akai mg1214 12-track
leites chiong
information on
it. i was also wondering if anyone knows what year they came out and
how much they were going for. "eleven shadows" told me it retailed for
$9000, but it seemed a little too good to be true since i got it in
perfect condition for $399.99
Thanx
sundowners
TJLATSSS
I thought they were sold in identical pairs so when one was in the shop you
wouldn't have to stop recording.
Tony Lopez
STUDIO SUPPORT SERVICES
San Diego, CA
Rob Bolling
vowels). I paid $400 for mine. Don't use the pre's, unless you like the sound
of a 747 at idle.
Michael Wozniak
last year for $1750 (It had been completely serviced at the factory,
tho). Ignore some of the jokes. The stock preamps really aren't any
good, but my machine only went to the shop twice in 9 years. If you do
need repair - bite the expensive bullet & ship it to Akai in Ft. Worth.
Few other shops have the expertise to handle it. Yes, it'll cost more
than you paid for it...
The silver mixer/recorder combo did list for $9995 or thereabouts in the
80's. I had the black recorder/mixer (no slaving to external SMPTE), a
bit older. Even if you have just the recorder, you did well.
I believe the first units came out around '84 or so, but I'm not sure
You may be able to call or email Akai for info.
Don't put anything important on track 12 - i could always hear the clock
track bleeding onto it.
Mike Wozniak
Nova Music Productions
Tucson, AZ (only 105 today)
Eleven Shadows
> good, but my machine only went to the shop twice in 9 years.
The preamps suck and have no phantom power. The MG1212's preamps are
even worse. Except for routine servicing, I haven't had very many
problems with mine, either, and I use it fairly often.
> If you do
> need repair - bite the expensive bullet & ship it to Akai in Ft. Worth.
> Few other shops have the expertise to handle it. Yes, it'll cost more
> than you paid for it...
VST in Pasadena is great if you are fairly close to Los Angeles.
VST...@aol.com or (626) 794-8196
> I believe the first units came out around '84 or so, but I'm not sure
> You may be able to call or email Akai for info.
Yeah, I think it was about '84 as well.
--
Ken/Eleven Shadows
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eleven Shadows * ES songs on Real Audio * Music Reviews
Travels: Ladakh-Kashmir-India-HK * Tibet * Real Audio Radio Shows
http://www.theeleventhhour.com/elevenshadows
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark Simpson
some facts wrong. I had a couple friends that bought the AKAI 12 track
decks back about 1986. I was impressed with the overall sound,
features, look, and layout, especially since it used (I think Beta)
cheap tapes.
There were two versions the 1212 (I think), which was a rackmount 12
track recorder (no mixer), which is the one I was interested in, and
the 1214 (with mixer), which was a tabletop recorder/mixer. If I
remember correctly the 1212 retailed for about 6k and the 1214
retailed for about 9k, (or was it 4k and 6k?).
In any case, $400 sounds like a good deal to me, provided you can
still get tapes for it. Or did they use beta max tapes and the
machines did their own formatting. It's been a long time. The one big
drawback with this machine is that there is no other machine that uses
that same format. In any case that's only $33 per track (including a
mixer).
On 15 Jul 1998 02:04:07, leites chiong wrote:
>hi. i just bought an akai mg 1214 and was wondering if anyone had any
>information on
> it. i was also wondering if anyone knows what year they came out and
>how much they were going for. "eleven shadows" told me it retailed for
>$9000, but it seemed a little too good to be true since i got it in
>perfect condition for $399.99
>Thanx
> sundowners
>
>.
Mark Simpson
JAM Digital/Jamcor Enterprises/JAM Innovations Inc.
Redondo Beach, Ca.
