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eriejwg
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Splicing blocks, what memories!
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aaronk
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crapfromthepast wrote:
| Actually, I think the read heads on the pro reel-to-reel decks are also on a diagonal, so that splices fall at the same time for left and right channels. It's been about 20 years since I was knee deep in splice tape, but I'm pretty sure that's correct... |
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All I know for sure is that on most 45s mastered from tapes that have been spliced, you can clearly see that one channel comes before the other just by zooming in closely to the wav form. On "Baker Street," for example, the splice at the horn can be seen (and heard) just a fraction of a second earlier in the right channel.
Thankfully, when I started working in radio in 1994, reel-to-reel was on its way out. I only had to splice tape until about 1996, at which point we started using digital editors. I remember we used to have a DAT(?) multi-track recorder. I think it could handle up to eight tracks, but I haven't seen or used one in over 10 years.
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crapfromthepast
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Interesting! I remember that many of the splice blocks had a few notches on them, and if you did you edit with the 90 degree notch instead of the 45 degree notch, your edit would have a delay in one of the channels. I'm really surprised that there are 45s where you can hear the left/right delay - you'd think that the engineers at the record companies would know stuff like that!
I remember converting all my old spliced production stuff to two-track DAT in 1997. A few of the splices were over ten years old and were starting to get a little sticky.
All these years later, a part of me misses the hands-on aspect of cut-and-paste editing. The other half doesn't miss at all the generation loss, the weird EQ and level settings from deck-to-deck, speed errors, and very expensive blank tape! If I'd had these digital tools back then, I would have been unstoppable. (As it was, I was merely... stoppable.)
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Yah Shure
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I don't miss the never-ending supply of dull razor blades in the studio. Nor do I miss having tape segments strewn over every piece of production studio furniture and equipment at 2 A.M., only to grow tired and forget what was what while attempting to replicate the "One Fine Morning" 45 in stereo.
But I do miss the extra energy derived from the physical activity, be it from constantly retrieving and filing records/carts/CDs, or the movement associated with the hands-on activity that Ron mentioned. That's what kept me pumped.
I bought a splicing block at Radio Shack maybe twenty years ago, when I realized I didn't have one to work on old airchecks. It'll get some use... one of these years.
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Hykker
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crapfromthepast wrote:
I remember converting all my old spliced production stuff to two-track DAT in 1997. A few of the splices were over ten years old and were starting to get a little sticky.
All these years later, a part of me misses the hands-on aspect of cut-and-paste editing. The other half doesn't miss at all the generation loss, the weird EQ and level settings from deck-to-deck, speed errors, and very expensive blank tape! |
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I'll have to second Yah Shure's comments on reel-to-reel tape. While it made you feel like you were doing "real" radio, I don't miss doing production on reel. It's so much easier to tweak a piece of production with some sort of digital workstation...adjust levels, add compression or EQ, or "slide" an edit so it flows just right.
Ditto for in-studio for phoners. It never failed, you'd have the tape all cued up to play on-air and you'd get a call that would have made a great phone bit. With a Shortcut (or at my last on-air gig, an old computer running SAW) it was easy, reel-to-reel not so much.
Alas, much like the music industry itself, it seems the more and better toys there are to work with the less creativity there is.
As far as DATs go, there was a format that never really caught on except with Deadheads. At my last station, we'd get custom artist drops on DAT (for some reason), luckily one of our nearby sister stations had one for us to borrow to dub.
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EdisonLite
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<I remember we used to have a DAT(?) multi-track recorder. >
Aaron, I've never seen or heard of a multi-track DAT recorder (only 2 tracks for DAT), but I wonder if you're referring to A-DAT machines. Those were 8-tracks and digital and almost the same name. Is that what you used? They were quite popular around 10-15 years ago.
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aaronk
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Yes, I'll bet that's what it was, Gordon. I just remember it was a digital tape that could handle 8 tracks.
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Bill Cahill
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As far as the length on my 3:47 Baker Street, both sides, mono and stereo, make it to "not quite 3:51". But I didn't check with headphones.
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TimNeely
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aaronk wrote:
Although the database nicely summarizes the running times for the various versions of "Baker Street," I'm wondering if anyone can help identify which versions are on each 45. What I'm gathering from the database and info from Jim is:
1) stock copies are all the 4:08 version (medium speed)
2) some promo copies exist with the mono/stereo of the 4:08 version (medium speed)
So, are there two other promos or just one? Pat notes that some dj copies have 3:47 (fastest speed) and 5:56 (slowest speed) versions. Aside from the speed, does the 3:47 version just have one edit on the intro when compared to the 4:08 version? |
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A few U.S. stock copies contain the 5:56 version on them. I know this because I own one. It is labeled as the 4:08 version, however.
Edited by TimNeely on 14 November 2012 at 2:31am
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KentT
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A note, the US issues are sped up. The UK appearances on either 45 or LP are correct speed. A note, heads on open reel machines are not on an angle. The reason why splices are done diagonally is to reduce pops on playback and reduce dropouts.
Edited by KentT on 25 December 2012 at 11:56am
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Steve Carras
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THEN there's issue of Stealer's Wheel's two different versions (LP and 45 of 1973's "Everyone's Agreed..Turn..Fine".
Edited by Steve Carras on 28 March 2016 at 8:33pm
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Ron S
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A question....How much faster is the dj 45 edit than the 45 version of 4:08?
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sriv94
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Maybe about 1%. The promo version has an additional edit in the intro compared to the stock single, which accounts for most if not
all of the time difference.
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Ron S
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sriv94 wrote:
Maybe about 1%. The promo version has an additional edit
in the intro compared to the stock single, which accounts for most if not
all of the time difference. |
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Thanks.....not much of difference....I made it 2% faster but still not much a
difference. I always remember the song being faster than the version I have
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eriejwg
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I know the 45 version of Right Down the Line is faster
than the LP. The 45 of Baker Street is faster than the
long LP version but I don't know how much.
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KentT
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EdisonLite wrote:
<I remember we used to have a DAT(?)
multi-track recorder. >
Aaron, I've never seen or heard of a multi-track DAT
recorder (only 2 tracks for DAT), but I wonder if you're
referring to A-DAT machines. Those were 8-tracks and
digital and almost the same name. Is that what you used?
They were quite popular around 10-15 years ago. |
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Yes, I suspect he had Alesis ADAT machines. They used
SVHS transports for storing the digital data, and could
be daisy chained with a controller for more tracks if
desired. These were common in demo studios, some
broadcast production, and even professional recording
studios sometimes used them. Yes, dealt with my fair
share of splices on analog tape, and aligning and
maintaining tape machines in broadcast facilities as one
of the engineers.
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sriv94
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eriejwg wrote:
I know the 45 version of Right Down the Line is faster
than the LP. The 45 of Baker Street is faster than the
long LP version but I don't know how much. |
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And I mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. The third single was "Home And Dry," which ran slower in its 45 edit than in its LP version.
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KentT
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| Posted: 27 January 2019 at 9:27pm | IP Logged
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Yes, slower on 45 than the USA LP. Side 1 of "City To
City" was sped up on USA United Artists LP discs. Long
side, and the side was long. On most European issues, UK
and Germany known. the deadwax on Side 1, was very close
to the label area. Enough that many automatic turntables
and record changers would have issues with the last song
on side 1. If I were dealing with this issue, speeding up
this side slightly was a decent way to deal with the
issue, and make those key tracks more airplay friendly.
Being "Baker Street", "Right Down The Line" and all else
could be OK.
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Top 40 Music on Compact Disc : Chat Board
Topic: Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
