Yes!

RMGI is still in production. I get several cases from them a year. Excellent product. You will want the SM900 formula.

http://www.rmgi.com.au/

http://www.rmgi.com.au/RMGI_SM900.htm

you will also need to align it. http://audio.utac.net/pg/tape/align.html

http://recordist.com/ampex/docs/align/aligndek.txt

and make sure you get an MRL test tape.

http://home.comcast.net/~mrltapes/

and a demagnetizer is a must.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Tape-Deck-Head-De...#ht_1141wt_1139

Be careful with the demagnetizer, I'm sure you know this from the Nakamichi but the Revox heads are Permalloy which will scratch quite easily and there's no protective shield on the Revox heads. Due to their material construction I would first give the heads a good visual examination, Permalloy wears quite quickly and, if the heads are worn, the Revox might become just another unit to use for parts.

Take the source provided by ncdrawl for tapes but also try local sources. Not much is done with open reel tapes today but try a small, independent recording studio or a shop which physically turns the masters into viable CD or LP's. Most larger cities have several such shops who cater to very small independent artists and recordists, they might have a lead on where they buy their tapes from a local source.

Sorry to say, the Revox has become not much more than a relic of the ages. If your machine doesn't include Dobly B processing, even at 7.5ips on the Revox you'll have better quality sound from the Dragon. At 7.5ips you'll be blasting through tapes at a rather ferocious rate with each 7" side being approximately no longer than a single album side - the equivalent of a 45 minute cassette except at 2-3 times the price. Unlike the Nakamichi you'll have to physically change the tape direction to play the other side. At lower speeds and longer play times most other contemporary sources will sound better than the Revox IMO. Finding 10.5" reels really only increases your cost IMO.

Open reels are more of a curiousity piece than a useful source in most consumer systems nowdays. They look very cool but can be outdone in sound quality by virtually any other source even given their "analog" attributes. Twenty years ago we used to compare open reels to HiFi VCR's and suggest the real use of either was for extended playing time rather than ultimate sound quality - particularly considering most people were only going to record their LP's and CD's onto to the tapes.

My Revox has sat in the back of the closet for about twenty years. I got tired of dusting it. Good luck with yours and maybe I'll be mistaken about your impressions of open reel.

Quote:
Be careful with the demagnetizer, I'm sure you know this from the Nakamichi but the Revox heads are Permalloy which will scratch quite easily and there's no protective shield on the Revox heads. Due to their material construction I would first give the heads a good visual examination, Permalloy wears quite quickly and, if the heads are worn, the Revox might become just another unit to use for parts.

Take the source provided by ncdrawl for tapes but also try local sources. Not much is done with open reel tapes today but try a small, independent recording studio or a shop which physically turns the masters into viable CD or LP's. Most larger cities have several such shops who cater to very small independent artists and recordists, they might have a lead on where they buy their tapes from a local source.

Sorry to say, the Revox has become not much more than a relic of the ages. If your machine doesn't include Dobly B processing, even at 7.5ips on the Revox you'll have better quality sound from the Dragon. At 7.5ips you'll be blasting through tapes at a rather ferocious rate with each 7" side being approximately no longer than a single album side - the equivalent of a 45 minute cassette except at 2-3 times the price. Unlike the Nakamichi you'll have to physically change the tape direction to play the other side. At lower speeds and longer play times most other contemporary sources will sound better than the Revox IMO. Finding 10.5" reels really only increases your cost IMO.

Open reels are more of a curiousity piece than a useful source in most consumer systems nowdays. They look very cool but can be outdone in sound quality by virtually any other source even given their "analog" attributes. Twenty years ago we used to compare open reels to HiFi VCR's and suggest the real use of either was for extended playing time rather than ultimate sound quality - particularly considering most people were only going to record their LP's and CD's onto to the tapes.

My Revox has sat in the back of the closet for about twenty years. I got tired of dusting it. Good luck with yours and maybe I'll be mistaken about your impressions of open reel.

I don't agree at all. Even the best Dragon decks do not compare with playing analog tape on a well set up open reel machine. There is currently a huge resurgence of magnetic tape recording, and it is a very healthy industry at present.

As witness to this, look at this..this is a new product, designed solely to integrate Pro Tools with a RTR.

http://www.endlessanalog.com/

and these

http://www.anamodaudio.com/

If set up well, Analog Tape can sound very , very good, and gives a depth/width that surpasses any other format.

No need to copy my entire post, ncdrawl, it's right above your own.

