Mastering to tape

[gimlay]

Hey guys . . .

Im putting together a small project studio on the cheap. I bought a soundcraft delta that i recapped, sounds great, spring reverb, a delta labs delay, some junky digital reverbs, im building a fake pulteq and i have a couple of rnc compressors. Im running out of a motu through the board to master. I figure ill put the pulteq and a compressor on the master insert.

So basically my philosophy is very simple, ive been bouncing tracks alot through sone transformers i have. Trying to keep it to 8tracks for final mix.

Anyway, im thinking about my mixdown options...currently just back to the daw with my motu. How much would it benefit me to print to tape?

Ive been looking at the otaris and revoxs but they seem to be a little pricier than i want. How are the the tascams and fostexs and teacs comparativly to the otaris?
Im assuming i would use 1/4inch at 15 ips.

Am i just openning another can of worms?

I could look at laying back to a nicer da converter that only has two channels but it doent seem as fun.

Thanks guys

[Drone]

My only thought is that it will probably end up back in digital again, even if it's for a vinyl pressing.

[Matt C.]

my limited experience:

i used to own a Revox B77 mkII, it was fine but the transport didn't seem particularly sturdy and the sound itself was decent but didn't impress me. it was also a huge pain to calibrate it. in my opinion, not worth the extra money.

I've never used a Fostex 2-track, but I had used to have an R8 (1/4" 8 track) that was a real piece of junk. my impression is that Fostex didn't make any worthwhile tape machines.

I've owned a couple Tascam multi-track machines (a 58 and now a MS-16) that I like. Sonically they aren't amazing, but they sound good and depending on the model they seem to be pretty solid mechanically (from what I understand it's worth getting the 42 or 52 instead of the 32)

In terms of the sound you'll get from these budget decks, I'm skeptical it'll be "better" than going straight into a DAW, but if it's the analog workflow you're after then they'll do just fine.

[fossiltooth]

I use a Studer a lot, but we've also got an AnaMod ATS-1 Analog Tape Simulator. It a really nice piece of hardware. Sounds great. A lot less maintenance and hassle than an actual tape deck, although perhaps a touch less of the old-timey romance. Personally, I'm more concerned with the sound, so I use it more often than a Studer these days.

If you really like the feeling of having tape spinning around you one of those beat up old machines can have a lot of charm. On the lower end of tape machines, I've owned a Fostex and a Tascam and have used a lot of the cheaper Otaris. for my tastes the Tascams have been my favorite of that bunch. (The one I owned used wider tape than the other cheap ones I'm familiar with though, so maybe that's a factor).

You're right to say that none of the budget machines are gong to sound objectively "better" than going straight digital into a decent converter. But then again, neither is the best tape machine ever made. At best, it might objectively measure "as good as."

On a subjective level, it's your call. And who knows? You might love the sound even a cheap tape machine. I'll tell you that when I use tape machines as processors, it's not because they make the signal sound more like the source. It's quite the opposite! We love them for the familiar and euphonic way they degrade the signal. So don't worry too much about the "degradation" of any one machine if it's mojo you're after. Worry instead about whether it sounds "good" to your ears and whether it's inspiring to work with.

What is mixing, and even mastering, but the creative use of "distortion" in the very broadest sense of that word?

[jgimbel]

What is mixing, and even mastering, but the creative use of "distortion" in the very broadest sense of that word?

An excellent, beautifully stated point.

[gimlay]

yes well thought argument. Im sure that tape simulator was expensive though right?
Maybe i look for a super cheapy and just see if i enjoy the process . . .

[Matt C.]

yeah i was going to say, it might be cool to just get a super cheap consumer-style r2r (Teac seems to be most common) on craigslist or something. that will give you a taste of the analog mix down workflow, and will probably sound interesting.

[fossiltooth]

yes well thought argument. Im sure that tape simulator was expensive though right?
Maybe i look for a super cheapy and just see if i enjoy the process . . .

More expensive than a plugin or a real cheap consumer tape deck, yes. But less expensive than purchase and up-keep costs on one of the nicer professional tape decks, used.

That said, some of the plugins are pretty nice, and the some of the consumer decks are pretty interesting. Give things a try! Whatever works, works.