It seems like there has been a lot of talk lately about companies springing up to manufacture new and better analog tape. This is great of course. But has anyone chimed in yet in a similar fashion to announce any new multitrack tape machines? Even on a really small scale?

Also, am I wrong in thinking that there aren't any companies around that are still building new tape machines?

You can get a brand new Studer.http://www.studer.ch/index.aspx?menu_id=3&sub_menu_id=13&locale=en&url=includes%2fproduct_sheet_include.aspx%3fproduct_id%3d21

Lazybones wrote:You can get a brand new Studer.http://www.studer.ch/index.aspx?menu_id=3&sub_menu_id=13&locale=en&url=includes%2fproduct_sheet_include.aspx%3fproduct_id%3d21

That page has not been updated since 1998. Studer lowered the price of the A827 Gold Edition from 58,000 to 30,000 $, but it was for a limited time only and I am not sure wether they stopped production which I heard they were planning on doing.

http://www.record-producer.com/learn.cfm?a=1614

Large high-resolution photo of the Gold Edition:
http://www.gearjunkies.com/product_gallery.php?id=1554

Those "gold edition" machines are the last 827s made forever. They were completed in 2000, and they made about a hundred of them. I believe that offer came about to get rid of the last few.
Harmon wants nothing to do with tapemachines.

Otari used to offer the MTR-90 Mk3 on their website as late as a few years ago. I guess they quit on it too.

Here is about as close as you're going to get to new.
http://www.atrservice.com/atr108c/

Ok, sorry.

This is just as I expected, and in a way I think it's really strange. How many of you would be interested in purchasing a new tape machine straight from a store/distributor? I think it would be hard to fight the feeling of a brand new machine with a full warranty and good support. It might be costly, but it would definitely be a lot easier than digging for one on ebay/craigslist/ect. What's stopping someone from building such a machine?

Uncle Ball wrote:What's stopping someone from building such a machine?

i can't imagine that there is much of a market for new tape machines. if there were i'm sure studer, otari, etc.. would be making them. with studios doing less and less work on tape and selling off their analog machines it is not hard to find a used one at a fraction of the price you would have to pay for a new machine.

-ew

otari still makes 1/4" two tracks i believe.

nagra makes nice 1/4" 2 track machines. they look pretty too.