RTM SM900 — HOW FAR CAN ANALOG TAPE STILL GO?
For anyone serious about reel-to-reel recording, SM900 is one of those tapes that immediately starts a conversation.
Designed as a premium high-output studio tape, SM900 is made for demanding recording, mastering and multitrack applications where you want strong level capability without sacrificing detail, dynamics or reliability.
Key features:
• Widths: 1/4”, 1/2”, 1”, 2”
• Operating level up to +9 dB
• Backcoated
• Suitable for multitrack formats
• Mastering-grade quality
• Low print-through
• Excellent signal-to-noise ratio
• Wide dynamic range
• Made in France 🇫🇷
What makes SM900 especially interesting is the combination of high output and wide dynamic capability. For studios running properly aligned machines, it can offer plenty of headroom while retaining the character and physicality that keeps analog tape relevant today.
But here is the real question for the reel-to-reel community:
If you could choose only one modern studio tape for recording or mastering, would SM900 be your first choice?
Have you compared it with SM911, LPR35, ATR Magnetics, or vintage BASF/Agfa formulations?
Which tape gives you the best balance of:
🎚️ Headroom
🎶 Tonal character
🔊 Dynamic range
🧲 Reliability
💰 Value for money
Share your experiences below — especially your machine, speed, EQ and recording level.
The Sound of Tape
Don’t Do Music Without It
