Personal story about tape joy

[AnalogApples]

I’m 40, and have been a hobby recordist for 25 years. I began with stereo cassette decks and RadioShack microphones, recording my band in the garage. Then in 2005 I upgraded to a MacBook Pro, Presonus Firepod and a couple budget microphones.

I recorded digitally for years. I noticed that I never wanted to listen to my recordings for fun. Hmm. So I decided to get a reel-to-reel and see if that gives my recordings the flavor needed to become fun to hear. It seemed to! Still, I always created a digital master track to put on a CDR.

Here’s where I’m blown away: Last weekend I recorded a song onto my Tascam 244 cassette recorder. Nothing special, just a funky jam I did in my living room. I plugged the cassette into my audiophile stereo system and mixed it. Man-o-man I could not get enough of that cassette. As soon as it stopped I’d hit rewind, and play! Every bit of the sound was invigorating and enlivening to not just my ears, but my body. The sound was like a sugar-buzz. Total ear candy.

Loving my mix I decide to play the cassette into my DAW and create a digital 96khz 24bit master track. I did not alter the mix or treat the track whatsoever in the DAW (Ableton Live)

I swear that track lost 90% of its vibe. It no longer made me want to listen to it over and over. Now the track took on a crunchy sheen that fatigued my ears. It sounded artificial, lifeless, forced and an imitation of real sound.

I’m depressed that digital recording gets any respect. That Tascam 244 trounces anything I’ve heard recorded straight to hard disk, no matter what resolution. Humanity’s departure from analog playback is a huge tragedy. I’m just so sad.

 

[rob aylestone]

Nah - none of my old analogue recordings were remotely the quality I get from digital. Any digital. All my analogue stuff hissed, had compression irrespective of it it needed it and all sounded well, old. I have analogue reel to reels and cassette still working, and none come close to digital. Any track that makes me want to repeat play it is because of the song, not the media. If you transferred it and it sounds worse, something went wrong.

 

[TalismanRich]

I have yet to hear the same thing. I've transferred numerous tapes and record albums to digital. I didn't hear one iota of degradation. I've got a couple of dozen digital recordings, and I like them far better than the few tape transfers that I have left. My digital playback sounds just like what went into the DAW.

What I hear from the old recordings is the lost high end (even with 70+ yr old ears), and the tape hiss. What I don't hear from the digital transfers is anything crunchy, artificial, lifeless, or lacking "vibe". It sounded just as bad as the original.

Sorry, but after living with tapes and albums exclusively for about 35 years, and digital since CD came out 40 years ago, I have zero desire to go back ( and I've still got an excellent turntable, a cassette deck AND a reel to reel deck).

However, if you need some cassettes, I can bulk erase a bunch of BASF CrO2 or Fuji FR-II, XD-XL or TDK SA cassettes! I've got over a hundred sitting in cases. 1/2 price of current retail!

 

[AnalogApples]

Do you guys think I just need to level-up my ADA converters? Presonus should do it justice but maybe it’s time for me to invest in better converters. Would upgraded converters be more transparent and preserve the vibe of my mixes? Maybe I rustled a hornets nest and I’m slowly backing away with this question haha Always, it’s only my opinion

 

[AnalogApples]

I have yet to hear the same thing. I've transferred numerous tapes and record albums to digital. I didn't hear one iota of degradation. I've got a couple of dozen digital recordings, and I like them far better than the few tape transfers that I have left. My digital playback sounds just like what went into the DAW.

What I hear from the old recordings is the lost high end (even with 70+ yr old ears), and the tape hiss. What I don't hear from the digital transfers is anything crunchy, artificial, lifeless, or lacking "vibe". It sounded just as bad as the original.

Sorry, but after living with tapes and albums exclusively for about 35 years, and digital since CD came out 40 years ago, I have zero desire to go back ( and I've still got an excellent turntable, a cassette deck AND a reel to reel deck).

However, if you need some cassettes, I can bulk erase a bunch of BASF CrO2 or Fuji FR-II, XD-XL or TDK SA cassettes! I've got over a hundred sitting in cases. 1/2 price of current retail!