(Located in the South Bay Area of Los Angeles)
"marksimp@-nO-sPaM-integrityonline7.com"
(remove the "-nO-sPaM-" from above to reply)
http://www.integrityonline7.com/jam
* 24 Track Digital Audio Recording * 3/4" Video Editing *
* Audio CD/CD ROM Creation * Audio Post/MIDI/Audio Production *
* Project/Home Studio Wiring/Construction * Soundproofing *
* Custom Racks/Wiring Harnesses * Sound System Installs *
Covert
: I'm responding to this from memory, so be patient with me if I get
: decks back about 1986. I was impressed with the overall sound,
: features, look, and layout, especially since it used (I think Beta)
: cheap tapes.
The tapes are in beta shells, but are a special formulation. They are not
cheap, rather are pretty expensive, even by analog standards.
: There were two versions the 1212 (I think), which was a rackmount 12
: track recorder (no mixer), which is the one I was interested in, and
: the 1214 (with mixer), which was a tabletop recorder/mixer. If I
: remember correctly the 1212 retailed for about 6k and the 1214
: retailed for about 9k, (or was it 4k and 6k?).
Both the 1212, and the 1214 are mixer/deck combos. The rack version was
the MG14d.
: In any case, $400 sounds like a good deal to me, provided you can
: still get tapes for it.
Tapes are still availble, although not easy to find. Any Akai dealer can
order them.
Harvey Gerst
>Mark Simpson <marksimp@-nO-sPaM-integrityonline7.com> wrote:
>: I'm responding to this from memory, so be patient with me if I get
>: some facts wrong. I had a couple friends that bought the AKAI 12 track
>: decks back about 1986. I was impressed with the overall sound,
>: features, look, and layout, especially since it used (I think Beta)
>: cheap tapes.
No, it used EE high energy magnetic tape in a shell similar to the Beta shell.
Akai had worked out a licensing agreement with Sony to use the Beta shell, but
pulled out of the deal AFTER Akai had already tooled up the transport to use the
Sony case. They made some minor modifications and had to have their own shells
custom made, which added significantly to the cost of the tape, since they lost
the advantage of smaller quantity buys on inexpensive tape shells.
>The tapes are in beta shells, but are a special formulation. They are not
>cheap, rather are pretty expensive, even by analog standards.
See above.
>: There were two versions the 1212 (I think), which was a rackmount 12
>: track recorder (no mixer), which is the one I was interested in, and
>: the 1214 (with mixer), which was a tabletop recorder/mixer. If I
>: remember correctly the 1212 retailed for about 6k and the 1214
>: retailed for about 9k, (or was it 4k and 6k?).
>
>Both the 1212, and the 1214 are mixer/deck combos. The rack version was
>the MG14d.
The 1212 and the 1214 were basically the same model, the 1214 featured improved
mic preamps, better control track timing, and changing the cosmetics from black
to gray. The MG14D was the rack mount version and could be synched to the 1214
to provide 24 tracks, using the Adam Smith Zeta 3. You could not synch 2 1212's
or 2 1214's together.
>: In any case, $400 sounds like a good deal to me, provided you can
>: still get tapes for it.
>
>Tapes are still availble, although not easy to find. Any Akai dealer can
>order them.
And you can still order them new for around $30 each from Akai in Fort Worth
(although they recently moved to Haltom City, I believe..
In case you're wondering how I know all this, I was Director of Electronics at
IMC from 1987 to 1988. IMC was the US distributor for Akai. IMC also owned
Charvel, Jackson, Ross, Hondo, and a host of smaller companies. It was an
interesting period in my somewhat checkered career. :)
Harvey Gerst
Indian Trail Recording Studio
http://www.ITRstudio.com/
Eleven Shadows
> (although they recently moved to Haltom City, I believe..
They can be had for $25 -- sometimes cheaper if you buy cases -- at VST
in Pasadena (626) 794-8196 or at VST...@aol.com
That's very interesting about the Sony mishap, Harvey -- I've never
heard that before, but it really makes sense. I had always wondered why
they looked so much like beta videocassettes but in yet were
incompatible with them. And also why they ever decided to go with a
proprietary format in the first place. And yes, the tapes are pretty
good sounding, but really expensive. With the Akai, the tapes are only
ten minutes long at fast speed and 20 at slow speed. For as much as $25
a pop, that's expensive, even for twelve tracks.
