This is alarming... considering that I recently bought a 16 track 1/2" analog machine.


http://www.oanow.com/servlet/Satellite?c=M...=!frontpage

Some talk on other pro-audio forum...


http://www.electrical.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5041

My understanding of things is that there is still a market for tape, especially in the government. NASA needs tape as does certain other agencies where they need a linear recording of data for certain applications.

So, someone will make it. I think the bigger issue will be price for those of us who choose to use tape as a recording medium.

I was also thinking about that as well, apparently IBM are also big users of this kind of storage medium... 2" open reel tapes if I recall.

For me... saying that analog tape is no more in production is like saying 35mm film isn't being made anymore... there's a great amount of respect to be said about both those two dwindling mediums.

There's no doubt that this will affect the future price of recording a la analog, for anybody who wishes to track music to analog in the future, will find it to be quite a luxery.

All reports indicate that pretty much any reel tape that was on the market has been bought in a matter of days, even with some opportunistic price gouging. This is not even people buying lifetime supplies. That might encourage whoever steps into the breach with new manufacture, though there might be an issue if people don't buy up the first run or two because they are still sitting on a cache of old stock.

The best case sounds like Quantegy is restructuring, some layoffs, and focussing only on the formulations people generally buy, I'm guessing a choice of two, 456 or GP-9, and an end to digital optimized formulations and Quantegy branded FW drives. This is if they're able to do it. Reports are that the market was steady and sales were good in the last couple years for analog reel tape, but that they screwed themselves and their debt structure, likely with trying to support more formats than people buy and trying to take on product lines that have nothing to do with their core competenacies.

I don't know what to make of the ATR tape production report that is circulating. Even if it's on a crash course, it isn't soon, it's likely to be the Emtec 900 formulation only, 2" support isn't certain, and it'll probably cost an arm and a leg. If this is the only option, the previous bonanza on used reel machines could be nothing, as not only are we talking the usual relap and years of neglected maintenance, but a bias mod on many old decks, and the other cost of ownership is up.

I'm probably going to be getting deeper into Tracktion than I thought I would be.

Bear

For the analog inclined there is a tape survey here.

Another link/discussion...


http://www.obner.org/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2660