How Reel-to-Reel Tape Works

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  • Опубліковано 26 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 129

  • @BeTheAeroplane
    @BeTheAeroplane 2 роки тому +9

    I'm well versed in tape, and a knowledgable producer. But I still watch this video all the time. There's something really relaxing about it.

    • @HushWave
      @HushWave 2 роки тому +1

      I own this same tape machine but 24 channels, and I still enjoy watching this video.

  • @Ponk_80
    @Ponk_80 6 років тому +15

    This is why i love analog, because you get the sense that something is actually happening, with all those moving parts, digital can’t replace that, emulation will never be the same as the real thing.

  • @russ6541
    @russ6541 6 років тому +9

    I have no idea what he’s saying, but this is thoroughly entertaining for some reason.

    • @jaywilkey1323
      @jaywilkey1323 6 років тому +3

      I think it's the way he's lighting up while talking about his passion. It seems like this is the first time he's had this kind of conversation with someone who's genuinely interested and understands what he's saying. Honestly I'm really glad with what Rob is asking and the way in which he's asking it.

    • @russ6541
      @russ6541 6 років тому +2

      Jay Wilkey just seeing this comment, but agreed!

  • @robertpurdy4452
    @robertpurdy4452 6 років тому +5

    I used to work in a studio in Salt Lake City, Utah and threaded 2" or 1/2" tape all day long, editing with razor blades and splicing tape. I kinda miss those days.

  • @mylesmikieal
    @mylesmikieal 2 роки тому +3

    God bless the music producers and engineers from this Era 🤯🤯🤯

  • @JHMBB2
    @JHMBB2 5 місяців тому

    Thank you for this video, I've been obsessed over tape recordings for some time. I'm so fascinated by how we used to record music onto analogue tape professionally, and this is a great look into how it was done!

  • @AlbertoMartinezDelRio
    @AlbertoMartinezDelRio 6 років тому +1

    By far the best Reel to reel tape machine video.

  • @TheTyper
    @TheTyper 6 років тому +15

    Man I love these types of videos from you Rob. Such interesting stuff.

  • @krisscanlon4051
    @krisscanlon4051 3 роки тому +2

    He essentially did the job of a tape operator/tea boy from the 60s/70s! studios. Amazing footage.

  • @malcelinho
    @malcelinho 6 років тому +18

    1st: That's one of your videos that I liked the most! Damn, so informative and interesting. Thank you very much for this, Rob. For real.
    2nd: An simulated AAW is something that I didn't know I wanted

  • @charlesguzelli5589
    @charlesguzelli5589 2 роки тому +3

    Actually Les Paul began experimenting with overdubbing in the early 1930'a and multi-track in the mid 1940's. He would use acetate discs to record various parts putting them together. Magnetic tape machines didn't exist yet as wire recorders were only way to capture voice. In the late 1940's Bing Crosby invested in Ampex and the Ampex 200 A tape machine was born of that investment. Bing gave Les Paul the second machine made. Les not satisfied, added a second record head allowing him to create "sound on sound" which gave him unlimited "bounce" capability, but was cumbersome. Ampex went on to develop 3 track machines for RCA in 1955 and then with Les and Ampex developed the 8 track machine which he took delivery in 1957 and was called Sel-Sync. A year later, Atlantic records, an independent label took delivery of the 2nd 8 track machine in 1958 while others had only 2 tracks to work with. Famed Abbey Road studios had 4 track machines, but the first Beatle album that used 4 track was St. Peppers. By this time, American Studios had moved onto 16 track machines. Hard to believe, but some of the greatest recordings were made using rudimentary equipment including the Beatles as George Martin was a master of bouncing tracks. Great video. In my music production days, I used MCI 16 and 24 track machines along with a Fostex 4 track for remote recording. I still find the analog format fascinating.

    • @D-Fens_1632
      @D-Fens_1632 5 днів тому

      And let's give the Grateful Dead credit for being the first to lug a 16 track machine into venues in Jan-March 1969 to record the first 16 track live album. Which ironically was only made to offset the studio costs when they scrapped their latest album they'd been recording on 8 track. When 16 came in, naturally they had to redo the entire album and fill up every track, at great expense.

