VHS has a audio recorder?

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TinNedd

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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?


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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.

:)
 
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