Straight2Tape live sessions now has samples and they are good to say the least. I just clicked on each of the tapes and YouTube came up with each.
Straight2Tape live sessions Reel To Reel samples.
- Thread starter earlinarizona
- Start date
Thanks for the link. Looks very interesting.
I'm puzzled on how they are producing the tapes that they have for sale. They say that they are master tapes, the same generation as the tapes used to produce the LP Lacquers, not a copy of those tapes. They do sell tickets for people to attend the sessions. I read in their materials "Performed and mixed in one go" and "as a master tape customer you have the unique advantage of being live in the studio during the production of your tape." In the photos of a session, I can see two Studer A80's with1/4" tape. One is clearly two track and the other has a device attached with the name Kaufmann, not sure whether that is the multitrack machine. I assume the multiple mikes visible in the videos are connected to a mixing board which is mixed in real time to a 2 track tape during the session. What the materials imply is that your tape is being produced during the session. However, when I went to the website order tab, I could order one or more of the tapes from any of the sessions. That seems to mean that they either produced a bunch of tapes during the session (multiple tape recorders or multiple takes of each song?) or they are making new copies of the tapes not performed and mixed in one go. They do charge a lot for their tapes - 599CHF or about $650 for one 32 minute max reel. Since they are making a master for producing the LP, they must be making other tape copies for sale from the same source as the LP master tape.
Anyone have any insight into this? Jonathan Horwich makes "Direct Copy of the Master" tapes from his multitrack sessions. He knows a ton more that I do, and may be able to have some explanation.
Larry
I'm puzzled on how they are producing the tapes that they have for sale. They say that they are master tapes, the same generation as the tapes used to produce the LP Lacquers, not a copy of those tapes. They do sell tickets for people to attend the sessions. I read in their materials "Performed and mixed in one go" and "as a master tape customer you have the unique advantage of being live in the studio during the production of your tape." In the photos of a session, I can see two Studer A80's with1/4" tape. One is clearly two track and the other has a device attached with the name Kaufmann, not sure whether that is the multitrack machine. I assume the multiple mikes visible in the videos are connected to a mixing board which is mixed in real time to a 2 track tape during the session. What the materials imply is that your tape is being produced during the session. However, when I went to the website order tab, I could order one or more of the tapes from any of the sessions. That seems to mean that they either produced a bunch of tapes during the session (multiple tape recorders or multiple takes of each song?) or they are making new copies of the tapes not performed and mixed in one go. They do charge a lot for their tapes - 599CHF or about $650 for one 32 minute max reel. Since they are making a master for producing the LP, they must be making other tape copies for sale from the same source as the LP master tape.
Anyone have any insight into this? Jonathan Horwich makes "Direct Copy of the Master" tapes from his multitrack sessions. He knows a ton more that I do, and may be able to have some explanation.
Larry
It seems, since this 15ips 2 track tape format is catching on, there have been many "interesting" offerings, saying you are getting "the master tape", not a copy of the master... I think, most of these are original digital recordings copied to tape, hence, it's a 1st generation "master tape" of that digital recording. I guess this is technically true, but could be misleading to the uninformed...
Here, in this thread, the thought process is way too complicated for me to understand...
I'm just a simple guy, I record with tape & offer a copy of this "master tape"....end of story!
Ed
Here, in this thread, the thought process is way too complicated for me to understand...
I'm just a simple guy, I record with tape & offer a copy of this "master tape"....end of story!
Ed
I went back to the Straight 2 Tape website. They have some good clarifying language that they have added. What it looks like is a pure analogue process. They distinguish between the rough multi track session tapes and the master tape. So what they record and then mix for each order are the rough session tapes. They produce the master tapes which they sell.
From communications with Jonathan Horwich, he calls the multitrack session tapes, the master tapes. When he sells direct copies of the master tape, they are done from his multitrack session tapes (his master tapes). So they are essentially the same process as the Straight 2 Tape master tapes.
I think that Ed Pong takes the microphone feeds from his recordings and goes directly to a 2 track master tape. Those are used to make the tapes that he sells as copies of the master tape. This is what Decca did for most of their analogue classical recordings - there was no rough multitrack session tape - the tapes created from the session were 2 track tapes. Those got edited for the best takes, missed notes were replaced with splices, etc.