Great to hear your observations! Yeah, there’s an obvious high end loss with all my tape machines. The hiss is annoying and distracting. My computer doesn’t disintegrate in high humidity either like tapes. I grew up almost exclusively with CDs so the uniqueness of listening to a tape may be clouding my judgement too.

I’ll remember that you’ve got all these cassettes in case I want to make pure analog transfers of my stuff some day. I just bought a cassette duplicator recently.

 

[Serendipity Records]

I know the words you're saying but I don't get what you're actually saying. You may be right, it may be true -- but it's just not something I can even imagine at the moment.

That said I do like the concept of analog a lot, too bad I'm really not in a position to invest in any analog recorders atm. Besides (in my experience) mics are more important (in the sense that I can hear more of a difference) and next time I spend money on recording equipment that's where it will go.

 

[AnalogApples]

I know the words you're saying but I don't get what you're actually saying. You may be right, it may be true -- but it's just not something I can even imagine at the moment.

That said I do like the concept of analog a lot, too bad I'm really not in a position to invest in any analog recorders atm. Besides (in my experience) mics are more important (in the sense that I can hear more of a difference) and next time I spend money on recording equipment that's where it will go.

Drums sound more glued-together when recorded directly onto tape. That’s the only instrument that was obviously different sounding on tape. It must be the natural compression and EQ tape does. A cheap 1/4” R2R 2 track would be fun to get started with. Then just play your 1/4” into your DAW.

 

[Papanate]

Drums sound more glued-together when recorded directly onto tape. That’s the only instrument that was obviously different sounding on tape. It must be the natural compression and EQ tape does. A cheap 1/4” R2R 2 track would be fun to get started with. Then just play your 1/4” into your DAW.

Drum sounds - percussion - do sound better through tape compression - the thing is I can easily emulate any analog type sound with digitial - I don’t care about tape anymore - there are a myriad of issues with tape - the least/most problematic is you have a limited amount. of playbacks before it’s crappy - Digital you have unlimited amount of play backs and records - and it stays the same level of sonics - also you can emulate cassette’s with digitial - so at least for me tape.cassettes/8tracks are out.

 

[Serendipity Records]

@AnalogApples what are your thoughts on DAW-based analog/tape emulators? Just curious!

 

[grimtraveller]

I was a lover of tape....until I wasn't.
To be honest, as an actual recorder, I never found any sonic difference between tape and digital, other than I could distort tape and it wouldn't sound horrendous.
Until it did.
Both mediums are what they are and it's the way one records that really matters, not the medium. I've got loads of albums and singles from the analogue era that sound really clean {ECM jazz records being a case in point} but I never differentiated between the sonics of a record, prior to the digital era.

the least/most problematic is you have a limited amount. of playbacks before it’s crappy

This was the defining matter for me that led to me no longer listening to my music on tape. I'd made the recording switch some 11 years previously when I read up on digital recording and what I read convinced me that convenience wasn't a crime. I'm just as digitally experimental as I was with tape. In fact, my workflow has barely skipped a beat.

 

[grimtraveller]

what are your thoughts on DAW-based analog/tape emulators? Just curious!

I think tape emulators are one of recording's most hilarious ironies. They spent 50 years drooling about the day when something like digital recording would exist and do away with the limitations imposed by tape, then when it did, they went full tilt boogie into making the very tape emulations people had spent 50 years trying to get away from.
Well, I find it funny.

 

[Papanate]

I'm just as digitally experimental as I was with tape. In fact, my workflow has barely skipped a beat.

DAW recording speeded up my workflow about 10 times - and I could do as many alternate takes as I wanted - which if there is a downfall to Digital it’s in the unlimitedness of everything - most of my Track Count comes in at about 48 - and cause I can there are many plugin buses - if you work with self imposed limitations - I feel the end music is better overall - more focused.

 

[Papanate]

I think tape emulators are one of recording's most hilarious ironies. They spent 50 years drooling about the day when something like digital recording would exist and do away with the limitations imposed by tape, then when it did, they went full tilt boogie into making the very tape emulations people had spent 50 years trying to get away from.
Well, I find it funny.

