running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

Here's a question for the old schoolers.

Is there anybody who outputs pro tools tracks to reel to reel tape in order to get that analog sound? is this a reasonable thing to do or will it lead to head aches. I've always wanted to do this, especially to mess with flange, and doubling the same vocal performance with multiple tape layer to get a similar effect to john lennon doubled tape vocals. what are the chances of finding a decent reel to reel player? and finding tape stock nowadays? can the stock be reused? how much?

i'm not going to thank in advance to show that i'm serious about coming back and hearing about this!

Re: running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

I've never done it, but there's no reason you can't...just assign the tracks you want to send to the r 2 r to a specific pair of outputs that you'll set up to feed the reel input, patch the outputs into two other inputs, and record the reel output to a new pair of Pro Tools tracks.
And funny you should ask, I have two Fostex E2 1/4" machines and an Otari 5050 taking up space that I'd love to unload......

Re: running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

hmmm... i'm guessing shipping from colorado to LA is out of my price range

Re: running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

Could you describe this "analog sound" you're after?

Seriously I have an old TEAC 3340 that I sometimes use for tracking drums if I know I want that type of sound, but as far as running stuff back out to the deck I dunno. There are some pretty good plugs around these days for adding saturated tape type distortion.

Lots of people still track to tape, but it's not a panacea. It's not cheap either by the time you stock up on fresh tape, and find a deck in good shape. Lots of decks around with worn-out heads, and failing caps.

Re: running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

One of them I bought from New York and had shipped out, was only about $125 to ship 'cause it's so danged HEAVY! (75 pounds), but it's not out of the question.

Re: running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

i know you can get some decent tape saturation with plug ins (which ones do you reccomend)... but part of what i'm asking is whether or not doing this would be worth it... the plug ins i use seem to be just compression with some drive, i don't really get that hiss or anything like that

i also think that it would have more value over flanging, or doubling vocals that are run on tape. cause when i do it digitally is too calculated and sounds really not okay

Re: running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

Pretty much all you're going to get by hitting tape hard is brickwall compression, distortion, and a bit of hiss. It does tend to add a certain "glue" to drum tracks though. If you know that's what you want it makes for less tweaking down the road.

I'm liking Massey Tape Head for adding that type of effect to stuff that's tracked into the box. It works pretty well as long as you don't get too carried away with it.

I have several analog delays that I use for the flange/chorus type of thing if I know for sure that's what I want in the final mix. If not band-limiting the effects, and adding a bit of limiting/distortion can work wonders. It's more in how you use the plugs than the actual plugs themselves.

Re: running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

how do you do band limiting... could you explain it a little bit. i think i get it from the name, but if you can fill me in on the details that would help

Re: running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

Band-limiting is simply reducing the frequency response. Most analog delays don't go much above 1K or so with longer delay times. Tape-based delays like Echoplex or Space Echo also tend to roll-off the highs though not as much as the chip-based effects. You may find it useful to also run a high-pass and/or a scoop in the low-mids to avoid mud.

All this would be on the effect only so you'd need to run a dry/wet setup so you don't mangle the original source too much.

You can also mimic the response of tape by high-passing around 50hz, adding a little boost around 100hz or so, and low-passing around 15K.

Re: running pro tools tracks through a reel to reel
 

To truly do what you want to do you need to have a better machine than a TEAC consumer deck. You need the ability to switch heads you are listening to etc....

Look at OTARI, MCI, STUDER, SONY, ETc...


Mike