I Recorded Drums to TAPE... Can You Hear the Difference?
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- Опубліковано 7 тра 2023
- Does tape really sound better?
*Shout out to:*
Stephen (Revolution Recording) for his guidance and expertise with recording to tape.
Nathan Bulla (Intervals) on drums.
Original song by Goodbye Sky Harbour
☛ Learn the go-to starting points for EQ and compression in heavy mixes with my FREE Mixing Cheatsheet: mixcheatsheet.com
Watch this next: 4 Dumb MISTAKES You're Making When Tracking Drums • 4 Dumb MISTAKES You're...
Music I’ve Worked On: open.spotify.com/playlist/6I7...
Website: hardcoremusicstudio.com
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As an engineer and producer in the 80' / 90's I used tape all the time. I became a magic tape editor with a razor blade. I would mix sections of the songs and then splice them all together. The magic of tape was really the commitment you make to it. Unlike digital, you can always change it again and again. Tape was more like a marriage, total commitment and the sound would be that way forever.
After the save function you may not be able to go back... Depending on how you're mixing.
@@billbradleymusic but if you save original copies that you don’t alter, you can. With tape, you can’t ever undo.
I want a divorce!
As memory slowly became a non issue over the last 3 decades to today, there really isn't a reason why you should mix and produce in a destructive way today. wether you have a ton of the raw recordings before any edits or not, really don't matter today. You just save it all so can always go back. I agree .. cutting and splicing tape was an art not many young people of today can comprehend, but you could easier mess things up back in the days. And just the shear ammount of space needed to store the raw tapes under optimal conditions to avoid degredation was also a problem. Some things have defenitly gone lost from the old days, but on the other hand people don't need a record deal with a major label today to produce music and you can do it at home with a standard PC. You have much more control of your music and you have so many options to distribute it without someone telling you how it should sound. It's just a question of of if people like your music and not so much how much money someone is willing to throw at it to even get it out to the public..
Same. Agree.
The snare was the biggest difference imo. Gave it a lot of character.
True, however, I didn't' care for the digtial snare sound and would have reached for some plugins to eq it and process to sound more like the analog Tape version. The vocals seemed a bit foreword cold in the digital mix and more warm on tape but again, I would have used Decap, SSL G series to warm the digital vocal up. All an all, digital sure has come a long way. The first pro tools daw systems sounded thin, tiny, and no where near to where they are now.Around 2010 digital started sounded better and has continued.
I worked on countless analog sessions in the 80's and 90's and could align a 24-track in my sleep. There is no question that digital makes the workflow much faster and the sonic qualities are much closer than they used to be. One notable difference is the time it takes to rewind the tape (20-30 seconds), which was a great time for the musician, engineer and producer to take a sip of coffee and chat for a moment about that take. It was a forced mini-break in the session. As digital emerged (tape before HD) we would often record straight to tape to capture the analog sound, then immediately transfer to digital to keep that sound and avoid degradation. Good points about having to dial in gear far from the sweet spot, but the pros were masters at doing it. I commend you taking the time to do this - nice work.
As a drummer from the 70s/80s, I remember what a pain it was recording Analog. We had to travel to Hollywood and recorded late at night through early morning to save money. Compared to digital it was a pain in the butt to end up with a recording that may have sounded slightly better. I wouldn't want to go back.
This mirrors my experience. Digital has it's problems but the advantages far outweigh them...
finally some sense ;)
Interesting. I still stubbornly want to do a 4 track song. :)
Awesome video bro! And I really appreciate you giving your best effort to stay neutral minded about it, as I know the brain can easily sway people to want they want to hear. And I agree man. Tape was better, but not worth the hassle. However, I do differ in the case of outboard gear as I LOVE working with it. Keep doing what you do man!!!👊
Yes this is awesome.....but the whole thing digi/analog/drummers/engineers/gobs of money.....I'm way past tired of it....I went vst ....not perfect.....but I no longer want to kill the drummer or engineer etc....because they're gone lol
To me, this definitively proves what I have felt for a long time-- wow tape is a pain and I have never really been able to tell much of a difference at all. I am drummer, so maybe I fried whatever hearing would have allowed me to tell the diff? Dunno. All I know is, I LIKE digital recording. A lot. I do like what the digital "saturation" stuff does and use them on every track. The ease of editing capability in digital is a dream. I am very much in the realm of semi-pro (at best) these days, myself included, so being able to move a few hits around is much appreciated. I truly respect the genuine engineers who run a studio like that! But I am glad I don't have to save money to go in places like that and record anymore. Home digital recording with good mics and plug ins works for me.
