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New to Nagra!!


Haggy38

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Hi guys,

 

 

its me again, I've been doing some nice 60s-70- classic rock recordings and I really love the Nagra III sound, but I do live in paradise and want to do some nature, birds recordings now, not sure what type of microphone should I get? Budget please.... 

 

Im still using my trusted Sony TC D5 ProII professional cassette recorder and enjoying with nice Walkmans I've collected....  but it's time to move to Nagra!!!

 

 

Gustavo

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Pair of low noise omnis into Sony for atmos tracks, a shotgun mic (like a Sennheiser MKH 805, 815 or 816) into the Nagra for detail sounds, individual birds, etc.

 

If by budget you meant "big budget, no expense spared" then get two MKH 20s or 8020s and an MKH 70 or 8070 !

 

J (Haven't seen the D5 Pro II for a while. I still have my original D6C and a D3).

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55 minutes ago, Philip Perkins said:

For your Nagra III?  You already have the correct connector--a previous owner made the mod for you!

 

2 hours ago, Philip Perkins said:

Yes, it might have been.  Many Nagra IIIs had a MALE 3 pin xlr mic connector....

 

And likewise the BM2 mixers. And also (mentioned already?) possible polarity change on pins 2&3 on XLRs anyway ...

What is the VERY NICE looking Walkman at the extreme left of the row? I remember as a kid looking at a 'precursor' to the WM-D6C which I eventually bought which was around the same price: this might be it but I (ha - vaguely) remember it being slightly bigger. What you have looks a lovely unit of the D6C quality but half the size (and not the D3) - I'm sure it's not the early pre-D6C model I'm thinking of but still looks of a build quality above the rest.

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41 minutes ago, The Immoral Mr Teas said:

 

 

And likewise the BM2 mixers. And also (mentioned already?) possible polarity change on pins 2&3 on XLRs anyway ...

What is the VERY NICE looking Walkman at the extreme left of the row? I remember as a kid looking at a 'precursor' to the WM-D6C which I eventually bought which was around the same price: this might be it but I (ha - vaguely) remember it being slightly bigger. What you have looks a lovely unit of the D6C quality but half the size (and not the D3) - I'm sure it's not the early pre-D6C model I'm thinking of but still looks of a build quality above the rest.

 

Thanks, actually this is the Sony TCM 600B, the pre cursor of the TPS L2, the same mechanism but the recording factor and mono, I do really love the evolution till the 90s when the Logic series appears, most beautiful and Japanese micro technology.

 

And the great but delicate Sony TCD D8 Dat walkman....

 

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20 minutes ago, The Immoral Mr Teas said:

TCM 600B

Yes that's a beauty to me. And definitely not the 'early pre-pro walkman' that I was thinking about. Never seen it before, cheers!

I'll even venture to stick a year on it - 1983 at a guess!

 

 

You are right the Walkman precursor was the Sony Bm-12(78), it looks very similar to the TCM 600B(79-81) though.

 

 

Gustavo

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  • 2 weeks later...

Now you have me really interested Gustavo!

 

I remember 'shopping for' the unbelievably expensive top Walkman before the (unbelievably expensive) WMD6C came out and I bought. Maybe I saw the 600B but could there have been a model between that and the WMD6C? It's a vague memory from the early 80s!

 

Jez

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On 8/22/2018 at 3:59 PM, Haggy38 said:

 

 

2 hours ago, The Immoral Mr Teas said:

Now you have me really interested Gustavo!

 

I remember 'shopping for' the unbelievably expensive top Walkman before the (unbelievably expensive) WMD6C came out and I bought. Maybe I saw the 600B but could there have been a model between that and the WMD6C? It's a vague memory from the early 80s!

 

Jez

Well, there was a WMD6 before the "C" model.

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On 2 September 2018 at 4:41 AM, Philip Perkins said:

Well, there was a WMD6 before the "C" model.

 

Which I had no idea about Philip! But sadly my oh-so-vague memory seems to be a different shaped model, less brick more box slightly, but with similar beautiful build quality.

 

Sitting on an archive of many hundreds of cassettes (one of which recently made its way back to the BBC as a 'lost' radio play) I'm pleased I picked up a decent D3 a few years back to replace the head wear of my original D6C for most stuff. A beautiful machine itself.

 

J

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On 9/1/2018 at 8:22 PM, The Immoral Mr Teas said:

Now you have me really interested Gustavo!

 

I remember 'shopping for' the unbelievably expensive top Walkman before the (unbelievably expensive) WMD6C came out and I bought. Maybe I saw the 600B but could there have been a model between that and the WMD6C? It's a vague memory from the early 80s!

 

Jez

 

Hi Jez,

 

I'm glad you're getting interest in those machines, they're truly beautiful recoding/playback gadgets from 80s, by the way a good Sony WM D6C can be as expensive as a Nagra.

 

I finally was able to get a tuchel connector for the external power supply, new fresh LPR35 tape, beautiful 7in aluminum reels and a  gooseneck  lamp for a dramatic illumination ! 

 

 

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I'll preface by saying that I doubt anyone's love affair with Nagra recorders is stronger than mine. I used them on countless productions, starting in the 1970s, with the Nagra III, IV, 4.2, IV-S, D, Ares C, V, VI, and 7. I've serviced hundreds of them, mechanically and electronically, and know the process backwards and forwards. But...

 

We (Trew Audio) no longer services Nagra analog recorders at our Nashville location. Forrest Forbes, at our Burbank location will service the 4 series - and he knows them well - but if they are not already in pretty good condition, it will likely not be economically feasible.

 

So, with that said, I'll add, with sadness, that there is no longer any practical benefit to recording on an analog Nagra, with the possible exceptions being gun shots and door slams (with the limiter off). Compared to today's 24-bit digital recorders, the analog Nagra specs of noise, distortion, and wow and flutter are way outside the modern acceptable range for professional use. They are a great piece of history, and fun to operate, and look great in the bookcase, but don't expect to use them for any hi-quality benefit.

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On 9/7/2018 at 6:41 PM, Glen Trew said:

there is no longer any practical benefit to recording on an analog Nagra

@Glen Trew I strongly disagree with this statement, not discounting your expertise, but you know I’m a big Nagra fan too and they do add a little something that digital machines don’t have. I did a movie last year that wanted me to use a Nagra and listening side by side with my digital mix track, it was night and day as far as that special something. Granted the Nagra I used was one of Dan Dugans hot rodded Nagras, so you know those are a lot quieter and high performance than a stock Nagra, but non the less it was a superb experience and the movie sounds great!

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I'm not expert at all, but I do used lots of reel to reel machines a long these years, let me tell you how gratefully I am with the sound quality of a Nagra 1963 mono recorder, I'm not discussing terms of practicality or hi fi quality, just a beautiful vintage piece of machinery working as it should.

 

It took me years to afford one and I love it!  The thing is this machines are in high demand now, not sure if is just for the looks or history or audio quality.

 

 

Gustavo

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