Richard L. Hess
Tape Restoration and
Mastering Facility


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Richard L. Hess
Contact Information—How to get your tape restored

We provide high-quality transfers/copies
even from hard-to-play tapes.

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Our studio as of August 2007

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The room meets NC-25 with both computers and the air conditioning running.
The power is supplied via a separate shielded isolation transformer.
There is rear access to the jackfield and the shelves from the workshop.
The walls are fabric-wrapped panels over mineral wool.
All exposed wood is oiled oak. The worksurface is oiled oak veneer.
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Studer A80 and three Sony APR-5003V
tape recorders

Sony APR-5003V
with circa 1944 Magnetophonband Typ L tape
Sony APR-5003V

Audio Reel Tape
Machines
  • Studer A80: 7.5 and 15 in/s; we have a new 15/30 in/s capstan motor and intend to make one a high-speed machine shortly. These currently play 1/4-inch tapes only.

    We have the following head assemblies for these machines:
    • Full track mono
    • DIN stereo
    • NAB stereo, play only with external calibrated azimuth adjustment


  • Sony APR 5003-V: 3.75, 7.5, 15, and 30 in/s (i.p.s.). It can also be coerced to run at 1.875 in/s. For 1/4 and 1/2-inch tape.

    We have the following head assemblies for these machines. Note, the two side-by-side machines are used for 3- and 4-channel reproduction. Head assemblies are for 1/4" tape unless otherwise noted.
    • Full track mono - a portion of the guides have been widened for 6.5mm German tape.
    • 0.200-inch wide, centered mono (for paper tapes)
    • DIN Stereo
    • Wideface Applied Magnetics NAB Stereo
    • Standard NAB Stereo (Woelke) assemblies with timecode (4+)
    • Quarter and Eight track stereo assembly (play only)
    • 3-channel NAB cartridge format and 3-channel Pacific Recorders TomCat MaxTrax cartridge format assembly (play only)
    • 4-track, 4-channel (play only)
    • 8-track, 4-channel (play only with special elevator height adjustment that maintains azimuth while permitting reproduction of any 21-mil track anywhere on the surface of the tape).
    • 1/2-inch 2-track (2)
    • 1/2-inch 3- and 4-track assembly (play only)


  • Studer A810: 3.75, 7.5, 15, and 30 in/s (i.p.s.). For 1/4-inch tape

    We have the following head assemblies for these machines. All are for 1/4-inch tape
    • Full Track Mono (2)
    • DIN Stereo (Butterfly)
    • NAB Stereo, one with external, calibrated azimuth adjustment, both with timecode
    • Full track mono with Neopilot head


  • Sony APR-16: 15, and 30 in/s (i.p.s.). It can be coerced to run at 7.5 in/s. For 1/2 and 1-inch tape.

    We have the following head assemblies for this machine.
    • 16-track 1-inch
    • 8-track 1-inch
    • 8-track 1/2-inch
    • 4-track 1/2-inch
    • 16-track 1/2-inch


  • Dictaphone 20-track 1/2-inch and 40-track 1-inch logging tape reproducer.

  • Studer A807: 3.75, 7.5, and 15 in/s (i.p.s.).

    Used with a 4-channel play head and switching as a tape preparation station.
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IRIG Instrumentation
Reel Tape Machines
  • Honeywell 101 wideband instrumentation tape recorder (3). These machines run at 15/16, 1-7/8, 3-3/4, 7-1/2, 15, 30, 60, and 120 in/s.

    We have the following configurations on these machines:
    • 7-track 1/2-inch IRIG
    • 14-track 1-inch IRIG
    • 28-track 1-inch IRIG

    These machines will work with Intermediate Band, Wideband I, and Wideband II tapes, although we are not fully equipped with all FM filter options. For Intermediate Band and Wideband I from 15/16 to 60 in/s we can use the Racal Store machines for FM demodulation. These machines take tapes with up to 15" reels.

    We would be happy to discuss your specific needs in this regard.


  • Racal Store series of instrumentation recorders. These highly portable machines only take 8" reels but have a variable filter system so without options they can demodulate Intermediate Band and Wideband I FM recordings. They can be used in conjunction with the Honeywell recorders for handling larger tapes within their capabilities.These machines run at 15/16, 1-7/8, 3-3/4, 7-1/2, 15, 30, and 60 in/s.

