Recording Degradation on Recording to reel to reel

Every EVERY time it is dragged over the heads it loses something. The same with cassettes. I notice it every time. Can't say for you.

I think I remember hearing somewhere that in the good ol’ days of analog tape (pre-digital), Fleetwood Mac, while recording Rumours, had to go back and re-record some instrument tracks, because the master tape they were using had passed over the tape heads (probably at least a hundred times if not more) so many times (probably at 30 ips), all of the high end frequencies began to wash away.

I don’t think you need to worry about even 20 passings over the tape head. I have some prerecorded 7" reel to reels from the 60’s, and they still sound excellent.

Interesting Discussion!  Thanks 

yes; performance will diminish by playing; but you can’t really generalize about tape signal quality degradation as there are many variables. and also the question is at what point is this degradation audible?

modern tape formulations hold up better, properly maintained transports, and better tape paths are easier on the tape.

i have tapes i’ve played on my Studer A-820 master recorder dozens of times without apparent degradation. but the quality of the tape, and the transport quality is at the very tip top. this is 1/4" 15ips. all of my tapes are high quality modern formulations, most are at least 10 years old.

i’m sure there would be measurable degradation, but so far i don’t hear it for my playback purposes.

lower speeds, and less robust transports, less quality heads, less quality tape, will have different results.

to answer your question; playing a tape 3 to 4 times should not appreciably diminish the playback quality unless the deck has problems. most (but not all) 30-50 year old decks have some level of problems.

Everything is relative, i.e. perfection, darn good, good enough.

I have over 500 pre-recorded tapes, 7-1/2 ips. Inherited some, bought most on eBay. Played how many times?

Despite what people say, these tapes, and the Technics X2000r player are my best sounding source material.

I have many albums: CD; LP; R2R. Everyone picks LP over CD and R2R over LP, despite the fact that there is tape hiss in quiet passages and the S/N specs are worse than others.

Re-recording: IF the magnetic materials have not deteriorated, good to go. Repeated play, 60 year old tapes, no bleed thru, still sound better than other sources.

15 ips; 30 ips, gotta be amazing. I had a Teac that played 15 ips and 7-1/2 ips (they do not have 3-3/4 ips typically). I gave it to a musician friend and stuck with the X2000r (last pro-sumer deck Teac made). Plays big reela, 7-1/2 and 3-3/4. I do have some 3-3/4 ips, nowhere as good as 7-1/2, and LPs will beat them, but I can play them.

My tapes I made myself, FM simulcasts, still sound great.

like I said, if a perfectionist .....