I could definitely hear a difference but you’re correct in saying that it’s a vibe I worked with a tape a lot wow and audio school and it is unique and has its own characteristic of digital hasn’t captured. But by this point most listeners would never know the difference if you record it on
Digital or tape or a consul it’s all going to get squashed anyway
You can get more "tape" sound then they did. And it does sound more dramatic off the repro head than through digital capture.
I used to run a fairly low maintenence machine, and I'd say it was worth it then. I still prefer the sound now, but my friend's machines do break down a lot.
Also, the tape mindset is one where you come ready for a good take, and you don't do tons of editing or comps. More about getting a pleasing raw sound from the performance.
I agree, but is that a problem with digital recording or the laziness of the musicians?
I listened to the examples like 10 times on my studio monitors / sub. The difference is so incredibly small I definitely don't think it's worth the hassle. If you like the subtle difference of tape better you could make an EQ/compression adjustment in like 10 seconds and have the "tape" sound. Thank you Jordan for making such a great video with A/B comparisons!
That wouldnt get you the tape saturated sound. Also hum and hiss and timing things are happening with tape.
It works great on vocals tho 💯
I found the differences to be pretty huge regardless to what I listened on, and even out of a phone speaker.
Which monitors are you using? It doesn't sound like they're detailed enough
I'm listening via my phone and in-ears, the difference wasn't insignificant.
@@1337murk Come on man! You can't say there's a huge difference. It's noticeable yes, but huge?
@@henrikpetersson3463 Yes there is a pretty big difference
With tape, immediately everything sounded separated and alive, nice video 🤙🏼
I love the tape mix! Everything sounds so glued together and energetic.
Great video, thanks! The world really needs actual real-life comparisons like this, instead of the endless forum arguments that don’t usually contain a single audio example. I’m a producer and composer for almost 30 years, and I’m really struggling to hear any meaningful difference between the two, even when I know which is which.
This is such an extraordinarily high quality video, and I'm only 2:30 into it. The work you do to provide for this community is incredible.
Great video. Just like in a car wreck, hours after the accident, traffic is still slow.
I remember 30 years ago, when Digital recording was still emerging, and plug-ins were not as sophisticated, the difference between Tape and Digital was very noticeable, huge debates ensued, and the remnants are still going on today.
On this video, I could barely tell apart the two, I struggled to hear differences even after knowing which one was which. In a blind test, I wouldn’t stand a chance, and in a full mix, forget it.
For the money and time, Digital wins hands down.
Spittin facts! I could hear more of a difference when just listening to the kick and snare, but in a blind test listening to all the drums together no way.
P00😊
I feel you
@@crunchwrapsupremium1053 This is the point... I bet you could have switched back and forth inside the final mix and no one would have heard the difference.
So... hearing less than before is somehow a benefit? I watched on a freaking cheap flat TV, and could clearly hear the more deep end on the tape OHs, kicks, and snare -- even in the mix. Way punchier. Just because you cannot hear it, it does not mean cheaping and dumbing down sound is a benefit. Digital has to be on par so we are not losing quality and knowledge (there are good tape plugins out there).
man, you really do make the best music tutorial / studio engineer / production / mix help videos ever, Jordan! props.. really dug this one. there's nothing i can add, opinion-wise that you didn't already perfectly say here in this tape/digital adventure. thanks for posting!
amazing video. Thanks all for the work that went into this.
Great vid. I recorded multitrack analog at 15ips for 20 years and love the sound, but the overhead and cost is a huge lift these days. Also, tape emulations and saturation plugs have improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years and I feel like I can get the vibe I want ITB now.
I don' believe people recording digitally should use "tape emulator plugins" if you're going to go the digital route, then make is sound digital.
Wants your favourite tape plugin?
This video is so well produced, i kept coming back to it. Great work, Jordan!
Great comparison! Thank you for taking the time to put this together.
