Tape Trail

Recording with Dolby B On or OFF

91.76.165.32

akolegov

A brief search in this forum and elsewhere has shown that some users prefer to record without Dolby (in my base, Revox B710-II, Dolby B). There should be some reason for that - perhaps, they think that recording with Dolby OFF gives more natural sound (closer to the original recording), while Dolby rolls of HF?

Any opinions will be appreciated.

Follow Ups:

I use dbx - 3db 12:14:27 08/14/17 (1)
Both my cassette decks are equipped with dbx and I use that exclusively for my good tapes. For day to day tapes which means being used primamryl in a walkman, I play around with Dolby B,C and no Dolby.
- RE: I use dbx - Quadzilla 10:21:46 08/21/17 (0)
  The nice thing about DBX is that it provides so much signal to noise ratio that you can record at much lower levels; for less distortion and wider frequency response. I don't use cassettes any longer, but I do use it for my reel to reel recordings so Walkman and car playback is not an issue.
  
  Prehistoric 4-Channel Lizard
  
  Edits: 08/21/17
RE: Recording with Dolby B On or OFF - John Elison 00:59:33 08/10/17 (0)
I never liked Dolby B but I always used Dolby C after buying a Nakamichi Dragon. Dolby C was very natural and transparent. It basically eliminated noise without affecting the musical balance or degrading frequency response.

Good luck,
John Elison
I have the Revox B215... - kootenay 09:57:49 08/05/17 (3)
That has the Dolby B and C noise reduction. I agree that the recording that were made with Dolby B noise reduction sounded a little roll off on the top end as opposed to the Dolby C. I have compared the recordings that were made with Dolby C noise reduction against that ones without it and I found that the ones with Dolby C were more cohesive, well balanced from top to bottom frequencies and less spritely sounding.

I supposed at the end of the day the quality of sound will hinge on the synergy and the rest of the quality of the system.

If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well
(Proverb)
- RE: I have the Revox B215... - akolegov 14:11:41 08/08/17 (2)
  My Revox doesn't have a Dolby C...Perhaps, it is an earlier incarnation of 710-B...
  - You have to purchase the... - kootenay 21:58:43 08/08/17 (1)
    Revox B710 MKII to get the Dolby B&C noise reduction option.
    
    If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well
    (Proverb)
    - RE: You have to purchase the... - akolegov 23:43:36 08/08/17 (0)
      Yes. And a couple of NAK and Tandberg decks...
I learned the hard way NOT to use it. - Dave Pogue 05:36:18 08/05/17 (5)
Not a question of whether or not it sounds better. The question is whether you'll always be able to decode a Dolbyized (or DBXed) open reel or cassette tape. I have had near-unlistenable open reel Barclay Crocker tapes that languished until I was able to borrow a Dolby decoder that worked. First thing I did was to dub/decode my favorites so they'll play on any machine, And that is not only a pain in the ass but risks losing SQ unless the dubbing setup is VERY good.

BTW, don't believe that business about "just turn down the treble" if you don't have a proper decoder. First, you might not have tone controls. Second, doing it that way does NOT equal the sound quality you'll achieve with a proper decoder.

Granted, all this applies more to open reel decks than cassettes.
- RE: I learned the hard way NOT to use it. - akolegov 08:46:31 08/05/17 (4)
  It was a great experience!
  
  ...I made my first recording with Dolby OFF. I can't say I was happy this way, because for some reason, my tape recorder "eats" high frequencies. But in any case, it seemed to me that it sounded more "honest" without Dolby.
  - RE: I learned the hard way NOT to use it. - Inmate51 08:31:30 08/08/17 (1)
    "for some reason, my tape recorder "eats" high frequencies."
    
    Three possible problems:
    
    1. Head alignment is ever-so-slightly off. Remember, cassettes are squeezing four tracks onto 1/8" wide tape. A tiny misalignment can make a big difference.
    
    2. Dirty heads.
    
    3. Bias is not right. Have you looked to make sure you're using the right setting for the tape? If the bias is actually off, you may be able to have someone tweak it.
    
    HTH
    
    :)
    - RE: I learned the hard way NOT to use it. - akolegov 14:19:43 08/08/17 (0)
      I think reasons 1 and 2 definitely apply. As for reason 3, it doesn't have a bias adjustment for particular tapes. By the way, I made a perfect recording today which I could not achieve before. The piece is very unstable...
      
      There is another reason - some cassettes that I recorded in early 90s may be deteriorated (the tape looks loose)...During the playback, some tape residue gets stuck to the head and so the head must be cleaned...
  - RE: I learned the hard way NOT to use it. - Quadzilla 10:29:25 08/05/17 (1)
    I thought you were sold a door stop by some Canadian scammer.
    Are you now saying that your cassette deck actually works?
    
    Prehistoric 4-Channel Lizard
    - RE: I learned the hard way NOT to use it. - akolegov 10:53:50 08/05/17 (0)
      Yes, it does, but not the way I hoped for...

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Kimber Kable