Tape Trail

• RE: I'll be sending off my membership to Tape Project in the very near future. - ironbut 20:08:35 09/17/07 (4)
  In Reply to: RE: I'll be sending off my membership to Tape Project in the very near future. posted by Jack Seaton on September 17, 2007 at 15:41:45

  I know I'm like the self appointed cheerleader for the Tape Project, but guys,.. I've got one of the demo tapes on my deck as I type and I've can honestly say that listening to it is the most musically rewarding experiences you'll ever have at home. The sound is so alive that it transcends the gear you're listening to it with. It's expensive for sure. But when you consider the cost of custom flanges on the 2 10.5" reels that it takes to dupe an album, the attention to every single detail, including the slip-cover which looks more like an heirloom than a cardboard box, and the time to tweak every link in the signal path to those 4 ATR100's copying in real time ( that's well over an hour to make 4 copies) and the cost of the rights to release said album.
  That said, it's still expensive. But how much would you pay for one upgrade to you system that would leave no doubt in your mind that it doesn't get any better than this. All those changes you've made to widen the soundstage or pinpoint the image,.. you can forget that s**t. That's a given. If we can get enough of the right releases done this well, it's going to change audio forever.
  
  

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  • RE: I'll be sending off my membership to Tape Project in the very near future. - Doc B. 09:27:41 09/21/07 (0)
    In Reply to: RE: I'll be sending off my membership to Tape Project in the very near future. posted by ironbut on September 17, 2007 at 20:08:35

    Thanks Steve. To help put a little of this kind of a project in perspective for folks who are trying to second guess the pricing and other aspects of putting out high quality tapes as a commercial product:
    
    Please look at the price of raw tape. One metal reel of 1/4" RMGI tape is around $49. It is not realistic assume that one could get a licensed 7.5 ips 1/2 track real time duplicate on the market for $50. The $1 left is not going to go very far to cover license fees, labor, rent, packaging, shipping, maintenance, advertising, etc., etc.
    
    For the amount of energy this kind of endeavor requires, it seemed counterproductive to us to put out tapes at 7.5 ips when 15 ips is so superior sonically. Luckily others seem to feel the same way. In preparation for heading into production this afternoon I calculated last night that we already have a solid month of full time production hours to schedule just to catch up with the existing orders.
    
    

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  • RE: I'll be sending off my membership to Tape Project in the very near future. - Jack Seaton 06:48:33 09/18/07 (2)
    In Reply to: RE: I'll be sending off my membership to Tape Project in the very near future. posted by ironbut on September 17, 2007 at 20:08:35

    Good point. And I just have to say that Paul is THE most under recognized, under appreciated ME out there. His list of projects is extensive ... and impressive.
    
    I used to own an ATR 102, so I'm familiar with them ... they are very tweaky decks that require constant care, (good thing Dan is around with his ear, too).
    
    I'm very excited at this point and while I haven't had access, as you have, to demo reels, I have complete faith in their work.
    
    I hope that I didn't upset either of them, asking Joe Harley if he and Ron would release some dupes, too ... it's just seeing those ORIGINAL Blue Note masters on Scotch tape gave me a woody that I haven't had since our honeymoon. I mean, I have the original LP's, but these are the original masters!
    
    And now you know what original masters sound like. Sweet, huh?
    
    It's a great time to be alive.
    
    We need to support these men with this incredible project.
    
    

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    • RE: I'll be sending off my membership to Tape Project in the very near future. - Doc B. 12:35:52 09/19/07 (1)
      In Reply to: RE: I'll be sending off my membership to Tape Project in the very near future. posted by Jack Seaton on September 18, 2007 at 06:48:33

      No offense taken at all, Jack. We appreciate the words of support. The ATRs are tweaky, but man, when they are dialed in they are really on the money. We have three of them racked up in our analog room, along with the MM1200 1" master playback machine (with MR-70 electronics modded by Tim dPV), a JVC mastering console, Meyer HD-1s, and also Paul's monstrous Scully lathe, accompanying electronics and Studer 820. We've been fine tuning the duping rig the past couple of days and we are shooting for going into production of the first album, The Number White, on Friday.
      
      I hear you about laying eyes on some of those original tapes. We have some jazz classics here that are in the queue for mastering. It's really something to hold a piece of history like that in your hands.
      
      

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      • and by the way - Doc B. 17:19:33 09/19/07 (0)
        In Reply to: RE: I'll be sending off my membership to Tape Project in the very near future. posted by Doc B. on September 19, 2007 at 12:35:52

        we will be having a little get together at the San Francisco mastering studio/duplicating facility this Saturday at 4 p.m. If anyone is interested in stopping by and checking it out contact me to get directions. Space is a bit limited so it would be best to contact me sooner rather than later.
        
        

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