Joe Bartoldus
>
> Mark Simpson <marksimp@-nO-sPaM-integrityonline7.com> wrote:
> : I'm responding to this from memory, so be patient with me if I get
> : some facts wrong. I had a couple friends that bought the AKAI 12 track
> : decks back about 1986. I was impressed with the overall sound,
> : features, look, and layout, especially since it used (I think Beta)
> : cheap tapes.
>
> cheap, rather are pretty expensive, even by analog standards.
>
> : track recorder (no mixer), which is the one I was interested in, and
> : the 1214 (with mixer), which was a tabletop recorder/mixer. If I
> : remember correctly the 1212 retailed for about 6k and the 1214
> : retailed for about 9k, (or was it 4k and 6k?).
>
> Both the 1212, and the 1214 are mixer/deck combos. The rack version was
> the MG14d.
>
> : still get tapes for it.
>
> Tapes are still availble, although not easy to find. Any Akai dealer can
> order them.
The cassettes look like beta shells but they are about an 1/4 of an inch
smaller.The tape has a tendency to shed.When I checked 2 years ago, akai
was asking $15 plus shipping for one of these tapes (which only has 10
minutes of recording time at 19cm/sec or 7 1/2 ips).
There is a seperate time code track that when striped bleeds into the
track monitor section but not the master outs.
If you are going to buy one, make sure the transport works ok and the
channel boards don't get unseated when the machine warms up.
jb
Mike Manthei
And yes, the tapes are pretty
> good sounding, but really expensive. With the Akai, the tapes are only
> ten minutes long at fast speed and 20 at slow speed. For as much as $25
> a pop, that's expensive, even for twelve tracks.
>
> --
> Ken/Eleven Shadows
Has anyone tried re-loading the tapes with new media?
Yaknow...dropping Ampex 456 or BASF 469 in them? I'm wondering if this
is a proprietary oxide formulation as well as the case.
--
Mike Manthei
Somewhere Else S2dio
Spam enhanced real email: manthei (at) mail (dot) dec (dot) com
Dave Martin
don't know if it's VHS or Beta) into the Akai cassette. Then the project is
finished, they unload the cassette and store the pancake. I've been tokd
that this is a workable solution.
Dave Martin
Digital Media Associates
Nashville, Tennessee
dave....@nashville.com
Mike Manthei wrote in message <35AFA0...@qmail.dec.com>...
>Eleven Shadows wrote:
> And yes, the tapes are pretty
>> good sounding, but really expensive. With the Akai, the tapes are only
>> ten minutes long at fast speed and 20 at slow speed. For as much as $25
>> a pop, that's expensive, even for twelve tracks.
>> Ken/Eleven Shadows
Harvey Gerst
>Several people that I kow are doing this; they load video tape (thought I
>don't know if it's VHS or Beta) into the Akai cassette. Then the project is
>finished, they unload the cassette and store the pancake. I've been tokd
>that this is a workable solution.
Dave,
Are you sure they're using video tape? The Akai was designed for EE audio tape.
Eleven Shadows
I believe that my tech has tested it with videotape in the past just to
see what would happen, and the sound was noticeably inferior to that of
the stock tape. I've heard rumors that the tape used inside is actually
manufactured by TDK, but have not been able to confirm this. BTW, what
is EE audio tape?
Harvey Gerst
>> Are you sure they're using video tape? The Akai was designed for EE audio tape.
>
>I believe that my tech has tested it with videotape in the past just to
>see what would happen, and the sound was noticeably inferior to that of
>the stock tape. I've heard rumors that the tape used inside is actually
>manufactured by TDK, but have not been able to confirm this. BTW, what
>is EE audio tape?
Ken,
One of the other guys here (Scott, Rick, or Mike) can probably answer this
better, but it was an high energy tape that could take a hotter signal. It never
really caught on as far as I know, but it worked well with machines that were
set up to take advantage of the formulation. A number of tape manufacturers
carried it in their line, and a few machine makers had a switch for it, as I
recall.