  • @DavidNwokoye
    @DavidNwokoye 6 років тому +51

    So thats how Meshuggah made their first album.

    • @adissabovic
      @adissabovic 4 роки тому

      IIRC, they recorded to ADAT. :)

    • @richmit7154
      @richmit7154 3 роки тому

      @Aron Trent bot moment

    • @KosmoDeuz
      @KosmoDeuz 3 роки тому

      Ahahahaha good joke

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    This video applies to all tape recorders. Excellent vid.

  • @richardwills7768
    @richardwills7768 6 років тому +59

    You're not a real engineer until you've erased at least one master...

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому +1

    Listening to B.T. Express on 8 track at this very moment. Rock'in!

  • @miketomas8564
    @miketomas8564 Рік тому +1

    Gaudy. I miss loading 2 inch. Such a satisfying task. Much more than mouse & click..

  • @robertw1871
    @robertw1871 2 роки тому +2

    Very cool, I actually feel educated on how and why this stuff works, makes a difference when you have someone that really knows what they are talking about and not just trying to remember stuff…

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    DJ's were a big part of America! Bring em back!

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    Anyway I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope to open some eyes in a positive way. Love music. Best to you all.

  • @Synster73
    @Synster73 8 місяців тому +1

    What a great video 👏

  • @FreazyTek
    @FreazyTek 6 років тому +2

    Analog FTW!! Just got into vinyl and there's nothing better than good old analog sound ;-)

  • @apshinn
    @apshinn 3 роки тому +1

    AMAZING video!! Wish I had this video so many years ago! Thank you guys!

  • @pcallas66
    @pcallas66 6 років тому +1

    It's funny that there's no audible difference between time code numbers (at least in my opinion). Another really good video. Thank you for sharing.

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    If a radio station picked up a real DJ these days it would be off the charts! People would love a real cat on the waves man!

  • @resington
    @resington 6 років тому +3

    Yes, more of this sort of thing.

  • @dannydougin3925
    @dannydougin3925 2 місяці тому +1

    Do you store tapes tails out?? I hope!

  • @TheMrSelby
    @TheMrSelby 6 років тому +26

    that's reely cool

    • @russ6541
      @russ6541 6 років тому +3

      Harry Selby I have a feeling some idiot will try to correct you, but you have puns on your side!

    • @Tom-jt9ec
      @Tom-jt9ec 6 років тому +1

      The mechanism is relay cool as well...

  • @sweetness_5772
    @sweetness_5772 4 роки тому

    They still do record master recordings on these reel to reel tape machines in (music) recording studios. Classic!

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    Bring back the DJ's! Wolfman Jack! Now he was amazing! What a guy. Amazing story line behind him to. He did not become the worlds best DJ overnight. He was persistent and did not give up on his future success.

  • @aminormemory-musicartist
    @aminormemory-musicartist 2 роки тому

    Soooo cool!!! That was really interesting!

  • @cristhiantoro851
    @cristhiantoro851 6 років тому +2

    Amazing! Beatifull! Wonderfull! ...............The Heaven! ... T_T oh my god!!
    The Tape Recording Studio Must return!!!!!! The Sound Recording on Tape IS ART!!

  • @jimigrok
    @jimigrok 2 роки тому

    thanks for the very good interview !

  • @gregthegroove
    @gregthegroove 5 років тому

    I know it’s not the same 100%, but I use multiple analog tape modeling plug ins on pro tools. I use mostly Slate digital plug ins.
    I use virtual mix tape plug ins on every track in pro tools, along with analog modeling compressors and analog old skool desk emulators. It sounds awesome and you can hear the warmth and difference

  • @AgentWaltonSimons
    @AgentWaltonSimons 6 років тому +11

    The question I have is, through all of this, where was Mr Wibblespoon? I'm sure he'd have had some questions too... Or is he so expensive you only bring him in just when you start recording?

