Why Not Bring Back Analog, Reel to Reel Tape

jackie naylor's new recording is on reel to reel...and cheap tricks new recording is on 8tk

Re that Jacqui Naylor tape, have you heard it? I just did, at United Home Audio. NOT a world-beater IMHO.

As one who has heard studio machines and have spent the time and money to set up both reference quality analog playback (VPI Ref. SS/Titan i/Air tight PC-1/CJ TEA 1/GAT) and r2r (highly modded Technics 1500US and Bottlehead Repro with NOS tubes), do disagree on one thing. 71/2 inch playback does not currently surpass the best in analog playback in my system. 15 ips/2 track is the only way to go.
Problem is that many tapes have deteriorated due to different reasons (see KOJ's interview with JGH many years ago in SP). And have to say that have 8 of the tape project tapes and they are all amazing-as well as some other 15ips tapes that have had entre to.

Myles, a friend just sent me a 7 1/2 ips 4-track of Miles Davis' "Sketches
of Spain," and while I believe you are right in principle, there are
commercial tapes out there, like this one, that are simply amazing. On my
Otari, the Miles tape made mincemeat of a pristine LP and left a CD far, far
behind. The open reel Kind of Blue sounds equally stunning, although it takes
a great deck and a good system to hear HOW stunning.

Bring back analog, RTR?

If you go through the trouble of lugging a great machine, a fine set of mikes and a good pre wherever you can find a group of musicians willing to let you record them you'll realize just how good analog tape can sound. If they're good they might be under contract and the answer will be no. Many clubs won't let you set foot in their doorway to do any kind of recording but you can't stop trying.

Their is an alternative. Their are those that worked at the great studios in the 60s and 70s when analog tape was still the norm. Many engineers were allowed to take home master tapes to make copies for their own use. Well, after all the years have gone by, some of those tapes can be had, copies that is, for a price. The price is usually around $100 per reel plus the cost of the tape. That comes to about $300 plus per hour at 15 ips. You don't get to listen before you buy so you get what you get, after you've paid. All in all the results are good and the more you get the easier it is to amortize the cost of your high dollar RTR machine.

My experience has been great and I've never regreted the the cost I've incurred in master tape dubs or the machines I've bought to play them back. I don't have that many tapes but I'm always on the lookout for another gem.

Ken