Tape Machines

Our room: a Studer, an Otari, and an MCI 24-track.

The room

Three decks, one philosophy: record to tape, commit to it. The Studer gets the big sessions, the Otari does the dubs, the MCI is the 24-track workhorse.

The decks

studer A80   1/2", 15 ips — the mastering deck
otari MX-80  1/4", 7½ ips — dubbing + playback
mci JH-24    2", 24-track — the tracking room

Why tape

Digital doesn't overload, tape does — and that's the point. Push a reel into the red and it compresses like nothing else.