In article ,
Iain Churches wrote:
They were actually a quite decent workhorse for basic radio and TV
operations. Not the finest analogue tape machine around - an A77 would
out perform one - but a nice machine to edit on which was probably
their main purpose. For 'important' recordings the BBC used Studer at
that time. The last 1/4" machine L-R produced - based on a Klark
Techniques design - was a far more interesting machine. And rather
rarer. It had one of the most stable tape transports ever made - it
could be colour field locked.



Hmm. Interesting comparison Dave - the Leevers Rich E200 vs A77. I have
one of each machine.

It's a bit like comparing a Scammel prime mover with a Ford Transit. The
build-quality of the E200 is *far* superior, and by comparison theA77 is
a lightweight, and having been built as a semi-pro.machine certainly
does not outperform the E200 without constant tweaking.

I simply said it out performs it. Quite common with high end domestic
equipment over low rent pro - and that's exactly what the Levers were. I
doubt any decent recording studio ever bought one - they were built down
to a price for hack broadcast use.

It could never have performed the workhorse role of the E200, of which
1500 were in professional use in the London area alone in 1972. The
Leevers Rich capstan motor probably weighs more than the entire Revox
machine.

Note I said it was a decent machine to edit on - probably its main reason
for existing. The Revox wasn't designed for this role.

As regards the ProLine (the Clark brothers machine to which you refer) I
recall that the people at Studer in Stockholm thought that the frame was
built out of offcuts of Dexion, and commented about the "clunkiness" of
the transport controls.

Nevertheless it out performed Studer in some ways when it was introduced.
Only when the A810 came along could they match its transport for this type
of machine. And as regards 'chunkiness' it was a machine well suited for
playing in cues. Some Studer machines were a bit slow for this job -
perhaps because of the slow reacting but smooth control mechanisms. Horses
for courses.

To each his own:-)))

Indeed. However, Levers ceased production while Studer carried on.

--
*Sherlock Holmes never said "Elementary, my dear Watson" *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.