Just a little to add to the above. I've been making tapes with the same H-K deck since 1987 & have to agree with Celtic66 on not using Dolby. I also *push* the recording level so it hovers between 0 and +1 dB with peaks reaching into the red. Depending on what you use to playback the tapes with I would suggest changing the playback settings to experiment with in regards to hiss & rolloff points.
I've had very good success with Maxell XLII-S and even have some UDXLII from 1982 & '83 that still play OK. I made all my tapes to take over the road with me so only made a few metal ones, but they definitely were of better quality.
I've played these tapes in Pioneer, JVC, Alpine, Concord & Soundstream decks & they all played back differently. Have fun with it.
I've had very good success with Maxell XLII-S and even have some UDXLII from 1982 & '83 that still play OK. I made all my tapes to take over the road with me so only made a few metal ones, but they definitely were of better quality.
I've played these tapes in Pioneer, JVC, Alpine, Concord & Soundstream decks & they all played back differently. Have fun with it.