VHS has a audio recorder?

T

TinNedd

New member
Anyone have any thoughts about VHS as an audio recorder? The machines and tape are very cheap, ussualy someone has one hardly used lying around and so it is worth a try. Their frequency response is fairly good for its speed, but it does have helicon? scan. I don't know if it makes much difference whether it is 4 or 6 head machine, though meters would help?


Any thoughts out there on VHS?


---
 
2-head, 4-head, or 6-head, it doesn't matter. Those are video heads. The audio is recorded with a seperate head. If you wanna use a VCR for audio (my cousin did it back in the 80's), look for one that is stereo (of course) and "Hi-Fi"
 
"Hi Fi" is important in this case as the non Hi Fi machines recoded audio as a linear track USUALLY in mono. You REALLY don't want to record this way. My first machine, a very good machine at the time, was non HiFi, and, even though it was a rare stereo machine, there was a world of difference when I got my second machine.
 
I've recorded to vhs and actually like the sound of it. I've got a stereo one with meters and a dolby on off switch. The sound is actually quite good . The only worry I have is the tape stretching, which can probably happen pretty easily.
 
Most consumer VHS decks have no input level controls and built-in limiters, so if you hit it with too hot of a signal you'll hear the audio getting squashed.
 
VHS Hi-Fi was somewhat popular for a while for mastering, but Super Beta Hi-Fi was even better (IMO) and in fact accepted at major mastering houses in the mid 80's through 90's. I still have a Sony Super Beta H-Fi model that I bought late 80’s. Sounds great.

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