Quote:
Originally Posted by MattGray  Hey Andy I know this was posted some time ago, but I couldn't help but notice the position of your (tape layback) in your chain. Don't you find that having it first in the analog chain that further EQ/Compression/limiting brings out the tape hiss more?
I usually have it at the end of my analog chain & if I need to compensate for bottom end I do it before it hits tape. I also find that it normally results in a cleaner (less hiss) master at the end too. Just an observation, didn't mean to intrude on what works best for you.
Matt |
Interesting idea which I've never tried!
When using the tape lay-back style, I've always treated it as if the mixer had used tape which is why it is in that position.
That is also why I do any stereo or M/S treatment very early on b/c I figure that could have (may should have) been the work of the mixer.
But I do have some digital gear in front of the DAC as I also like to be able to make tonal adjustments (if necessary) in the digital domain before the tape using my Weiss units & some of the TC 6000 engines.
As for hiss, we did have too much in the early months but my tech guy worked with Andrew and Mike at ATR to find an optimal setting that would work best for the way I work. After we found the "sweet spot", we rarely have had any complaints about tape hiss. I can also switch to 30 ips if the track is slow and has very sparse instrumentation. In extreme cases, I can master a piano intro to a heavy track without tape and then just edit it to the rest of the track so I can use tape and avoid audible hiss.
I do realize that there are different ways that the machine can be calibrated but I really like to work quickly and efficiently so I never change the settings (unless mastering from tapes that are sent to us). In fact, I delegate the calibration/biasing to my tech guy and all I do is clean the heads and demagnetize them.
I have a 3 position switch which make auditioning really easy. Middle position is BP (XLR to XLR, no tape path whatsoever), Left is the Aria head and Right is the Stock head.
The first thing I do is adjust the level of the mix to the tape and then run through the 3 positions. This way it is usually very obvious which is the best way to go for the track. I think I remember reading that you record the signal to your hard drive and proceed digitally from there (?).
I just run the machine in record and when it runs out, do it again. I get about 200 spins before I notice any difference in the tape. Once in a while, I'll do an erase run which does cut the hiss down. I've been thinking about a degausser to do a bulk erase for a long time now but have never bothered as tape hiss complaints rarely happen here. The reason I run this way is that I want all processing to be in real-time so I can hear the final results and make any adjustments bofore committing.
Since I bought the machine I've had to recently relap the heads and actually had to replace the Stock play-back head. I never thought I would use it so much!
Recently I ran out of Quantegy GP9 and switched to ATR tape. Unfortunately, it is in the same time period that I had the Aria play-back head relapped and had the new stock head installed. Way too many sonic changes to be able to evaluate the differences in the sound of the tape so all I can say is that things certainly sound different! But, still useful as ever.
BTW, I hate to mention this, but after using the machine for so long I find the Stock head a very attractive option to the Aria. In other words, if you find yourself using the machine a fair bit, you really should consider getting the stock electronics.
If you want, I can do a test for you like the last time. You will be amazed at the difference in sound. Having the second head is almost like having another equalizer. At the moment, when I use tape, my split is about 50/50 between heads.