I will soon have the opportunity to record a chamber music concert with a fully recapped and restored Technics RS-1520, with new (ATR) tape. For old time's sake, I'm tempted. Any thoughts before I embark on this trip down memory lane?

15 ips, or 7.5 with an outboard Dolby.

(Probably nothing you didn't already know)

Why not?

D.

@ TonyF 's remarks on analog tape in the Project K622 (2003) article may be of interest, if you haven't read it (starts page 2):

https://www.stereophile.com/musicrec...622/index.html

If you do a simultaneous digital capture, no worries.

He doesn't sound worried to me . . .

Weird timing to re-read John Atkinson's and my comments about Antony Michaelson's Mozart recording of twenty years ago.

Twenty years later I have been back recording analogue again this time for S.M.E., the high-end analogue turntable company, this time with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Pete Harrison in Blackheath Concert Hall. This time: half-inch Studers, no Dolby. The lacquers will be cut from first generation tape, so Dolby was not necessary. Complete takes of movements, no short takes at all this time.

Main mics ribbons this time - 30cms NTR's. M50 outriggers. A few spot mics - valve K2's, NTR's, TF5's - all at low level. Valve mic pre's - EAR. Analogue console by Audient. The valve EAR mixer was condemned on safety grounds, and Tim de Paravicini had left no circuit diagrams to fix the mixer easily.

Thanks Tony and best of luck with the recording.

I remember seeing the Tim De P Mixer a while back and wondered if you ended up skipping it or whether its in the back of the garage...

At least you have some Tim mic pres.

His work was special indeed.

As is yours, as it goes.

It's been 15+ years since I have had my R2R out on location. I have had a potential tape + digital back-up gig waiting in the wings since the start of the pandemic. I have my doubts that it will ever come to pass. And when I look at my little "run'n'gun" basic location rig that fits entirely in a Peli case, I remember how heavy my R2R machine is...and how much I've aged since the last time I used it on location. Good luck with your gig though, @ Old Foof .

I gave Tim's valve mixer to a very enthusiastic and electronically competent colleague in the Midlands - on the clear understanding that it needed repair. Sorry to see it go, but it was very heavy! It had been in the garage several years, which was wasteful.

I have ten channels of Tim's valve pre's. They did need attention including re-cap'ing. No rush to move them on. For solo piano I use Tim's pre's, usually hooked up to an SSL X-Desk summing mixer which is a useful (and light) device with talkback and monitoring.

A generous reply, thank you Tony. I wondered where the desk ended up and I presumed you would not scrap it due to the heritage.

Warms my heart to hear you have an SSL X-Desk, I always thought that was a highly practical portable device.

Superb design by a real audio engineer.

Keep those Tim Pre's, and do let me know when you want to sell them! (Not that I would be able to afford them of course.)

Oh and thanks again for sharing your knowledge on this website.

Provided one uses an excellent analog console or making a 2 mic recording, a tape recorder is again a fresh approach. Only a special sound when unpolluted by any digital stages.

Here I run a Stellavox Stellamaster SM-8 @ 15ips with a special Stellamaster EQ. Capable of very extended treble response of +35kHz.

Also running a Studer A807 1/2" 4-track here.

Blasts level to tape so NR is used. 520nWb/m level.

I digitize the tape using an ACOUSENCE 191 ad converter.

Or make a LP.

I recall 4 guys rolling the 24 track off the truck for a Frank Zappa live show. Sure don't miss that exercise.

Just be sure to time your tape speed against concert (or length until intervals) duration …and if necessary, rehearse your reel changeover times to match those of Formula One tyre swap teams !

I do nagra location work now and then, and I'll be doing it again in Boston next week. I also occasionally pull out a pair of 440-8 machines for one customer.

First warning is that the head alignment is problematic if you're carrying the machine around all over the place. At the very least get a shock mounted ATA case made up for it. The Technics is not light to carry around.

Second warning is that you will want to run at 15 ips of course and running time will be a problem even with 1" reels, which is why having two machines is a huge win unless you can time things perfectly. 1 mil tape can help depending on the setlist and break times. Also what helps is having a reel of tape on the bench with a take-up reel threaded onto it already. When it comes to a break between songs, you stop the machine, pick the two reels off of the machine, drop the two new reels on, make sure it's around the guide and hit the button. On a Nagra you can do this in a matter of a few seconds but the more complex tape path of the Technics is going to slow you down. With 1" tape on the 440 this is a two-man job. It really helps to have two machines going so you can overlap them and not worry about missing the beginning or end of a song.

