How will this analyzer help you optimize your tape machines?
Ron,
if I could give you a chapter and verse answer to your question, I would not need the training I know I need. last week I watched as my friend (with an assist on Studer A-820 info from Ki Choi) calibrated all three of my A-820's for playback for 900 tape, 1/4" for 2 of the machines, and 1/2" for the other one. the 1/2" was calibrated for both 15" ips and 30 ips. this included azimuth adjustment. after these adjustments the playback for some specific tapes we had played was clearly better. this was just for playback for only one tape formula. if I were to have done recording I might have wanted to add test tones to the new tape. this machine can also do that. the decks themselves can do a rough tape calibration but not as well as this machine (the meters on the decks would need to be calibrated). the best decks and highest performance benefits most from the best calibration.
I do have 'fresh' MRL calibration tapes for 1/4" and 1/2" 15ips and 30ips.
clearly I only understand this on a rudimentary levels......I don't know what I don't know. watching the process, I could see I need to acquire the tool and learn about this so i'm comfortable doing this stuff myself.
here is a link to a tape project thread, scroll down and read post 9 and 10 which might give you a better understanding of some of the issues involved. I see this as the same type thing and learning curve involved in cartridge optimization.
https://tapeproject.com/smf/index.php?topic=1102.0
maybe there is a better link someone can post that is easier for a newbie to digest.
OTOH if you get your deck(s) optimized for one tape formulation and one source for recordings and it is always the same you can get by without any of this stuff. but I have lots of tapes from different sources using different tape formulations, many with test tones. and I do plan on making 1/4" and 1/2" dubs. so I have get my brain around this stuff.
I had owned and used an optioned AP P1DD for years and had traded it to my Studer tech some five or so years ago. It's a great rig, but you'll need an older printer with Centronics (?) connector for hard copies of graphs and matrices.
Mike,
I am curious concerning what kind of calibration was performed on your A820 - none of the procedures referred by Paul Stubblebine in the thread you refer needs an AP Audio Analyzer, just the test tapes, an oscilloscope and an accurate RMS voltmeter if we can not trust the oscilloscope calibration.
I believe the AP generates the test tones that you would normally get from a test tape, so in that sense it replaces the test tape. It gives you flexibility to calibrate for different types or sizes of tape without needing to own a bunch of test tapes. Either one can do the job, so you don’t absolutely need an AP (or equivalent) to do a calibration. It is probably more of a pro oriented tool than the average hobbyist would need.
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