  • @johnviera3884
    @johnviera3884 5 місяців тому

    at 14:03
    listen up
    (+) or (-) charge.
    varying in amplitude
    x speed of medium
    = waveform

  • @thaexception3406
    @thaexception3406 3 роки тому

    Very informative - knew his stuff for real

  • @rods6405
    @rods6405 Рік тому

    There might be another 8 meters below the 16 already installed you could convert these 16 racks to 24 with a option kit fitted quite few back in the 80's

  • @dubdoodle7191
    @dubdoodle7191 9 місяців тому

    One thing to remember. It's been almost 30 years since NLE / DAW have been utilized. And yet the best music ever produced since the beginning time remains to be that of analog tape. Tape demanded the best performance by artists, however DAW can turn the likes of a Fran Drescher into a Celin Dion !!!!

  • @Zelmel
    @Zelmel 6 років тому +6

    "This thing's from 1976 so..." So almost old enough to be your dad! :P

    • @kikedrum77
      @kikedrum77 2 роки тому

      MCI JH 24/16 tracks 1980

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    This control room looks a lot like the CMC studio I was recorded in back in the 80's

  • @McMxxCiV
    @McMxxCiV 2 роки тому +1

    There's something I don't entirely understand yet. If monitoring the record head lets you hear the input, and the playback head lets you hear what's already on the tape, then isn't what you play always 86 milliseconds* behind what's already on tape?
    *at least, not taking into any further delay in the playback -> headphones -> ears -> brains -> hands -> microphone -> record chain.

    • @Bill-eq5ov
      @Bill-eq5ov Рік тому

      Yes.

    • @rods6405
      @rods6405 Рік тому

      when in the sync mode the record head lets you and the musician hear tape playback while recording the musicians performance with the same record head, everything outside the tape machine happens (effectively* ) at the speed of light or just as if the complete band was performing together.

  • @ferabra8939
    @ferabra8939 6 років тому +1

    2 inch 16 track is a better format than 2 inch 24 track. The best format was of course 1 inch 4 track. The Studer J37. It's no coincidence that it was the machine used for all the Beatles' masterpieces.

  • @BrandonofRedemption
    @BrandonofRedemption 6 років тому

    Thanks Rob. Great information!!!

  • @dougfig
    @dougfig 5 років тому

    This was so informative. Thank you!

  • @k1lg0re50
    @k1lg0re50 3 роки тому

    17:04 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers... BAAAAABY SNAAAAAKES! ;-)

  • @summersky77
    @summersky77 11 місяців тому

    Isn't tape supposed to be stored tails out? (meaning the tape reel is intended to be used as the take-up and you're supposed to dump it onto a supply reel for playback) Does it really matter?

  • @OMEGA-gi3yz
    @OMEGA-gi3yz 6 років тому +1

    awesome device!

  • @jfklmk13447
    @jfklmk13447 6 років тому

    Thank you so much for these videos !

  • @teriscallon
    @teriscallon 6 років тому +1

    lots of info here...nice

  • @ryanvitty9743
    @ryanvitty9743 6 років тому +26

    He’s says “hampen” instead of “happen” and it’s so unsettling lmai

  • @dudeimadolphin4318
    @dudeimadolphin4318 6 років тому +3

    WOW IM SO EARLY
    I LOOOOOOVE YOUR MUSIC ROB YOU GOT ME THROUGH A LOT AND MADE ME WANTTO GET BETTER AT GUITAR

  • @edwardbarr1533
    @edwardbarr1533 6 років тому

    a splendid video,very informative and instructive for the children of the digital age in one playI have already had the signsof conversion
    Keep the Faith

  • @campion05
    @campion05 5 місяців тому

    Im late to the party, but if the loaded reel had audio on it, wouldn't that reel have been stored tails out? Or did i miss that part.