    We have the following configurations on these machines:
    • 4-track 1/4-inch
    • 7-track 1/2-inch IRIG
    • 14-track 1/2-inch IRIG

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Other
Playback and
Record
Machines
  • Nakamichi Dragon cassette decks for the ultimate in cassette reproduction

  • Nakamichi MR-1 cassette deck when variable-speed cassette reproduction is required

  • DATATAPE CMS 1044 4-channel cassette logging recorders

  • Sony PCM-7030 DAT machine for high-quality transfers with logged error corrections and four Tascam DA-20 MKII DAT machines.

  • Sony PCM-3202 (2) and PCM-3402 (2) DASH stereo reel-to-reel recorders

  • Sony PCM-601ES (3) and PCM-F1 (2) Digital Audio Processors to recover this format from VHS, or BetaMax tape.

  • Akai CR-80D-SS 4-channel 8-track (Lear cartridge) recorder/player

  • Sony MZ-RH1 Hi-MD Minidisc recorder with USB download

  • Sony MDS JE-530 Minidisc recorder

  • Technics SL-1200A Turntable with RTS 405 Preamp and Stanton 681 series cartridge

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Noise Reduction
Equipment
  • Dolby 16-channel Noise Reduction Frame

    Noise Reduction Cards:
    • Dolby A (Cat 22) (16)
    • Dolby SR (Cat 280) (4)
    • dbx I (K9-22) (2)
    • Telcom C4d (8)

  • Dolby 422 four channels of Dolby B, C, and S (2 for a total of 8 channels)

  • dbx Type I Noise Reduction (16 channels total)

  • dbx Type II Noise Reduction Unit (10 channels total,4 installed)

  • Dedicated 2-channel Telcom C4 frame.

  • Nakamichi High Com II Noise Reduction Unit (2 channels)

  • Sanyo Super D Noise Reduction (4 channels, two Plus N55 units)

Monitoring,
Signal Routing,
and Computer
Equipment
  • Monitoring is on five Mackie HR-824 High-resolution monitors and AKG K-240DF headphones.

  • Analog audio is routed through dbx PB-48 balanced patch bays

  • Two RME Multiface II (8x 24/96 analog I/O, ADAT I/O, and SPDIF I/O) hosted by a Dell Vostro 230 with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Q8400 Quad CPU, 4 GB of RAM, Windows 7 Professional, and Samplitude 11 (ingest machine).

  • RME Fireface UFX (12x 192/24 analog I/O, 2x ADAT I/O, and AES I/O) hosted by a Dell Studio XPS 9100 with a 2.80 GHz Intel Core i7 930 Quad CPU, 12 GB of tri-channel RAM, Windows 7 Professional, and Samplitude 11 Pro (edit machine). This machine also has two 1.0 TB hard drives arranged in RAID 0.

  • Samplitude 11 Pro with the audio restoration suite digital audio editing software

  • Algorithmix NoiseFree Pro and the complete Sound Laundry Suite

  • Audio work-in-process and short-term client archive is on a pair of Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ with 4x1500 GB drives installed in each. One of these is located off-site with a fibre-optic link. Running X-RAID, these hold about 4500 GB of data.

  • Our other storage needs are handled by a pair of Thecus N5200 PRO NAS units with 5x1000 GB drives installed on each. One of these is located off-site with a fibre-optic link. Running RAID-5, these hold about 4000 GB of data. for a total of 8500 GB of protected storage. We do not archive client projects long-term.

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Test Equipment
Test Equipment


Test
Equipment


Here is a page with more information about test equipment.

  • Amber 3501 Audio Test Set

  • HpW-Works Pro FFT-based Measurement System

  • Woelke ME110E Wow and Flutter meter

  • 3M/Mincom 8300A-W Wow and Flutter meter

  • Tektronix 485 Oscilloscope

  • Tektronix 466 Analog Storage Oscilloscope

  • Hewlett-Packard 3312A Function Generator

  • Hewlett-Packard 5314A Universal Counter

  • GenRad 1988 Sound Level Meter / Octave Analyzer (and calibrator)

  • Wavetek 27XT Digital Multi-Meter

  • To keep machines running, spares are important. In addition to the fully working machines listed above and some parts boxes, I have the following major spares:

    • Various Sony APR-5000 (15)

    • Studer A810 (2)

    • NOS Nakamichi Dragon mechanism, including heads

  • Please also note the large manual and reference library as well. I have service documentation for almost all of the machines.

  • Central station alarm system for fire and burglary--the local fire and police respond very quickly.
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On this page: Top | Reel Machines | Other Machines | Noise Reduction / Infrastructure | Test Equipment
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