A New Reel to Reel Tape Deck?

larryi,

"The issue there is whether the hyper-critical audiophile market would accept anything that appears to be a compromise."

What hyper-critical audiophiles don't understand is that everything is a compromise!  Compromises are made every time a recording is created. Every component, cable, speaker etc., they are all compromises.  

I have never heard anything that sounds 'live'.  Ever.  I've heard close, but never live.  One can always distinguish a live performance from a recording.  It's the same in a studio as well.  Step into the live room then step into the sound booth.  You'd be deaf not to hear the difference.

These hyper-critical purist audiophiles would upchuck if they knew what processes took place in the recording loop. However, when it comes to playing back that same recording, they treat it as a ceremonial  experience that 'can't be altered'.  Yet they alter it anyway, using room treatments, esoteric cables, LOMC cartridges with a tipped high end curve, and any sonic enhancing tweak they can come up with.  

When we prefer one component over another we are altering what we hear, and there is nothing wrong with that.  It has however become ridiculous when I go to a friends house and he is auditioning power cables, and A/C receptacles.  Really?

But I do suppose your are correct, they would never accept a 7.5ips half track recording regardless of how good it sounded.  I would welcome them however, as for me it's the music that matters.  

Norman


   




  

I’ve mixed live shows as a "small venue sound man" (rarely record them these days, although I have had things that I simply "dumped" from the board mix on to media come out fine), mostly jazz and acoustic "folkie" (current meaning: singer songwriters) performers, often and for many years…last weekend even. I find that live musicians (other than myself, since I’m already wherever I am all the time) are harder to rewind, tend to play whatever they want, and unless I had them living at my house it’s way harder to simply dial them up instantly to play something. They do sound more live though…

wolf_garcia,

And so the need to record them!  =)  I mix some small venues as well.  Mostly jazz trio's.  Tapes sound amazing, even just using a couple of well placed mic's does pretty good.

Nothing like hearing a solo acoustic guitar or piano though.  It seems that the solo instruments are harder to record somehow.  For me, these are the easiest ones to detect when it comes to telling the difference between recorded music and live. 

N.

No significant difference in many cases between 7.5 ips and 15 ips two track?  How would you explain it?  When the recording is really bad I can understand it. 

inna,

Here is my quote: "We should also consider some master dubs at 7.5 ips I have heard some of these and I must say in most instances that I absolutely cannot tell the difference between a 15ips half track and it's 7.5ips half track copy."
Easy to explain.  Note that I said we should consider 'some'  and in 'most' instances.

If you are making a half track master copy from 15ips to a second generation master half track at 7.5ips, and your machine is properly calibrated you really won't hear a difference on most material.  Look at a machines spec at 7.5ips and compare it to the spec at 15ips.  I personally can't think of even one machine that specs better at 15 than it does at 7.5ips

15ips became the defecto setting in the 1950's, because it allowed high end frequency extremes.  As machines electronics, more importantly head design improved along with the quality of tape, 7.5ips half track can easily match the performance of most material recorded at 15ips.

The other reason that material is recorded at 15ips and 30ips in the studio is headroom.  Here, when recording live these speeds have an advantage.  This however does not translate into making a dub.  The dynamics of recording a drum set live is completely different that dubbing a recording of a drum set.  

At the slower speed, nearly every machine will give you more bottom end, and all of them will easily spec to 20,000hz +/- 1db.

The source material matters as well.  If you are listening to classic rock, and the machine is running at spec, you won't hear a difference.  This is also true of complex classical.  With solo instruments, piano and guitar it's much more difficult because of the frequency limits of the solo instrument itself.  Your not going to hear a 35hz note from a Martin D-45 for example.

If we are talking about quarter track, then there is not contest whatsoever.  But with half track, 7.5ips the sonics can be outstanding.

I have several half track 7.5ips second generation studio master that will make your jaw drop.  

And my point was not to create a debate as to tape speeds, but to provide an option for those wanting to purchase prerecorded tapes at a more reasonable cost. And keep in mind that, and a second generation half track master at 7.5ips will blow the pants off of its vinyl brother every time.

Norman