  • @brandonmoore8199
    @brandonmoore8199 6 років тому

    This was awesome

  • @jorgitorock
    @jorgitorock Рік тому

    Rock ON analog

  • @consun14
    @consun14 6 років тому

    Real cool video 👍

  • @zzxprezz
    @zzxprezz 2 роки тому

    I'm still using otari MTR 100

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    Tape rules!

  • @uwuster
    @uwuster 4 роки тому

    I'm sitting here listening to a 100 megabyte WAV file of a song with my 50 dollar headphones feeling envious.

  • @dasboot5833
    @dasboot5833 6 років тому +1

    Awesome ))))))

  • @MELONenSURPRISE
    @MELONenSURPRISE Рік тому

    Is this a comercial studio ?

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    2 inch tape is heaven! I got to be recorded at CMC Studios in Zebulon North Carolina in the 80's with my band! WOW, was I blown away on playback! Almost got signed. Another story. This is the deal,,,magnetic tape in general rules! IT ALSO LAST FOR ALMOST ETERNITY! I run some old original Leer Jet 8 - track tapes that still sound brand new and many other years of manufactured tapes. I still record to 8-track tapes. GREAT sounding. My cassettes still sound great to! Then last but not least, any (most) original LP pressings are outstanding! I hate mp3's. They sound like garbage.
    Soooo, with all this being said, I doubt any new records would sound as good because they were most likely ran through some sort of digital studio processing so what is the point? If the new old recordings (LP's) being made today were mastered from the original master tapes straight to vinyl then they would hold water. Otherwise you might as well buy a CD. No one thinks about the process or has a clue these days. ( "Just stating the facts mam " ) Dragnet.

  • @samuraipai
    @samuraipai 6 років тому

    Whoa, this was a really interesting video about audio history tech! Thanks man :3

  • @DAVIDGREGORYKERR
    @DAVIDGREGORYKERR 6 років тому

    What about reels of Videotape made for the quadraplex VCR machines?

    • @rty1955
      @rty1955 3 роки тому +1

      No you cant use those tapes. Same way toy cant use 2" audio tape on a 2" quad machine.
      I worked in the largest post production facility in the east coast of USA. One day we fot a shipment of tape. I noticed it was AUDIO tape. I rejected 24 reels of tape. And our production came to a halt until we got proper tape.
      Video tape is coated differently than audio tape. The magnetic particles on quad video tape are oriented 90° different than audio tape. And 2" audio tape is coated 90° different than video tape.
      I restore 2" quad machine now

  • @jeremytravis360
    @jeremytravis360 6 років тому

    I wish I could find a good quality quarter inch tape for my Technics RS1506 reel to reel recorder.

    • @danmiller1701
      @danmiller1701 2 роки тому

      Check out ATR magnetics master series tapes

  • @JEKm_
    @JEKm_ 6 років тому +5

    AAW

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    Digital,,,on and off. One's and zeros. ANALOG,,,,,continuous sign wave! NO MISSING AUDIO INFORMATION!

  • @SFtheGreat
    @SFtheGreat Рік тому

    I thought RTM in France was producing tapes based on BASF formulas.

  • @tomtina313
    @tomtina313 4 роки тому

    revox ist the best machine of the Wordl

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    The people that can maintain these machines are dying off. Hopefully someone still has interest in the art. Hopefully.

  • @philosophiaentis5612
    @philosophiaentis5612 5 років тому

    How is this compared to 24Bit/192KHz?

    • @rty1955
      @rty1955 3 роки тому +1

      Apples and oranges

    • @rods6405
      @rods6405 Рік тому

      ok and excellent!

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    Sadly when radio stations went digital that in no way sounds king anymore either. Yup, stuck with crappy mp3 format music now!

  • @DougGrinbergs
    @DougGrinbergs День тому

    MCI JH16

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    This tech is totally time is money doing this vid. Why?,, because this is what he does for a living. Sweet.

  • @louisliu2432
    @louisliu2432 6 років тому

    Format war!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    You have not lived until you run a turntable, cassette deck, or reel to reel. Even a 8 track player sounds great compared to mp3's! If you buy the gear,,,,you will realize how much you have been cheated out of what real music should sound like period. I am me and I approve of this message. Thank me later. P.S. Get some real heavy duty 1970's speakers to.

