The most expensive music format (in the world).

This video makes me want to get a reel to reel machine for myself. I can see the cost being too prohibitive though. The Mrs wasn't very impressed when I bought a $500 Sony TC-KA3ES cassette deck from Japan after watching your cassette video. Still, I've been having fun making mix tapes with Dolby S and metal cassettes, experiencing what I missed out on with cassettes in my youth. Oh and I had to buy the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks on cassette! <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/lvod0r1a0zor3kf/Sony%20TC-KA3ES.jpg?dl=0" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.dropbox.com/s/lvod0r1a0zor3kf/Sony%20TC-KA3ES.jpg?dl=0</a>

I had no idea that reel to reel music sounded so clear and loud. My only experience with reel to reel players was 30 years ago in French class. Our French course material came with companion reel to reel tapes to practice in the classroom. After listening to that demo tape from the 50's you played for us I want to find a player for myself. My wife thanks you for getting me into another expensive hobby. 😇🤓😄

This is one of my favorite videos yet. The only things missing are puppets! I was very pleased to see those cool little TEAC open cassette reels again, put to such clever illustrative use! Amoeba Music here in Hollywood still sells some old, used open-reel albums, and I have gotten my hands on a few. It's hard to find copies kept in good condition, but they truly are some of the most impressive recordings/mixes I have ever heard, not to mention my friends love the novelty of it when they come over.

I really enjoyed this Mat, the dynamic range was immense! What a beautiful selection of machines, you just don’t find anyone producing equipment like this anymore.

Perhaps inspired by the early days of electronic music -- like Switched On Bach -- in high school I convinced our music teacher to buy us an ARP 2600 synthesiser and a TEAC 4-track reel-to-reel tape recorder. We had great fun with it. This video takes me back to that time, and every time I see the Techmoan intro I feel a tug to get one again. One day.

Matt, dying to know in your opinion which sounds better DBX disc or the 15 ips reels?

Great video, as always! My older sisters seemed to have a habit of dating audiophile guys in the 1970's and early 80's, so I remember being awed by reel-to-reel machines in their stereo setups (which I was never allowed to touch, of course). Later, in the late 80's and early 90's I worked in a college radio station, so I used them a lot (looping tape carts, too!). There was something so cool about editing audio tape with a razor blade and some sticky tape. I hear you about wondering if my hearing would even appreciate the difference with the hi-speed tapes, though. I also spent many of those college radio days going to loud gigs, and even sometimes playing in loud bands (with no ear protection--oh, the folly of youth!). My YouTube subscriptions page is the YouTube page I link to in my bookmarks. It is so handy to have them all in one place.

I've now uploaded a copy of the demo tape from 1957 on my website - <a href="http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2017/12/14/is-reel-to-reel-the-new-vinyl.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2017/12/14/is-reel-to-reel-the-new-vinyl.html</a>

UPDATE: DUPLICATION PROCESS for Horch House. The company that I contacted have now answered my questions and they clarified their duplication process. They borrow the master tape, make a copy (or more likely a number of identical parallel tape copies on a bank of machines)...they then use these copies as their master to run duplicates off that they sell to you. The original master is returned to the studio.

Excellent again. Despite the recording/compression the demo did sound noticeably different - it would be very interesting to hear one live. Yet another item you’ve put on my lottery win list.

Not too late at all. Patreon screwed up big time and needed a strong message about it. Sorry about unsubbing, but I’m back!

I'd never heard the word 'Prosumer' before. It makes sense though!

To me, this ranks as the best and most comprehensive presentation since the Mini Disc. I confess when the news came from Patreon that they were adding fees, I did cancel a couple of folks and reduced donations on a couple more. But I kept yours. I figured with all our help, you’ll keep finding those odds and sods of the consumer world. Thank you for being you.

I just resubscribed after Patreon changed their minds. Hopefully everyone else will as well. Keep up the good work. :)

At 17:58 when you were explaining Digital, I am wondering if that was a Hit Clip cartridge?

It's amazing how fascinating stuff like this is, even if I'm happy listening to MP3s through my TV's original speakers.

LOL "Despite the fact that he Can't Slow Down..."

Regarding that last bit, funny thing is.. I'm not even sure who I'm subscribed to anymore. I only watch 2 other channels at this point on a regular basis and I support them both on Patreon. (Kind of silly that we just support each other on Patreon so it sort of cancels the whole thing out) but I always get an email from Patreon so I know when the new videos are out.

