Tape.

peeping tom wrote:tracked this out last night, sorry i didnt do another straight to the PC for comparisons, i EQ'd the beat as best i could on the desk before running it to tape and recording a stereo track in reaper..........

the sample had a high end i didnt quite like prior to bouncing, really dug how the tape kinda bought everything back together again.




Sanyo dual cassette deck and TDK 90 tape.

It's kind of got that 12 bit chime sound to it. I don't really mind it, personally. Did you record that at a low level?

bearhead wrote:

harry.ethics wrote:I just picked up an Akai GXC 704D .

so far from what i can tell it's mint, heads look good and it's sold with original manual and packaging. looking like a good find. the only cassettes i have are from old rave tape packs so i'm going to give it a test later on.

it's got RCA in and out so i was hoping to just run some tracks ( snares and hats? etc) out to it, record on to tape, then record off again back into Logic.
any thoughts on this process and which tape to try ?

First off, clean the heads! There might be some particles on the head that you can't see. You can use 91% isopropyl alcohol (I wouldn't go any lower than 91%) and a q-tip. I use that on all my machines, and it works just fine.

One of the best cassettes I've ever used, and still use quite a lot, is a BASF CR E II 90 cassette. I got one off of ebay some months ago, still in its wrapping. So it was pretty much a brand new cassette from '85. Maxell XLII's are good, but they have a higher sensitivity, and you can't really drive those tapes too hard. But really, what matters most is the machine more than the tape. If it has an adjustable bias, you can adjust it for that specific tape you're using.

good looking out. i'll try and find those tapes and have a play

bearhead wrote:

peeping tom wrote:tracked this out last night, sorry i didnt do another straight to the PC for comparisons, i EQ'd the beat as best i could on the desk before running it to tape and recording a stereo track in reaper..........

the sample had a high end i didnt quite like prior to bouncing, really dug how the tape kinda bought everything back together again.




Sanyo dual cassette deck and TDK 90 tape.

It's kind of got that 12 bit chime sound to it. I don't really mind it, personally. Did you record that at a low level?

whatever level that beat is the level i recorded it

i tend to avoid compressing things / sticking limiters on.........

With tape, you normally have to drive it pretty hard, otherwise it will swallow your mix. However, there is a bit of compression and I guess you could say limiting, except it doesn't create a brick wall effect like digital limiters would. It gives that top end a fine distortion, or "warmth" if you will. How come you don't like using compression on your mixes?

bearhead wrote:With tape, you normally have to drive it pretty hard, otherwise it will swallow your mix. However, there is a bit of compression and I guess you could say limiting, except it doesn't create a brick wall effect like digital limiters would. It gives that top end a fine distortion, or "warmth" if you will. How come you don't like using compression on your mixes?

mainly because when i bounce beats i record vox in the same session.......without knowing what levels need to be its just easier to bounce it completely dry.

after recording beat / vocals, when i'm mixing its much easier to get levels right without using a compressor and just adjusting volumes until its right, then i might put a waves R-comp on the master or psp vintage warmer.

Its a massive argument, but i don't like slamming tracks with a compressor, i'll let the guy who masters my music do that.

jack pot.... just bought an fostex b16 10 1/2 for $400 on craigslist.... will post pictures soon... fully stoked

I put together a little rough A/B for anyone that cares. 2 minute repetative track I put together for this specifically and dubbed to tape to accentuate the analog quality & distortion as much as possible (mabye a little too much ). both passes are in one mp3. the first one is a clean pass with absolulely no mastering/post processing what so ever just a raw track, a short tone blip with let you know when the tape pass starts. The tape dub has not been processed in any way.

Info:
Akai GX-4000d R2R
1/4th Ampex Tape (my scrap reel so its been dubbed over a bunch)
3.75 Tape Speed
Built in EQ for 3.75 speed was used, but no noise removal EQ setting so you can hear the tape in all its glory 100% raw.

link --> http://www.m56p87.info/cloud/m56p87_tapeab.mp3

thats pretty dope man, i can see why you say it was driven too hard though! def getting alot of distortion in the second one, although everything but the kick still sounds pretty usable, and i could even see someone wanting to use the kick for an industrial track or something like that.

nice snare too, the distorted one is really warm sounding!

Fostex b-16 1/2... works like a hot damn, only $400 and made a good contact!

SEANSTATIC wrote:Fostex b-16 1/2... works like a hot damn, only $400 and made a good contact!

Very nice!

I recorded this live, short track onto tape with a Beocord 1700 (http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=590):



For comparison sake:
This is a track I recorded straight from my mixing desk, then afterwards I recorded it onto tape with the Beocord 1700.

Str8 from mixing desk:


Same track put through tape deck (Beocord 1700):


If you like the tape sound then you will also like driving the inputs of an Akai S1000 and S950, but of course that isn't compression over the entire mix.

I've been on the lookout for a reel to reel for a while now.

I grew up with tape; I used to have a walkman on me at all times at school, then college.... everywhere... then from tape to minidisc, then mobile phone audio came in ('cell-phones' for u Americans, heh).
It's part of the reason for my love of the qualities of good distortion as a means of compression.

That tape definitely added quite a bit of punch to your mix. Plus, your drums sound so much crispier. What speed did you record that at? Also, did you do any prior EQ'ing?

No eq. I just recorded my mix as hot as I could without bad distortion, onto normal tape in the Beocord 1700 at normal speed. The tape deck aint owt special I don't think... not like a reel-to-reel would be.
The tape was a 20 year old beat-up one I pulled out of my bag of tapes in the attic.
My mixes go through a lot of outboard anyway (multiple compressors and a few sub-group busses, etc), so the warmth comes from that mainly, but the tape definitely does something nice and crusty.