Mixdown to VHS or Beta?

  • Thread starter Thread starter vwcsonic
  • Start date Start date
V

vwcsonic

New member
Hi,

Here's a weird question. Anyone mixing down to VHS or Beta? I remember recording in a studio years ago and the guy used Beta. Just thinking of ways to mixdown from my digital setup to add some warmth and perhaps not having to get a reel-to-reel. Do the Beta machines have the freq response to do mixdown? Anyone? Would they add the same warmth of a r-to-r?
 
I used to mix down to HiFi VHS years ago. It can sound really good, especially on a deck that has audio input level controls. Most consumer decks have built-in limiters, so you have to be careful not to hit it with too hot a signal.
 
vwcsonic said:
Hi,

Here's a weird question. Anyone mixing down to VHS or Beta? I remember recording in a studio years ago and the guy used Beta. Just thinking of ways to mixdown from my digital setup to add some warmth and perhaps not having to get a reel-to-reel. Do the Beta machines have the freq response to do mixdown? Anyone? Would they add the same warmth of a r-to-r?
Click to expand...

What he was probably using was a digital converter. Sony used to market a unit, I think it was the PCM-1, which recorded digital audio onto videotape. These were popular, but nowadays you're likely to have difficulties getting video heads for a Betamax machine. Betacam might be a better idea, assuming you can get a PCM-1. Recording the audio directly to videotape using linear stereo would NOT be a good idea, though.

Here's a link:

http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-19/h4.html
 
Yes, mastering to Beta hi-fi was fairly common in the late 80's through mid 90's. Beta in particular was accepted at most mastering houses as one of the standard formats.

It does not behave like analog tape though because it uses audio frequency modulation (AFM) to lay down the hi-fi audio using the rotating video head. If the levels are too hot it does not compress like reel-to-reel, but reacts with harsh distortion more like digital.

I still have a Sony SL-HF350 Super Beta hi-fi machine that I used a lot for mastering years ago. It produces very clean, low noise recordings. Specs are pretty impressive. If you get one make sure the automatic level control is defeatable.

Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz +/- 2 dB
Dynamic Range: Better than 80 dB
Wow & Flutter: Less than 0.005%
Harmonic Distortion: 0.3%

People also used VCRs in combo with a digital PCM device. But what I'm talking about here is just the hi-fi audio of the VCR itself.

I first learned of using Beta hi-fi in an October 1986 article in Electronic Musician Magazine entitled, "Mastering With Beta Hi-Fi in the Home Studio: Champagne Mastering on a Beer Budget." Written by Tim Fluharty.

There is a lot of info on the web, but I haven't been able to find that article on-line.

You can use broadcast quality betacam tapes such as Sony BCT-30G, which are backcoated and equivalent to the highest-grade consumer beta tapes. Beta is technically defunct - nobody is producing new machines. But if you find a machine in good condition, new tapes are still readily available.

-Tim :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top