R/E/P Community

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Pages: [1] 2  All   Go Down

Author Topic: transfering from tape to pt  (Read 9314 times)

Colin Larson

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 50
transfering from tape to pt
« on: July 08, 2010, 10:52:44 PM »

Just finished up tracking all our basics to tape, and it's time to dump it all to digital.  Is this as straightforward and obvious as I think it's going to be?  Any tricks or things to watch out for?  I'd love to do 88.2k or 96k, but I don't think it's going to be an option.  That being said, since it's going to end up as 44.1k anyways, is it best to just dump straight to that, or is there a benefit for dumping to 48k and then converting to 44.1k later?

it's a rock song, chain would be studer a820 (GP9 @ 15ips) -> apogee AD

*** Please, no analog vs. digital debates in this thread (unless it's actually relevant).  There's a reason I'm posting this here and not in whatever works...  Twisted Evil /endrant
Logged

rankus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5560
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2010, 01:26:52 AM »

Colin Larson wrote on Thu, 08 July 2010 19:52

There's a reason I'm posting this here and not in whatever works...  Twisted Evil /endrant


HUGE belly laugh over here!

May as well stay at 44.1 me thinks


Logged
Rick Welin - Clark Drive Studios http://www.myspace.com/clarkdrivestudios

Ive done stuff I'm not proud of.. and the stuff I am proud of is disgusting ~ Moe Sizlack

"There is no crisis in energy, the crisis is in imagination" ~ Buckminster Fuller

compasspnt

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 16266
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2010, 08:30:32 AM »

Just be sure to be @ 24.

Watch your levels; some things (bass springs to mind) may read much hotter on "digi meters" than they did on "analogue VUs."
Logged

0dbfs

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 405
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2010, 12:29:42 PM »

I would do my best to xfer all the tracks in one pass and don't spread multi-mic'd sources across multiple AD16x's... ie; Drums and stereo pairs should be xfer'd with the same AD16x instead of breaking them out to a second.

Best,
j
Logged
Jonathan Burtner
Music is Everything!
Audio is Everything Else!

Fibes

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4306
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2010, 07:22:24 PM »

0dbfs wrote on Fri, 09 July 2010 12:29

I would do my best to xfer all the tracks in one pass and don't spread multi-mic'd sources across multiple AD16x's... ie; Drums and stereo pairs should be xfer'd with the same AD16x instead of breaking them out to a second.

Best,
j


Seconded but more importantly what Terry said.


I'm a 44/24 guy unless it's classical or Decca Tree ensemble.
Logged
Fibes
-------------------------------------------------
"You can like it, or not like it."
The Studio

  http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist ?id=155759887
http://cdbaby.com/cd/superhorse
http://cdbaby.com/cd/superhorse2

Hallams

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1067
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2010, 06:00:04 AM »

.....whatever works.
Logged
Chris Hallam.
Melbourne, Australia.
 

Seb Riou

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 284
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2010, 11:43:00 AM »

With increasing internet bandwidth ,I'm afraid (I hope) CD's and redbook format in general will be soon part of the past. SACD didn't catch but BLURAY or another will prevail one day or another, allowing (at last) 24 bit and higher sample rate music files.
So I wouldn' make the economy of 4 KHZ, and run 48KHZ (at least).
You never know, the music you record today could make it to the next decade (who knows ?)
Logged

Scott Featherstone

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 61
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2010, 02:16:29 PM »

Since 88.2 and 96 are not an option...

Wouldn't it be best to dump into PT at 24 bit/48 k for the mixes, and leave the final jump to 16/44.1 for the Mastering Engineer ?

If I'm incorrect on this...Let the flames begin   Smile
Logged
I Like Kevin Bacon, But I Hate Footloose.

Thank You.

Scott

Rob Darling

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 294
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2010, 08:02:53 AM »

Use an optical connection between the computer and the convertor so that the convertor and your tape machine aren't polluted by being directly connected to the electromechanical horrorshow that is the computer.

Make sure the AD convertor is the clock master so that it is running under its own clock.

Logged
____________________
rob darling
rob@robdarling.net
www.robdarling.net

Colin Larson

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 50
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2010, 02:57:52 PM »

cool, thanks for all the advice!  I'll probably get to it later this week, I'll let ya know how it goes.
Logged

j.hall

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3787
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2010, 11:13:11 PM »

i did this (well something similar) last november on a record i cut.  i did the drums to PT (24 bit 88.2), comped, beat detected, placed all the samples i wanted.  i brought in a tape machine, aligned it and did the following.

1.  printed time code to track 24 at -10 analog VU
2.  locked the tape deck to pro tools.
3.  did a few tests to double check levels and how PT was locking to code.
4.  printed drums (locked to code) to tape.
5.  new playlist in PT created.
6.  print drums back from tape deck to PT.
7.  zoom all the way in, switch playlists double check hardware delays and make sure new "analog" drums are lined up properly.
8.  erase tape
9.  bring up new song and start all over.

i think i did 14 songs.  the drums sounded AWESOME.

analog certainly sounds great when done right, it's just such a pain (considering current production styles) to work with on an entire album project, IMO.

i didn't worry one bit about splitting converters or anything like that and i didn't have a single problem.

hope this helps.
Logged

jetbase

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2454
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2010, 11:25:34 PM »

What is the advantage of locking tape to PT over recording to tape & recording back into PT from the repro head in the same pass?
Logged
sleep is not an option

jwhynot: "There's a difference between thinking or acting dogmatically and drawing from experience."


Glenn Santry
http://www.myspace.com/glennsantry

j.hall

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3787
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2010, 11:51:34 PM »

keeping your time line the exact same.
Logged

Rob Darling

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 294
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #13 on: July 12, 2010, 12:28:14 AM »

if you are locking to time code, make sure PT is the master and the tape machine is chasing so that the clock is not slewing and you don't have to run under any pll.
Logged
____________________
rob darling
rob@robdarling.net
www.robdarling.net

Colin Larson

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 50
Re: transfering from tape to pt
« Reply #14 on: July 14, 2010, 02:36:06 PM »

Success!  There is a difference, I noticed some of my stereo image width going byebye, and the high-mids aren't quite as "soft" as on the 2-inch, but that's all well documented digital vs. analog stuff.  It still sounds great to me.  At the end of the day, it's the song that counts and not audiophile paranoia, and I need over 24 tracks to get this thing done in the production style we want.

J, I was thinking if you needed some tracks for a new IMP, I'd be happy to lend this one.  Just drop me a PM. (although we're not quite done with tracking yet, bout 80% of the way there)
Logged
Pages: [1] 2  All   Go Up
 

Site Hosted By Ashdown Technologies, Inc.

Page created in 0.037 seconds with 18 queries.