Question about 'edge warp' and damaged tapes.

Steve:
I'm not sure of the correct term, but I'm curious how you deal with warped or stretched tapes when the highs fade in and out.
I've noticed this sometimes, but on a recent EMI reissue it hit me in the face. On a Mendelssohn concerto by Menuhin and Furtwangler from the early 50's, the problem is the worst I've ever heard.

I've read somewhere that an engineer could use a multi-track head on a full track tape and choose the 'right' track to minimize damage. Could a tape be in bad enough shape that it couldn't be minimized, or did EMI make a major booboo on this one? How do you deal with this on full track and even multi track recordings?

The Beethoven concerto on the same CD sounds fine, BTW.

Thanks
Dan C

 

If the highs are fading in and out, they took their mono tape and played it back on a stereo machine and then combined the channels (L+R), so it goes in and out of phase everytime the tape revolves or has an uneven section, a true mastering no-no.

Thanks to Steve's posts on this subject, I have heard this boo boo on many CD's using mono material played back incorrectly. I'm always shocked at how many mastering engineers don't hear this as it's happening. Probably because it's music they don't much like, and they keep their monitors down too low.

 

Apropos the parallel thread on Sam Cooke, several of the cuts on the first disc of the box set (the Keen recordings) sound like they have very pronounced edge warp. Another suspect would be the tragic 20-bit release of Sinatra's "Songs For Swingin' Lovers."

I'm also familiar with the Furtwaengler/Mehuhin Mendelssohn Concerto, and I can confirm your observations.

BTW, good as the above-mentioned performance is, I hope you've got the two-disc set of violin concertos on Sony Masterworks Heritage w/Mitropoulos and Francescatti. The Mendelssohn is the best I've ever heard, and the mono sound is gorgeously vivid (or vividly gorgeous).

MK

 

Thanks, I'll check that one out.
Thankfully the Beethoven on the EMI set sounds OK, it's such an emotional performance, one of my favorites.

Speaking of Sony, I pulled out a CD from their Masterworks Heritage series.
The liner notes state:
"To play back old tape masters such as the ones used in this recording, Sony Classical engineers use a Studer transport modified with Cello electronics. These customized tape players contain full-track as well as stereo playback heads, giving Sony engineers a variety of options for dealing with problems of tape deterioration."

Cheers to Sony.
Jeers to EMI (and Capitol and all the other sinners). They should know better.
Dan C