I think I've seen everything now. Only $4.95 for starters! Maybe Steve can tell us what they actually are. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=892443869
GMAB: The empty reels would be worth more than that! How does Ebay allow people to post stuff like that?
Do items like this ever show up in retail outlets of any form - are there any online sites that sell master tapes ? If anyone has any pointers I'd be mighty interested Then again these might be fifty-second generation masters All the best - Andrew
Before everyone gets too exicited... I think that I'd wait to hear about this from Steve. I'm no audio engineer, but any master tapes I've been privy to, are on 1" or 11/2" wide tape and the pictures in this auction look like standard 1/4"?, 3/8"? tape. Perhaps just a copy of the master?
Multitrack tapes are either 1" (for the 4-track Abbey Road used, or 8-track) or 2" (16 or 24 track). More often than not, mono and stereo master tapes are 1/4". Lately 1/2" has come into vogue more, but 1/4" is pretty much the standard for mixdown tapes.
Hmmm...must be far superior magnetic formulations out lately. Most mixdowns I was familiar with were 1/2 track 1 inchers.
Looks like to me it was a rush job to promote the LP through radio or promotion. I don’t think this is anything close to a master. Many programs and commercials were distributed to radio on reel to reel.
Say what? 1/4" has more or less been the standard since...magnetic tape became popular, I guess. 3 and 4 track session tapes from the '50s and '60s will usually be 1/2", but the mono and stereo mixdown tapes will almost always be 1/4". I don't think 1/2" really came into being as a mixdown format until the late '70s. I can't say I know much about 1" as a mixdown format myself...
Maybe I'm out of the loop too long,. most Studers and Ampexes I used to encounter were 1" units. They made semi-pro stuff like Revox in 1/4" but I guess things have changed.
Very odd. It will be interesting to hear what Steve says about these. As far as them being radion station preview reels, that might make sense for a regular album, but this is a GH, with nothing that was unreleased at the time. H-m-m-m-m. :-jon
Sounds like some type of multitrack unit to me. 1/4" has been the standard for mono and stereo mixdowns for a LONG time. I'm sure the majority of the original master tapes Steve works with are 1/4".
Guys, This is just a tape copy (probably fourth generation) that Elektra probably made for----Who knows? Cassette tape duping or something? Nothing special. Your CD would sound much better. The original greatest hits reels are on 1/2" tape (two-track) and in big old Ampex 406 (urggh) boxes with yellow legends marked "Criteria". Remember, those are SECOND GENERATION from the album masters already. Then Elektra made an EQ copy, and then this dub was probably made from that. Ucch. They all would need baking as well... So, fer-get it fellas!
Too bad permission wasn't granted for Steve to complete the project so that CD he is referring to was a DCC CD... we can only hope it's an S&P CD of Greatest Hits Volume 2 in the not too distant future!!!