  • @anthonytobias620
    @anthonytobias620 6 років тому

    So reel

  • @pcallas66
    @pcallas66 4 роки тому

    In A Gadda Da Vida probably wouldn't have fit at 30 ips on this tape. It's cool though.

  • @lyntedrockley7295
    @lyntedrockley7295 2 роки тому

    They could have turned a light on.

  • @adimikulic
    @adimikulic 6 років тому

    I wonder if he's a fan of digital

  • @satan1189
    @satan1189 6 років тому

    Why does this have so few views

    • @jaywilkey1323
      @jaywilkey1323 6 років тому

      You're not doing your job. Rob signed the pact. Now the onus is on you, sir.

  • @thegamingguy1
    @thegamingguy1 6 років тому

    Yo this bald head boul is fucking smart. I'm loving this content.

  • @tam_ryan1036
    @tam_ryan1036 6 років тому +1

    Er..... you get more low freq at lower tape speeds because lower frequencies travel slower and it gives them more time to get on the tape?!? Is that actually a thing, electronically? So funny hearing analogue talked about in this way as I started my career in the tape era and I can remember we couldn't wait to get rid of wow and flutter. We bought gear with the lowest possible w and f figures. 'Bring on the digital age', we used to say. Nostalgia rules, I guess :-)

    • @jetison333
      @jetison333 5 років тому

      Even in digital audio, if you turn down how many points per second your taking, you'll start losing higher end, because the frequency is faster than the point per second. So it makes sense it would be a thing to me.

    • @rods6405
      @rods6405 Рік тому +1

      No I thinks its bolocks!

  • @mrcoatsworth429
    @mrcoatsworth429 3 роки тому

    Very informative and interesting! However, I don't think he did a good job explaining how the audio information is actually stored on the tape. He talks a lot about the machine, but not the tape itself.

    • @rty1955
      @rty1955 3 роки тому

      Audio recording on magnetic tape is very simple. A tape mist be pulled at a constant speed past the heads and this is done by a capstan & pinch roller. The reels only supply and take up the tape. The capstan rotates with precision either by a motor that was synchronized by mains voltage (old days) or in modern times by a precise oscillator (either crystal Controlled or by some other electronic method) id this motor varies in speed, if not, the machine will experience bad "wow & flutter" in addition to faithfully reproduce a sound it mist be at a precise speed all the time. Some capstans can be sync'd or locked to a frequency. This is what happens when two tape machines are "locked" together. As long as they start together, they will stay together. Those are known as "servo" signals. If you want I can describe those as well.
      The first head a tape comes in contact is the erase head. In multitask recorders each track has its own head that is stacked up on each other. Multitask heads are normally called a "Stack". Each head is a coil of wire wrapped around a structure that looks like the letter "C" with a microscopic air gap. The tape closes this magnetic gap. The finer the particle and the finer the gap results in better quality you will have. The erase head is supplied with a set bias frequency. & voltage. The bias frequency is normally 3x the frequency of the highest frequency u want to record, normally around 100khz. This "erasing" will align all the particles the same way, and effectively "erasing" any previous signal.
      Then we move onto the record stack. The heads are made the same way except fed a different signal. Both the bias frequency and desired audio is fed to the head. The bias frequency is there to "stir" the particles on the tape to almost a fluid As the tape leaves the gap, only the audio portion of the signal remains on the tape. Bias frequency & voltage are extremely important and mist be set properly for each tape formulation to get the most optimal quality from the tape itself. Some machines have switches to select which tape formulation you will be using. Most recording studios will stick with one type of formulation as changing bias on a multi track machine can take a while (if done right). Bias setup is only for erasing & recording. And tools like oscilloscopes should be used.
      The playback stack is the reverse. When a magnetic field is applied to the head and voltage is created proportionate to the strength of the magnetic field. As the tape moves past the head the varying magnetic particles create a varying magnetic field in the coil that is proportionate to the audio signal. The result from the playback stack is a varying voltage proportionate to the audio signal. This voltage is amplified, and sent along its way, eventually to speakers which convert electrical waves to sound waves, and we hear it as sound.
      I restore 2" quad professional broadcast video tape machines and extremely familiar with magnetic recording principles. A 2" quad video tape machine is far more complex than a simple audio recorder.

