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Oops, Quantegy is no more...
| Message Board > General Chitchat > Oops, Quantegy is no more... |
| _Griphin_ User Info... | Quantegy, the last manufacturer of professional reel-to-reel analog audio tape in the world has closed their plant in Opelika, AL leaving a reported 250 workers without jobs, according to the Opelika-Auburn News. Emtec (the former BASF, which used to be AGFA) was the last European manufacturer and ceased manufacuring in 2002. So any studio's that used reel-to-reel tape, like Rats Nest, will probably be hunting down reel's of tape in about a year. OUCH! - Wed, 5 Jan 2005 6:14pm | ||
| Wig User Info... | far as i know most pro studios still use 2" tape. at least for the drums and bass it gives them a thicker sound. but i guess things have really changed in the last couple years. - Thu, 6 Jan 2005 12:13pm | ||
| lonemonk User Info... | Analog tape in general was becoming insanely expensive over the last few years. I consider piss-ass cassette prices to be fucking absurd. I used to buy Quantegy (or Emtec, 3m) 1/4" wide(7" or 10" reels) and it was costing $35.00 each two years ago. Considering the runtime is only about 30 minutes, you have to be stupid or rich. Analog is hip-as-hell, and like other vinyl enthusiasts I have my own opinions on quality comparisons between Analog and Digital, but I personally have reached the stage where no Analog recording method can possibly keep up in either price or consistency. (Not to mention ease of use, speed and larger capacity in digital realm) Studios have often been in the position of having to record over their master reels, but now it will be mandatory as the media becomes scarce. With Quantegy and the others ceasing to manufacture the stuff, this is living proof that *most* studios with any purchasing power have stopped using so much tape and gone digital instead. Its a bit sad; I'll be keeping all my reels for posterity now. I have a rant prepared on the relative qualities of analog vs digital (from a long-term archival perspective), but I will force that on y'all some other time... - Fri, 7 Jan 2005 4:23pm | ||
| Zippgunn User Info... | Good riddance. The last time I worked in analog (at a trendy Vancouver studio) it cost $300 in (used) tape and the set up time was 45 minutes (on our dime!). It was a Studer 16/24 track machine, one of the best analog tape decks ever, yet punch ins were incredibly hard to do and ran at about 50 ms or better! For the analog fetishists I would suggest that, rather than waste your time using thrice run used tape to get "that analog sound" that you invest in some quality compression and join the 21st century. The only way analog can be a viable alternative is with virgin tape; otherwise the high end starts to dissappear (we noticed an audible difference between virgin tape and tape that had been run over the heads 3 times max!!). Expect vigin tape to quadruple in price overnight. And expect the usual suspects (metal heads, jazz snobs etc.) to pay up nonetheless. Hey, it's your funeral. - Sat, 8 Jan 2005 3:06pm | ||
| lonemonk User Info... | Scott, maybe you and I should invest in a magnetic tape plant and sock it to the jazz snobs. Its now a nostalgia product, and we all know what that means. Similarly, I read of a company which does nothing but fix, manufacture and sell punchcard machines, punchcard paper and readers. The US census department alone has almost a hundred years of data on that format, not to mention the big beheamouths like GM. (Ahh, They prolly scan them now and read them electronically) - Sun, 9 Jan 2005 12:50am | ||
| _Griphin_ User Info... | I think the thing that sucks with Quantegy going belly up is the fact that stuff sounds better on reel to reel tape, least it did when I was hanging with The Remanez, cause Garry recorded everything that way (with the exception of Jake on Guitar, they recorded him differently). Perhaps it's just me, I dunno. But yes, fresh tape does sound better then used tape, have to agree with Zippgunn on that one. - Mon, 10 Jan 2005 10:31am | ||
| lonemonk User Info... | The preference of Analog recording is a personal predudice and a matter of nostalgia. What humans like about analog (as zipp mentioned) is a nice compression which takes place. It is actually a weakness of the technology that we enjoy so much, which is a sure sign of irrational human behaviour. The 'warmth' of analog is a psychological condition rather than a scientific one. I prefer Vinyl as a listening medium, and generally have a soft spot for good 'ol timey recording techniques but actually its a pretty foolish and unproductive attitude to have in the real world. There is no reason why current digital machines (of good quality of course) cannot sound better, and they do not suffer from the severe physical/magnetic degradation that scott mentioned. A modern machine costing a fraction of what a high-end analog machine would can now produce much more accurate recordings, and nothing is to stop one from using equipment which will impart the compression that we enjoy so much. The younger generation will not have such a hangup. My step-daughter already thinks I'm neurotic about such things as it is. - Mon, 10 Jan 2005 11:34am | ||
