Maybe take back what I said about Tape being so great

krd

listening to a CD compilation from 99- most stuff on it's obviously tape


The accumulate dirty tape hum from dirty tape over-dubs eventually becomes it's own dirty muddy tone. And on some of the stuff on compilation - especially with some compressing the tape hum


So I take back what I've said in the past - unless of course it's the fault of the studio getting rid of the T-boy/tape op - who maybe actaully did something worthwhile, like cleaning the heads, demagging them and aligning them properly.

madtheory

LOL!

I personally don't like tape. Great for a US rock sound if that is your thing...

studiorat

Digital for the most part either works or it doesn't, clocking/good converter bad converter discussions aside. Tape however would still work even if there was a problem. So when it was good is was very, very good and when it was bad it was horrid!!

My job as a tape op back in the day started with lining up the tape machine every morning and there was always that moment just before the first playback of the day when you hoped you didn't mess it up.

The thing is the tape op or assistant was part of the session back then, they'd need to know what was being recorded, fill it in on the track sheet and operate the tape machine, know their cues and all the rest of it.

With a session these days consisting of engineers and producers staring into a screen for hours on end it's hardly surprising that most assistants get bored and bugger off and surf the net in the green room and then haven't got a clue what's going on when they're asked to do something.

madtheory

studiorat wrote: »

The thing is the tape op or assistant was part of the session back then, they'd need to know what was being recorded, fill it in on the track sheet and operate the tape machine, know their cues and all the rest of it.

With a session these days consisting of engineers and producers staring into a screen for hours on end it's hardly surprising that most assistants get bored and bugger off and surf the net in the green room and then haven't got a clue what's going on when they're asked to do something.

Are you saying a tape machine would fix that problem? IME there are people who will just not pay attention when assisting, it happens in PA gigs. IMO some people are just like that. They normally change career

studiorat

madtheory wrote: »

Are you saying a tape machine would fix that problem? IME there are people who will just not pay attention when assisting, it happens in PA gigs. IMO some people are just like that. They normally change career

I'm saying it made it easier, it also thought the guys how to work a session properly. Something that a lifetime of college can't teach.

MilanPan!c

My only comment is that McCartney is all digital these days, he even released his last release as DVD audio.

And the digital Beatles remasters were released at 24bit. And def sounded noticably better than the CDs.

madtheory

MilanPan!c wrote: »

And the digital Beatles remasters were released at 24bit.

Were they? I thought it was only on CD, which is 16 bit of course... they were digitally mastered the last time too... are you confusing remastering with remixing?

The only remix is "Rubber Soul", done on a Mitsubishi digital tape recorder in 1987. Check the booklet if you don't believe me.

madtheory

studiorat wrote: »

I'm saying it made it easier, it also thought the guys how to work a session properly. Something that a lifetime of college can't teach.

Well yes, the computer screen gets far too much attention. Watching is replaced by listening. IMO that's down to session management, not a tape machine. Or a college.

MilanPan!c

madtheory wrote: »

Were they? I thought it was only on CD, which is 16 bit of course... they were digitally mastered the last time too... are you confusing remastering with remixing?

The only remix is "Rubber Soul", done on a Mitsubishi digital tape recorder in 1987. Check the booklet if you don't believe me.

No, not confused.

The versions released on the Apple shaped USB stick were all 24 bit.

Google it.

Here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/187-7110482-3376656?a=B002VH7P4O

oh and for the record, other beatles songs were remixed for anthology and for the Beatles Rock Band games...

madtheory

MilanPan!c wrote: »

No, not confused.

The versions released on the Apple shaped USB stick were all 24 bit.

That's COOOOOL!!! Me want

MilanPan!c wrote: »

oh and for the record, other beatles songs were remixed for anthology and for the Beatles Rock Band games...

S'funny, just read an interview with Guy Massey in Resolution mag where he pointed out that they didn't market the fact that everything on the Anthology DVD was remixed for surround. Even the interviews- they used Abbey Road 2 as the surround reverb!

Check out I am the Walrus. Truly wonderful!

MilanPan!c

madtheory wrote: »

That's COOOOOL!!! Me want



S'funny, just read an interview with Guy Massey in Resolution mag where he pointed out that they didn't market the fact that everything on the Anthology DVD was remixed for surround. Even the interviews- they used Abbey Road 2 as the surround reverb!

Check out I am the Walrus. Truly wonderful!

I'm a bit of a Beatles nut... I have several discs of those Anthology mixes... Some REALLY cool stuff!

Hell, even some of those RB mixes are cool... Modern mixes of a huge chunk of the catalogue... V interesting!

madtheory

I'm a Beatles nut too.

MilanPan!c wrote: »

I have several discs of those Anthology mixes

Are they directly from the Anthology DVDs? Or yet another release that I don't know about?

I'm waiting for the RB mixes to become available. Crazy how they did it, "unmixing" two and four track tapes.

Must see if that USB release has the mono mixes and the singles as well...

MilanPan!c

madtheory wrote: »

I'm a Beatles nut too.

Are they directly from the Anthology DVDs? Or yet another release that I don't know about?

I'm waiting for the RB mixes to become available. Crazy how they did it, "unmixing" two and four track tapes.

Must see if that USB release has the mono mixes and the singles as well...

taken from the DVD... If you know where to look people have been putting together entire albums of RB mixes... Which is pretty amazing!

The USB is unfortunately just the Stereo box, but as both vers are essential, though I do mostly prefer the mono vers, it's an amazing thing!

Here's a review:
http://www.squidoo.com/buy-beatles-usb

PaulBrewer

krd wrote: »

listening to a CD compilation from 99- most stuff on it's obviously tape


The accumulate dirty tape hum from dirty tape over-dubs eventually becomes it's own dirty muddy tone. And on some of the stuff on compilation - especially with some compressing the tape hum


So I take back what I've said in the past - unless of course it's the fault of the studio getting rid of the T-boy/tape op - who maybe actaully did something worthwhile, like cleaning the heads, demagging them and aligning them properly.

What sort of tracks ?

'Tape' by itself is a monster variable.

Also some of the conversions to Digital weren't great ...