom loaded for me at lengths of 40 mins. In the past I've had good results with this but maybe this is just a bad batch. I have ordered a sealed TDK SA-x60 which was what I used to use with great results but it is so expensive and difficult to find these tapes nowadays! I wish some decent stock would go back into production- I think there is a market for it!

 

[SkywaveTDR]

The problem is the formulas of SA and SAX are all lost as no one is making that oxide anymore. The best of the production is the normal bias tapes some of which are more market than actual results. I don't need NAC to tell me they have the ultimate ferric tape just make the stuff and I will test it and tell them if it is any good. So far another guys does not think it is all that great.
The Porta Studios are made for the Chrome tape of Japan and so that of the German made stuff is a bit off and often times low in print level by 5 dB or more. The NAC stuff called 771 was as good as the Maxell XL II but of course they used that up and have no more of it. Many places are trying to sell that garbage Korea stuff as high end and it is opposite of that- they rely on the lack of knowledge of the buyers to get away with selling substandard tape. A person with a 488 sends me in a deck for repair and then a tape called 799. Well I calibrated it with XL II as a standard, when I went to try 799 the levels were so low the deck would not get up to 0 Vu so I told the client to dump that tape as it is not compatible to the deck circuit.
Another 122 Mk II I adjusted and modified for the low end BASF Chrome tape and the problem was that when switching to Metal or Normal tape that the adjustments would run out of space as the Chrome position skewed the deck that far to be able to use that tape. Then I was told that the Chrome tape is quieter than regular Chrome tape. My test showed a unweighted result of 1 dB less noise on the Chrome BASF next to a XL II but at the same time a -5dB print level so overall there is no advantage to it at all. There are a lot of things to learn at the service level that people in general do not find out about. SAX was always a favorite tape I bought only to be exceeded by the capabilities of HDX Chrome Metal tape.