Jonathan and Ed please correct and elaborate.
So if you are ordering a "master tape" from Straight 2 Tape, they are creating a mix down of the session tapes for you. I would guess they have noted the specific settings for the mix, so that each master tape they create is the same as every other one. Otherwise, depending on who is doing the mix and whether they had a good night's sleep, etc. you might get a good mix or not so good mix. A person attending the session could be getting a real time 2 track mixdown of the rough multitrack session tape. If there were several takes done of a particular piece, there might be some choice as which take you get in your tape.
I know that some of the old jazz album reissues on digital include out takes and alternative takes as bonuses included with the ones chosen for the album. Some of my master tapes have alternative takes included - not found in the original album or later reissues. I was given a few reels from the private collection of one of the Decca producers. They are from recording sessions, with different takes - with starts and stops. In one case the reel has Pierre Monteux talking the orchestra through a piece. However, I don't see out takes very often in classical recordings - while in jazz, where improvisation is so important, it make well be a choice of what take to include, rather than which one is better.
Larry
From communications with Jonathan Horwich, he calls the multitrack session tapes, the master tapes. When he sells direct copies of the master tape, they are done from his multitrack session tapes (his master tapes). So they are essentially the same process as the Straight 2 Tape master tapes.
I think that Ed Pong takes the microphone feeds from his recordings and goes directly to a 2 track master tape. Those are used to make the tapes that he sells as copies of the master tape. This is what Decca did for most of their analogue classical recordings - there was no rough multitrack session tape - the tapes created from the session were 2 track tapes. Those got edited for the best takes, missed notes were replaced with splices, etc.
Jonathan and Ed please correct and elaborate.
So if you are ordering a "master tape" from Straight 2 Tape, they are creating a mix down of the session tapes for you. I would guess they have noted the specific settings for the mix, so that each master tape they create is the same as every other one. Otherwise, depending on who is doing the mix and whether they had a good night's sleep, etc. you might get a good mix or not so good mix. A person attending the session could be getting a real time 2 track mixdown of the rough multitrack session tape. If there were several takes done of a particular piece, there might be some choice as which take you get in your tape.
I know that some of the old jazz album reissues on digital include out takes and alternative takes as bonuses included with the ones chosen for the album. Some of my master tapes have alternative takes included - not found in the original album or later reissues. I was given a few reels from the private collection of one of the Decca producers. They are from recording sessions, with different takes - with starts and stops. In one case the reel has Pierre Monteux talking the orchestra through a piece. However, I don't see out takes very often in classical recordings - while in jazz, where improvisation is so important, it make well be a choice of what take to include, rather than which one is better.
Larry
Larry,
Thanks for staying on top of all these offerings & keeping us up to speed!
For UltraAnalogue Recordings, I record the feed from the 2 microphones directly to our modified Studer A80. There is no mixer in between. The resultant 2 track 15ips tape is my "master tape". In this way, the signals are as pure as possible. Then, I make a copy of this master tape, which I call a running master. Copies are then made from this running master or master tape directly for customers. I hope this clarifies my process...
As Larry mentioned above, Decca mixed down in real time to record the master on "two, 2 track 1/4 inch Studer B62s for redundancy, with NAB eq. at 15 ips and +4db on Scotch 206 tape." (Larry Toy, Decca: Supreme Stereophonic Legacy, pp 40-41, 2014)
In classical music, there is no better sound than those early Deccas....IMHO
Ed
Thanks for staying on top of all these offerings & keeping us up to speed!
For UltraAnalogue Recordings, I record the feed from the 2 microphones directly to our modified Studer A80. There is no mixer in between. The resultant 2 track 15ips tape is my "master tape". In this way, the signals are as pure as possible. Then, I make a copy of this master tape, which I call a running master. Copies are then made from this running master or master tape directly for customers. I hope this clarifies my process...
As Larry mentioned above, Decca mixed down in real time to record the master on "two, 2 track 1/4 inch Studer B62s for redundancy, with NAB eq. at 15 ips and +4db on Scotch 206 tape." (Larry Toy, Decca: Supreme Stereophonic Legacy, pp 40-41, 2014)
In classical music, there is no better sound than those early Deccas....IMHO
Ed
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