The flexibility of digital multitrack and hard disk recording is undeniable. But what if you yearn for the warm sound of your old analogue machine? Craig Anderton explains a trick which uses the playback head of a three‑head analogue deck to give you the best of both worlds.
If you've been trying to get true analogue tape sound, with its warmth and tape compression, out of your modular digital multitrack (MDM) or hard disk recording (HDR) system, you're going to laugh when you read this article. You can get a true analogue sound more easily than you think — and no, it doesn't involve the messy process of sync'ing a digital deck with an analogue tape deck. Before I reveal The Big Secret, here are some specifics to whet your appetite:
- True analogue tape sound — not a simulation.
- Comparatively inexpensive.
- Ability to provide the sound associated with different tape types.
- Variable tape compression effects, from light to extreme.
- Unlimited undo if you decide you didn't get it right the first time.
- True stereo processing.
What would you pay for a signal processor that does all this? Well, read on.
The Secret Signal Processor
The secret ingredient is a three‑head analogue tape deck. This can be anything from a cassette deck to a smart Otari 2‑track. I use a Tascam Model 32 open‑reel recorder, which you can pick up used for a reasonable price (ever since DAT hit, the price of used 2‑track reel‑to‑reel decks has plummeted in musical circles, although I'm told reel‑to‑reel remains popular in the broadcast industry). Of course, you might already own a suitable machine you can use.
The Crunch Factor
Figure 1 shows how to patch the analogue deck into your system (I've used a picture of a reel‑to‑reel machine in this example). Here's the step‑by‑step procedure:
1. Feed the already‑recorded tracks from your MDM or hard disk recorder, which you want to 'analogify', into the reel‑to‑reel recorder inputs.
2. Send the reel‑to‑reel outputs (monitor from the playback head) to two open MDM or HDR tracks. Set these to record.
3. Load a reel of tape with the preferred sonic characteristics.
4. Put the reel‑to‑reel into record mode, and roll tape.
5. Start recording with the MDM or HDR. The tracks to be processed play into the reel‑to‑reel, through the record head, and onto the tape, which imbues them with the required analogue sound and/or tape saturation effect. Milliseconds later, the thus‑processed signals are picked up as the tape passes over the playback head, which then outputs the signals to the eagerly‑waiting tracks of your MDM or HDR.
6. Do a trial run and adjust the reel‑to‑reel input level for the desired amount of 'crunch'. Remember, you have to monitor from the playback head for this to work.
7. After getting the sound you want, rewind to the beginning and transfer the tracks for real.
Avoidably Delayed
We're not done yet, because the crunched signal will be delayed compared to the original, non‑crunched track. No problem: use the MDM or HDR track shift function to compensate. MDMs can delay but not advance tracks, so you have to delay the straight tracks to line up with the crunched tracks. With HDR, you have the option of advancing the crunched tracks in time rather than delaying all the straight tracks.
Monitor the crunched and non‑crunched versions mixed together, then offset the original tracks until they line up with the crunched tracks (you'll hear a flanging sound as you get closer; go for the flanging 'null' point). Now mute the original tracks, and you'll be left with pure analogue tape sound. You need to figure out the appropriate offset only once, unless you change speeds on the reel‑to‑reel.
I did this with an ADAT/BRC combination and found that the right delay time for a Tascam Model 32 was about 75.3ms at 15ips (inches per second). I also discovered the wonders of flanging via track delay, but that's another story for another time.
One more tip: delay effects obtained by mixing the straight and processed sounds together can sometimes sound very interesting. I generally prefer having the straight sound hit late compared to the processed sound.
2‑Track Mined
Not only is this technique simple, it allows your 2‑track to once more be a productive member of your increasingly digitised studio. As a bonus, as long as you keep your original tracks, you can always go back and re‑crunch, should you decide you crunched too much or too little (this is what I meant in the beginning by 'unlimited undo').
And that's all there is to it. Now you don't have to give up that analogue tape sound, and best of all, you won't erase some high frequencies every time you play it — and you can create as many digital safety 'clones' as you want.
Product opportunity alert: some enterprising manufacturer could come up with a cut‑down, less intelligent tape loop‑based transport for just this function. It may sound pretty wacky, but just think of it as an Echoplex for the '90s.