FAQ

How long will it take to get my order?
All of our tapes are made to order and mastered directly from the original mixdowns. This is a time-consuming process that limits the number of tapes I can produce per week. Current lead-time on production is about 4 weeks.

What type of tape do you use?
All 2Track Masters releases are on brand new 1/4" tape by ATR MAGNETICS.
Most releases are on ATR Magnetics Master tape.
Ocassionally, where noted, releases will be released on ATR Magnetics MDS-36 Long Play tape - this is only due to album length considerations to keep an album on a single reel when its run time is too long for a single reel of master tape, but not long enough to warrant 2 reels.
While the MDS-36 tape is thinner (a 1mil base rather than Master tapes 1.5mil base), we feel that it still preserves the master quality since they use identical tape formulations.

What type of reels do the tapes come on?
Our 10.5" tapes come on aluminum NAB hub reels, and our 7" tapes come on plastic trident-mount reels.
All of our tapes come wound onto the reel TAILS OUT.

What track format do you use?
Our tapes are currently ALL recorded in 1/2 track stereo format on 1/4" tape.
They are NOT compatible with 4-channel playback machines (unless your machine is equipped with an additional playback head designed for 2T playback.
[We are hoping to produce tapes in the future in 4-track stereo playback format]
If you have ANY questions regarding playback compatibility, use the contact form to ask any questions -- please include the make & model of your tape machine, and we'll be happy to help answer any questions we can :)

What operating level/fluxivity are your tapes recorded at?
Our tapes are recorded at an operating level of 0VU = 355nWb/m @ 1khz
Our 15ips tapes are overbiased 3dB @ 10kHz and our 7.5ips tapes are overbiased 5dB @ 10kHz per ATR Magnetics recommendations for their tape formulation.

Do you do custom combinations like 7.5ips/10.5" reel etc?
Yes - we'll be more than happy to try to accommodate any special requirements - for example, if you'd like an album that is offered on 2 10.5" reels at 15ips to be special ordered as a single reel at 7.5ips we can certainly do that as long as the album fits the format you requested.
Use the contact us form to let us know what your needs are (or call us direct at 267.415.6565) and we'll see what we can do to meet your needs.
Special requests such as a change in operating level/fluxivity may require an additional fee for re-calibrating the machines.

What are the tape equalization standards, and which one should I order?
Tape equalization is designed to correct for high frequency (and to a lesser extent low frequency) signal losses involved in recording material to tape. Your machine may be calibrated for either standard. If you are unsure which standard your machine is set for, a general rule of thumb is most machines in the US market were calibrated for NAB, and most European machines calibrated for CCIR.
We can make any of our tapes using either CCIR or NAB equalization curves.
Terminology can certainly get confusing -- CCIR is also commonly referred to as IEC or DIN, and has been renamed as IEC 1. NAB equalization is also known as IEC 2.
Because of the possible ambiguity or confusion with the "IEC" terminology, we prefer to use the designations CCIR and NAB.

I live outside the United States -- how much is shipping going to cost?
Right now our system is setup to charge a flat rate for shipping anywhere outside of the United States.
If you contact us before placing your order, I'll attempt to calculate an exact shipping total for you and update your order accordingly.