When a multitrack tape is first mixed to stereo, the result is the Original Master tape. All relevant data as regards the tape format and the recorded contents should be recorded on the tape box or inlay card.ĪPRS label: blue with the words 'Session Tape'. Where the recording has been made 'direct‑to‑stereo', the original recording is still known as the Session Tape. The Session tape may contain out‑takes as well as wanted material, and an album project may comprise several Session tapes. Usually a multitrack tape (analogue or digital), this is the tape used to make the original recordings - the working tape onto which material is recorded and overdubbed. The following descriptions are condensed versions of the labelling conventions outlined in The Master Tape Book (see the 'More Information' side panel). Print‑through is not a problem you have to worry about with digital tape. This is because the first few turns of the tape onto the take‑up hub may wind less than perfectly evenly, and this increases the risk of record errors, which, if serious, may even cause audible drop‑outs.Īfter a session using digital tape, it helps to wind the tape right through to the end, then fast wind it back to the start again before starting it. It is also recommended that the first minute or so of a DAT tape should be recorded with silence before the recording proper starts. This helps loosen up any binding of the tape in the cassette shell, and may reduce the number of record errors. A quick tip - if you patch an Alesis AI‑1 digital interface between the DAT machine and the digital editing system, then set the destination sample rate for 44.1kHz, any 48kHz tracks will automatically be converted to 44.1kHz.īoth digital tapes and analogue cassettes perform better if they are wound through to the end and then back to the start before being used for the first time. One of the worst crimes you can commit is to mix 48kHz and 44.1kHz sample rates on the same DAT tape, as this can create havoc if the tape is subsequently sent for digital editing. Some machines have a special spooling mode for this purpose, which is rather faster than real‑time.ĭigital tapes, whether stereo DAT or multitrack (such as the Alesis ADAT or Tascam DA88) should display the recording's sample rate and the type of recording machine used. Furthermore, before storing a tape, it should be wound back to the beginning, and then spooled through to the end (at normal speed rather than at fast wind), so that it 'packs' evenly on the reel. If noise reduction is being used, print‑through is unlikely to be a problem, but it's still good form to adhere to this convention. Tapes stored 'tail‑out' must be rewound before playing. Analogue recordings should always include information on the tape speed, track format, noise reduction, and record EQ (NAB/IEC), as well as the titles, times and recording dates of the material on the tape.Īnalogue, open‑reel tapes are usually stored 'tail out', to reduce 'print‑through' (where the magnetic information from one layer of tape is partially transferred to the layer of tape next to it, resulting in pre or post echoes). It seems self‑evident that any tape should include details of the format, such as how many tracks there are, what speed they were recorded at, what noise reduction (if any) was used, and so on, but it still surprises me that tapes come in to my studio without any of this information. Even if you don't have the 'official' labels, writing the correct description on the box will suffice. Colour coded labels are available from the APRS, but in the case of DAT tapes, many brands now come with a set of APRS colour coded labels included. This encompasses both multitrack and stereo master tapes, any copies or clones - and of course DAT. Tackling the issue of labelling first (on the basis that you should always label a tape before storing it), there is a simple tape labelling system, devised by the APRS (Association of Professional Recording Studios), which has been introduced as an industry standard. The importance of correct tape storage tends to get overlooked, and judging by some of the DATs that come into my studio for editing or sweetening, labelling doesn't come far up the list of priorities either. With the introduction of small‑format tapes such as DAT and Video 8 (as used in Tascam's DA88), there's a tendency to treat valuable recordings in rather too casual a fashion. Paul White explains the APRS tape labelling system and offers a few hints of his own on tape care.
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