To me the only noticeable (worth) difference I heard was in the kick and snare, the midrange is more important and maybe driven (squishy squishy). However that can be emulated those days with the plugins, even if it's not the same experience. Good video :)
Completely agree. At first I was mistakenly listening to the hats. And it didn't seem different enough to warrant to process. But, if you focus on the kick, and especially snare ... it's there. That's why I think, just use a two track Nagra at low speed, for the kick and snare. Doesn't have to be calibrated perfectly. Also, could just use it to process the whole drum sub-mix. Modern digital is great as a recording device. Why not just use a 'good-enough' two-track tape as a processor, not a multi-track recorder. Also, definitely, some of the plugins have good sound. And, for me, it's the more lo-fi character-driven units, like Sketch Cassette. I'd like to hear some drums like this done through a) high-end multitrack, perfectly calibrated b) 1/2" Studer A820 stereo mastering or next best thing c) 1/4" Revox a77 or Nagra portable recorder e) good quality cassette machine but with modern noise reduction in post-processing
When solo'd I agree, but when mixed there was a few crash hits that popped through a bit more too, but not much else I noticed as the rest of the track was masking a lot of it, and as that was digital there was nothing else to listen out for other than the transients of the drums pushing through really. I did like the chunky crunch of the kick though, but I've heard a similar sound with just heavy analog compression used instead.
If you want great free suggestions that show no BS, I suggest you use IronOxide5 for dirty tape distortion, and ToTape6 for a bus tape compressor by Airwindows. They also have if you want to have "silky" overheads like with tape, ChromeOxide, which smooths the highs perfectly.
They're simple to use, don't waste CPU with big image renders, and sound great.
You can hear that the snare decay is longer and all the instruments have less bite and a tad more harmonics. I haven't found that plugins are smooth enough to nail the sound, but they approximate it.
Another thing though is youtube compression, we are basically listening to mp3's afaik. High quality ones, but there will be some lossiness with that, so some of the finer details may of gotten removed, but as most people listen to mp3's anyway, if it doesn't translate to mp3 most people will not benifit from any extra diferance we can't hear anyway.
The thought of using tape, just to master to mp3 makes me feel kinda dirty inside anyway, even though I've never used anything more than 2 track cassettes when it comes to magnetic tape lol.
Can definitely hear like a natural compression the tape does, making things appear to be a little more seated/settle, especially in the higher frequencies. Awesome video!
Man! Such a great concept for a video. That comparison is something I've been wanting to hear for a long time. Thank you!
That is wonderfully calibrated machine. Kudos to the Tape Op!
I love the tape saturation on the kick and cymbals - and the final track. It sounds like the music that I was used to hearing pre90. The stereo spread is more condensed and "glued together".
Grab your free Mixing Cheatsheet to learn the go-to starting points for EQ and compression in heavy mixes: www.mixcheatsheet.com
May I ask name of song on the video?
Take your tape session and mix it down to 1/2 through that console to gain a better appreciation of what the true old school sound was. As is your comparison was only half of the process for analog tape.
Hi! I like to know at what sample you record the drums? Thanks in advance
can you add in description audio previews or add video to another service like dailymotion?
Wow thanks , I really enjoyed watching the process and especially the outcome. Great work .
Tape rules for rock drums !🥁🥁🥁
To me the tape version sounds more explosive on the final mix. Great video!
From memory - Im responding now to notifications, not direectly from watching the vid again - it has a little more 'blat' to it, thicker. I'd say it's just kind of changed the loudness envelope which may give the impression to some as being more impactful.. That aspect one can surely recreate somehow else.
I'm listening on BeyerDynamic Dt-990 open back headphones and a decent DAC and I can *barely* hear a difference. This gives me even more confidence in digital.
I was able to discern more transient information on the rooms mics over my iPhone speakers 😅 we are not the same
:(
It's not the gear, it's your ear.
If you cannot hear a clear difference you may need train your listening as you could be missing some major elements.
So you can sing on a microphone from Best Buy and it will sound just as good as a Neuman U47 ?????? Please don't say yes to that, please :(@@petegiant
@@OperationChicago Listening is different to recording. To a certain extent your ears will get you further than your gear.
just found your channel. i love the vibe and quality of your videos. keep it up g!
Again, great job done! I really appreciate the effort. Great comparison.
I've been an engineer since the early 80s, when sessions were always like that. I was very pleased to see the end of the many downsides of tape. Also, I spent many years dropping in and out of record on individual tracks, or sometimes a whole band to construct good takes. A lot of concentration, and no undo! Another quality concern I always had was making comps from several tape tracks onto one - the playback had to be from the record (sync) head which sounded noticeably different. In fact, during a session we would very seldom play from the repro head!
And don't get me started on the hassle of syncing multitrack machines to get 48 tracks....
True, but now the pace of work is even more stressful and you have to deal with licenses and driver updates that are probably more infuriating.
Love it. I’m only half way through the vid and it makes me smile knowing the difference we had “back in the day”.