EE tape came out during the period I dropped out of audio and tried to get a
life (from 78 to 87), so I never really followed up on it, except I asked Andy
Burgess (head of Akai repair) and that's what he said the 1214 used.
Dave Martin
<2D2B2B4ABA73FA4A.188318F3...@library-proxy.airnews.ne
t>...
>"Dave Martin" <dave....@nashville.com> wrote:
>
>>Several people that I kow are doing this; they load video tape (thought I
>>don't know if it's VHS or Beta) into the Akai cassette. Then the project
is
>>finished, they unload the cassette and store the pancake. I've been tokd
>>that this is a workable solution.
>
>Dave,
>
tape.
>
That was what I was told. If I see one of the guys who told me that in the
next few days at the corner grocery store, I'll ask him. I don't know if he
still lives there, though; I hear that his place was really damaged by the
tornado back in April.
pan...@hotmail.com
sundo...@webtv.net (leites chiong) wrote:
> hi. i just bought an akai mg 1214 and was wondering if anyone had any
> information on
> it. i was also wondering if anyone knows what year they came out and
> how much they were going for. "eleven shadows" told me it retailed for
> $9000, but it seemed a little too good to be true since i got it in
> perfect condition for $399.99
> Thanx
> sundowners
>
I've owned 5 akai 12 track decks in the past 10 years..
The differences are this:
MG14D 12 track rack mount unit (owned 2 of them and had them in sync with a
adam smith unit).
I've also owned two MG1212. (The black unit).. Looks like an overgrown porta
studio. The preamps on this unit are/were no where near as bad as people are
saying here. If you use a good mic and have good mic placement you should not
need to use the preamps to the point where they add audible noise within your
recordings.
MG1214 looks identical to the 1212 except that it is white rather than black.
Akai improved the preamps on this model, and added an extra sync input to the
underside front.
All models were prone to having track alignment problems. I finally started
doing the alignment on my own so that I would not have to bring it in. It's
actually not that hard to do.
There was a little bleed from time to time on track 12 from the digital
counter on the tape (you see the counter was a bunch of beeping and is
located after track 12 on the edge of the tape). If you do not format the
tape with the counter, you will not have this problem.
There is a dedicated sync track located on the edge of the tape before track
one (in addition to the 12).. It's not all that stable because of it being on
the edge of the tape. If your alignment is wrong, it will slightly chew up
the edge of the tape and you'll lose the sync track. A nightmare if you've
got some time into the analog tracks because there was no way to sync up the
midi again. I normally used an actual audio track when throwing down midi
sync track.
When in a bind, I once used the unreliable sync track as an audio track. It
worked surprisingly well.
Ping pongs on the akai have to be done with a track buffer.. What a mean is
that you cannot ping pong to an adjacent track. If you have tracks 4-6 and
want to ping pong them, you cannot move them to tracks 3 or 7. You need to
jump over one track or you will get feeback right from over the record head.
When this happens, you'll have little luck in removing the noise from the
tape.. Even when the track is erased, you'll still be able to hear it if you
have it in a not so active part of the song.
Contrary to popular talk here, the tapes used are NOT beta tapes.. They look
like Beta tapes but are AKAI's own format. You can normally buy the tapes for
$20.00 a piece in bulk (10 to a box). I believe that the national chain
"Guitar Center" can still get them. (I'm still using the plethoria of tapes
my clients never claimed when I took down my studio).
I was once told that AKAI had their own video tape format (for some of their
hand held cameras) back when the MG series came out.. I always wondered if
they used the same format on the MG series. I always meant to pick up one and
see if it fit.
There are some people that actually load old akai tape carts with other tape.
Quite a bit of work and you'll probably have to set up the tape bias when you
switch.
