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Prerecorded Tapes / Re: Poll: what format would you prefer for new tapes?
« on: March 17, 2013, 04:51:53 PM »
My question would be, is there any merit in going to a lower quality option than the Tape Project standard?
The biggest base of existing recorders out there take 7" reels and are 1/4 track stereo @ 7 1/2 ips.
While there is no doubt you could produce very good quality product with that standard, is it better than modern, carefully made vinyl? In the days when both were on the market they cheapened tape by going to higher duplication rates and then to the 3 3/4 speed. At the same time vinyl disc mastering was getting better and better. At some point, generally speaking, records became better than the average pre-recorded R2R. But how would that 1/4" 1/4 track standard be (if done well) compared to modern vinyl or for that matter, CD?
Part 2, is on what playback equipment? If we are not talking high end audiophile here, which would sound better? An 80s Pioneer R2R deck or an 80s Pioneer turntable with a Shure cartridge or an average modern CD player, playing through an 80s stereo receiver or a modern home theater receiver? Would there be that much difference given the best mastered source material in each of those 3 formats? How much worse (if any) would an iPod sound through the same amplification and speakers?
I guess the above is a round-about way of asking why there needs to be a less expensive analog format than the admittedly high end audiophile format of the Tape Project. Obviously some would go even higher/better with 1/2" tape, but it depends again on what level of associated equipment and budget you have to justify better software.
I love tape and recorders as much as anyone here, but do not have the budget or equipment to even justify the Tape Project tapes I already own. I just think they are cool. And I do admit that some of those early stereo 2 track tapes provide an amazing sound experience that even I can hear on my gear with it's limitations, but is there enough interest there to go back to 1975 with any percentage of the public buying the 1/4 track format to play on, say, some small Sony deck with it's electronics, perhaps even into their computer (!) for any reason of quality, or would it just be for novelties sake. (trying to draw some parallel between the current vinyl fad and something similar for reel to reel tape) There are those, of course, like me who are format agnostic and still love collecting in every / any format ever offered. But we are not even a small minority. The vast majority are more than happy with their standard resolution sound files.
Then who would these 7 1/2 ips 2 track tapes be for? People who are into tape, have a 2 track capable machine, but one that does not take 10.5 " reels (very small # of machines) and/or can't afford double the raw tape cost plus metal reels?
If not that, then back to my other question, could the good old 1/4 track, 7 1/2 ips. tape be good enough to justify it's production for any reason or buying group with any level of equipment?
The biggest base of existing recorders out there take 7" reels and are 1/4 track stereo @ 7 1/2 ips.
While there is no doubt you could produce very good quality product with that standard, is it better than modern, carefully made vinyl? In the days when both were on the market they cheapened tape by going to higher duplication rates and then to the 3 3/4 speed. At the same time vinyl disc mastering was getting better and better. At some point, generally speaking, records became better than the average pre-recorded R2R. But how would that 1/4" 1/4 track standard be (if done well) compared to modern vinyl or for that matter, CD?
Part 2, is on what playback equipment? If we are not talking high end audiophile here, which would sound better? An 80s Pioneer R2R deck or an 80s Pioneer turntable with a Shure cartridge or an average modern CD player, playing through an 80s stereo receiver or a modern home theater receiver? Would there be that much difference given the best mastered source material in each of those 3 formats? How much worse (if any) would an iPod sound through the same amplification and speakers?
I guess the above is a round-about way of asking why there needs to be a less expensive analog format than the admittedly high end audiophile format of the Tape Project. Obviously some would go even higher/better with 1/2" tape, but it depends again on what level of associated equipment and budget you have to justify better software.
I love tape and recorders as much as anyone here, but do not have the budget or equipment to even justify the Tape Project tapes I already own. I just think they are cool. And I do admit that some of those early stereo 2 track tapes provide an amazing sound experience that even I can hear on my gear with it's limitations, but is there enough interest there to go back to 1975 with any percentage of the public buying the 1/4 track format to play on, say, some small Sony deck with it's electronics, perhaps even into their computer (!) for any reason of quality, or would it just be for novelties sake. (trying to draw some parallel between the current vinyl fad and something similar for reel to reel tape) There are those, of course, like me who are format agnostic and still love collecting in every / any format ever offered. But we are not even a small minority. The vast majority are more than happy with their standard resolution sound files.
Then who would these 7 1/2 ips 2 track tapes be for? People who are into tape, have a 2 track capable machine, but one that does not take 10.5 " reels (very small # of machines) and/or can't afford double the raw tape cost plus metal reels?
If not that, then back to my other question, could the good old 1/4 track, 7 1/2 ips. tape be good enough to justify it's production for any reason or buying group with any level of equipment?