An hour plus, just to set up gear etc, patch bays!, having to turn around and crouch down to adjust outboard gear, turn around to hear what it sounded like, turning back around and crouching to fine tune, trying to remember what it sounded like before.
You ever wonder why albums used to cost so much to make?!
I did plenty of sessions in the last century where the whole first day was spent getting drum sounds. I still often spend the first half day, particularly if there will be drums swapped out from song to song. If the machine is well maintained and used often calibration can be done before anyone even shows up. Patchbays, consoles, and outboard still take the same amount of time with Pro Tools that it took with tape, it's just that now nothing has to be bussed together if the kit is huge and track count is maxxed out.
Such a cool experiment Jordan. I love watching your videos man you have such a positive energy about you. I would love to work with you one day. Keep up the amazing content homie!
What an experience! This was beautiful to watch. Thank you for sharing.
Tracking a band and producing on Tape is an “never-going-back” experience.
Realistically, you do have to go back though, but it does kind of ruin what you thought was good with a pure ITB setup.
The sound difference becomes even more difficult to hear with UA-cam's compression, and in the full mix, it's negligible in my opinion. I believe that tape recording is often overhyped online, and as you mentioned, it's no longer commonly used because the hassle outweighs the benefits. Thank you for creating and sharing this excellent video. Cheers!
if you had to calibrate the tape machines every day you will if not earlier, then after a few days turn to digital ;-).. and in the mix, with a few plugins for imitating the tape.. well.. no one will hear on a blind test.
@@HR2635 So true. Amazing the number of people who still claim analogue is better than digital.
You're right on the money about UA-cam compression. Digital has gotten so good, the differences are negligible these days. It wasn't always like that. As far as production, there's something to be said about commitment vs endless edits/punches and quantizing everything to perfection until the life is sucked out of a song.
@@jerk_store Exactly. People pine for the process of working on tape, and I'm like ".....you can do that on digital too, you know. " 😂
@@tomkent4656 This is tape vs digital... not analog vs digital. The entire signal flow up to the point of recording was analog. Real acoustic drums in a good room with a good drummer, real mics, real cables, real preamps and real outboard gear. That is what made the track sound so good. The use of tape being the only change is what made it such a subtle difference in sound, and that is the point.
I guarantee of this had been 100% analog vs totally in the box with plugins, VSTs and samples... its game over. Digital is great for convenience (and for being cheap--as most wannabe "producers" are) but an ALL digital workflow is sterile and lifeless and boring.
The best of all worlds is a hybrid workflow with real musicians, some analog gear, some plugins and digital recording.
I had the chance to record a live session there a few years ago. We didn't use the tape unfortunately. This was a great video, thanks so much for your amazing content!
This was a video I didn't even know I wanted, down to the T. Really cool experiment, and the A/B comparisons were extremely well-done. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Rooms definitely sounded better on tape to my ears but on the close mics it was negligible. Great video!
Listen to the snare decay, way longer on the tape, and more body on all the drums.
Listen again to the snare... Big difference I agree on the room also..
Can we just appreciate the beautiful drumming and mixing? I am a drummer and producer and the difference is neglible to my ears. Sure, the 5% warmer sound is nice, but the flow in just recording to digital is so much worth it.
So funny. I just recorded two albums to tape last year, and the difference was mostly of psychological nature. No looking at screens, just one more take until the tape is full, the lore of magic. Those things really played a part in the overall making of the records but I gladly record most of anything to digital. The recording in this video is up there man! Cheers!
I agree 100% recording via digital so much easier, but if you have access to all that great sounding outboard (and tape) then you'd be crazy not to consider using it. That warmth may not be very apparent during the recording and initial mix, but when the mastering engineer is squeezing the final few dBs out and all the subtle detail is being brought forward, that's when having the great sounding source is so important.
Love the tape. I could really hear it in the full drum mix and room mics.
I got to record to tape once and I loved how my drums sounded.
My bucket list is to record with Steve Albini in his studio, on tape.
Thanks for making this video.
You've done a great job! This is just a top sound video! Thank you! The difference is subtle between the tape and digital. Listened to Neumann KH 80 DSP
Very interesting and in depht video ! Thanks to let us dive into that kind of studio session. I would say for a pop-rock / punk / hc drum recording, the transients are a bit too squashed but in other genres it would work well. On the other side, it would be interesting to try it on heavy guitars or bass.
But for the rooms I believe I definitly prefered the tape version.