Because the tracks are squeezed so close together they will bleed a bit if
you REALLY abuse the headroom. However, The best sounding Kicks and Snares
were ones where I slightly abused the headroom. (solidly hit the overload
light on every kick but was not a solid redline throughout the recording).
You see there are three natural occurring magnetics in the world (Iron, Nickel
and cobolt) Most tapes use iron phosphorus in creating their magnetic strip..
Akai uses cobolt. Cobalt is a more expensive material and will take headroom
abuse fairly well without distorting.. Experiment with the machine and you'll
see what I am talking about.
A unit bought for $400. is quite a deal. For that price, you cant touch a 12
track mixer with 3 parametric eq's 5 effect sends (When I used it as a live
board I would make use of the headphone sends to become effect sends)
1 stereo effect send, 1 mono effect send and 1 stereo headphone send = 5
effect sends :)
Add the ability to be able to multi track your live shows and you have one
heck of a deal there for $400. Just last year I saw 1214 units selling for
just under $2000. The unit's are indeed a gem. and if taken care of, you will
really have some nice recording quality.
I wrote a book on the AKAI when I taught a class on Mic placement and
recording techniques many many years ago.. I might be able to find a copy of
it on my old computer if you like.
Dino Pangier
http://www.afternight.com
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Sonikimage
sittin' around since the digital revolution occured.
Feel free to drop me an E-Mail - Sonik...@aol.com
comico...@gmail.com
> hi. i just bought an akai mg 1214 and was wondering if anyone had any
> information on
> it. i was also wondering if anyone knows what year they came out and
> how much they were going for. "eleven shadows" told me it retailed for
> $9000, but it seemed a little too good to be true since i got it in
> perfect condition for $399.99
> Thanx
> sundowners
I have some Akai 12 track tapes with tracks on them I recorded for a band recording and I am looking for someone with a fully currently functional Akai 12 track to transfer the tracks over to a digital format for me so we can remix them digitally.
Is anyone here capable and interested to transfer them for me? Its a paying gig.
Thank you , Redd at su...@earthlink.net 212 475 4840 in NYC
Trevor
> On Wednesday, July 15, 1998 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, leites chiong wrote:
>> hi. i just bought an akai mg 1214 and was wondering if anyone had any
>> information on
>> it. i was also wondering if anyone knows what year they came out and
>> how much they were going for. "eleven shadows" told me it retailed for
>> $9000, but it seemed a little too good to be true since i got it in
>> perfect condition for $399.99
>> Thanx
>> sundowners
Trevor.
Scott Dorsey
>d for a band recording and I am looking for someone with a fully=
> currently functional Akai 12 track to transfer the tracks ove=
>r to a digital format for me so we can remix them digitally=
I would give a call to Steve Puntolillo at Sonicraft. I don't know if he has
a working Akai machine but if anybody does have one running he would know.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
rajah...@googlemail.com
psstu...@gmail.com
> hi. i just bought an akai mg 1214 and was wondering if anyone had any
> information on
> it. i was also wondering if anyone knows what year they came out and
> how much they were going for. "eleven shadows" told me it retailed for
> $9000, but it seemed a little too good to be true since i got it in
> perfect condition for $399.99
> Thanx
> sundowners
hambo...@gmail.com
quik...@gmail.com
> hi. i just bought an akai mg 1214 and was wondering if anyone had any
> information on
> it. i was also wondering if anyone knows what year they came out and
> how much they were going for. "eleven shadows" told me it retailed for
> $9000, but it seemed a little too good to be true since i got it in
> perfect condition for $399.99
> Thanx
> sundowners
Mike Rivers
> Does anyone have a working machine I can mix down a couple songs on?
many years, and while I doubt that he's still using it, he may still
have it. He's in the LA area.
--
For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com
Scott Dorsey
digital transfer for you. They aren't cheap but they do good work.
patrick simms
Still have 2 working MG14Ds, and a MG1214 if anybody is in need of tape transfers.
Patrick Simms
Dino Manzella
Marc Gilbert
https://erasolutionrbv.com/
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