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In Reply to: Reel to reel taping experience posted by shpickering@yahoo.ca on February 14, 2007 at 16:41:28:
Hi, shpickering:My experience, of late, has been quite positive as regards quality and playability of old pre-recorded 4-track open reel items.
I recently acquired a pile of interesting tapes, most of which were manufactured at the dawn of the 4-track medium. Thus far, they all play flawlessly on my A-77-III ReVox.
Mind you, I have put a chunk of leader on all of these tapes before even considering playing them.
Not much oxide has been shedding and I have not experienced any "sticky-shed" syndrom, mainly since they were manufactured before 1967 or so.
No splices, no major dropouts and unbelievable sound for what it is worth!
Anybody who does not vouch for the playability of actual condition of a vintage open reel pre-recorded tape has no business trying to sell them on eBay or anywhere else, in my opinion.
I would certainly NOT do that sort of thing.
I am now considering offering my tapes on the classified option for postings hereabouts, so look for them in the very near future.
It's amazing to consider how well a nearly 50-year-old tape can sound these days and we are not even speaking of 2-tracks here, just 4-tracks! I'll also bet that most of the ones I have been auditioning were duplicated in real-time on Ampex 350 machines, according to some of the labels on the boxes. That explains things a bit!
Follow Ups:
And most have no audible high frequency losses even after 50 years. Truly amazing! Reel to Reel offers the largest soundstage, deepest bass and the fullest sound of any format out there in my opinion.Next time it comes up for bid get Martin Denny's Exotica on Liberty / Bel Canto real time duplicated (1:1) Reel to Reel you will be absolutely floored.
Another ear wakening experience is comparing any of Columbia's non-Columbia House 7 ½ IPS Reel to Reels (MQ and CQ) to their LP or SACD versions. Forget the Columbia House editions (1R1) these range from poor to so-so. The early ones made for sale in stores will blow the LP versions clean out of the water!
Hi, Teresa!Thanks very much!
You know, much as I can appreciate Martin Denny and his bird sounds, etc., I was around when this sort of material was much the "Big Deal" in audiophile circles.
I did not like it then and I still do not like it much, no matter how "exotic" it sounds.
Now, Arthur Lyman is another example, as is/was Esquivel.
"Bachelor Pad" music! Great for some, but not for all, you know!
If I want "exotic", I just listen to my own live recording of "RARA AVIS", from last November 14th at the Berkeley Arts Center. I just sit back and distrub the neighbors. No birds to leave droppings on my living room floor, either!
http://www.raraavis.ca/index.html
Massive percussive sounds combined with "prepared" Baroque recorder?
How strange it is! Talk about dynamic range? PLENTY! WAY beyond the capabilities of capturing this sort of performance on analog media without massive amounts of limiting and compression. I got away with it, though, using a simple pair of MBHO cardioids through my Aphex 1100 mic pre to an Alesis Masterlink at 24/96. Got plenty of headroom that way!:-)
Dig those sounds!
BAWK!
It's all in the physics.
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