Difference in tape size?
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sonusman
Banned
To elaborate. Analog recording uses a recording and playback head. These heads either magnatise, or are creating a passive magnective field.
The record head will magnatize depending upon the signal it is recieving from the curcuitry. On the tape, there are little particles that end up standing up per se when the are excited from the record head magnatizing them.
When you play this part of the tape back, the playback heads are creating a magnetic field that gets disrupted by the particles on the tape standing. There is more circuitry that understands this interuption and makes the signal that is outputted from the tape deck.
Now, if you have a bigger area for storage (wider tape), you will have more information that can be interpreted by the circuitry. Much like having more bits in digital recording, this will create a more accurate sound. Also, wider tape does not experience as much saturation on any one part of the tape as more narrow tape would. Thus, the sound reproduced is more free of distortion artifacts created by overloading the tape. This in turn make for a higher frequency response as well as a greater dynamic range that is possible for the recorded material.
Tape speed is also important in better fidelity. Obviously, the faster the tape runs across the heads while recording, the less chance their is of any one part of the tape getting too saturated from hot levels. The transients will be very short lived, so they will not produce audible distortion. Also, tape hiss seems to be reduced because it is at a higher frequency. Tape hiss is generated by the tape actually moving across the head. It is moved faster, the frequency it creates will be higher. Higher frequencies are harder for us to hear, so, they seem to be softer, even though they may have the same SPL (sound pressure level) as a lower frequency. 2" reel to reel machines don't really need noise reduction because the tape hiss is often inaudible.
Ed
The record head will magnatize depending upon the signal it is recieving from the curcuitry. On the tape, there are little particles that end up standing up per se when the are excited from the record head magnatizing them.
When you play this part of the tape back, the playback heads are creating a magnetic field that gets disrupted by the particles on the tape standing. There is more circuitry that understands this interuption and makes the signal that is outputted from the tape deck.
Now, if you have a bigger area for storage (wider tape), you will have more information that can be interpreted by the circuitry. Much like having more bits in digital recording, this will create a more accurate sound. Also, wider tape does not experience as much saturation on any one part of the tape as more narrow tape would. Thus, the sound reproduced is more free of distortion artifacts created by overloading the tape. This in turn make for a higher frequency response as well as a greater dynamic range that is possible for the recorded material.
Tape speed is also important in better fidelity. Obviously, the faster the tape runs across the heads while recording, the less chance their is of any one part of the tape getting too saturated from hot levels. The transients will be very short lived, so they will not produce audible distortion. Also, tape hiss seems to be reduced because it is at a higher frequency. Tape hiss is generated by the tape actually moving across the head. It is moved faster, the frequency it creates will be higher. Higher frequencies are harder for us to hear, so, they seem to be softer, even though they may have the same SPL (sound pressure level) as a lower frequency. 2" reel to reel machines don't really need noise reduction because the tape hiss is often inaudible.
Ed
Recording Engineer
Moderator
I like the way sonusman put it.
sonusman:
Have you ever thought about teaching? You explain what you know so well. If only I could put in words what I've learned and know so that others would understand.
sonusman:
Have you ever thought about teaching? You explain what you know so well. If only I could put in words what I've learned and know so that others would understand.
Recording Engineer
Moderator
I like the way sonusman put it.
sonusman:
Have you ever thought about teaching? You explain what you know so well. If only I could put in words what I've learned and know so that others would understand.
sonusman:
Have you ever thought about teaching? You explain what you know so well. If only I could put in words what I've learned and know so that others would understand.
Recording Engineer
Moderator
That's odd, I only posted it once; no, I didn't even click on "Submit Reply" twice.
sonusman
Banned
Ah shucks RE, I didn't know that you noticed..... 
Actually I have thought a lot about teaching. One small little problem, credentials, credentials, credentials.
I am mostly a self taught person. Dropped out of high school ny junior year. Got GED in Army 6 years after I should have graduated. Went to college for awhile, but found it mostly boring and that a lot of the professors really didn't care a rats ass about me filling in holes in my knowledge. "Just do the assignments" mentality ran rampid!!!
Anyway, some community colleges do allow people without degree's to teach elective type courses if they can demonstrate knwoledge in the field. Professional affiliations, awards, consulting background, etc.....
In Portland Or., there is one Community College that offers recording courses. The instructor does own a degree in electronics, used to work for Sunn (Sundholm) which was bought by Fender. This is the kind of guy that built his own mixer, etc.....But I have heard some of the guys work, and while it is not horrible, it is not really all that exciting either. He is a nice enough fellow. I know him through a mutual friend. I am not sure how well he teaches, but I am sure that he does ok since he has been teaching the courses for like 5 years now. Anyway, I live about 30 north of Portland now, and there is a community college out here. I have entertained the thought of approaching them about offering a course in recording studio applications and what not. It would be a blast as I really do enjoy taking hard to understand concepts and making them easy to understand for those who haven't really spent the time to research. Whether there is any interest for this in my area remains to be seen. But I am sure that to a certain extent there is.
Recording techniques are a life long learning process. What is going on behind the equipment is just as important as what is going on in front of the mic in my opinion. I feel that a competant engineer will understand both equally well. I can't see how you can achieve a high level of success in recording without understanding the technical side of it. But it is funny, many believe technical knowledge takes away from the artistic side of things. While this is an interesting idea, I don't believe it holds even an ounce of truth. Some of the best engineers I know locally are also musicians. They just took the time to learn more about electronics than how to turn them on.
