10MM 144_The Sound of Tape

From the glorious sound of copious tape saturation to good, old-fashioned tape delay,the sound of magnetic recording is here to stay. Mark Cousins gets reel.

With media production now so firmly embedded in the digital age, you could be forgiven for asking why analogue tape is still relevant in any context or scenario. But in truth, despite the familiar reel-toreel recorder having now become essentially obsolete and mass manufacture having long since ceased, the ‘sound’ of analogue tape is still very much alive and well. Indeed, even in this computer-driven age of digital production, engineers and producers still seem to be fascinated by the unique attributes (both good and bad) of audio recorded to tape, often using and abusing the sound of tape to positively and creatively enhance their own audio output. But exactly what are the attributes and qualities of tape, and can technical flaws really add to our (subjective) enjoyment of music?

This feature first appeared in Music Tech Magazine issue 70
Filed under Ten Minute Masters

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