What are you talking about? The transients being too squashed? Once it's done with mastering, it's nothing but a brick wall. Zero dynamics. But that's what the kids want.
Great video! Next, I'd like to see the comparison of adding tape emulation plugins to the digital signal and comparing those to the physical tape. Kudos to your educational and enlightening channel.
Let’s be honest, any modern comparison of the two formats has to include those things you mentioned, otherwise it’s not really viable as a comparison, in terms of asking ‘can digital sound so much like tape that in a blind A/B/X test no one, including experts, can tell the difference’?
Incredible video. Excellent drum sound too, both off the board and through tape.
Great Video! And this will really help up and coming engineers and musicians see the difference, and hear the difference of recording to tape versus digital and allow them to decide in which direction they want to go in. I can see people choosing either tape or digital and having their reasons as to which is better and why. It's all a personal decision.
More than anything, I think source tone, room selection, and final processing have sooooo much more to do with the sound of a recording! Tape definitely adds a different width and life to a recording, but where you choose to record and what you use make a recording sound UNIQUE to you.
This video is fantastic! Beautiful explanation of what tape does to drums. The rounding of transients and creating more harmonic rich content might not be good for your song. The Slate Virtual Tape Machine is a perfect plugin to hear the differences on your mix tracks. It is a beautiful tool to sit things in your mix better and take harshness out if needed.
the snare is where I hear the most drastic difference, and I do like it. Overall there is a pressense to the drums overall that seems to fade away in the tape version when listening to the full song vs the full song with digital drums, but it also feels more glued to the song, so its an interesting give and take I suppose.
Loved hearing and learning more about this. Thank you for making this video! I hear a difference for sure, but knowing I can get 90% of the way to "that sound" without having to sell my car for it helps me put this to bed. If I'm ever lucky enough to record in a studio like that, I'll be stoked. Until then, I'm fine with what little I have.
What an awesome video, thanks for taking the time to do this
Crazy, the tape sounds more squashed but punchier at the same time. Like the transients are shaved off but in a better way. I'm wondering if this would help the mixing/mastering process later, since I'm assuming it would need less limiting. From what I've seen, usually in mastering the drum transients are the first to go.
Also to me, the tape saturation sounds "splooshy".. like its a very specific vibe that was way more obvious in this comparison! Then obviously digital is just crystal clean. Sick comparison man!
Great video 👍🏻👍🏻Having been involved with Studios in the 80's/90's, I personally think this absolutely proves that Plug-ins and Digital mixing has been perfected and definitely caught up to Analog Mixing, meaning that it not only sounds AS GOOD, but look at the advantages!!! Not only the time and conviniences, being able to record drums in your living room or any decent room at home... but THE MONEY 🤑🤑🤑... These tape machines cost more than a car, then all the rack processors, cabling expensive mixers and huge spaces to make this all work, that with acoustic treatments etc.etc... Definetely A LEAP FORWARD for Musicians and the music industry. Congrats👍🏻👍🏻
The tape machines are dirt cheap now used, and since they were built like tanks and designed for maintainability, repairable. But need for perfectionism and ongoing maintenance continues.
amazing content, keep it up man!
From my limited experience with recording on tape, the effect is much more pronounced hearing it straight from the machine itself.
Very much so.
I got my start on tape and really missed the mojo when I got ProTools. Cranesong Phoenix and McDsp AC were the closest things I had back then and totally saved the day for me, but now there are so many amazing tape emulations out there that give me all the same "feels" that I could never go back. Such an amazing comparison though and huge props for putting this out here for us all to hear...and btw...what a killer song, vocal and track too!!!
The only way to get real tape sound is with real tape. Hell, even a cheap radio shack cassette deck sounds better than tape emulations
@@dannydaniel8975 It really depends on what you want. A cheap Radio Shack cassette deck sounds like a shitty radio shack cassette deck. It will never be better than that.
@@freethinksman4393
Nor will plugins ever sound analog
I like how it tames the high end a bit, sounds a bit smoother. That said, it's not a drastic difference.
This was an easy subscription. Great content and editing! Keep them coming!
Edit: You just proved that tape isn't necessary for a great recording and that the engineer's use of hardware (consoles and outboard gear) had the biggest impact on recordings. Although most vintage gear was designed to be transparent, tape was the medium, so that had to be the cleanest. It's interesting even at 15ips, the tape still sounded clean. I've worked with master tape, but this is one of best examples of 24-track tape and the sound that it imparts on the source. Thank you for sharing, this was very educational and entertaining!