And as always, run a safety if you can.
--scott

Yeah, those 1" reels are a pain in the neck!!

Yeah, reel changes are always a "thing".

I remember watching David Brown change 14" reels of 2" tape when I worked on the Record Plant (NYC) trucks. 30ips! 2" pancakes, no flange on top. He would cut the tape where it stopped, throw the "waste" onto a pile and thread up two new reels, one full and one empty. Took him seconds. Overlapping machines of course, Ampex 1200s. He'd then cut the waste tape off the old reel and get it ready as a new takeup. Wow! What a pro. Garbage bags full of short pieces of very expensive audio tape.

D.

What year or tour might this have been?

Just reading about changing reels makes my hands sweat with fear.

We all know the looking at tape running out, but band still going strong, feeling trying to judge whether you've enough left make it...

I have a couple of 1/4" machines in storage but last time I looked for tape it was poor selection, any tips for tape these days??

Either ATR or RTM. After a while in storage, your machines may need a once-over. I know mine did.
ATR https://www.atrtape.com/
RTM https://www.recordingthemasters.com/

Those are the two basic choices. And sadly, RTM just discontinued PEM468 which has been my favorite tape for many decades.

Capture also is selling a tape... the slitting is not as good as either of the two big outfits, and it's only available in 1/4" but it's pretty consistent and seems okay. Certainly better than 456 was. It's less expensive, which is a big concern if you're recording a whole tour to edit down.
--scott

Quarter inch is best any way

Frank required that every show be recorded.

Later he doubled up with 2 Sony 3324 digital machines for every show. ($155,000 / each)

I'm glad he did... so many cool live performances...

I guess this was done on the digital Sonys... expensive, but can't say I like the sound from that era...



But I sure love this version of this song (despite the thin and sterile digital sound) - it is my ultimate "venting the anger against the corrupt, meaningless, absurd and vain corporate world" song.

Blasting it at full volume - and imagining the "executive-kinda-guys strangling on each others d***s" when hearing Frank's "imaginary notes to keep him going from day to day" and the amazing solo!

Outside now!

And of course - such a sing-a-long song, but in 11/8...

Look at RTM out of France, they bought the old BASF formulas.


For a 1/4" machine RTM SM911 is my fav. of what is currently available.

I'd rather have more freedom to fix things after the fact, and not have to rely on my ability to mix under field conditions. Just having 4-track 1/2" was a big step forward for me because I could have a split stereo ambient pair and then two stems mixed from the stage mikes.
--scott

Late 1980's. A friend, Joe Conti of Kona, HI was one of the crew. I recall going to the outdoor Santa Barbara show watching the set up back stage.

Frank didn't have a recording truck. Just rolled it all out to be connected up externally. PITA compared to a complete recording truck. Those guys busted *ss.

When Frank got the first Sony machine I was invited down to his Woodrow Wilson Drive studio. I came up with vocalist Ike Willis.

Frank was recording basic tracks with Bob Stone engineering the Harrison console.

I brought down some basses for them to try out including a very nice fretless Ricky bass and another 8 string.

While tracking I noticed some hiss in the monitors. A track was cut, Sony rewound and played back. I noticed the hiss was muted during rewind. It came back during playback, it was also recorded.

Sitting next to Frank on the rear sofa he turned to me and asked "so what do you think of the new Sony"?

I turned to Frank and said, "Frank, that is the best reproduction of analog hiss I've ever heard".

Then I get that look from him, once again. Of course, everyone else thought I'd get tossed out for that but Frank knew humor pretty well.

Good story!! I was on a few Zappa dates with RPS but never came close to a face-to-face. FZ still remains one of my favorite artists and I play his work fairly often.

D.

This place is dangerous.

Now I'm seriously considering firing up my Ampex F4460.

For what exactly, I don't know; haven't used it since a live Jazz date almost 20 years ago (freshly refurbed at the time). Was surprised how quiet the recording was, for a 7.5 ips non-Dolby vacuum tube machine. Wouldn't fly for Classical, though.

Apparently built by the pro division, not the consumer. Ampex's last tube consumer machine.

Handsome devil.