Open Reel (Reel-to-Reel) Transfers
We have standardized on the STUDER A820 Master Recorder. Each of these machines are worth $20,000 each. The Studer A820 was the last Master Recorder and best reel-to-reel deck manufactured by the world famous WILLI STUDER AG in Switzerland.
Compared to the "compact" STUDER machines (STUDER A807, A810, A812, A816), targetted at the broadcast market, the STUDER A820 is an all-out assault on audio perfection. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Studer A820 was the machine of choice for many recording artists, studios and record labels through the 1980s and 1990s. The STUDER A820 still remains the discerning choice for many.
Interestingly, the STUDER A820 has only found its way into a few archives, and into even fewer audio transfer service vendors. Cost is certainly a factor. We know of fewer than five transfer facilities (three at last count, ourselves included) in the United States that operate STUDER A820 machines. To the best of our knowledge, The Audio Archive is the only transfer service to use multiple STUDER A820 machines exclusively for all open reel transfer work.
So why not the Ampex ATR-102? The ATR-102 is certainly a competent machine. But I would liken it to a muscle car or Corvette, whereas the STUDER A820 is more like a Porsche or Mercedes. You can pick your analogy, but the one thing that becomes clear the more you study a STUDER - its design, manufacturing, sonic performance, and tape handling - is that it is built with only the best materials and craftsmanship, and is extremely well sorted. The STUDER A820 is a work of supreme industrial art. It was state-of-the-art then, and it remains state-of-the-art today.
Why hasn't the STUDER A820 dominated the audio recording world? In many ways STUDER has, just not in the United States. We already mentioned that it is rare here in the USA and costly. It's complicated, with full microprocessor control, making it a poor candidate for DIY repairs. They are hard to find in good condition. They cost enormous sums of money to rebuild. Finding a true expert of STUDER Master Recorders is difficult in the United States. Replacement parts are a challenge to find, sometimes even requiring a donor machine when parts are no longer available from the STUDER company in Switzerland. Even JRF or ATR - well known names in open reel - don't know all the subtle inner workings of the STUDER A820.
It is only because of the meticulous STUDER Master Recorder services of Fred Thal at ATAE in Ukiah, California, that we have been able to remanufacture all of our machines to original specifications or better. Fred Thal is to STUDER, as Mike Spitz is to Ampex. Fred sorted out all of our STUDER A820 machines - making sure the firmware was at the latest revision, all the upgrades were complete, all capacitors replaced, bearings and rubber elastomeric parts in top condition, together with testing, alignment and calibration. Fred ensured that all of our machines perfectly "match" so that we can freely rotate machines out for regular maintenance without any interruption in our operations or the quality of our work.
Bottom line: Our machines are ready for another 20 years of trouble-free service.
Fred Thal and ATAE were not content to deliver stock STUDER performance. Our machines were further modified with SHR (Single Head Reproducer) headblocks, precision calibrated external azimuth adjusters, and an audiophile quality tape head preamp directly in the headblock.
These are truly machines worthy of playing back the most valuable tapes found at record labels, in archives, and in artists' personal collections.
Noise Reduction
We use the Dolby 361 and Dolby 362 frames, which support Dolby A-type and Dolby SR-type noise reduction, as well as dbx.
We also have an amazing boneyard of Dolby frames and cards. For every three frames we purchase, only one on average passes all of our tests for noise and alignment. For every four cards we purchase, only one will pass our noise and performance tests. We now possess a small library (and large boneyard) of Dolby frames and cards that are carefully documented, matched by serial number (for identical component topology) and matched by performance.
Maintenance Procedures
We measure and take a snapshot of the performance for each of our machines regularly so we can identify maintenance issues long before they become audible. This means calibrating playback EQ regularly to compensate for head wear, and making sure the channels are matched within 0.2 dB or better throughout the entire frequency range. This level of attention to detail produces transfers that have noticeably better stereo imaging, lower noise floors, and generally sound as good as they possibly can.
At the end of each day we clean down the tape decks and demagnetize the entire tape path. We clean the tape path between every tape played.
Tape Handling
Every tape is wound tail out, leaders are added or replaced as needed, and splices inspected and replaced, too. We collect large amounts of technical metadata for each tape, ranging from tape stock description, dimensions, base, binder, and back coating to format and condition. The preservation master together with the metadata make for a complete digital proxy of the original tape and recording. We can even scan the tape boxes, cue sheets, and engineering notes for inclusion with the audio preservation masters.
Damaged Tape
We deal with degrading tape daily. Be it sticky binder (sticky shed syndrom), squealing tape, or edge curl - we have all the right tools to address these issues.
Our ovens and incubators are accurate to within 1-degree Celsius or better throughout the entire space. This means that we can dehydrate tapes with confidence, without local hotspots or poor temperature control. The equipment all have controlled temperature heating and cooling profiles to prevent thermal shock to the tape as well as provide repeatability. In addition to heat treatment, we also have commercial dessicators for handling the less extreme cases of sticky binder.
To deal with edge curl and stiff acetate-based tape, we have commercial humidification chambers to help soften up old tapes and improve tape-to-head contact.
As for squealing tapes, the special ATAE SHR headblock has the lowest scrape flutter and the lowest tensions through the head nest possible. When other machines might squeal, the Studer A820 with all rolling contacts may not.
The Studer A820 has amazingly precise tape handling, producing the best possible tape packs - perfect for long-term storage. All of this adds up to the lowest possible tension forces on your tape and extremely gentle tape handling.