Understanding Tape Machines And Emulating Their Sound
The recording process has changed a lot over the years. In the past, engineers used tube mics and analog preamps to record instruments directly to analog tape. The combination of unique tones from those three pieces of gear added a very pleasing texture to the music created.
While it’s still extremely common to see analog preamps and tube mics in a modern studio setting, tape machines are a somewhat rarer bird. While you'll still find them in many studios, the industry-wide shift to working in the box has made bypassing tape a somewhat more feasible practice. Because of this, many engineers feel that modern music is missing something.
Recording to tape gives music a certain character. It rolls off the high-end and adds a small bump in the lows, similar to an equalizer. It rounds off transient peaks, creating a subtle form of compression. Perhaps most importantly, it adds a unique form of saturation, primarily boosting what are known as 3rd order harmonics.
3rd order harmonics mimic the frequency response of a signal two octaves above the source material. For instance, if you recorded a low E on a bass guitar, the root frequency would be 40Hz. 2nd order harmonics, which are typically added by tubes, boost one octave above the source (80Hz). 3rd order harmonics are primarily added by analog tape, and boost two octaves above the source (120Hz). This helps signals “cut through” a mix by adding higher frequencies in a musical way, instead of simply boosting the top band on an EQ. As with all good things, too much can cause negative effects.
In this blog, we're going to talk about the basics of tape machines, how different elements change your final audio output and how we can emulate tape without actually owning a machine.
This is an excerpt from Understanding Tape Machines And Emulating Their Sound, originally published by Vintage King. Read the full version here.
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