Ok. Yes, I understand you. No complaint what so ever here, I always enjoy your videos very, very much:-) Regarding my previous comment on "tape echo, let us ´just say that reel to reel tapes beeing stored wound in the usual way tend to "magnetize through the layers of "tape. Thus creating a "recording" of a particular piece of music slightlyg before the original piece. This gives the impression of a faint "pre echo of faint recorded material". By spooling -an storing- reel to reel tapes with the end of the as the outlet, such "pre echoes" could be avioded. In fact, on my copy of an 198x LP by the Squeeze, the song "in quintessence" actually starts with a faint beginning of the song for a few seconds.

Oh by the way if you're still in the remaking process, you may also want to mention different tape thicknesses. A "Long Play" tape (the most common) is 1.5 times as long as a "standard" tape (which I've never seen), and a "Double Play" tape is twice as long as a standard tape. So on an 6 inch (15cm) reel at 3 3/4ips (9cm/s) you could record a half hour per track on standard tape, 45 minutes on LP tape or an hour on DP tape. Obviously DP tape is much more sensitive to "print through" than LP or standard tape.

Pioneer discontinued open reel tape recorders in 1984? Hmmm... That surprises me; in my memory that's when everyone (including myself) started getting into creating mixes by splicing tape, and buying RTR recorders. There was even a store in my city where they only sold tapes and cassettes around that time. I had never heard of staggered-head stareo before I watched this video. I wonder how that would ever work since the distance is so critical. I worked at a local radio/tv station in the 1980s as a volunteer, and they used Revox A77 recorders throughout the studio. They are similar to the B77 (I'm not sure what the difference is). The sound of those things was amazing especially on 15ips, but it was a little annoying that they were 2 track recorders so I couldn't record anything at home on my 4-track reel-to-reel and play it on the A77's; I had to take my own recorder with me on the back of my bicycle once or twice to play my own tapes on the radio :-).

At 20:20 a prerecorde "sampler tape" is presented, which is a "tails out tape". That is, it begins with a red lead-in bit of tape. You forgot to mention WHY the tape was delivered in this manner. The reason is "tape echo". Please explain this, or why the BBC spent a lot of time rewinding hundreds of real to real tapes in the past.

This ranks as one of the best videos you've produced IMHO. Very detailed, accurate, informative ... plus the chance to hear that Brooklyn Babe at the bowling alley was worth the entire next year's Patreon dues! Even compressed via YouTube, the dynamic range on the samples you played was noticeably greater than typical YouTube music ... and the bass shook my Altec Lansing subwoofer cabinet. Thank you!

I used to have a great collection of ‘This is Stereo’ tapes and LP’s as well as Sound Effects that always made the listener jump out their seat! That 15ips take you played`Mat made the hairs stand up at the back of my neck - you could hear the quality potential - wow!

Thanks for sharing. I was amazed to find there is a Yello Reel 2 Reel on 7" out there as well.

I own the exact same Revox B77 MK II 2 track, bought it from the 1st owner who got it in the early 80s. It even has the optional dust cover and owners manual and I got a set of aluminium NAB Hub adapters so it looks fanastic. New tapes are expensive but the sound quality is amazing, especially at 15 IPS. However, I would not pay € 445 for a new album when I can buy a record for € 20 or so. Or just listen to Spotify. It is a niche market for enthusiasts or people (or companies) with enough money to spend.

Bloody hell. That tape clip sounded stunning on my Surround Sound when it switched from Mono or Stereo. Dynamic Range was epic. I'm glad I didn't turn up he volume

I think that from the age of 9 or so, I've always had a working reel-to-reel somewhere in my life. But for some unexplained reason, I now seem to have about 7. I never cared for 8-tracks or cassettes because of them. They were the only way to really "get the job done" until the digital age. Unfortunately, sticky shed has claimed many of my early reels...because a 9 year old couldn't afford anything but Shamrock and Concertape. :/

So... nobody already mentioned that you've threaded that tape on your B77 the wrong way? ;-)

Listening to the stereo demo tape, all I can think is "This stereo thing is never going to catch on, what a gimmick! Who's going to sit around all day listening to bowling balls going back and forth!?"

I've moved many Patreon pledges over to makersupport.com, some of the popular names like Sargon of Akkad have moved over to it, new service but adding features quickly.

I am totally hearing the post title in Jeremy Clarkson's voice.