Post
by lee » Sat Nov 17, 2012 1:20 pm
I've tried sending the digital mixes to high-speed, high-bias, cassette tape, more than once, and both times I ended up keeping it digital and not using the tapes. I have friends who use cassette portastudios to record, and personally I like it. But I found a big difference between tracking on cassette and simply mixing-down onto cassette.
The differences between the digital and cassette mix-downs was that there was an unacceptable amount of hiss (by comparison) and the stereo-field seemed to shrink with tape. Whereas there was a subtle old-fashioned character with the tape that was missing from the digital mixes, but I didn't feel that this subtlety was important enough to persuade me to choose the tape over the digital mix-down.
I think to sum up what I'm trying to say: if it's going to end up in a digital format anyways, cd or mp3, that transfer to tape isn't going to change much for the better.
I'd say, if you want to go the cassette route, try recording the foundation of the music, the rhythm section, to cassette, then bringing those tracks into a digital format. That will have a greater affect on the sound. Or better yet, do it all in the analog realm, track - mix - master, then print it to tape for sale. But I think that most of us would agree that this is a difficult method if you're looking for good results.
I think, in closing, that using cassette tape in the way that you're intending is an effect, and that if you're looking to make your recordings sound better you should invest yourself into the practice of critical listening at the recording stage, listening deeply for the kind of sound you want before pressing record, instead of trying to fix it at mix-down.
Okay I'm done. Good luck.
i've written the song that god has longed for. the lack of the song invoked him to create a universe where one man would discover inspiration in a place that god, himself, never thought to look.