Fantastic video and great comparison! Fantastic tools in the right hands can yield such amazing results! Both the digital and analog mixes sounded super to me with the tape having a bit more mojo on the kick and snare to my ears. I would be interested to see a follow up where you'd put on a tape saturation plugin to get some of the tape mojo into the digital recording to see how that would compare to the actual tape recording
Very interesting. You can hear the difference on the kick and snare quite clearly. The overheads and room sound like they are warmer AND more energetic at the same time. Gorgeous! The difference is not big enough to warrant the cost and setup time etc, but great vid and cool to hear for sure!
The difference is huge to some people and they're willing to pay the big bucks for that small difference. Take Foo fighters for example, and i freakin hate that band.
@383stroker Grohl has standards since Nirvana and honestly it suits his style as he used to be a Grunge and Alt Metal drummer. Drum should hit you like your standing on the other side and Dave understands that well.
Very subtle difference but I think I would prefer the tape too. I wonder if there is a greater difference from the audio before being uploaded to youtube due to the youtube compression. Would be interesting to have the tracks available for download to check, as I would guess there is possibly more of difference before being uploaded.
Really Nice content ! Reel to Reel is my favorite gear of the studio, a bit tricky but its just beautiful and amazing ! I remember that my father who recorded on tapes and then pressed vinyl told me that they were always less generous on certain frequencies than digital..
Thanks fellows for making the time to put this experimental and most interesting test together. The differences really are so close. This means a lot to me personally as I produce mostly in the box. Great stuff.
I'm definitely partial to tape. Especially on the Drums (snare in particular), and Bass guitar. Acoustic guitar also sounds better, especially on classic 60s, and 70s recordings. I understand we live in the modern age, and not everyone has access or the money for Tape equipment so they record with what's available, but I love tape! It's good to know it's still in use. Some groups have even embraces a "hybrid tape/digital" approach where they record tracks on tape, and mix down digitally. All I can say, is I'm all for tape if possible.
I think the most important difference isn’t in the timbre, that actually the easiest part to tweak; but there is definitely a sort of “bounciness” present in the tape examples that make it more pleasant/exciting to ear over the flatter overall response of digital.
Tape naturally sidechains it sounds like.. wonder if that is my ears or something going on with the audio science
nice work, kit sounds amazing either way. solid
Great video man. I know a ton of work went into this. You can definitely hear differences between the two, but I was honestly surprised by how little the differences were. I guess I expected there to be a bigger difference. That tells me that tape machine was seriously dialed in. For it to sound as clean as digital with some very MINOR subtle compression and saturation, that's impressive.
Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree said that in 2001 when they were tracking the In Absentia album in NY, they tracked Gavin Harrison with and without tape, and then compared. They sent all the reels of tape back. Just have a listen to that album and tell me those drums dont absolutely kick ass.
I digress. Loved watching this process in your vid man. And btw great mix on that track.
This is a great video! Im curious to know if you insert any type of tape emulation into every track would bring it closer to the actual tape sound, were you able to try this?
It gets you about 90% of the way. If all you want is to add some vibe and contrast, "good enough!" If you're a die-hard purist, maybe not.
Would love to hear how those tape tracks sound like compared to UAD Studer plugin. Especially now that it's available in native and with a free trial. Could be a good middle ground
That Studer is kick ass for sure. I like it for 2 bus, but on every track is a little too thick.
Wicked content on this channel as always, thank you!
Thank you fir such interesting video!) I think that the biggest role is played by a good performance, the instrument and the acoustic design of the studio. With such a good drummer in a cool studio, both tape and digital sounds great🤟
I completely agree with you, I'd pick the tape one, but cost and effort doesn't worth it. Also the console played a big role though!!
right, let's not discount the Neve
im pretty sure the digital version also ran through the same console and analog compression/eq
also dan worral has a good video comparing an analog and a digital console and it pretty much completely nulled out
Really excellent comparison. I admit I'm biased as I started out working in 24 track Tape studios but I think you are spot on with the plus and minus comparison. Digital has come a very long way and the unique qualities of tape can be worked into your mix and the setup in a template so you can be as close to that vibe as possible without the laboriously long prep time. We would spend hours getting a good drum sound then if it was a live rhythm section all the work with those instruments and the logistics of that would cause the musicians to feel a bit drug out by the time we were ready to actually cut tape. I'll have fond memories of those days but yea, the efficiency of digital is better for getting things down while everyone is hot.
Another sweet video, liked the humor too xD
I guessed you used tape emulations too at the home studio mix to kinda match.
