ABSTRACT

From its inception in Germany in the late 1920s and its American introduction by Jack Mullin in 1945 (Figure 5.1), the analog tape recorder (or ATR) had steadily increased in quality and universal acceptance to the point that professional and personal studios had totally relied upon magnetic media for the storage of analog sound onto reels of tape. With the dawning of the project studio and computer-based DAWs, the use of two-channel and multitrack ATRs has steadily dwindled to the point where no new analog tape machine models are currently being manufactured. In short, recording to analog tape has steadily become a high-cost, future-retro, “specialty” process for getting a certain sound. This being said, the analog recording process is still highly regarded and even sought after by many studios as a special sonic tool … and by others as a raised fist against the onslaught of the “evil digital empire.” Without delving into the ongoing debate of the merits of analog versus digital, I think it’s fair to say that each has its own distinct type of sound and application in audio and music production. Although professional analog recorders are usually much more expensive than their digital counterparts, as a general rule, a properly aligned, professional analog deck will have a particular sound that’s often described as being full, punchy, gutsy and “raw” (when used on drums, vocals, entire mixes or anything that you want to throw at it). In fact, the limitations of tape are often used as a form of “artistic expression.” From this, it’s easy to see and hear why the analog tape recorder isn’t dead yet … and probably won’t be for some time.