Tape Trail

Reel to reel, cassette and other analogue tape formats.

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RE: Stereotape/Audio Arts question

Posted by Botanico92007 on July 10, 2016 at 07:42:10:
I don't think it's a question of reversing channels and hearing which sounds better. What matters is how the original recording was done and what the recording engineer intended. That's probably almost impossible to determine at this point.

Isn't it the Dvorak Serenade ST-8 tape that is under discussion? I've heard this piece with this exact instrumentation live. The players were arranged in an arc across the large stage with the oboes and clarinets on the left and the bassoons and two strings on the right. This is close to what I hear on the tape without the channels reversed -- from left to right: oboes, clarinets, bassoons, ending with the two strings on the right. It sounds like the three horns are behind, a common placement because horns are loud. Normally each pair of instruments are next to each other to facilitate coordination. In a recording it's likely the players were clumped closer together.

The tape box also says, "All STEREOTAPES , regardless of length, are wound on seven inch reels with the large hub." Not true. I have two Stereotape/Audio Arts tapes which are wound on small hub reels with the technical information on the box. The two reels have the correct label and look original. All higher-numbered tapes I have seen without the info are wound on small hub reels.

I also agree the writer was in error.

BTW, my Dvorak tape box is signed by the conductor. It says, "For dear old John (the right one) from David Raksin Happy leap year."