G.G.!
Thanks! Great work! Didn't notice crucial difference. Now im not going to worry that my home digital mix sound bad😂 because no analog gear. Will keep digging!
Dude, the tape was awesome . So much depth I mean. Seriously I never expected this much of a difference.
When compared side by side, tape sounded like a bangin’ performance imho.
the tape version did sound slightly better to me, a subtle difference. and slightly more noticeable in the full mix i thought
Nice video, well done.
On my last album Yay! (2014) I did both overdubs and mixes at Revolution using both the Neve and SSL rooms.
It's still my favorite "sounding" album I've done.
Tape rules but yes, waaaaaaaay to much hassle.
There's no way I could afford to do it that way again.
Steve was around at a few of my sessions, super guy.
Great video! The greatest advantage to me is Spatialization. The tiny imperfections of analog give us 3D space. It's just a better experience when the space the speakers create is bigger and more nuanced. That's the ultimate mixing goal, that feeling.
It's funny how I was expecting much more of a difference ! Eric Valentine has a cool Saturn2 technique to reproduce the transient shaving and excitement that tape brings. Considering the price of tape machines and tape itself, it's nice to hear we're not missing that much by using digital gear.
My thoughts too
Is there a tutorial available for that transient shaving technique? Peeked my interest!
is there a video for this saturn 2 thechnique?
I think they should have drove the tape harder. Most analog year needs to be pushed a little harder to make the differences.
The snare has quite a bit more snap, though on tape.
Yeah, I'm over the "tApE sOuNdS bEtTeR" thing. It doesn't, especially for the price you pay. What most people think of as the sound of "tape" is really just the sound of people engineering a record competently and not loading it down with a bunch of digitized schmaltz.
I think they should improve on tape technology to make it more user-friendly and a viable option instead of using ancient machines.
I liked the tape sound. Crispy was a good way to describe it, probably the analog saturation working.
I would say it sounds "more real" and less processed in a good way. The digital drums sounded more contemporary, nothing wrong it. But the analog recording did add something cool in my humble opinion. 🎉
Super interesting. Yes, I also liked the audio from the tape. But like you said, the effort... Cool video and channel... liked and subscribed ✌🏼
Priceless experience/video, thanks
Saturation & transient are so much better with the Tape! Thanks for this video.
Flawless video, from the production to the musical result and showing the process clearly and enjoyably :)
That is a really well aligned machine, it sounds great for tape...
Really a nice video! Thanks for share this! Best regards from Spain.
Hoenstly I think the biggest difference I heard was in the full track. The version with the drums on tape just kinda... felt better, somehow. Like, the drums weren't getting in the way of the vocals as much, and the whole mix just felt more cohesive.
Thanks for doing this! I actually very much preferred the digital version until things were mixed, then I only SLIGHTLY preferred the tape version. There was some nastiness in the cymbals on the tape version that negated any minor benefits until you apparently tamed that in the mix. I'm really underwhelmed by the tape for how expensive and laborious it is. At the same time I'm still incredibly fascinated with older technology and it makes me sad to see it disappear even if it is obsolete. We stand on the shoulders of giants.
I noticed that too, the top end was nice but 2-3k screeching a bit really surprised me.
I preferred the digital sound. Tape was bringing out some bad stuff in the snare that I didn't care for. Lots of ring and overtone. Digital had that clean crack I was looking for. Cymbals sounded a little more smooth on tape. Really cool experiment. Thanks putting the work in and showing it to us!
I loved this video so much. I analized the two different recordings, and i have to say that Tape has more glue, and a texture to it, the more rare kind of difference i sense is in the sound of the drum in the tape, it opens, the soundstage, the different frequencies are opened a little more in my speakers than the digital.
The difference between the drums on tape vs digital is very small, but... if you record an entire song on tape compared to digital, the sound as a whole is far warmer and spirited IMO. That's why records up to the mid 90s sound more wholesome and 'live' than the sterile Protools pap that came afterwards.
I'll take far cleaner, more dynamic, and exacted digital tools over murky, EQ tilted, and noisy tape.
Like, I can emulate basically everything tape can do, character wise, and I highly doubt anyone could tell. A little glue, a little open high end with a wider soundstage, some focused and slightly tilted EQ, maybe even some phasing, warble, tape hiss, etc,. at extremely miniscule levels (5% or less) with automated looping.
I just don't see the need for tape ever again considering 32-bit float and modern editing techniques. Razor sharp EQ, new methods of ducking, insane reverb now, etc,.