I have found that my knowledge of the technical aspects of recording have also helped my artistic aspect emensely. Rather than fumble upon what I hear in my head for something, I can take very logical steps towards achieving it with some very creative approaches. I can use the fullest potential of my equipment because I understand it's limitations. Rather than try to make it do something that it won't and get caught up in the fact that it won't, I know that it won't so I try to find a creative alternative. This usually leads to some very excellent results. And while I still hold to the idea that better tools create better results, I can appreciate the potential of getting great results with less than perfect tools if the person using them has the patience to work with what they have, and are willing to learn some obscure things.
Music is funny that way. Composers will talk about how they wrote something, but when the orchestra played it, it sounded awful. But on paper it made sence!!! In their head it made sence, and sounded good. But the difference between those that achieve and those that don't is that those that achieve spend their time working on solutions to problems, while those that don't complain about the problem. So what I am getting at is that at every level of recording, compromises are made. You never get that exact idea across!!! It lives in all of it's glory in your head. If you can get 80% of it on tape, you are achieving a level of success that is par with greatness.
But this is all my opinion. Not all would agree with it. And none of that really has much to do with me teaching.....
I think that soon here, I will be compensated in some way for my ability to teach. Since I am not much for the normal route of things, it will come in a non-traditional way.
Maybe sonusman will have a recording tutorial coming out soon......
But thanks for the support RE. It is nice to know that some of my peers (meaning you are a professional engineer also) appreciate a gift that I have. No offence to anyone, but RE saying something like that means more than a person that knows nothing saying it. RE knows what he and I don't know!!! That makes compliments about what I do know that much more sweeter.
Ed
Actually I have thought a lot about teaching. One small little problem, credentials, credentials, credentials.
I am mostly a self taught person. Dropped out of high school ny junior year. Got GED in Army 6 years after I should have graduated. Went to college for awhile, but found it mostly boring and that a lot of the professors really didn't care a rats ass about me filling in holes in my knowledge. "Just do the assignments" mentality ran rampid!!!
Anyway, some community colleges do allow people without degree's to teach elective type courses if they can demonstrate knwoledge in the field. Professional affiliations, awards, consulting background, etc.....
In Portland Or., there is one Community College that offers recording courses. The instructor does own a degree in electronics, used to work for Sunn (Sundholm) which was bought by Fender. This is the kind of guy that built his own mixer, etc.....But I have heard some of the guys work, and while it is not horrible, it is not really all that exciting either. He is a nice enough fellow. I know him through a mutual friend. I am not sure how well he teaches, but I am sure that he does ok since he has been teaching the courses for like 5 years now. Anyway, I live about 30 north of Portland now, and there is a community college out here. I have entertained the thought of approaching them about offering a course in recording studio applications and what not. It would be a blast as I really do enjoy taking hard to understand concepts and making them easy to understand for those who haven't really spent the time to research. Whether there is any interest for this in my area remains to be seen. But I am sure that to a certain extent there is.
Recording techniques are a life long learning process. What is going on behind the equipment is just as important as what is going on in front of the mic in my opinion. I feel that a competant engineer will understand both equally well. I can't see how you can achieve a high level of success in recording without understanding the technical side of it. But it is funny, many believe technical knowledge takes away from the artistic side of things. While this is an interesting idea, I don't believe it holds even an ounce of truth. Some of the best engineers I know locally are also musicians. They just took the time to learn more about electronics than how to turn them on.
I have found that my knowledge of the technical aspects of recording have also helped my artistic aspect emensely. Rather than fumble upon what I hear in my head for something, I can take very logical steps towards achieving it with some very creative approaches. I can use the fullest potential of my equipment because I understand it's limitations. Rather than try to make it do something that it won't and get caught up in the fact that it won't, I know that it won't so I try to find a creative alternative. This usually leads to some very excellent results. And while I still hold to the idea that better tools create better results, I can appreciate the potential of getting great results with less than perfect tools if the person using them has the patience to work with what they have, and are willing to learn some obscure things.
Music is funny that way. Composers will talk about how they wrote something, but when the orchestra played it, it sounded awful. But on paper it made sence!!! In their head it made sence, and sounded good. But the difference between those that achieve and those that don't is that those that achieve spend their time working on solutions to problems, while those that don't complain about the problem. So what I am getting at is that at every level of recording, compromises are made. You never get that exact idea across!!! It lives in all of it's glory in your head. If you can get 80% of it on tape, you are achieving a level of success that is par with greatness.
But this is all my opinion. Not all would agree with it. And none of that really has much to do with me teaching.....
I think that soon here, I will be compensated in some way for my ability to teach. Since I am not much for the normal route of things, it will come in a non-traditional way.
Maybe sonusman will have a recording tutorial coming out soon......
But thanks for the support RE. It is nice to know that some of my peers (meaning you are a professional engineer also) appreciate a gift that I have. No offence to anyone, but RE saying something like that means more than a person that knows nothing saying it. RE knows what he and I don't know!!! That makes compliments about what I do know that much more sweeter.
Ed
Jim Marquard
New member
And all these years I have been content with thinking it wasn't the size, it was what you did with it. Next I'll here faster is better--man, will my wife be upset.
Sorry, but I couldn't resist!
Peace, Jim
Sorry, but I couldn't resist!
Peace, Jim