Using tape for saturation

[pathdoc]

My reel to reel is an old Akai model 4000 something or other. Its 1/4 and looks like a standard consumer grade unit.
My father is a retired electronic tech. and can repair about anything. He gave it a once over and then gave it to me as a present.

 

[Tim Gillett]

Oh yeah, of course it's top secret...
I'm interested in a digital encoder because I actually do make digital (CD-ROM) masters for mass tape duplication, and it would save a lot of time vs real-time encoding. I have my doubts that your supposed decoding methods would be all that accurate, but I see now you are full of beans anyway, so nevermind.

Hey Reggie. Like you, I'd love a Dolby encoder plugin and a decoder plug in too for duplication and conversion work. I've played around a lot with rescuing encoded Dolby tapes that simply wont track the Dolby any more. Being able to do it in digital would be so much faster plus you could keep tweaking until you got it right, with no need to wear the tape out while making adjustments in analog.

BTW the M Audio Audiophile 192 did well. It really does have a frequency response out to 80 khz or so, and so is useable even for 8x analog high speed conversions, both ways. Thanks for the tip. I'm using Wavelab 6 Studio for the 176000hz sample rate.

Tim

 

[LogicDeLuxe]

I have my doubts that your supposed decoding methods would be all that accurate

It probably isn't as I have to correct tape degration usually without a reference. I even tweak the decoding parameters for each recording by ear. The point is, I don't get those Dolby'itis effects with this method. Slight deviations to the original recording is a small price to pay, as it is still more true to it than all those many compressed-to-death CD's around.

 

[Reggie]

BTW the M Audio Audiophile 192 did well. It really does have a frequency response out to 80 khz or so, and so is useable even for 8x analog high speed conversions, both ways. Thanks for the tip. I'm using Wavelab 6 Studio for the 176000hz sample rate.
Tim

Groovy!

It probably isn't as I have to correct tape degration usually without a reference. I even tweak the decoding parameters for each recording by ear. The point is, I don't get those Dolby'itis effects with this method. Slight deviations to the original recording is a small price to pay, as it is still more true to it than all those many compressed-to-death CD's around.

I still don't get why all the secrecy. Is this really something that is keeping you above the competition on this board?

In my mind, it shouldn't really be all that hard to make a Dolby encoder/decoder plugin; there just isn't enough interest to make it worth any plug-in developer's while (not to mention Dolby licensing issues perhaps...). Dolby B is so simple, all it is is a single band of EQ that slides around depending on how much level is being sensed. A bit of modeling could determine the shape of the EQ band being used, and what sort of sliding action occurs at what input level. Once the model has been mapped out, it could probably be put back into simpler, mathematic terms for the actual plugin. Then just have a field to input what digital level you are using for Dolby reference, and presto chango you have encoding/decoding done within seconds. Of course, I'm not smart enough to actual write a plugin, so this is all speculation...

Now I don't know about the feasibility of modeling something like Dolby C, where there are two sliding bands of EQ running over each other...and S, where there is all kinds of crazy stuff going on...but B is actually the only one I am actually interested in.

 

[rayc]

Reading this gave me the jitters so I decided to drink a little and eat some chilli also. Now, after too much vin Veritus and Capsicum related meat suaces I have all the irony I need & my sphincter will wowo & flutter for hours until I saturate that tape worm.
Um, besides that, tape sat. is nice - I have an ancient r2r to do that for me, i often red zone my old 4 track for a little alternative on the way IN to the comp.
I like things to be realatively straight forward other wise I return to the jitters.
I suppose I'm Genus Notsobrighti of the Sub Species Homus Recordis.