But of course, everyone has their opinions and yours about tape is true. It IS enough of a sound, and unique to each session, that it takes many songs to the next level.
I just personally think it's very genre dependant. I would love tape on some groovier, more funky genres than I would dance or metal. The cohesion/glue is very pleasant, but there's nothing imo tape does that you can't emulate easily.
'course I love cassettes and vinyl. It's hard to separate what I like to listen to, from what I want analytically in a track I've worked on.
can't really hear the difference. recording to tape is pain tho
digital rules)
That saturation on crashes and the hihat - dead giveaway even without the labels in the video. So much more depth and oomph to the snare.
What a nice and fun experience that must have been. Haven't recorded onto tape since 1993/4.
I love how your videos start off with a dramatic hook that literally never have payoff.
Both sounds fine and difference is not big one.For the average listener there will not be difference.
Again Im Repeating when you said. For the average listener there will not be difference. ( THEY WONT NOTICE) Half of them Might even skip the Track at 10 seconds lol but I Love that he is passionate about it. nothing beats passion and maybe God pours that passion into him so we the "Regular can just relax and enjoy what we hear" and not think of how the panning and the Saturation is and if it was recorded to Tape or not..... at the end of the day it dont matter ( to the regular people )
Digital sounds better to my ears. More Punch. You can always squash it later if you really want to do that.
I have a certain... "attraction" towards the analog realm. And I completely understand the pros and cons of both systems. I loved the experiment you did, thanks for sharing!
just as you stated tape had a bit more focus/presence mostly kick & snare but overall very close - great demo very insightful - thanks for sharing your research - for those of us who would have never had a chance to record music at a fairly high level we should be so grateful for digital advancement as you just showed the trade off is almost un noticeable -
Not a real difference to me honestly
Me too I dont hear it.. and I'm using My Audio tehnica and HS8 Speakers but these guys look on things deeper so they maybe hearing a slight difference for real because they have more experience than us professionally ( I guess ) but the Regular public wont hear the difference to be honest. I wouldnt Kill my self to record on tape in 2023 🤷♂ no one cares when a hit Record or copyright free music is done on a Tape or on a Phone.
Not enough to justify a several thousand dollar purchase of a tape machine and associated outboard, and the tape itself which runs several hundred per 20 minutes or so.
I don't think we can distinguish much difference because we are listening through UA-cam, which standardizes the sound when uploading video. It's just an idea, I'm not an expert, but it makes sense to me.
@@delbosdrums this is a good Point! so the Master he has maybe he should have a track link for us to download to hear the file, because youtube conversion in bitrate will tear that down. He should make the Original Files available to us so we can judge that!
What?? Clearly more high end and excitement on the tape recordings. Also clearly less dynamic range; slightly more “squeezed” feeling. I don’t think it’s worth the hassle for most people, especially in this genre.
i love what tape does with the high end, and especially what it does with cymbals
So, a couple things...
I feel like a big fancy tape machine like this, back in the day, was meant to sound as flat and unflavored as possible, because in the height of tape days, the goal was to eliminate, or minimize, the coloration of audio recorded to tape. The industry was constantly working toward getting as far away from a heavily coloured analog sound (think of like a drum sound from the early Beatles days, for example) as possible, and more toward a clinically "clean" sound. Then digital recording became more practical, and essentially achieved that: recording without modification- a perfectly replicated recording.
I notice also that I see a lot of reviews for analog equipment that demonstrate a signal that is at normal, clean levels, i.e. not distorted or overdriven.
The thing is, the magic of tape, and analog equipment in general, is not in the recording of a clean sound (in my opinion, the sound in this video was pretty clean and so the comparison to digital recording is very close). What really gets exciting is riding the fine line on the edge of blasting the shit out of a piece of equipment. Really cooking that tape (especially for drums) so that you can hear what happens when the signal falls above the "comfort zone" for the machine/tape. That's what you get with tape that you can't get with a digital recording. That's where the character really comes out, and some magic happens.
So when I see people say that recording to tape has no advantage over recording digitally, if you're going for a clean signal, yes the difference is probably so subtle that it may not be worth the hassle. But if you push so much signal into that tape that the crunch really comes out, the difference would be unparalleled. No way you can get that with computer. I am not a professional audio engineer, this is just my opinion.
Or just get a Handsome Audio Zulu and you're 95% there.
Edit: Also, loved the video, great experiment and that studio has some insane gear.
Thanks for this video!