Reel to Reel Tape

would agree with topoxforddoc and RUSSE41. Good LP is better than digital and tape blows away both LP and digital.

The big problem with tape is its an addictive drug... . once you start listening to it, you want more and more of it. Its very tough to listen to tape, then revert back to digital and even LP. Digital becomes akin to a transistor AM radio. All you will want is more and more of that tape sound.

I have both 15 and 30 ips masters, and many copies. Also do live to 2 track recording on the weekends.

If you want to do a simple test, have a few friends over, set up set of mics and record to both digital and tape. Even the conversation in the room will work.

Then play back both copies, you can A-B. You will be shocked at how good the tape is at reproducing what you experienced live.

best

Do you think that digital omits more than the tape or adds more than the tape or both ? Whatever that might be. 

What are your sources for blank tape?

DBX type II noise reduction is the magic that made tape almost the perfect medium. Sadly, manufacturers couldn’t get it into the cassette format early enough, and confusion between DBX, Dolby B, Dolby C and Dolby HX Pro made things worse while at same time CD was coming out with great promises. Excepting for the wear and tear factor and lack of random access, R2R at 15ips with DBX can’t be beat, not even by DSD. 

Dear friends: The R2R is in reality a today vintage " fashion " and nothing else. Specs of those type of recorders are really poor against today standards, here an example of that in the Studer A-80:

Fru ,~ ncy response ." riu,’P 30 ips 50 Hz . . 20 kHz ± 2 dB, 15 ips 30 Hz . . 18 kHz ± 2 dB and 7.5 ips 60 Hz .. 12 kHz±1 dB --------’’"’’

wow&flutter: 0.04% at 30ips distortion at 1khz: 1%

signal to noise ratio at 30ips: 76db

and all depends not only on the velocity recording set up but the ty pe of tape.
The recorded information in the tape is magnetic and the masters " suffer " through the time a heavy degradation loosing information and is almost imposible for any R2R unit to re-read exactly with out lost any single information during playback due that’s a mechanic item where the magnetic action and unit heads readers just can’t do it no matter what.

It’s very easy to looklisten the signal degradation that makes any R2R macine when you compare a D2D LP against the same LP in the same recording session using the R2R.
The differences in quality in favor of the D2D recording is not enormous but way huge. Even if the R2R could had better specs the best R2R is no R2R as proved a D2D recordings.

As I said only a well regarded vintage " fashion " with no true advantages/facts against today digital recordings or yesterday D2D recordings.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.