Things to do with a Reel to Reel

A year or so back an audio engineer friend gave me one of these:

It's most just sat in my closet. Probably if I actually had some tape for it I would be experimenting with it & such, but I don't. I will eventually, though!

So, what are some neat sounds one could get with a reel to reel? Loops? Tape delay with one machine somehow? Crazy speed altering stuff? I don't really want to use it as a "make everything all BoC wobbly" machine, & I think it's in too good a condition to really do that anyway.

Also, is there a practical way to make your own tape or am I better off just shelling out for some reels? If the latter recommendations for where to get reels please

Definitely loops, also just mastering/tracking stuff to tape can be interesting/a laugh/fun/whatever. There's nothing like recording something to tape, giving the tape absolute hell (physically - stretch it, burn it, whatever) then playing it back and recording that. Also shell out for some reels on eBay, there's no point in trying to put your own together.

^The idea of messing with the tape is very appealing to me. Seems like a gateway to endless organic sounding effects.

Or maybe it would just result in a scratchy sound & wrecked tape, but it would still be fun to do

also try recording strings or something and play it back slowed down, it sounds good

So, how best do I keep loops & slow downs & things on-tempo?

Nice equipment!

First, it will be interesting to record entire songs or tracks on tape and note the sound you can get. treating the tape in different ways will be cool too, effects a la Lee scratch perry (burn the tape with pot).

Surely more advanced tricks exists, but I don't have idea.

  On 12/24/2011 at 1:29 AM, Cryptowen said:

So, how best do I keep loops & slow downs & things on-tempo?

Record your tempo (and/or melody) track to 1 of the tracks on the tape

Then turn the speed knob up, and record along to the sped up track (recording to another track)

Then turn the speed knob back down, the pitch+tempo of your strings should match