Quote:
Originally Posted by äggmedskägg
...I was using a Quantegy 456 tape I had lying around. Any recommendations for tape to use with this machine is welcome.
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The 456 is a classic "sticky shed syndrome " (SSS) tape. Using it could explain both problems.
1. It requires probably higher record bias and more powerful record amp drive than your Uher is capable of, leading to distortion.
2. Being SSS means it can easily shed tape muck onto the tape head, making for weak, muffled recordings and playback. You might be surprised at how very quickly the heads become caked with muck from tapes like this, and how difficult it can sometimes be to clean off the muck. In bad cases the tape wind will stick to the next wind and the oxide ripped off as the tape revolves.
3. Its black back coating has higher friction than un backcoated tapes and is not well suited for tape machines using felt pressure pads. It was designed for machines which use reel or capstan back tension alone for positive tape to head contact.
Best to avoid tape with the rough, black outside facing coating. Older pre 1970 tapes or those with which look brownish on both sides are probably best. But the SSS problem can also affect tapes without the black back coating.