In reality people aren’t trying to get away from Tape Emulations - a lot of people are using them more than ever - but the cool thing is you can have it any way you want - things that sound good with Tape can be emulated - but not the things that generally need pristine audio.

 

[grimtraveller]

DAW recording speeded up my workflow about 10 times

Mine neither sped up nor slowed down in particular. It all depends on the song. What the DAW has afforded me though, is the capacity to add sections from what is already recorded {cleverly and nefariously disguised ??} without risking losing all by being useless with a razor blade.

and I could do as many alternate takes as I wanted

I never do alternate takes. I'm a get-it-done-until-it-'s-right merchant. Very much of the moment. Unless I need another moment.

if there is a downfall to Digital it’s in the unlimitedness of everything

Even my limited, old tech standalone DAW {Akai DPS12i} has more contained within it than I'm ever going to want. I would say I use it at probably 27% of its capacity. I'm very basic. I'll still experiment with a mic at one end of the stairwell and the amp at the other and things like that. I treat my DAW almost as though it were a portastudio, which it is, just not a cassette one.

In reality people aren’t trying to get away from Tape Emulations

They aren't now.
But what I meant was that through the 60s and 70s, engineers, artists and producers were always trying to get away from what they saw as the colouring and inherent distortion that they felt that tape brought, hence the search for what ultimately turned out to be digital and in the meantime, as much noise reduction as possible.

 

[AnalogApples]

@AnalogApples what are your thoughts on DAW-based analog/tape emulators? Just curious!

I’ve used the ones that came with Ableton Live 7. I even tried a few on my 2 track mixes straight off the tape. Each time, although they add some color, I feel like some fidelity is lost. I’m zealous about avoiding digital converters in my recordings and I even swore off mixing in the box lately. I’m not a professional and this is just my personal observation.

Anyone who wants a tape emulator and is willing to spend $200ish for a plug-in, just find an old home stereo reel-2-reel, load some crummy tape and hit record. Consumer cassette recorders can add a lovable mojo to things. All for low investment of money and time. If you’re like me, you’ll feel taped music more and get the tape bug!

 

[AnalogApples]

There are many similarities between tape recording and film photography. Tape and film have MUCH more distortion than digital. What I’ve also noticed is that digital photos don’t look as 3D, like, far away objects look close. One could argue that’s a good thing—but it looks unnatural. I notice the same non-3D effect with pure digital recordings. Surely the digital algorithm is improving and the 3D effect of a recording is getting better. But this is a big obvious difference to me. Tape recordings sound 3D (when done with high fidelity) and computer recordings sound 2D, and flat.

Again, this is only my opinion. Pardon my hubris sharing my uneducated and non-pro opinion. I’m just A hobbyist. You industry veterans should not be criticized for switching to computers. To use tape in a commercial recording studio must’ve been a nightmare, because it’s hair-pulling inconvenient and finnicky even in my private studio

 

[AnalogApples]

I have yet to hear the same thing. I've transferred numerous tapes and record albums to digital. I didn't hear one iota of degradation. I've got a couple of dozen digital recordings, and I like them far better than the few tape transfers that I have left. My digital playback sounds just like what went into the DAW.

What I hear from the old recordings is the lost high end (even with 70+ yr old ears), and the tape hiss. What I don't hear from the digital transfers is anything crunchy, artificial, lifeless, or lacking "vibe". It sounded just as bad as the original.

Sorry, but after living with tapes and albums exclusively for about 35 years, and digital since CD came out 40 years ago, I have zero desire to go back ( and I've still got an excellent turntable, a cassette deck AND a reel to reel deck).

However, if you need some cassettes, I can bulk erase a bunch of BASF CrO2 or Fuji FR-II, XD-XL or TDK SA cassettes! I've got over a hundred sitting in cases. 1/2 price of current retail!

Hi, thanks for your observation. I regret saying digital doesn’t deserve respect. I was just feeling like I missed out of an era of extra good sounding vinyl, and cassettes. What brand/model of ADAC do you recommend?