Tape Trail

Posted by alias@hollowearth.org (A) on January 12, 2009 at 00:57:53

http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1428&Itemid=52

Edits: 01/12/09

• Great article and explains the downhill slide of the last 25 years perfectly - Teresa 19:11:26 01/13/09 (2)
  In Reply to: RE: Article on Tapes I wrote posted by alias@hollowearth.org on January 12, 2009 at 00:57:53

  I love the second paragraph.
  
  "The notion that technology is always improving is riddled with holes. Music has suffered in the digital age, and we should lay the blame on formats. Both the CD and its bastard spawn, the mp3, have made convenience the priority, but at the expense of factors crucial to the consumer’s identification with recorded music. Music was first disassociated with imagery, and its tangibility reduced with the mass abandonment of vinyl in favour of the CD. Then it was disembodied, made ethereal, and the fundamental connection to its author ruptured with the arrival of the mp3. This break is made literal in the process of digital encoding; one is no longer ‘listening’ to music, but ‘hearing’ an aural snapshot of it.
  
  This explains quite well how music progressed to mere sound. I called it the the de-evolution of Sound Quality.
  
  From my old website and my current eBook "An Analog Lovers Survival Guide":
  
  History of the De-Evolution of Sound Quality
  

1. From Tubes to Solid State.
  
2. From 2 Track to 4 Track Reel to Reel

  3. From real time to high-speed duplication.

  4. From RCA Living Stereo to RCA Dynagroove LPs.

  5. From Virgin Vinyl to recycled Vinyl.

  6. From analog to digitally mastered LPs

  7. From analog to digitally recorded LPs
  
8. From LPs to CDs.

  
  And I didn't know that King Crimson's Live album Starless and Bible Black was released on vinyl after being recorded on stage by the band itself using a Walkman WM-D6C. WOW!
  
  Great article!
  
  
  Happy listening,
  Teresa
  
  

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  • RE: Great article and explains the downhill slide of the last 25 years perfectly - alias@hollowearth.org 01:36:15 01/14/09 (1)
    In Reply to: RE: Great article and explains the downhill slide of the last 25 years perfectly posted by Teresa on January 13, 2009 at 19:11:26

    :-)
    
    Thanks very much Teresa.
    
    > "An Analog Lovers Survival Guide"
    
    I would love to check that book of yours! It sounds absolutely fascinating.
    Any chance of a re-up/download?
    
    

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    • If you send me your email address I give you a free copy in PDF form - Teresa 02:19:40 01/14/09 (0)
      In Reply to: RE: Great article and explains the downhill slide of the last 25 years perfectly posted by alias@hollowearth.org on January 14, 2009 at 01:36:15

      Just click on the "R" after my name page down a to the email form.
      
      
      Happy listening,
      Teresa
      

      • It's 61 pages here is more about it.   (Open in New Window)

      
      

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• Nice article - tesla 01:43:13 01/12/09 (11)
  In Reply to: RE: Article on Tapes I wrote posted by alias@hollowearth.org on January 12, 2009 at 00:57:53

  but this statement is poorly written and/or factually incorrect:
  
  "Audiophiles prefer not to use lengths longer than C60 for two reasons. The tape moves too slowly through the gate on the one hand (the quicker, the better the recording) and on the other the high-speeds unnecessarily strain the motors."
  
  C60, C90, etc, is tape length only, but to get the higher recording times, the sacrifice is potential life. Some machines will "eat" any tape longer than a C90, for instance. I have used C90 for most of my recordings over the years, and found them to be fine, any tape length over that to be problematic.
  
  BTW, tape speed on the vast majority of decks is fixed at 1 7/8's ips. ALL tapes, no matter what the recording and playing time, go the same speed past the heads.
  
  Gene
  
  
  I don't really have a signiture line
  
  

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  • C-90's - Time_Stands_Still 13:00:52 01/12/09 (0)
    In Reply to: RE: Nice article posted by tesla on January 12, 2009 at 01:43:13

    I too prefer using C-90's. A C-90 cassette will allow me to record both sides of an LP record onto one side of a tape. I make side A, side B theme recordings, ie: say Supertramp Crime of the Century on side A and Crisis what crisis? on side B. Yes often there may be a few minutes of blank tape left but meh so be it. When I do use C-60's I will record side one of an LP on the A side and side two on the B side again it results in left over blank tape. When I was really into tapes back in the 80's I would make an annual yearly compilation tape (sometimes two tape sets) of the music I would have tended to listen to a lot over the previous year. It was my way of cataloging my tastes as each year passed by. I left tape recording by the late 90's but I got back into tape recording within the last year and too will soon make another new 2008 favourite compilation tape.
    
