SH Spotlight How do I fix a damaged analog master tape without digital step? Jethro Tull, Nat King Cole, etc.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Jul 21, 2022.

  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Yes, but I choose to forget..
     
  2. Unranged

    Unranged Enjoyer of Music

    Location:
    California
    Have you ever posted your thoughts on the remix anywhere? If I remember correctly, you tend to dislike remixes on general principle (which is fair) but curious if you had any objective complaints with the job they did
     
  3. For those of us playing along @Steve Hoffman can you tell us specifically where the patch is?
     
  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Nope.
     
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  5. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    No comment!
     
  6. TheRunoutMatrix

    TheRunoutMatrix I'm sticking with you, cause I'm made out of glue.

    This is an amazing idea, @Steve Hoffman - many people (including myself of course!) would love it if you did something like this.
     
    Past Masters likes this.
  7. JCRW

    JCRW Forum Resident

    Thank you for taking the time to post these details! Kind of refreshing to see with the ongoing train wreck of the other thread.
     
  8. Keith V

    Keith V Forum Resident

    Location:
    Secaucus, NJ
    Didn’t the Aqualung anniversary set with the remixes also contain a flat transfer? If so, did they just transfer the tape with the damages?
     
  9. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
    Adapted Edition only: Master tape transferred fixed by the magic (secret) of Warner.

    Cheers
     
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  10. Keith V

    Keith V Forum Resident

    Location:
    Secaucus, NJ
    Thanks. Which is the adapted edition? The book one or the one that came with vinyl?

    I only bought the 2 disc version.
     
  11. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
  12. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Sounds like surgery with a microscope. Nothing nerving here!

    :sigh:
     
  13. Otto Konrad

    Otto Konrad Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, Virginia
    I remember the promo pics of people watching. But MOFI has never been transparent like that. Anyway, your commentary is appreciated, a lot.
     
  14. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I've been told that people are requoting my comments here in other threads. As long as you keep them intact, I don't care.

    Look, I have nothing against digital. I love CD's and SACD's, have a lot of them and play them all the time. I've mastered 1000 digital disks and am proud of the sound of almost all of them.

    I also have phonograph records, going back over 100 years.

    Why cut an analog record digitally if you don't have to?

    The phonograph record manufacturing technique was basically perfected in 1903. Yes, you read that right. Everything that came after is just improvement in sound quality.

    If you watch that silent movie that I posted here years ago about how records are made (filmed around 1923 or so) you'll see that the cutting, sputtering, plating process looks the same. It IS the same. It's old school tech that still works nicely.

    If I cut a record I want to cut from an analog source even if that means a good copy. That's just me after years of doing it. I don't mean to offend anyone, it's just how I like to do it and how I think it suits the medium the best, keeping analog all analog.
     
  15. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
    Totally agree. Why cut an analog record digitally if you don't have to...amen.
     
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  16. intv7

    intv7 Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    One of the most fascinating parts of this story is Ian Anderson calling you "in the middle of the night". He must've known you're on the west coast. Are we talking like 3 AM?
     
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  17. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Exactly 3 AM. He literally did not give a s***.

    Was actually really cool to be woken up like that. Nothing is easy.
     
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  18. Kim Olesen

    Kim Olesen Gently weeping guitarist.

    Location:
    Odense Denmark.
    @Steve Hoffman Were subsequent versions (if there were any) utilizing your repair?
     
  19. Unranged

    Unranged Enjoyer of Music

    Location:
    California
    Apparently Ian Anderson used to get 3 AM calls from Captain Beefheart, so at least you’re in good company
     
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  20. DaleClark

    DaleClark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Is it common practice to splice the "cut out" section back to the original place when an engineer is finished using the multi tracks? Or just store it on a separate reel?
     
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  21. elvisizer

    elvisizer Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Jose
    hey @Steve Hoffman thanks for this thread, really interesting!
    How often do you have to deal with reels that are shedding and need to be baked?
    any stories to share about adventures in that area?

    re Ian's call at 3 am- that'd be about 11 AM in the UK :) i guess he just forgot about timezones?
     
  22. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I doubt it. Later versions just used the old British EQ Cutting master or the USA Cutting master.
     
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  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    As I wrote above, the tape stretch was left in place for the next poor goof to deal with. Usually I leave the patch in place and keep the damage at the end..
     
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  24. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Only tapes from 1974 and later need to be baked. And only s*** Ampex and Scotch back coated bitches. AGFA usually is good to go for a lifetime.

    Eagles HOTEL CALIFORNIA on Ampex 406 from Criteria, Miami was useless, wouldn't play at all so Location Recording Service on my go-ahead overnighted the two reels to Ampex in Redwood City where they were baked to a toasty brown and shipped back to us the next day. We used them for a week and after two weeks, unplayable again..

    Every time those reels of Ampex/Scotch back coated tape from 1974 on need to be used they need to be baked again. On the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans reels I think I counted 15 "bake marks" on the tape boxes. That's a lot of toasting..
     
  25. elvisizer

    elvisizer Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Jose
    yeah my band back in the early 90's used quantegy 2 inch tape for our multitracks- ALL reels shedding already. I think that was a licensed version of ampex's tape?
     
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