So the 21st century digital dude had an analog moment...
After some time, I fired up my old Pioneer reel-reel tape deck. And it seem to work just fine, thank you! Anyone who bought this RT-201 back in the day has a "reel" jewel. So cherish it!
Anyway, I dug up a couple pre-recorded tapes I got from somewhere in my wanderings and thought I'd dub them to digital. The first tape was one of my old favorite recordings, "What's Shakin'", a collection of contemporary blues artists that recorded for the Electra label. Here were unreleased tunes by the Butterfield Blues Band, Eric Clapton's Powerhouse, Lovin' Spoonful, Tom Rush and Al Kooper. What a find!.
As I began playing the tape, I immediately. noticed great audio quality. What was going on... were my ears working that day, were my Genelecs finally broken in, are reel-reel tapes that superior? I'm not sure which, but I sure was pleased. Maybe these reel-reel enthusiasts do have it going on... (although modern machines, and modern tapes, cost a fortune!).
So then I tried a tape of Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain". This tape box was still sealed! A virgin tape! So I put it on and set up to dub at 24/96. But what a disappointment... there was audible flutter on the tape and the sound quality seemed distorted at the music peaks. Goodness...
So what did I discover? Well, it's not always the format: LP, tape, CD, hires, SACD... it's all how it's mastered for the media.
So I'll enjoy the blues guys, and sometime dig up another format of the Miles album to compare. Stay tuned!
