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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. >