Achieving that tape sound with a tape recorder...

[KingDiamond]

Has anyone heard of someone using a reel to reel tape recorder with a computer DAW to achieve that tape sound a lot of people like? For example, you would finish your session in your DAW program and then you would play it and have the line outs go into the tape recorder, then playback the tape into the line inputs on your computer interface and that would be your final "master".

Would that work and is that a good way of doing this?

 

[TerraMortim]

yep...just send the tracks to the tape machine and then send them back to the DAW..it's a very used practice lately to get the tape sound.

 

[pikingrin]

yep...just send the tracks to the tape machine and then send them back to the DAW..it's a very used practice lately to get the tape sound.

+1 (?)

I have heard (primarily in books) that it helps to add "that analog sound" to your digital recordings. I have never tried it but I have read that it works. According to what I've read, you don't need a reel to reel, all you seem to need is a cheapo 4 track cassette recorder to output to and send back (after it's been recorded to the tape) to your DAW.

Like I said...I've never tried it, but I don't record material that is worthy of going that far with it yet. YMMV...

 

[mikeyhasnobones]

oh yeah, people do it all the time, mastering onto tape. it works quite well and is a good hybrid of the two mediums.

 

[pezking]

It's very common to record a session to 24 track 2" tape then do a transfer to ProTools or whatever.

When you say master to tape, do you mean reel to reel or cassette?

I wouldn't want to master to cassette, but reel to reel, if properly aligned would certainly add a nice warmth to it.

 

[rayc]

Signal out to a GOOD tape machine & then from the playback head back into the comp.
To get "that" tape sound you need to do some of those tape things - like setting good levels in a good high speed tape machine onto a good tape.
I don't think the levels of "tape compression" required for "that" sound can be had on a slow speed machine or standard stereo playback reel tape.
You also have to have your head around the noise reduction set up.
You could always run it onto a 4 track cassette running as hot as you can without distortion and get a saturated effect but it won't be "that" sound.
In other words play around with what you have - you might like it.
I start by recording basic tracks to 4 track cassette & then run that into my comp pretty often. I like the sound - it's not "the" sound but I like it.

 

[cusebassman]

Signal out to a GOOD tape machine & then from the playback head back into the comp.
To get "that" tape sound you need to do some of those tape things - like setting good levels in a good high speed tape machine onto a good tape.
I don't think the levels of "tape compression" required for "that" sound can be had on a slow speed machine or standard stereo playback reel tape.
You also have to have your head around the noise reduction set up.
You could always run it onto a 4 track cassette running as hot as you can without distortion and get a saturated effect but it won't be "that" sound.
In other words play around with what you have - you might like it.
I start by recording basic tracks to 4 track cassette & then run that into my comp pretty often. I like the sound - it's not "the" sound but I like it.

Spot on - when mastering your final mix, sending it out to a good, well-setup open reel machine is going to sound different than going into a stereo cassette recorder and back out again. I'd venture a guess and say the 1/4" stereo machine is going to give you a nicer sound.