What is it about this forum that makes people just make up BS about what someone else said? Crimeney, guy! you just put my entire post in yours in case someone needed to go check what I actually said.

I never said a Revox in peak condition can't sound good. Go read what I said - or better yet, here's what I said ...

Quote:
If your machine doesn't include Dobly B processing, even at 7.5ips on the Revox you'll have better quality sound from the Dragon.

Without noise reduction the Revox suffers from noticeable tape noise. Program material can influence how intrusive this is to the listener but who listens to Guns and Roses constantly or only the loud parts of Mahler? Sooner or later song breaks occur or quite passages are played. Tape noise will be at least -20dB lower on the Dragon. If we were talking about the Revox vs a Pioneer cassette deck, that would be somewhat different but the Dragon (and the three head, single direction machines from the last generation of Nak - I have a BX300) was one hell of a tape machine.

Quote:
At lower speeds and longer play times most other contemporary sources will sound better than the Revox IMO.

Who records anything but background music at 3.75ips?

Quote:
They look very cool but can be outdone in sound quality by virtually any other source even given their "analog" attributes.

Analog is waaaay better than most digital when it comes to providing "analog" sound. But what's the source material going to be for most Revox B77's in a consumer system? LP's and CD's, right? So how's a deck with a poor signal to noise ratio going to improve upon the source? I hate to sound like Ethan but to do so will only amount to adding noise and distortion to the original signal to achieve what some might call "analog" sound.

If the deck is used as a field recorder, then that's a different story to some extent though we have no indication that is the intent of DM. Still, whether 1/4" analog tape is the best choice for uncontrolled or for most live recordings is highly debatable.

Quote:
Twenty years ago we used to compare open reels to HiFi VCR's and suggest the real use of either was for extended playing time rather than ultimate sound quality - particularly considering most people were only going to record their LP's and CD's onto to the tapes.

10.5" reels at 3.75ips and an auto reverse is coooool in a "Man From U.N.C.L.E." sort of way. Otherwise, a CD changer is more convenient. I never could fit those 10.5" reels in my car stereo.

Considering that the original post was asking for sources of tape, why all the negative stuff? A "don't forget to get this also(demagentizer or whatever)" is one thing, but What the ...?
I have never owned an open reel machine, but if that's your thing, great!!

What "negative stuff" are you referring to?

I have a Teac machine on which I recorded live events. When played back decades later, the sound is very "live" sounding compared to typical LPs or CDs. This is an impression with no analysis or science behind it; it jus sounds so. Hope you enjoy the R-R deck, especially with good microphones for recording.

Jan's right about the heads, being soft and easily damaged. Do be careful when cleaning. I still work on my Teac when needed.

This is my area of expertise, DM.

Let me know your budget and material youll be recording and ill steer you right.

I think youll have to have a mixer of some sort as the deck does not supply phantom power....Dynamic mics will work but they are not appropriate..Ribbons will work but gain wont be high enough. you just need a high bandwidth transparent preamp to provide phantom.

I am glad to help, just let me know!

DM, I emailed you.!

I got the machine a long time ago. I tried the dynamic cardioid mikes and it was OK. But the recordings with a pair of electret condenser mikes really was what I was describing. The dynamics captured are really there. That must be a big part of 'live', not having the experience you have in recording.

JSBach wrote:

I've inherited a Revox B77 reel to reel deck in excellent condition. If I'm going to add it to my collection of audio toys I'll need a supply of blank tapes. Can anyone recommend a supplier, if there are any left? Thanks.

Try ebay. I have a couple of Revox B-77s, one half track and the other quarter track, high speed and low speed and have had great luck finding blank tapes on ebay in the past. Haven't checked ebay recently for them as i found 200 large reels of Maxell high quality open reels which had been recorded on just once at my local FM radio station that was switching over to "completely digital" broadcasting for about a buck a reel. You might look for a deal like that on Craig's list.

Sorry to take so long to respond, been too busy.

Others here can recommend pro or better mikes, if that's what you want. I have used the Sony electret condenser mikes which have higher output than the EV dynamic mikes.

Quote:
If your machine doesn't include Dobly B processing, even at 7.5ips on the Revox you'll have better quality sound from the Dragon

I used to use a DBX outboard noise reduction unit back in the day. If I remember correctly it gave about 40db of noise reduction to my open-reel deck. I don't know if you can still get something like that nowadays...maybe a pro audio dealer or eBay,,,

I think a newer outboard NR system that may still be available is Dolby S or Dolby SR. I think they give about 30db NR. SR is the more professional (studio) version, and is more likely to be available.