    Recording onto an MP3 is uninspiring and such, making CDR's is ok be it using my Macbook or my stand alone CDR but it's still not the same as a tape recording. Tapes are even more interactive... OBTW I only record vinyl onto cassette (though I may record some radio too). I do not record CD's onto tapes as I have no need too. My car has a cd player so I may make CDR compilation discs for such. I do record vinyl onto CD for car use but my pleasure of selecting a tape type and brand to record vinyl onto is a great way of making an quality analogue copy of my vinyl so I do not always have to fire up my turntable to hear what is a very good and very close analogue copy. Besides seeing the peak meter dancing especially in darkened room listening is kinda cool too.
    
    

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  • RE: Nice article - alias@hollowearth.org 01:47:26 01/12/09 (8)
    In Reply to: RE: Nice article posted by tesla on January 12, 2009 at 01:43:13

    Although on reflection I think I was referring to the speed of the spokes(?) rotation not of the tape itself.
    
    

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    • The speed - tesla 02:00:32 01/12/09 (7)
      In Reply to: RE: Nice article posted by alias@hollowearth.org on January 12, 2009 at 01:47:26

      of the "spokes"? (Do you mean hubs)? are not constant, because it changes constantly, depending up on the amount of tape on the reel (hub) at the time of measurement. Remember, the speed of the tape must be constant past the heads, (1 7/8 IPS for Cassette), the more tape wound on the hub, the slower the hub rotates, the less the tape on the hub, it rotates faster.
      
      Next time you play a tape, watch the speed of the hubs. the takeup hub will be faster than the "feed" hub, but at about the mid-point of the cassette, they will both be rotating at the same speed. As the tape nears it's end, the "feeder" hub will be rotating faster.
      
      Gene
      
      
      I don't really have a signiture line
      
      

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      • RE: The speed - alias@hollowearth.org 02:06:25 01/12/09 (6)
        In Reply to: RE: The speed posted by tesla on January 12, 2009 at 02:00:32

        yes it's the hubs i'm referring to. as i understood it a tape length of (say) 120 would cause the feeder hub to be rotating uncomfortably fast for the mechanism, causing it to wear out.
        
        

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        • According to - tesla 05:25:40 01/12/09 (5)
          In Reply to: RE: The speed posted by alias@hollowearth.org on January 12, 2009 at 02:06:25

          that reasoning, the simple act of rewinding, (or fast forwarding) would wear out the hub in the shell.
          
          Regards,
          
          Gene
          I don't really have a signiture line
          
          

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          • RE: According to TapeHeads.Net - X-2000R 06:51:17 01/13/09 (1)
            In Reply to: RE: According to posted by tesla on January 12, 2009 at 05:25:40

            ....THE pre-eminent place to talk about, gawk at, and learn about tape, nothing is "rubbish". Tape has so many advantages....both aesthetic and practical...over most of todays "convenient" digital mediums. For one to say that tape is useless is to miss its essence. And in all likelihood is more sold on convenince at the cost of fidelity. And therefore it would stand to reason that when viewed through that prism, music probably isn't high on the list of hobbies and interest anyway.

            And above all else, many of us simply PREFER tape.
            
            

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            Edits: 01/13/09

            • Where - tesla 22:02:55 01/13/09 (0)
              In Reply to: RE: According to TapeHeads.Net posted by X-2000R on January 13, 2009 at 06:51:17

              Did I say "tape is rubbish"?
              I don't really have a signiture line
              
              

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          • RE: According to - alias@hollowearth.org 05:40:35 01/12/09 (2)
            In Reply to: RE: According to posted by tesla on January 12, 2009 at 05:25:40

            you're quite right- and it does sound quite crazy. only passing on what i picked up online from forums such as this though.
            
            :-/
            
            

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            • RE: According to - ??? 07:48:10 01/12/09 (1)
              In Reply to: RE: According to posted by alias@hollowearth.org on January 12, 2009 at 05:40:35

              "only passing on what i picked up online from forums such as this though."
              
              Bad idea. There's a lot of gibberish that gets posted on audio forums.
              
              

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              • RE: According to - alias@hollowearth.org 08:15:42 01/12/09 (0)
                In Reply to: RE: According to posted by ??? on January 12, 2009 at 07:48:10

                er, ok.
                
                

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  • RE: Nice article - alias@hollowearth.org 01:45:42 01/12/09 (0)
    In Reply to: RE: Nice article posted by tesla on January 12, 2009 at 01:43:13

    Thank you for your feedback anyway :-)
    
    I'm sure there are a few other howlers too!
    
    

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• RE: Article on Tapes I wrote - alias@hollowearth.org 01:01:29 01/12/09 (0)
  In Reply to: RE: Article on Tapes I wrote posted by alias@hollowearth.org on January 12, 2009 at 00:57:53

  Sorry, now with link you can click:
  

  • http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1428&Itemid=52   (Open in New Window)

  
  

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• RE: Article on Tapes I wrote - alias@hollowearth.org 01:00:29 01/12/09 (0)
  In Reply to: RE: Article on Tapes I wrote posted by alias@hollowearth.org on January 12, 2009 at 00:57:53

  also some of these for sale:
  
  
  
  

  • http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230318387203&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DSelling   (Open in New Window)

  
  

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