Otari Otari MX-5050 BQ II Professional Recorder

DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF THIS UNIT, I'M UNABLE TO SHIP IT AND THUS IT NEEDS TO BE PICKED UP FROM CALGARY AB

The Otari MX-5050 BQ II (BQ-2) is the dedicated 4-channel / 4-track, 1/4-inch tape variant of the legendary MX-5050 professional recorder line. While the standard BII-2 model is a 2-track stereo unit, the BQ II features a full 4-channel electronics stack and a 4-channel head block, making it ideal for quadraphonic audio, 4-track multitrack studio recording, live multitrack field capture, or playback of 4-channel continuous-loop archive tapes.

Key Technical Specifications:

Tape Format: 1/4-inch tape on 5-inch, 7-inch, or 10.5-inch reels (NAB or EIA hub adapters).
Track Configuration: 4-track / 4-channel discrete recording and playback (4 channels simultaneously).
Head Configuration: 4 heads total (Erase, Record, Playback, plus an secondary head stack for format compatibility).

Speeds:

Factory High Speed: 15 ips and 7.5 ips.
Internal jumper setup allows low-speed mode: 7.5 ips and 3.75 ips.
Variable Pitch / Pitch Control (+/- 20%) operational across speeds.

Drive System: 3-motor transport.

Capstan: Direct-drive DC servo motor.

Reels: 2 x AC induction reel motors.

Equalization & Calibration:

Rear-panel switchable NAB and IEC (CCIR) curves.
Front-panel screwdriver trimmers for Record Bias, Record EQ, and Record Level for all 4 channels.
Integrated test tone oscillator (1 kHz / 10 kHz) for rapid channel alignment.

Audio Connections:

4 x XLR line inputs and outputs on the rear.
Pinout & Wiring Note: Employs Japanese/Otari vintage Pin 3 Hot pinouts. Furthermore, on many 4-channel 5050 chassis, the XLR inputs are internally unbalanced (pin 1 and pin 2 bridged to ground), meaning proper custom cabling or phase-aware interconnects are required when running to modern Pin 2 Hot balanced gear or console sub-masters.

DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF THIS UNIT, I'M UNABLE TO SHIP IT AND THUS IT NEEDS TO BE PICKED UP FROM CALGARY AB