.::.

I didn't know where to place this topic but I decided here in Music: Non-Prince because it's music related and not really a musical instrument or production topic to be in the Org Musician Hangout discussion area so...here it goes:

I've discovered something...

I'm currently going through my collection of tapes and transferring them as AIFF's and MP3's and MiniDisc, CDR etc., basically archiving stuff.

Anyway, I needed a good tape player and I went to the local electronics store and took with me a listening testing kit of sorts.

I took Sheila E's self titled '87 album and a MiniDisc recorder, headphones and a quality mini-plug adaptor to connect the out of the cassette deck to the line in of the MD. The Cassette deck is a Sony TC-WE475.

I proceeded to record a couple of songs, just the first minute or so of Koo Koo because of it's silent parts and crisp sound and another full sounding song.

I recorded in standard stereo mode on my MD, which is CD quality from a Sony deck while monitoring it with high quality Sony earphones.

What I heard floored me.

Dobly B & C Noise Reduction HX Pro.

I listened carefully to Koo Koo without NR, and of course heard all the hiss associated with cassette tapes, I then flipped the switch to B NR and the hiss kind of dissapeared, then I flipped it to C NR and I was shocked! The hiss dissapeared completely and the quality remained! It sounded like the CD.

Sure the album is not a remastered recording and it's old and stuff, but still.

I took the MD home and recorded directly from the CD Koo Koo, and compared it. Amazing, hardly if any difference! The only thing is of course the tape sounds fuller, not as bright as the CD version, but warmer and still as clear and HISSLESS!

The thing about this test is that I think Sony and Dobly have improved the electronics in cassette decks over the years.

I've tested tapes in an older Sony Deck (TC-FX something) and although it had C NR it wasn't as good. It took away the highs and made the sound dull and muffled, just not good enough.

But the latest decks, man I'm just amazed. I had to share it with ya'lls to if you're about to burn CD's of old Prince cassettes and other audio tapes, etc. then this is the way to go!

Here's info on the decks:
http://www.sonystyle.com/...setteDecks

I would imagine the three head deck giving one even better results but the low end tape deck is amazing at making tapes sound like CD's!

Now back to my recording of Madhouse 8 cassette!

I've noticed that my old cassette of Sign of the Times actually has superior sound quality compared to the CD version! That's messed up...

jtgillia said:

i Agree&Details are heard better.

I remember Lovesexy and Sign cassettes also sounding freagin' amazing too.

I got rid of those but will buy them again if I see them at Tower!

the cassettes from 1987 sound okay (and sometimes better than CD) because they were analog recordings, put onto an analog listening device (LP & cassette).


in the 80's and even the early 90's, the technology for digitally transferring analog to CD wasn't very good, so the sound quality coming off a CD is often tinny or flat-sounding.


that's why there are "remasters" out by all of the various legends. and why people are now starting to record in digital studios with digital equipment.