Please continue this discussion on list. I have also found that baking
most tapes helps them run on the machine. Don't have much experience
with 206 so I must ask why should this be excluded? Is it the standard
length version of the 207. I had a couple of these that were back
coated. The emulsion just came off the tape one day. I tried Last's
product for vinyl and was very disappointed. What product did you use?
Maybe different products produce different results. I'm still waiting
to see photos from Marie's mods.
Shai

Corey Bailey wrote:
> Hi Richard,
>
> I would be interested in exploring our different experiences with LAST
> lubricants. Perhaps we should compare findings off list.
> Starting in the early 90's, I experimented with a number of lubricants and
> application methods until I discovered the Last Factory. Some of those
> lubricants did work well but the resulting mess and possible harm to the
> equipment seemed to be not worth the results. Consequently, I never published
> my findings. I would agree that the majority of squeal problems occur on tapes
> recorded at slower speeds however I have also encountered the problem on music
> masters recorded at higher speeds. Perhaps I should have noted in my post that
> the example on your website did not utilize a standard audio tape deck and the
> speed was quadrupled. I've always admired your work because you think outside
> the box but with a scientific approach. My concern was the possible oversight
> of the details regarding your particular procedure and some would think it just
> fine to try a 3-3/4ips tape run at (for example) 15ips and I wanted to point
> out the possible pitfalls.
>
> Anymore, I've pretty much come to the conclusion: "If it ain't Scotch 206, Bake
> it!' Of course, that excludes acetate but I have found that stabilizing the
> oxide solves a number of problems right off and polyester doesn't seem to be
> bothered by the process.
>
> Cheers!
>
> Corey Bailey
> Corey Bailey Audio Engineering
>
>
> Quoting "Richard L. Hess" <[log in to unmask]>:
>
>
>> At 10:00 PM 2009-12-16, Corey Bailey wrote:
>>
>>> Having dealt with squealing tapes at virtually all recorded speeds and
>>>
>> (most)
>>
>>> widths, the simplest and most effective solution I've found is to lubricate
>>> them. That said, the most effective lubricant I've used so far is from Last
>>> Factory.
>>>
>> Hi, Corey,
>>
>> I have had pretty much the opposite results with The Last Factory products.
>>
>>
>>> 1) Unless you have modified your play electronics, playing, for example, a
>>> 7.5ips tape at 15ips will invoke a different EQ alignment curve which will
>>> result in inaccuracies when pitching the file back down in the digital
>>>
>> domain.
>>
>>> (Something I don't like to do in the first place for a number of reasons)
>>>
>> There are many ways to handle this and most of the times I record an
>> MRL test tape to make sure it's all fine at the end.
>>
>> In my experience, this is a problem that is mostly limited to
>> personal and oral history tapes as they are the ones usually recorded
>> at slow speeds. I've had little or no issues with master tapes,
>> especially on the single-head reproducers.
>>
>>
>>> 2) Having tried this and observed the signal with calibrated test equipment
>>> showed that the squeal is, more often than not, still there and
>>> although it may
>>> not be (as) audible, it is having an effect on the audio in other ways such
>>>
>> as
>>
>>> increased harmonic distortion, induced wow and flutter, etc.
>>>
>> That certainly may be true in some instances, but in others, there is
>> a threshold where the squeal stops. It was actually Jay McKnight of
>> MRL who suggested the higher playing speed (I think I mention that in
>> my blog post) and this was based in part on the analysis he did of
>> the mechanical properties of tape for Ampex.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Richard
>>
>> Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask]
>> Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX
>> Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
>> Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.
>>
>>
>
>