Recording using VHS...

S

Sangram

New member
I read up the article on the home page that talks about recording to VCR tape being quite a good way to get analog 'warmth' into the sound, and the quality is very good, so long the tape is in good condition.

The question: Is it better to record a take to tape, and then digitise it? Bear in mind I am using a SB Live! for a few more months so...

Or would it be better to record the take digitally, edit and mix digitally, and then mixdown through the line outs to tape?

Which of these two ways will give me a better sound?

I rarely use anything apart from an electric and an acoustic guitar, mostly just one acoustic guitar, no vocals and a synth bass/drums using notated scores or a good sample, so I don't really mind if the sound is a little 'squished', which is what I guess the second will do??

Or, should I not invest in a VCR and run 'tape sound' FX using compressors and limiters, and save up for a nice pro card??

Sang
 
First off... it's not simply VHS, but HiFi VHS that is usable for audio recording....

Second... the frequency-modulation-based recording format the HiFi VHS uses tends to introduce artifacts - particularly on percussive sounds or any signal with a lot of transients.

Third... HiFi sounds better than cassette, but IMO, is hardly useful for "getting that analog sound" (whatever THAT means) -- you want your stuff to sound "warmer", then roll-off some top-end with EQ...better doing that than going down a generation and introducing sonic aberrations in the process.

HiFi VHS is a viable option when your choice is between that or a casstte player for a mixdown unit.... but even a modest MiniDisc recorder sonically outperforrms HiFi VHS.

But hey... YMMV -- try it and if it works for you, all the better! ;)
 
I'm not questioning anything that Bruce has said, and I've heard those same things before, but if you happen to have a hifi laying around then maybe you should give it a try anyhow! Who knows, maybe it'll turn out to be useful!

Slackmaster 2000
 
Good posts. My understanding is that like other tape mediums, it's the size of the tape that allows it to sound better than cassettes, simply more info. I have a friend who does this sometime for taping live shows when he can't use his DAT for whatever reason. They sound pretty good, but no like digital. So unless there's a specific that the VHS tape allows that digital won't, I would save for the soundcard. :D
 
I did some tests last year using 4 VCRs to multitrack my band's practice (lo-fi sample) with fresh tapes and the first pass was ok,syncing up nicely in the computer as .wav files.I then tried another session with the same tapes and they had stretched and would no longer sync upon being dumped to my PC.If you are using a hi fi VCR for just two tracks with new tape,you should be fine.
 
the reason people use hi fi vcrs for audio is because it's a cheap way of digital recording....it doesn't recording analogue...it records two digital tracks at the top of the tape.
 
mr engineer said:
the reason people use hi fi vcrs for audio is because it's a cheap way of digital recording....it doesn't recording analogue...it records two digital tracks at the top of the tape.
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Sorry - you're completely wrong.... it records using a form of frequency-modulation..... it is NOT digital recording in ANY fashion whatsoever....
 
Slackmaster2K said:
...if you happen to have a hifi laying around then maybe you should give it a try anyhow!
Click to expand...

...no Slack, I don't :( I wish I did and I have access to one for (relatively) little moolah, but getting it would mean forgoing the new card for a few more months (I'm too deep in debt as it is). So I guess I'll hold off...

Tom: So that means for every take I gotta put in a new tape?? I guess that seals it then...
 
Bruce, when I said 'analog' sound I meant the fat rounded tone that I get when I play back tape, say a cassette, with the highs rolled off, and a bit of compression. I can't seem to simulate that sound because the tone coming out of my guitar and amp are very sharp. Rolling off the high end brings no respite, because the tone then becomes muddy and flat, and I've tried all sorts of settings.

Maybe I should just shut up and play and practice some more, but I haven't been able to 'do' a tune for over two years now, and I used to be pretty good at it then. The eternal craze for gear has landed me in a position that I have more guitars than I can play, a bunch of electric gear (amps, FX) that are gathering dust, and acoustics that are getting funny deposits on their fingerboards because of lying around for three months at a stretch without being touched...

I always think more gear is somehow gonna help me get better sound, maybe I should just torch my computer with all its games and start playing (guitar) seriously again.

Sorry for hijacking the thread for a rant.

That said, I must figure out how to get my hands on a hifi VHS...
 
pipelineaudio said:
mr. engineer might be thinking about F1, PCM F1...that would make sense...
(Im australian by inlaw so cheerio )
Click to expand...
I suspect that his instructor may have been talking about those too, and mr engineer misunderstood!
 
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