No audible distortion.....

  • Thread starter Thread starter TASCAM MAN
  • Start date Start date
I for one appreciate you starting this thread.

As an avid analog guy making my first recording in the '50's,
It was my son who gave me the "Aha!" when he said, "Dad, the reason they don't hear the digital artifacts is that they've never heard any sound but digital." My opinion is that digital algorithms have not caught up with the infinite resolution of analog.

Digital distortions occur when changes are introduced while the audio is in the digital realm - including EQ, compression, mixing, even level changes. A tiny volume change of 2 db in the digital realm sends all those digital samples (representing the analog waveform) scattering to the next closest digit representing the new level - and since the number of bits is finite (16 kilobytes for CD) the shape of the wave is permanently altered. That change in wave shape is distortion, and can be detected by the human ear some or much of the time.

If I use excellent digital converters to record and play back without altering or mixing while in the digital realm, I have not been able to tell the difference between that process and a well aligned tape machine. I currently use Alesis HD24 to record, but ALL mixing, EQ, compression - ANY audio change - is made with analog processing. This is my conclusion after many hours of A/B comparison listening. The Alesis has greatly simplified my recording by eliminating the need to align heads, adjust speed, run alignment tapes, etc. Too bad the HD24 has been discontinued, but a great users group keeps the machine alive and well.

I say good on you guys who still use your ears as final arbiter. I think audio people have given up too much analog quality for the convenience of digital.
 
"Thank you backstage for understanding the meaning of this post! :)"


:D
 
There was this one time in the studio, I had this reel of 456 that accidentally started to spool off....and as it fell across my hand....

... and the reels hung like two full breasts in the soft candlelight glow of the studio as the tape spooled off tumbling through his fingers. The rhythmic shuff, shuff, shuff of the tape rubbing on the supply reel sent chills up and down his spine. 3.75 ips, 7.5 ips, 15 ips... faster, faster!

r2.webp
 
... and the reels hung like two full breasts in the soft candlelight glow of the studio as the tape spooled off tumbling through his fingers. The rhythmic shuff, shuff, shuff of the tape rubbing on the supply reel sent chills up and down his spine. 3.75 ips, 7.5 ips, 15 ips... faster, faster!

View attachment 80735

LOVE IT BECK :eatpopcorn:
 
I for one appreciate you starting this thread.

As an avid analog guy making my first recording in the '50's,
It was my son who gave me the "Aha!" when he said, "Dad, the reason they don't hear the digital artifacts is that they've never heard any sound but digital." My opinion is that digital algorithms have not caught up with the infinite resolution of analog.

Digital distortions occur when changes are introduced while the audio is in the digital realm - including EQ, compression, mixing, even level changes. A tiny volume change of 2 db in the digital realm sends all those digital samples (representing the analog waveform) scattering to the next closest digit representing the new level - and since the number of bits is finite (16 kilobytes for CD) the shape of the wave is permanently altered. That change in wave shape is distortion, and can be detected by the human ear some or much of the time.

If I use excellent digital converters to record and play back without altering or mixing while in the digital realm, I have not been able to tell the difference between that process and a well aligned tape machine. I currently use Alesis HD24 to record, but ALL mixing, EQ, compression - ANY audio change - is made with analog processing. This is my conclusion after many hours of A/B comparison listening. The Alesis has greatly simplified my recording by eliminating the need to align heads, adjust speed, run alignment tapes, etc. Too bad the HD24 has been discontinued, but a great users group keeps the machine alive and well.

I say good on you guys who still use your ears as final arbiter. I think audio people have given up too much analog quality for the convenience of digital.

thank you for sharing that backstage :thumbs up:
 
I for one appreciate you starting this thread.

As an avid analog guy making my first recording in the '50's,
It was my son who gave me the "Aha!" when he said, "Dad, the reason they don't hear the digital artifacts is that they've never heard any sound but digital." My opinion is that digital algorithms have not caught up with the infinite resolution of analog.

Digital distortions occur when changes are introduced while the audio is in the digital realm - including EQ, compression, mixing, even level changes. A tiny volume change of 2 db in the digital realm sends all those digital samples (representing the analog waveform) scattering to the next closest digit representing the new level - and since the number of bits is finite (16 kilobytes for CD) the shape of the wave is permanently altered. That change in wave shape is distortion, and can be detected by the human ear some or much of the time.

If I use excellent digital converters to record and play back without altering or mixing while in the digital realm, I have not been able to tell the difference between that process and a well aligned tape machine. I currently use Alesis HD24 to record, but ALL mixing, EQ, compression - ANY audio change - is made with analog processing. This is my conclusion after many hours of A/B comparison listening. The Alesis has greatly simplified my recording by eliminating the need to align heads, adjust speed, run alignment tapes, etc. Too bad the HD24 has been discontinued, but a great users group keeps the machine alive and well.

I say good on you guys who still use your ears as final arbiter. I think audio people have given up too much analog quality for the convenience of digital.

I hate it when I'm right.

BTW: Welcome to the site Backstage. :)

(Disclaimer: No attack against you or your post. This is just an example that once a thread migrates to the Digital vs Analog debate, it stays there.)
 
This shit still going on! :laughings: Some people have more patience than me. :thumbs up:

I hope to hear from some of you that have had the wonderful experiences with tape as I have and still do.... :)

I had great experiences with tape. My first portastudio (a tascam) was awesome! I progressed to a Korg D8 digital recorder and had a great experience with that too. Now I record on a crappy old P4 PC and I'm having a great experience with that too.

Recording medium means nothing really. It's all about what you do with it and the music you make. No more or less ;-)
 
QUOTE BY backstage:

"I say good on you guys who still use your ears as final arbiter. I think audio people have given up too much analog quality for the convenience of digital."

Yes you did CrowsFoot, you did tell em alright :rolleyes:
 
I hate it when I'm right.

:D


These are the kind of analog/tape threads that make a lot of people view analog/tape guys as nothing more than a bunch of old farts stuck in some 1970s state of mind and not able to learn or willing to accept any new tricks.

Professing love of analog gear and tape is one thing (I certainly do)....but when people start tossing out purely subjective views based on very limited, general understanding of the technology (need I mention the staircase), and also talk about tape as possessing almost mythical properties, so that anything that hits it will automatically be lifted to audio nirvana status...
...well, it's no surprise that folks on the outside looking in laugh at the old fart tape guys.

Not to mention....when I see guys who are using cassettes in their tape SOP, and also talking about audio quality in the same sentance...then I know people on the outside are ROTFL.
I mean, I can understand using cassettes for that lo-fi, cassette sound....but for the love of tape, please don't wax poetic about any audio quality and no audible distortion. :rolleyes:

Oh wait.....were not supposed to talk about tape in this thread from any intellectual and/or technical perspective.....sorry.
 
... and the reels hung like two full breasts in the soft candlelight glow of the studio as the tape spooled off tumbling through his fingers. The rhythmic shuff, shuff, shuff of the tape rubbing on the supply reel sent chills up and down his spine. 3.75 ips, 7.5 ips, 15 ips... faster, faster!

r2.webp

While KP certainly has a great set of reels.....I may be wrong, but I doubt she's ever recorded so much as an answering machine greeting to tape.

Of course....it wouldn't be as symbolic if she had a pair of converters on her boobs instead of the reels. :D
 
Wow! We really are a bunch of geeks, aren't we?

How about those tits?????

:D
 
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