Otari MX70 16 track one inch tape reel to reel - 15/30 ips - 1980s retro

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Great sounding Otari MX70 one inch, 16 track reel to reel tape machine, with remote. Dating from the mid 1980s, they are quite rare in this country (however in the USA they have their fans!) This is a fully professional machine and really sounds so much clearer than the Tascam/Fostex reel to reels. The transport is extremely smooth and quiet, while the remote gives you the opportunity to set cue points for drop ins, which it achieves seamlessly. The heads are in very good condition (see photo) and all transport functions (FFW, Play etc) work correctly on both the machine and remote. It has recently had a new rubber pinch roller from Terry's Rubber Rollers in the USA. The inputs and outputs are all on XLR.Although it powers up and the transport is good, I have not been able to test the individual tracks to assess its current performance on record and playback, however I will have time over the next few days to do this. There are a couple of known issues:Track one does not record, yet the audio card for that track will play back as far as I know. As the audio cards are easily removed from their slots on the front of the machine (make sure the power is off when doing this) you can still record onto tape track one by 'borrowing' another card! This trick can help if any other issues arise.The zero return button on the remote is missing. However this button is present and working on the actual machine.At least two VU meter bulbs are not working (see photos).The cosmetic condition is reasonable, but it is an old machine, so various marks and scratches are present, and the two small grey plastic covers that used to be on the front at the bottom of the machine are missing (this does not affect performance in any way). The front cover in front of the audio cards does not quite fit snugly so wobbles a bit but it does stay on.I do not have a loom for this for the XLRs as I sold this with my mixing desk unfortunately.This runs at both 15 and 30 ips (inches per second). I originally ran it at 30 ips when I bought it in 2000, and the sound is extremely clear at that speed, but I then switched to 15 (to save tape!) and I noticed the bass response seems better at the slower speed. I once did an A/B test with a digital recorder recording a conventionally miked drum kit. What I heard was that the digital recorder was unable to cope with the complexity of the cymbals, whereas on the Otari they sounded real, and the bass drum also had more warmth on the tape. This could be a real bargain as I am beginning the auction with a relatively low starting price, with no reserve. I would like to point out that this item is collection only, from just outside Norwich. It is extremely heavy and pretty big. It is difficult to package for a courier so please don't assume this might be possible! It needs two strongish people to move although it is on wheels. I will post measurements in the next few days. Please email first if your feedback is less than 5. Thanks for looking and .I have tested the Otari fully and it seems in reasonably good shape but would benefit from a service. All channels play back,(both speeds), channels 3 to 16 record perfectly, channel 2 seems to have an issue in record mode - it cuts out in input mode after a second or two. It meters ok in 'sel-rep' mode. I also noticed the two metal spindles (tape lifters)by the heads once or twice seemed to stick in the 'out' position - this may sort itself out, as the machine has not been used for a few months, or need a bit of lubrication. You can of course push them in manually so the tape is in contact with the heads if this happens. Overall though it sounds great and with these few issues sorted out it would be fantastic. Also, I forgot to say, the manual is included - includes all instructions and schematics. read more

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