3m M79 Recorder

This machine is believed by many to be the finest recorder of its kind.  Designed with the same "isoloop" system of its predecessor, the M56, the M79 was the final and best example of the possibilities of analog recording at its pinnacle. 

Many associate analog with Studer or even Ampex, but it was lesser known 3m who helped craft many of those sounds we know and love.  What made the M79 stand out among its competitors machines?  The answer lies in the "isoloop" tape path which removed rollers and guides from the most critical part of the tape path- where the heads contact the tape itself.  This resulted in the minimization of "scrape flutter," which attributes a sort of graininess to the sound of most recorders.  It's really something that isn't altogether obvious in the sense that it makes other machines all that worse, but it certainly makes the M79 better in some almost unquantifiable sense.  It creates a sort of punch and clarity that's missing from most other machines. 

What recordings and studios  utilized this amazing machine?
  • Aerosmith's "Walk This Way"
  • Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall" and "Thriller," which used TWO linked M79's
  • The Power Station Studios, which recorded Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Dire Straits and Springsteen
  • The Rolling Stones Mobile which was also used by Led Zeppelin among otheres
  • Tom Shulz of Boston uses M79s exclusively

Our M79 made its home in Paramount Studios in LA.  The studio, owned by Brian Brolin (James Brolin's brother) started out in the late 60s and recorded everyone from Jimmy Hendrix to the TV show themes of the era. It's said that Frank Zappa was such a fan of the machine that he bought one for himself! Given the trouble this machine gave us at first, we wouldn't doubt if Frank's ghost haunted the controls.

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