Setting Up Your Studio to Work Efficiently for Tape Recording Now that you have your tape deck and have completed the basic maintenance on it you can take a look at the gain-staging of your whole recording setup. Most professional studio equipment is designed to operate at a nominal +4dBu; when a VU meter on your tape deck or […]
Analog Tape Series, Part 2: How to Keep Your Tape Deck in Top Condition
Care and Maintenance OK, now you own a cool new (old) analog tape deck. The first thing to know is that tape recorders should be aligned before every session! The tape path should be cleaned every time you change a reel of tape, or more frequently. I often clean the heads before playback of each […]
Analog Tape Series, Part 1: What to Know Before You Buy
Over the last couple years, I’ve had a remarkable number of projects come through my mastering studio originating on tape. Some of these projects involve restoration on past work of notable artists including the Grateful Dead and Doc Watson, but many are new recordings by artists intrigued by the unique quality of analog sound and […]