Reel to Reel + Stereo Amp INSTEAD of a computer interface?

[soma89]

Hello,
I'm in the market for a decent recording set up (just for Demos and Myspace stuff) but to be honest I think a lot of digital recordings are a TAD too clean for my liking.

I was thinking of getting a Reel to Reel deck (there's a Revox A77 for sale locally) and recording through it but then sending it to my computer via a stereo amplifier so i can lay down tracks and edit using recording software.
I got the idea when I recently transferred my vinyl to my computer, using a similar set up.
Would this work out? If not, how else can I use a reel to reel to combine it with digital recordings?

I was looking to get an interface but I'd be happy to use the money on a reel-to-reel deck instead, if it can do what I want it to.

[Bob Womack]

These days a typical use is to run your finished mixes out to tape and back to get some of the "flavor" of tape. The biggest use of analog is in recording multitrack, especially drums. In that application, the attraction is to load the tape to the edge of saturation to get the sound of tape compression.

One very serious consideration for you is where you are going to get your tape stock. Because it is no longer done in bulk, magnetic tape is a boutique product and that means EXPENSIVE. After that, you'll need a bulk eraser, a head demagnetizer, isopropyl alcohol (90%), Qtips, rubber conditioner for the pinch roller, etc.

If your pinch roller has degraded from storage, you can send it HERE to be refurbished. You can get alignment tapes HERE.

Well, that's a start. Have fun!

Bob

[moon]

AFAIK reel-to-reel need constant maintenance to keep tape aligned, heads clean, and who knows what else. Make sure you know what you're letting yourself in for.

I suspect that the "sterility" you're hearing isn't anything to do with the digital domain but just bad recording - ie bad rooms and bad, harsh mics - which failed to capture the sweetness in the sound. Take a look at this Sound Devices Usbpre2 demo. In terms of audio quality, a decent interface paired with good mics, will absolutely demolish a reel-to-reel recorder in every way.

[RRuskin]

Among other things, be advised that replacement parts for analog machines are getting harder to find every day. For example, Revox stopped making motors and heads for the A77 well over a decade ago.

[PorkPieGuy]

I think that heads on reel-to-reels have a certain life expectancy after so many hours of recording. Check this if you can. While I love the sound of analog, I'm going to stick to computer-based recoring for simple ease of use. I've done reel-to-reel and it sounds fantastic, but I'm there are some plug-ins that reproduce some of the effect of what you are looking for.

[7thbassbA]

You still need an interface between the sound source and the computer. If you are going directly from the stereo into the computer you are using your computer's line in or mic in. The computer has to take that signal and digitize it. A good interface will (or should) sound much much better than the stock line in on your computer.

In a way an interface is an external soundcard. The better the design and components, the better the sound. Also, the better the sound source, the more likely it is you will get a good sound on the computer.

Remember you are just digitizing what is coming out of the Revox. If the problem is you don't like the digital-ness of digitized analog, you face the same problems using a Revox as going straight into the interface with your instrument.

There are plugins that are supposed to mitigate against the limitations of the digital process and I have no idea how well they work.

I will make a guess, though, that some of what you heard and did not like about computer recording could be a function of bad mixing, bad levels used during recording, bad gear, or a bad listening environment. Or it could be the process of digitizing.

When CDs first came out I could immediately hear bad digital. The mixes were all screwed up, no warmth. The difference could not have been more apparent when compared to LPs. However, newer CDs, and music recorded in FLAC format, when properly mixed and mastered, sound pretty amazing. Remember that the MP3 format is not the best sounding format for music. Neither is whatever format they use for Youtube. There are tradeoffs you make to get smaller file sizes, and I am afraid we get so used to those tradeoffs we forget what a great sounding recording is like.

Sorry about the soapbox. YMMV. I hope you figure out a way to make really great recordings. Then tell us how, because that is the only way a monkey like me can ever learn anything.

[alexevans917]

You could definitely use plugins within software to model the analog sound. iZotope Vinyl is a free plugin that allows you to model the sound of vinyl from specific decades and add wear and noise, and there are a bunch of Reel to Reel simulators as well. Another cheap option to get a more "lofi" sound is to run your final mix out to a small tape recorder (Tascam Portastudio or similar) and then record back from that to software. It will degrade the quality nicely and dirty it up a bit. Any of these options stop you from having to deal with the expense and pain of reel to reel recording. All analog recordings sound phenomenal, but for the average home recordist, its immensely stressful and expensive. Plus, learning to splice tape and do any post production is much, much more difficult.

[Chulio]

I Think a 2inch Struder sounds great! but the editing sucks. I can not believe I used to spend so much time on it.

Now I have Apogee Rosseta 800 x 2 with very high end preamps and use PT, Logic, Reason and they all sound great.

[Ty Ford]

Hello,
I'm in the market for a decent recording set up (just for Demos and Myspace stuff) but to be honest I think a lot of digital recordings are a TAD too clean for my liking.

>>Which recordings are "too clean?" I will give you this, some of the older mics and some of the newer cheap chinese mics would probably benefit from the lack of HF response analog tape causes. However, if you have good mics, good preamps and record at 24-bit, the results are much better. An A77 is good, but it's not in the same class as a big Studer

I was thinking of getting a Reel to Reel deck (there's a Revox A77 for sale locally) and recording through it but then sending it to my computer via a stereo amplifier so i can lay down tracks and edit using recording software.
I got the idea when I recently transferred my vinyl to my computer, using a similar set up.

Would this work out? If not, how else can I use a reel to reel to combine it with digital recordings?

>>So the tape hiss covered up some of the tracking noise of stylus in the groove? I like B&W photography too, but not a regular diet of it. I hear tracks today where people have recorded digitally and added vinyl noise for effect. That, tape hiss and analog non-linearities were what we worked so hard to get rid of.

>>I sold my A77 10 years ago. It was great. I still have two PR99 Model 2 deck here. Analog tape decks require mechanical and electrical alignment. Are you up for that? Do you have an alignment tape and the gear needed to do the work?

I was looking to get an interface but I'd be happy to use the money on a reel-to-reel deck instead, if it can do what I want it to.

>>Lavry makes an A/D converter with analog tape emulation. It's not cheap, but it's really great sounding. Go that way. Add tape hiss and vinyl noise as a flavoring.

Regards,

Ty Ford