Digital Recording - Analog Mixdown

[Aren]

Hi,

Does it make any sence to anyone to record to a computer, and then mixdown to a reel-to-teel deck (with actual mixing done on the computer, or using and external mixer), then transfering the mix back to the computer for final editing and burning to a CD?
Would the multiple A/D-D/A conversions totally ruin whatever I gained by mixing down to tape?
I'm asking because I might get my hands on a reel-to-reel machine (haven't examined it yet, so I'd like to know what I'm getting into before I start inspecting...)

Thanks,

Oren

[knownuttin]

Aren, I'm sure I speak for most of us when I say the answer is maybe. Very personal decision. Sometimes the trade-off of a bit of degradation from an extra cycle of conversion is worth it for the sound you get from that analog stage. The reality is that tape does still sound better, even if it's noisier.

When you say reel-to-reel, you don't specify multi-track, stereo or ? How old is it and how well was it maintained? How prepared are you to keep up the maintenance? What's the quality and how good a deal are you getting? These are rhetoricals, but you can tell us if you like.

If it's a multi-track in good shape and you're getting a deal, it might be worth it to have for tracking basics, say drums, bass, and guitar, then transferring that to your computer for vocals and other super clean overdubs in digital land.
-kent

[Seanmorse79]

Yup - I'd agree with Kent. A lot of studios use tape for drums because of the warmth, then digital for the rest. It's also not uncommon to mixdown to a tape, then back in for the CD's. Just make sure it's a quality machine and that you're using it properly (just a little bit of tape overdrive can really give a mix some energy).

[John Byrne]

A good site to read.

http://www.johnvestman.com/analog.htm

Regards,

John

[Aren]

Thanks for all the info!

John - That was a really interesting article. The writer seems biased a little, but it was interesting none the less.

Kent - I was referring to a 1/4" 2-track, that I can get for practically nothing. I don't really know what brand, or how good it is. I still have to check it out.

Oren

[knownuttin]

Practically nothing sounds like a good price! Since there's very little risk for you, by all means take it and experiment. If it's in decent shape you may find that you prefer mixes that have been flown out to tape before bringing them back to digital for a CD. I can almost guarantee that, assuming proper gain staging is observed in the transfer, you will prefer the sound of playback from the tape to the CD.
-kent

[UberGawkman]

I was considering doing this exact same thing.... especially since we would have to convert a sample rate from 48 to 44... might as well mix down to analog tape, then back into the computer at 44 and get a little "warmth". We'll just have to see how it sounds...

[RWhite]

Unless you have a great tape deck, I would think not. Personally I would rather record origianl tracks on tape, then mix to digital. But I record a lot of loud rock'n'roll and I find it's easier to deal with a little tape saturation on the original tracks. I think once something is digital, it should stay that way. Right now I'm doing 100% digital because my tape deck (Fostex A-8) is no longer what I would consider worthy.

[Whoopysnorp]

I've heard that a good way to get some tape saturation is to do what Aren describes, and then record the analog mixdown digitally and mix it with the digital mixdown. Analog and digital side by side, and you can control the levels of each. Seems like a great idea. Haven't tried it, though.

[Aren]

Whoopysnorp - That does sound like a great idea! I would really like to try it out...
I did check out the tape deck today, and it's in pretty awfull condition. I am going to check for how much I can fix it, and then I may be able to do some experiments.

Oren

[chessrock]

Originally posted by RWhite
Personally I would rather record origianl tracks on tape, then mix to digital.

That's the way most of the big-name engineer/producers that we idolize are doing it.

Even though it's only two tracks, think about it: you can still record, say, guitar and bass on to reel-to-reel as well as any one-track overdubs. Route and record another signal direct to digital . . . convert your analog signal to digital later on and compare the two versions of the track, making sure they line up, etc.