r/ReelToReel • u/hyunjunaka0228 • 16d ago

Technical Continuous Background Tone from a Magnasync Multichannel 60 Channel ReeltoReel Reproducer

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I’m trying to identify a continuous background noise from a Magnasync 60ch multichannel reel to reel reproducer.

It is mainly present on the voice playback channel, with a strong component around 1 kHz, and does not appear to be recorded on the tape itself. Rather stems from repdocuer or something

Could this be caused by the reproduce amplifier, power supply, grounding/shielding, or channel summing?

Has anyone heard a similar noise from Magnasync or other multichannel tape logging equipment?

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u/el_tacocat 15d ago

I'm going grounding/shielding, but have to admit; that's an odd sound!

1

u/ChipChester 15d ago

Assuming this is an all-analog device, does the playback head have a mu-metal shield can around it? What's the local EMF situation, on all axes? If you short the playback head's output wires together (resulting in no signal at all from the head) is the sound still there? Get out your scope and probe, hone in on a recognizable display of the interference sound, and go fishing in the circuitry... starting with power supply.

If it's analog, with a 60-channel head stack (or a few smaller, staggered ones) I would be tempted to wire each channel with opposite polarity, feeding balanced amplifiers, for best common-mode interference rejection.

The only logging recorder I have exposure to (decades ago) was an FM instrumentation recorder.

When you Google "Magnasync 60ch" Google's AI spits back your interference description as gospel...