"GregS" <zekfrivo@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:fvad0t$f7f$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> In article
> <02e215cc-e3e0-4fe0-a57a-5bdffc647c49@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, CLM
in
> ND <camarvel8@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>On Apr 30, 12:34=A0pm, Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelati...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>wrote:
>>> CLM in ND wrote:
>>> > Thanks for all the replies. =A0I'm going to buy some Akai tape, but
>>> > also=
>>
>>> > a box or two of TDK as well.
>>>
>>> > I have a lot of music on hard drive, but I want a backup on a format
>>> > in case something should ever happen to my computer. =A0With CD-R's,
>>> > you're too reliant on the computer
>>>
>>> Not if you archive as audio CD !
>>>
>>> Graham
>>
>>That sounds like a plan.
>>
>>My apologies if my post wasn't very technically savvy, but I always
>>liked the way a well-made cassette sounded. I really just wanted to
>>know if anyone on this forum had used Akai high bias cassettes.
>
> I never like high bias because they had poorer frequency response.
> The sound is much the way you adjust the bias. My old favorite was BASF
> low bias, forgot the name. It had the best response period. You could
also
> see right
> through the tape.
>
> greg
>
ALL tapes, whether high bias or low bias need the right amount of bias to
get the right balance between distortion and output level. As few cassette
machines had adjustable record EQ, getting the bias right also allowed the
frequency response to come out flat(ish) You can't say that high bias
tapes
had a poor frequency response, they may have had *in your machine* as it
wasn't set up correctly. BASF was capable of excellent results, but its
bias
requirements were low and most if not all Japanese made recorders would
over-bias the tape resulting in higher distortion and poor HF performance.
It also had a relatively low MOL compared to TDK and Maxell, and much
lower
MOL than That's. However, if the machine was set up correctly, it did have
a
very flat response with minimal dropouts.
Bias setting is not the only parameter that has to be adjusted,
sensitivity
is most im****tant if Dolby tracking is to be correct, and ideally, record
EQ
should be adjusted independently of bias, i.e. the bias control should not
be used to flatten the frequency response, although it often was, in the
absence of proper adjustments.
After having made the mechanical adjustments like azimuth and tracking
position, and set up the replay side, the steps for setting up the record
side is first to bias for maximum sensitivity at 400Hz (some people prefer
to overbias by 1 or 2 dB, but I would only do that for a R-R machine
running
at 38cm/s, not for a cassette.) Then adjust the record sensitivity to get
the correct Dolby level in accordance with the Dolby chip's instructions.
Then, adjust the record equaliser if there is one to get the flattest
response, then repeat the three steps as on some machines there are
interactions between the settings.
In order to do this you need a selection of test tapes, a signal
generator,
millivoltmeter and scope.
Or you could just record everything on computer, edit it simply and burn a
CD. But then, where's the fun...........
S.
--
http://audiopages.googlepages.com
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