  • @daymon6459
    @daymon6459 6 років тому

    Я ни хрена не понял что они говорят.

  • @conradmeyer9991
    @conradmeyer9991 3 роки тому

    u think that the someone would buy that not me i want it for free?

  • @_ch1pset
    @_ch1pset 6 років тому +4

    Calling digital recordings "ones and zeroes" is pretty reductionist. Digital audio is fairly complex, essentially because you are trying to approximate a continuous waveform with discrete data points. The more points you use, the closer the approximation. Also, you cannot hear digital audio. When a computer playsback digital audio, it gets sent through a circuit called a Digital-to-Analog Converter(DAC), which converts the digital signal into an analog signal. The playback hardware(your speakers) are analog devices and can only use an analog signal to produce real audio.

    • @tucsonsoccor4952
      @tucsonsoccor4952 6 років тому +2

      The point is that digital sounds 2 dimensional, lifeless, and shit.

    • @dryued6874
      @dryued6874 6 років тому +5

      Ackshually, the waveform is not approximated. For all intents and purposes, it's reproduced perfectly as long as you have enough data points (44100 Hz is enough to reproduce all sound within the human hearing range). The only possible point of data loss is the bitrate, but I'm pretty sure 32 bits per point is enough to bring you below what you'd lose due to the analog noise.

    • @bsadewitz
      @bsadewitz 5 років тому +2

      In the end, you have to move a speaker. That is always analog. If you hear it, it is "real audio". The engineer even mentions some of the reasons people prefer analog, and they don't have to do with fidelity per se.

    • @bsadewitz
      @bsadewitz 5 років тому

      @@dryued6874 I think 24 already gets you there, but I'm not positive.

    • @bsadewitz
      @bsadewitz 5 років тому +1

      @@dryued6874 You can also oversample. For instance, a 1-bit DAC with a sample rate in MHz.

  • @mattlynn7254
    @mattlynn7254 6 років тому

    Poodles

  • @Videohead-eq5cy
    @Videohead-eq5cy 6 років тому

    Second

  • @pavelcollee-foley7997
    @pavelcollee-foley7997 6 років тому

    204th

  • @Countdownsmiles
    @Countdownsmiles 6 років тому +3

    Look everyone needs to relax about the mispronunciation. What like you've never messed up a word before

  • @VintageGearMan
    @VintageGearMan 7 місяців тому

    The one thing I know for sure BASF tape sucked!

  • @rty1955
    @rty1955 3 роки тому

    There are no such things as subframes in SMPTE timecode. Its either 30fps no drop frame or 30fps drop frame (29.97 FPS)
    You may know how to engineer audio signals, but you need to brush up on the technicality of how analog tape machines really function.
    I have worked with tape since 1960 and now restore 2" quad broadcast video tape machines and compare to those machines, audio tape machines seem primative. Audio tape machines can record up to 30khz faithfully and 2" quad video tape machines need to record up to 6MHZ on tape!! Quite a feat of engineering if u ask me.

    • @rods6405
      @rods6405 Рік тому

      30khz not at 0dB! what for no one can hear maybe your dog!

  • @alobosk
    @alobosk 5 років тому

    That's the saddest studio I've ever seen. A 16 track 2'' ATR but no real mixer.

    • @rty1955
      @rty1955 3 роки тому

      He goes from analog (mics) to digital (ADC) in his mixer, back out to analog (DAC) to analog tape, then back into his mixer where it again gets digitized, mixed and sent who know where.
      You're correct. However analog mixing boards introduce a lot of noise themselves

  • @CrystalZ03
    @CrystalZ03 6 років тому

    First
    To say NOT first