3M Tape Recorders are now too old for me to recommend to anyone....
They worked fine and sounded fine in their day - but that was long ago.
Almost ALL m56 machines need new heads,
and they are NOT available - no one makes them anymore.
Same with the m79 , though the heads on some m79 machines may
still have enough life on them to last a few more years....
And I've been told there are a few replacement heads still available.
The m79 had major weaknesses in my opinion - they used ICs in the Audio System,
had only one Audio Card per channel - so when that card went bad, the whole
channel was worthless and couldn't be used....
I've also see m79 cards burn up and destroy themselves !!!
The 3M tape recorders used the "iso-loop" capstan system
which actually ever-so-slightly stretchs tape!!!
The infamous 'tape eater' of the Fleetwood Mac "Rumors"
session 2 inch master tapes were 3M m79 tape recorders
at the Record Plant in Sausalito
(there are no 3M tape recorders there anymore of course !)
The last sale of 3M m79 24 track Tape Recorders I know of was in 2007
when a studio owner had to bail quickly on three 24 track machines
in good condition - and he sold them for $ 500 bucks each... with spare parts too!
Some folks say the 3M m79 was the best sounding recorder made,
others say it sounded thin and weak.
Just goes to show that there is no single tape recorder that sounds 'best' !!
It's more the studio, the console, the monitors, the bands, the mics,
the sound of the room, the talent of the engineer and so many other things
that a come together to make great sounding recordings
- not the 'sound' of the tape recorder -
But here's the information - Manuals and Schematics - that I have on the 3M m79
3M m79 Complete Original Manual
| ( 6 megs large ) |
The 'rar' file is located at RapidShare.com - you download it then open it with the password: AnalogRules.com
note the password is CASE-SENSITIVE - capitalize the A and the R
PICS OF 3M Tape Recorders soon !!!