What is lost in computer recording compared to original tape?

[whyterabbyt]

Tape records a continuous signal --

How come a tape is any more "continuous" signal than digital, the storage medium is just different: digital (separate) samples vs. magnetic (separate) particles?

It doesnt matter whether magnetic particles are separate, you're not storing a value per particle, you're reading the amplitude of the magnetic field at a particular region of the tape. The amplitude of the magnetic field under the record and/or playback head is continuously variable.

Recording onto magnetic tape is basically transduction. The pressure change in air moves a diaphragm which converts the amplitude of the pressure into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal gets converted into a magnetic field, which is then recorded onto tape. Recording digitally involves recording time-separated measurements of a signal, not a signal.

[sonicpowa]

^ OK, thanks for explaining it.

[Gnomebe]

With Tape your signal (sound) has harmonic overtones as well as a better interpretation of that signal (sound). Tap esp. interprets harmonics accurately...large spaces seem warm and reflections interact with other reflections MUCH better I would say.

Digital sounds like a clinical white hospital room.

Overtones of a tape sound accurate and realistic.

[UltraJv]

With Tape your signal (sound) has harmonic overtones as well as a better interpretation of that signal (sound). Tap esp. interprets harmonics accurately...large spaces seem warm and reflections interact with other reflections MUCH better I would say.

Digital sounds like a clinical white hospital room.

Overtones of a tape sound accurate and realistic.

Decent Monitor speakers are sought because of their clinical sound. That's what should happen with recording. Anything else added or taken away is distortion, good or otherwise.

[kvaca]

With Tape your signal (sound) has harmonic overtones as well as a better interpretation of that signal (sound). Tap esp. interprets harmonics accurately...large spaces seem warm and reflections interact with other reflections MUCH better I would say.

Digital sounds like a clinical white hospital room.

Overtones of a tape sound accurate and realistic.

so you think that by adding noise, time modulations, additinal sidebands and overtones which were not present in original audio you obtain more accurate and realistic results?!

[Gnomebe]

Well... true... but someone "needs" a proper sound to begin with...NOT... a better speaker monitor speaker system. It is truly sad nobody brings up the "obvious"..."digital recording is a "pathetic" "not even close" comparison to as good sounding tape recordings. What I'm saying and so many others agree that digital vs. tape...tape wins in the first round. It's not even close. Analog sounds better. Period... and what's sad is so much effort by so many people to dignify digital recording as something even whorth while.

[UltraJv]

Well... true... but someone "needs" a proper sound to begin with...NOT... a better speaker monitor speaker system. It is truly sad nobody brings up the "obvious"..."digital recording is a "pathetic" "not even close" comparison to as good sounding tape recordings. What I'm saying and so many others agree that digital vs. tape...tape wins in the first round. It's not even close. Analog sounds better. Period... and what's sad is so much effort by so many people to dignify digital recording as something even whorth while.

You need decent monitor speakers in order to hear what your source is doing. No one agrees that analogue sounds better, different yes. Have you ever used 4 track cassette portastudios? They are pretty awful but functional. It uses tape so why isnt it so good? Just like bad analogue missing desks. There are some that stand out by design.

[Ogopogo]

Anything else added or taken away is distortion, good or otherwise.

You're contradicting yourself here when you claim that recording should be done clean and then admit that some distortions are good. If you like the good distortion that tape adds to a recording, why shouldn't you use it?

If the rule is that recordings should be clean, that rules out designer pres, all mics except those with the highest specs, any hardware that can impart color to the sound like lo fi samplers, or even designer eq and compression. Eq and compression themselves are technically distortion to your original sound, just "good" distortion that makes your mix work, so tape isn't any different in principle.

Monitors aren't a good comparison, you need them to be clean and clear so that you can hear what you are doing and make sure what you hear is pretty much the same thing others will hear when they listen through their own systems.

[UltraJv]

Anything else added or taken away is distortion, good or otherwise.

You're contradicting yourself here when you claim that recording should be done clean and then admit that some distortions are good. If you like the good distortion that tape adds to a recording, why shouldn't you use it?

If the rules is that recordings should be clean, that rules out designer pres, all mics except those with the highest specs, any hardware that can impart color to the sound like lo fi samplers, or even designer eq and compression. Eq and compression themselves are technically distortion to your original sound, just "good" distortion that makes your mix work, so tape isn't any different in principle.

Monitors aren't a good comparison, you need them to be clean and clear so that you can hear what you are doing and make sure what you hear is pretty much the same thing others will hear when they listen through their own systems.

I said good or otherwise. No contradiction. With digital, you can add the additional warmth with plugins. OTOH you cannot remove the colouration from tape.

[Ogopogo]

The way you stated it definitely seems to be a contradiction.

Decent Monitor speakers are sought because of their clinical sound. That's what should happen with recording.

So you are saying recordings should be clinical, which rules out tape.

Anything else added or taken away is distortion, good or otherwise.

So you are saying that tape distortion can be good, so recoding on tape can be ok.

[UltraJv]

The way you stated it definitely seems to be a contradiction.

Decent Monitor speakers are sought because of their clinical sound. That's what should happen with recording.

So you are saying recordings should be clinical, which rules out tape.

Anything else added or taken away is distortion, good or otherwise.

So you are saying that tape distortion can be good, so recoding on tape can be ok.

Clearly English isn't your first Language. Heres a clue - OR OTHERWISE.

[Ogopogo]

Lol sure. Or you can't clarify your statement because it doesn't make sense. Anyone would have interpreted the statement the same way as I did. Why do you just humor me and tell em what you were trying to say?

[Ogopogo]

Heres a clue - OR OTHERWISE.

That changes nothing.

[UltraJv]

Lol sure. Or you can't clarify your statement because it doesn't make sense. Anyone would have interpreted the statement the same way as I did. Why do you just humor me and tell em what you were trying to say?

Distortion can be good or bad. Depends whats required. There is no absolute answer. Harmonic distortion is often used for an effect. Saying that its a requirement is just wrong. I havnt got time for Semantics.

[Ogopogo]

I didn't say it was a requirement. Your statement however pretty clearly indicates that you think clean recording should be a requirement.

Decent Monitor speakers are sought because of their clinical sound. That's what should happen with recording.

You're the one with the comprehension problem here.