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What's up with the analog "echo" phenomenon?

I was recently listening to an Analogue Productions LP record: "The Intimate Art Pepper". I couldn't help but notice--particularly on the solo horn cuts--an anoying echo-type of phenomenon. Actually, it is more like a reverse echo with the quieter "decay" sound proceding the loud actual intended sound by about a half second. I hope this makes some sense. Actually, I've noticed this for years on other analog recordings. It is very noticable during very quiet passages just before a loud passage. I didn't expect to hear this on a supposed "audiophile" pressing.

Is this phenomenon a necessary evil in the analogue tape medium?
mstram
tobias
1,534 posts
 
Thanks for the info, Imin2U. It makes sense that studios would be aware of the print-through phenomenon, and do something about it.

It also makes sense that some would be careless, either in storage or on the lathe. I have a certain number of discs which show pre-echo, and also many that don't.
bob_bundus
1,834 posts
 
Please elaborate on print-through?
I always knew you should store your tapes "tails out" but only after being played? In other words if you fast wind, you're still storing tails out, but the tape is not packed the same way as if it was just played. Does that matter? Seems to me that whether stored rewound or forwarded would still exhibit this problem. Yet a played-back reel is packed even tighter isn't it? So how does that prevent print-through?
I know this is true because I have some tapes that are degraded while others aren't. What's up with that?
bomarc
501 posts
 
Bob: "Tails out" isn't the important thing. The important thing is that you don't want to store tapes that have just been wound/rewound at high speed.They would be packed tighter than a tape played at normal speed, and would therefore be more prone to print-through. That, at least, is my understanding, though I'll admit to having little experience with RtR.
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