Reel To Reel mixdown

[DaveDrummer]

Hi everyone. I own a Yamaha AW16G which is a digital 16-bit DAW. I really like it but it doesnt have that analog warmth. I was thinking about buying a Revox B77 and mixing down to that, then back to the AW16G. The tape could add that warmth im looking for..ideas?

Dave

[Massive Master]

Happens all the time. If it's in good condition and well calibrated, it's worth a shot.

Think about the PC route also... A good machine with a UAD card can do wonders for warmth...

[biotek]

^^^ this man knows what he's talking about... i love the UAD-1 cards... oh and try and get your hands on the PSP Vintage warmer.... fat analogue sound..

[jt93]

i have a 4416, and know exactly what you mean. the yamaha pre's are not that great. easiest way is to record on the aw, backup to cd, fudge it on the computer, then import it back in. that works, but is slow and a pita. i run a digitech rp2000 spdif into the board and get decent sound. still not the real warmth though. im looking into some tube pre's now to run into it.

there is always the old fashioned way, mic up a tube amp. while it does work, you have to deal with all the ambient noise.....

[DaveDrummer]

yeah...preamps on the G are not the greatest...but I use a mackie board usually. Well, thanks for the ideas guys!

[reel buzzer]

Dude, tape will totally add that warmth.

Here is a link to some response curves from different machines:

http://www.endino.com/graphs/

[Cloneboy Studio]

I think mixing down to 2 track analog is a great idea. I intend on moving in that direction in the next year.

[masteringhouse]

Tape is one way to go, but if the heads are not in good shape, alignment is bad you will be doing more harm. Also there is the issue of going through another A/D conversion.

My first preference would be to try to add tape characteristics digitally to avoid all of the above issues (see: http://www.cranesong.com/PHOENIX.html for my favorite choice).

Next preference would be to add a tube compressor over the stereo buss and add just a touch of compression to simulate tape saturation. This will still require a D/A and A/D but at least you won't have the issues of alignment. You could also use the tube compressor during cutting and get more band for the buck. If you can afford it, also get one with a pre-amp and you can kill multiple birds with one stone. Check out: http://www.mercenary.com/19vactubcomm.html

[TexRoadkill]

I would just spend the money on whatever it is in your front end that is not allowing you to get warm tracks recorded in the first place.

[masteringhouse]

Originally Posted by TexRoadkill

I would just spend the money on whatever it is in your front end that is not allowing you to get warm tracks recorded in the first place.

I'm in total agreement with Tex. This was my point in recommending that you purchase a good tube pre/compressor rather than throwing good money after bad. Invest in something that you will use in the long run to create better mixes consistently. When trying to "fix it in the mix" things never come out as well as if they were recorded well to begin with, likewise when you attempt to "fix it in mastering" things never come out as well as if they were mixed properly.

My sermon for today:

Instead of continually putting bandages on bleeding wounds, do all that you can to avoid getting wounded!