Reel to Reel

Reel to reel can be fun to play around with. I was recently given an Otari 5050 pro deck. But RTR makes playing records seem as easy a playing a CD.

Professional Reel-to-Reel tape recordings combined with Tube amplifiers were, and still are, the pinnacle of audio reproduction. All of the media innovations that have followed have attempted to imitate the sound that professionally mastered tape recordings are capable of reproducing. Compare a professional tape recording to a CD of the same title and you may think they are two entirely different recordings. Mastering for the CD market essentially "washed" the original recordings to the point where there is little or no dynamics, headroom or ambience. In many cases the resulting CD sound is sterile, without any sense of realism. Many audiophile recording labels have abandoned digital and reverted to reel-to-reel recording, and mastering, in an effort to win back consumers. The same applies to commercial recording studios. Neumann microphones from the 1950's, Ampex 350/351 Tape Decks from the 1950's, tube amplifiers, all play an essential roll in producing the best sound possible. In fact, many artists will refuse to record without this equipment in the studio.

Let's see . . . I had a Stellavox TD-9 I used for live recording, and as a mixdown recorder for recording projects in small or home studios. I also had a modified Teac 3300 that I used as a playback deck for Stella's recordings on my home system.

But that was many years ago, and I sold both machines when I stopped doing that line of work. I still have a handful of master tapes - but an analog tape machine REALLY goes to pot when they sit around unused, and I can't justify the expense (and the space) of having one around to use once a year or less.

Now the whole Tape Project thing is a great idea, and if I was much wealthier might be a great reason to have a 1/4" machine again . . . but for the money, I'd personally get much more enjoyment out of a whole pile of CDs than one Tape Project release.

Commcat hit it right on the nose, there's not much more one can say about the sound quality of RTR recordings.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to buy back the Ampex 351-2 I bought new in 1958. The friend to whom I sold it, put it in his closet and never used it. The Neumann U 67 mikes I also bought new at that time, I sold for $600 for the pair. It was a little less than what I paid; now they go for around 7 or 8 grand each!

The sound of a master tape is addictive. Once your exposed to it you want to hear more. The Tape Project tapes are $200 a set, about the same you'll pay for a copy of a master tape from the few sources out there that sell them.

Tomorrow I be getting an 800 lb shipment 200 master tapes that came from a Memphis studio that shut down in the late 90's, over one hundred are 1/2 inch 2 track mixdowns at 15 and 30 ips. The remaining are 1/2 inch 8 track masters that need to be mixed down to two tracks; here comes another machine and a need for DBX and Dolby noise reduction that some were recorded with.

Hearing these tapes for the first time will be like going on a blind date and I'm sure some may be dogs. On the bright side of things, some might also be great. It will be an experience!

Ken