Which tape to mix and master to?

F

fstrat76

Member
I recently picked up some Scotch 206 (thanks lonewhitefly) and have some RMGI SM911 for use with my Tascam 42 which is calibrated for the SM911.

I am finally getting ready to mix and master a couple of songs I recently tracked to my 38 and DAW. I tracked 8 tracks to the 38 using RMGI SM911 and transferred over to the DAW and added a couple more tracks. Now I'm ready for the mix stage.

My thoughts for this are to mix the song to the 42, back into the DAW, and then master back to the 42 as a separate stage. I was thinking of doing the mix on the Scotch 206, and the mastering on the SM911.

My question is which tape is suited best for the mix stage and then for master stage? Is it better to use the same type of tape for both stages?

Opinions?
 
hey man, hope those tapes work out for you!

well, some would say you should re-bias your deck every time you put on a new tape (even of the same formula), but realistically, 911 and 206 are "bias compatible". the operating level is +3 higher for 911 though, which means 206 would saturate more easily (and more low-end bump).

i would probably combine the mix/mastering to one step ... that way you're not going digital to analog / analog to digital / digital to analog again. also, you can try both tapes to see which one suits the music better.

personally, i find 911 to be a bit more "true", a bit sharper, more clear/transparent ... and 206 to have more of a noticeable tape effect or "classic" type sound. i also think 206 is a more proven/reliable tape for long-term storage than 911 if that's a factor.
 
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