Six Great Reasons to Return to Tape-Based Multitrack Recording

About five years ago when I had a mid life crisis, decided to drastically downsize my digital home recording facility and set up a 1990s-spec, tape-based studio in the space, I saw the tape studio serving as an occasional change. But it’s actually seen more use than the digital studio.

The digital studio is more capable, controlled and precise, and much easier to use, but tape has easily won the battle for attention. This year, I’ve started to ask myself why. Here are six key answers…

1985 Deutsche Grammophon “Walkman Classics” Chromuim Dioxide Cassette

In the previous post I cited portable players as instrumental in the increasing dominance of the audio cassette format during the early to mid 1980s. And here’s an exhibit to demonstrate just that. So great was the link between the sale of analogue cassettes and the Sony Walkman personal stereo system, that record company Polydor / Deutsche Grammophon went to the trouble and expense of licencing the Walkman brand from Sony for a series of classical tapes.

EMI Studio DRM XDR Chromium Dioxide Audio Cassette

Going from yesterday’s epitome of 1970s lo-fi, to the other extreme – a 1990 paragon of audio cassette fidelity. High spec chromium-dioxide tape media, XDR quality control processing, Dolby HX Pro noise reduction, full digital remastering – all in a highly successful effort to bring a 1965 recording up to 1990s fidelity standards.