I Recorded Drums to TAPE... Can You Hear the Difference?

Does tape really sound better?

**Shout out to:**
Stephen (Revolution Recording) for his guidance and expertise with recording to tape.
Nathan Bulla (Intervals) on drums.
Original song by Goodbye Sky Harbour

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MY FAVORITE GEAR:

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[bradsundberg]

I worked on countless analog sessions in the 80's and 90's and could align a 24-track in my sleep. There is no question that digital makes the workflow much faster and the sonic qualities are much closer than they used to be. One notable difference is the time it takes to rewind the tape (20-30 seconds), which was a great time for the musician, engineer and producer to take a sip of coffee and chat for a moment about that take. It was a forced mini-break in the session. As digital emerged (tape before HD) we would often record straight to tape to capture the analog sound, then immediately transfer to digital to keep that sound and avoid degradation. Good points about having to dial in gear far from the sweet spot, but the pros were masters at doing it. I commend you taking the time to do this - nice work.

[garyking]

As an engineer and producer in the 80' / 90's I used tape all the time. I became a magic tape editor with a razor blade. I would mix sections of the songs and then splice them all together. The magic of tape was really the commitment you make to it. Unlike digital, you can always change it again and again. Tape was more like a marriage, total commitment and the sound would be that way forever.

[mikehines]

I listened to the examples like 10 times on my studio monitors / sub. The difference is so incredibly small I definitely don't think it's worth the hassle. If you like the subtle difference of tape better you could make an EQ/compression adjustment in like 10 seconds and have the "tape" sound. Thank you Jordan for making such a great video with A/B comparisons!

[rg]

As a drummer from the 70s/80s, I remember what a pain it was recording Analog. We had to travel to Hollywood and recorded late at night through early morning to save money. Compared to digital it was a pain in the butt to end up with a recording that may have sounded slightly better. I wouldn't want to go back.

[Tachy_Bunker]

To me the only noticeable (worth) difference I heard was in the kick and snare, the midrange is more important and maybe driven (squishy squishy). However that can be emulated those days with the plugins, even if it's not the same experience. Good video :)

[jamiebellmusic]

This is such an extraordinarily high quality video, and I'm only 2:30 into it. The work you do to provide for this community is incredible.

[chordsoforion]

Great vid. I recorded multitrack analog at 15ips for 20 years and love the sound, but the overhead and cost is a huge lift these days. Also, tape emulations and saturation plugs have improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years and I feel like I can get the vibe I want ITB now.

[geoffcurran]

To me, this definitively proves what I have felt for a long time-- wow tape is a pain and I have never really been able to tell much of a difference at all. I am drummer, so maybe I fried whatever hearing would have allowed me to tell the diff? Dunno. All I know is, I LIKE digital recording. A lot. I do like what the digital "saturation" stuff does and use them on every track. The ease of editing capability in digital is a dream. I am very much in the realm of semi-pro (at best) these days, myself included, so being able to move a few hits around is much appreciated. I truly respect the genuine engineers who run a studio like that! But I am glad I don't have to save money to go in places like that and record anymore. Home digital recording with good mics and plug ins works for me.

[MarkusKaarlonenMusic]

Great video, thanks! The world really needs actual real-life comparisons like this, instead of the endless forum arguments that don’t usually contain a single audio example. I’m a producer and composer for almost 30 years, and I’m really struggling to hear any meaningful difference between the two, even when I know which is which.

[palsheldon]

That is a really well aligned machine, it sounds great for tape...

[pablokagioglu]

Great video. Just like in a car wreck, hours after the accident, traffic is still slow.
I remember 30 years ago, when Digital recording was still emerging, and plug-ins were not as sophisticated, the difference between Tape and Digital was very noticeable, huge debates ensued, and the remnants are still going on today.
On this video, I could barely tell apart the two, I struggled to hear differences even after knowing which one was which. In a blind test, I wouldn’t stand a chance, and in a full mix, forget it.
For the money and time, Digital wins hands down.

[soundman]

I've been an engineer since the early 80s, when sessions were always like that. I was very pleased to see the end of the many downsides of tape. Also, I spent many years dropping in and out of record on individual tracks, or sometimes a whole band to construct good takes. A lot of concentration, and no undo! Another quality concern I always had was making comps from several tape tracks onto one - the playback had to be from the record (sync) head which sounded noticeably different. In fact, during a session we would very seldom play from the repro head!
And don't get me started on the hassle of syncing multitrack machines to get 48 tracks....

[illreel]

It's wild because as a Studio Reel To Reel owner, I barely ever see anyone document the seriousness of what us owners go thru. I'm happy I added the digital side to my Mastering Studio, but back when I only ran a Studio Reel To Reel demagnetizing, cleaning heads & warming up the Reel To Reel was extremely timely... 🤯😎🤯 The sound was unmatched, that's why I purchased a compressor I was leave nameless with tape saturation emulators I run on my digital side that get the sound close on drums etc... 🥳🤩🥳

[FrontCoverBand]

Can definitely hear like a natural compression the tape does, making things appear to be a little more seated/settle, especially in the higher frequencies. Awesome video!

[Deaflocust]

I love the tape mix! Everything sounds so glued together and energetic.

[isaacgrinsdale]

Very interesting. You can hear the difference on the kick and snare quite clearly. The overheads and room sound like they are warmer AND more energetic at the same time. Gorgeous! The difference is not big enough to warrant the cost and setup time etc, but great vid and cool to hear for sure!

[frederickthornelives]

Your ear and commitment to EQ/compression far overshadows the subtle perceptual difference between digital and tape. I feel like your experience tracking and mixing those drums is a perfect example of why digital took over.

[OnlyScience]

The snare was the biggest difference imo. Gave it a lot of character.

[NathanJamesLarsen]

First off ... insane video quality - so good.

In terms of sound quality / difference - yes there is a difference, but I can't see how the difference justifies it. It's INSANELY subtle to the point that only those with extremely tuned ears will be able to hear. The digital signal sounds incredible still with everything you did in terms of EQ/Compression.

So to me - it doesn't make sense to use Tape - especially when we could easily emulate that tape machine with plugins that cost... like... $100 lol.

[tapeexperiments]

That is wonderfully calibrated machine. Kudos to the Tape Op!