What to expect from wire?

[@?,*???&?]

The current project I am producing has a low-key acoustic guitar based number that blossoms into a sizeable band track for the bridge and final chorus of the song.

I have arranged a friend to bring in his two wire recorders so I can transfer the front portion of the song off one of them- instead of using some kind of crap plugin to f---up the sound.

As I have never used wire, what should I expect from the medium?

I am guessing some sort of filtered HPF/LPF thing although both units are tube and supposedly sound amazing.

I have been particularly intrigued by this medium since reading of that 1949 Woody Guthrie transfer that won a Grammy.

[drumsound]

I can't tell you what to expect, but I'd like to hear about how it goes.

[Sloan]

I can't tell you what to expect, but I'd like to hear about how it goes.

Same here!

There was actually an article in Tape Op a few issues ago that discussed using old recording formats and this was one of them. Not really a how-to article, but just talking about an artist that used these old formats.

[JGriffin]

My wire recorder doesn't exhibit significant high or low pass behavior. Matter of fact, I was kind of disappointed that it didn't sound worse...

[Sloan]

I can't tell you what to expect, but I'd like to hear about how it goes.

Same here!

There was actually an article in Tape Op a few issues ago that discussed using old recording formats and this was one of them. Not really a how-to article, but just talking about an artist that used these old formats.

The article is in Tape Op #56 Jan/Dec 2006
Page 48 - Chris Brown

[blackdiscoball]

I believe it was in the first book as well wasnt it?

[@?,*???&?]

I can't tell you what to expect, but I'd like to hear about how it goes.

Same here!

There was actually an article in Tape Op a few issues ago that discussed using old recording formats and this was one of them. Not really a how-to article, but just talking about an artist that used these old formats.

The article is in Tape Op #56 Jan/Dec 2006
Page 48 - Chris Brown

Well, not much info in that article. Description of the wire used was cryptic at best. Thanks though.

[RefD]

the first audio recording of a nuclear blast was done on a wire recorder.

it sounds pretty damned hifi, considering.

[JGriffin]

If it'd be helpful I could post to you a side-by-side comparison of a track before and after being run through a wire recorder.

[JGriffin]

the first audio recording of a nuclear blast was done on a wire recorder.

it sounds pretty damned hifi, considering.

I didn't know that. Wow.

'course, it never occurred to me to wonder what that was recorded on...

[mphonic]

Wire sounds great! But, it tends to break a lot. Luckily, you can splice it by tying a knot or soldering with a smoldering cigarette.

I have an old wire spool of some kid and his family goofing around on Christmas in 1951. In fact, there is still "footage" of the salesman demoing the unit in the store before it was bought. Incredible stuff.

[Professor]

I have an old wire spool of some kid and his family goofing around on Christmas in 1951. In fact, there is still "footage" of the salesman demoing the unit in the store before it was bought. Incredible stuff.

That's really cool.
You should post that somewhere, or maybe try to find out who is on the tape... you could give a copy to put on his grandkid's iPod.

-J

[mphonic]

That's really cool.
You should post that somewhere, or maybe try to find out who is on the tape... you could give a copy to put on his grandkid's iPod.

it's quite long - over an hour of stuff from a couple spools. i did a rough collage of it that's around 12-13 minutes. I'll post something when I'm in the proximity of those files.

However, apropos of this thread, this particular spool does not exhibit the sound of wire so much as the sound of the microphone included with the recorder. And the makeshift line-out cable I used to make the transfer (I'd like to make another recording micing the speaker, which sounds gorgeous).

As far as finding the kids all grown up, yes, it's been on my mind. I've got their names (and the name of the neighbor's dog) and rough location, but, unfortunately, their names are all extremely common for their rough location. The internet fails, which leaves cold calling and local public records, etc. Still, the thought of handing this recording over to the original owner is pretty exciting - there are tons of voices from the kid's family, friends, neighbors, etc. There's even a guy attempting to sing "Home on the Range" in Hebrew ("I'll sing it in Jewish for ya").

Then again, maybe the guy got rid of this stuff for a reason....