Just in case you lost yours....

[Ty Ford]

[Rick Reineke]

Blast from the past Ty. Many folks these days have never had the pleasure (or displeasure) of adjusting tape bias or doing a full calibration of a multi-track analog recorder (starting with the MRL tape).

[tourtelot]

I remember using Scotch 808 (Was that the thicker tape?  Less print through.) and some Ampex but that number escapes me.  I didn't do too much research.  Just used what my fellows were using, sent the Nagra to Dan Dugan, he sent it back ready to rock.

 

D.

[drpro]

Andy Cooper was my go to before he started making mixers.

[stacysound]

Ampex 456. Good times calibrating a MCI 24 track machine...

[codyman]

A little more involved than "Do you want poly or mono WAV files?"

[tourtelot]

Yes!  Ampex 456.  Thanks.

 

D.

[Rick Reineke]

My old Ampex 456 tapes from my recording studio days (daze) are a gooey mess... it is common.

[TVPostSound]

Would be scarier if you had the MRL tape too!!

That guys voice!!

[Fred Salles]

I never had to adjust bias settings as the renting companies were doing it for the tape they were selling us (468 most of the times -BASF- we were in CCIR norm in France)
I never had to change tape type during a shoot. That might have been disturbing. I only did shorts  as hod that time but as an assistant I do not recall anyone mentioned they ever did. Did you ever use different tape types for a same film?  

Now the 4.2 I own was set by Nagra France for the tape stock I still have (BASF SM468) so I think I will pass that challenge forever 😅