GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Analog Playback
In the Thread: Bye-Bye Reel

Post Subject: Bye-Bye ReelPosted by Romy the Cat on: 1/17/2013

After a few years of straggling I let my better Reel-to-Reel machine go. I still have my Otari that is good to play many tapes that I have but my quality–pushy customized Stelevox was just recently sold. Nope, I do not feel that there is anything wrong with tape. Half-track 15 ips tape is a wonderful thing but there is something else – there are no good tapes out there.

I heard what was in past. 20 years back there was a lot of master dubs floating around and they were good quality. I was not buying the tapes at that time and I think if I did then they would be hardly usable today. The tape source that I do/did have is not the quality of sound that I consider worthy. Then there is an open market of tape trade.

The open market of master dubs that I experienced was absolutely horrible. The adult and intelligent propel with reportedly good equipment, best intention and with humongous believe in own superiority did send me their tapes. If I did not pay for those tapes many hundred dollars then to trash those tape would be the only appropriate way to use them. I can’t even describe how horrible sound was at the tapes, the more pomposity the dub owner had the more horrifying the quality of sound was. In the end I got sick to waste money on those idiots and waste my time for the whole tape filed.

There are reportedly people from Tape Project who reportedly provide good quality but to get their tapes it require to kiss them in ass, something that I have no intention to do. I was told that they do not sell taped to anybody who express concern about the quality of the sound they offer. To me it is undeniable evidence that what they do is crap and they want to control message by signing only idiots to be associated with themselves. Well, it never was and never will be me.

Then there is more important aspect – the quality of the performances. I do not even mention the unfortunate people from the Tape Project who spin their 10 boring recordings that was impolite to listen even 15 years back on CDs. I rather talk about the selection of the performances that is very limited to what still survived. I do care about quality of sound but if the sound is fine then it is not the reason why I would listen a recording. I am not the people who care about super high quality recordings of kakadoos waking across piano, monkeys having intercourse or moronic teenagers blow musical instrument until blog is still intoxicated. I require highly organized musical martial and I not only was not able to get it from the master tape provider but they did not even were able to support a conversation on the subject. To pay for all of that disappointment (and master tapes dubs are very expensive) I do not find anything better than just to step out of the tape field.

The Cat

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