Sorted - Expanding the 'studio'

[Macc]

btw get a demagnetiser/cleaner tape thing from maplin for £3, and get some high bias chrome type ii tapes

ferric tapes are atill useable though

[denaris]

Schweet. Need to get the new desk setup and this stuff on it. Not to mention the Emu E64 I've got lying around

Protape baby

Or get one of these

Metal chassis, weighs loads and sounds sweet.

[Macc]

Yeah man, couldn't find any new type IV's though...

Plus they have a harder knee, meaning you get better reprooduction under the saturation level, but a harder disortion when you go over

Is there a specific sort of tape player that gives you nice crunchy distortion, or will any ordinary tape deck do it? Could I pick something up for a tenner down the local second hand shop / nick a spare tape deck from my dad and get the same effect?

Edit: also, how's about them audio examples?

[Macc]

Any old tape player will do it in theory, but best to make sure it handles (at least) chrome/type II/high bias tapes. Even better is one with an adjustable bias, and pretty much essential is Dolby C or failing that, Dolby B. Make sure it is cleaned, demagnetised and that you do that every 15 or 20 hours' worth of play and yes, it will give you that.

The frequency response can be lacking, depending on the tape, the age of the machine, head alignment, cleanliness etc... But I am very surpised at how good it can sound (especially chrome tape with Dolby C).


I did this a week or two ago - didn't have all the gear I have now then, but here's just some random breaks looped (no tempo adjustment or anything, just end to end samples).

I think it went something like this;

recorded onto tape with the bass dropped out a bit,
recorded back in
bass put back up
verb automation done
put the lot onto tape
back into SX

I should have put a clean version, as I didn't CLOBBER the tape on this... but especially check the depth in the verb (it's two mono verbs panned about a third each way) and the bass bump/crunch in the James Brown 'Latin splittin' or whatever it is called break - the one with the toms. That one breaks up a lot even for only a little saturation.

http://www.immerserecords.com/macc/SKANKY_SHIT.mp3

Bear in mind I didn't know the stuff that well then, and I am still getting to know it better... Plus I have even more skanky shit echo things now


I'll probably do some SUPERSKANK v soon to show some real full on dirt

yeah super skank! do it!!

you can hear what its doing to the breaks although on some of them i think its a bit too much (like they had it already if you know what i mean)

but for stuff recorded from your own drums or computer should be really useful

[Macc]

Bear in mind this is twice through the tape...

i should have put a clean version, as i didn't clobber the tape on this... but especially check the depth in the verb (it's two mono verbs panned about a third each way) and the bass bump/crunch in the james brown 'latin splittin' or whatever it is called break - the one with the toms. that one breaks up a lot even for only a little saturation.

http://www.immerserecords.com/macc/skanky_shit.mp3

nice.

bear in mind i didn't know the stuff that well then, and i am still getting to know it better... plus i have even more skanky shit echo things now :d


i'll probably do some superskank v soon to show some real full on dirt

ya, tape's the boss. i bought a really old akai tape player/recorder a couple years ago from a guy on craigslist for $15, and he threw in about 80 tapes with it in and a rack to hold them.

almost all the tapes are 80's hair metal bands, so awesome. i was more excited about the tapes than the actual player haha

anyone else having issues DL'ing that file? it's not working for me

ooh time to get me tape deck oot. mines got dolby s and adjustable bias. is that good?

[Macc]

so long as you can adjust the input level :d

download is fine here spodzerick

[Macc]

I couldn't resist it - I am bidding on this cos it was only 3 quid!

nice!

but since when did they stop making type iv/metal tapes? bastards! they used to be so fecking commonplace. now you have to go on ebay and pay loadsamoney.

even protape only has TDK SA90s........

[Macc]

Chrome are probably the best tbh, especially if you have adjustable bias, as I believe metal tapes have a harder knee (like I was saying a few posts ago). So the distortion bit won't be so nice. It's a more linear response before distortion, which then kicks in harder.

All very good if 'accurate reproduction' is what you're after but... well, we're not

Chrome a re probably the best tbh, especially if you have adjustable bias, as I believe metal tapes have a harder knee (like I was saying a few posts ago). So the distortion bit won't be so nice. It's a more linear response before distortion, which then kicks in harder.

All very good if 'accurate reproduction' is what you're after but... well, we're not

well thats good to know. cheers dude.

i was hoping i'd find a use for that deck eventually, its a nice yamaha kx580se thats been lonely in a corner of a room for far too long. now all i need is a new studio desk to put it all on!

[Macc]

got to say - fucking bad.

just remembered that i recorded myself clapping my hands on my iriver in the basement at work for this current tune.

imported the file, cleaned it up a bit, gated a bit etc. chopped it up into claps, quantised them. made two more tracks and then copied individual claps all about the place with snap off, so they were close, but never the same clap at the same time). sounded like three people clapping

that sounded rough, but then a big splash of spring reverb, mcboshed onto tape and then back in, and it sounds fuuucking proper. like some old shit funk band claps!

[Macc]

Jesus... listen to me. You'd think I'd discovered tape or summink

And in fairness bhima was saying about cassette a while back. I just didn't think the freq response was good enough. But well, fair play, he was right!

[denaris]

But well, fair play, he was right!

[Macc]

*insert broken clock analogy here*

*insert broken clock analogy here*

yeah yeah, i bet in about a year we're going to get a series of threads where you go on about how you've just discovered digital clipping and it sounds amazing.

"i've just got an old copy of octa med and i'm running my drums hot through it - it's sounding . i'm currently on ebay simultaneously bidding on three seperate copies of cubase 2.8. "

Yeah yeah, I bet in about a year we're going to get a series of threads where you go on about how you've just discovered digital clipping and it sounds amazing.

[denaris]

"i've just got an old copy of octa med and i'm running my drums hot through it - it's sounding . i'm currently on ebay simultaneously bidding on three seperate copies of cubase 2.8. "

octamed should never be mocked.

digital clixxing crew

[Macc]