| osama User Info... | Its really odd that people are misled by the merrits of analog tape. Just listen to all the shitty demo's that come off that 2 inch at electric mountain. I can't believe all the hype that zander (by the way thats short for Alexander) can stir up. Go digital or go home. The recordings of the past didnt sound good because they were analog, its cause they were real bands playing in the same room together and knew how to play. on another rant, whats with all this bootique shit everybody wants these days, ts-808 mods are gay ! Even stevie gave up on those pedals, he used a ts10 in his last rig before he died. The reason he sounded good was cause HE COULD PLAY GUITAR ! the reason hendrix sounded good, HE COULD PLAY GUITAR, the reason why the new metallica album sounds like shit is not cause its digital, its cause they FORGOT HOW TO PLAY GUITAR ! - Wed, 12 Jan 2005 1:10am | ||
| Wig User Info... | i'm quite glad that digital is the way to go. the only time i was in a studio we paid $250 per 2" tape for 17 minutes on each one three tapes $750 money better spent on duplication. when i recorded at Zero gravity three years ago it was the only option given, they had no digital gear at the time. i know now they have the protools system now. - Wed, 12 Jan 2005 2:24pm | ||
| KnifeGhost User Info... | If you're going to waste money on analog gear, get analog compression, and run it into a digital unit..... Better than wasting it on tape..... - Wed, 12 Jan 2005 11:22pm | ||
| XY-SATAN User Info... | If you're interested here's a board talking about it , http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/mv/msg/3248/0/0/0 - Thu, 13 Jan 2005 3:19am | ||
| Zippgunn User Info... | KnifeGhost is right; I use digital solely to store the audio information, then I put it through an analog mixing board and process it with analog effects (such as compressors). Nothing really against digital mixers, it's just that you can't plug your favorite stomp box into a lot of them (and, admittedly, i haven't figured them out well enough to work as fast as I do with good old fashioned analog boards; give me knobs over menus any day). Good A/D and D/A converters are essential as well. - Thu, 13 Jan 2005 11:45am | ||
| Zander User Info... | Blah....blah.....blah...... I don't charge my clients at Electric Mountain for the use of 2 inch tape. Some bands on larger budgets may choose to buy it, most are happy with a 24 bit digital master. Sounds like Zippygun got pretty fucking ripped off back in the day paying $300 for used tape. Where was that?? Its no wonder you sound a little bitter about recording analog... I personally prefer to utilize the strengths of each format. I will track to 2 inch analog for the warmth and great sound, and edit and master digital for the control, flexibility and ease of use. Cheers............. - Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:13am | ||
| Gman User Info... | Lonemonk: "It is actually a weakness of the technology that we enjoy so much, which is a sure sign of irrational human behaviour. The 'warmth' of analog is a psychological condition rather than a scientific one." We're talking about recording *music* here, right? As far as I know, appreciating music has very little to do with rationality, eh? - Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:26am | ||
| Zippgunn User Info... | I guess I should have added that we paid $300 for FIVE REELS of (barely) used Quantegy 2". And the wording Alexander uses is interesting; it is indeed true that he does not charge for "the use" of 2" tape... but it also means that the tape gets erased tout suite. And even analog snobs sneer at tape that's been used more than once. Archiving analog tape can be real expensive; I'm willing to bet EM doesn't keep its multi-track masters. Me, I have all my multi-track masters going back to about 1985; literally hundreds of tapes, and, yes, they get pulled out for things like re-mixes (loooonng after the fact) and tidying up unfinished business (like the 10 year old Ninth Hour third album which finally got mixed this past year). Working on a DAW compared to working in analog is like doing your taxes on a new laptop as opposed to using an abacus; the editing and punching features of the DAW are like black magic to this old veteran of window edits and failed punch-ins. 2 hours of archiving costs me (and therefore my clients) $20. The analog equivalent would be something like $1200 on virgin tape. Just about nobody works in analog for a whole project now; at best they track the drums or whatever and then immediately dump it all to a DAW of some ilk. Analog is less a recording format nowadays as it is a processing stage, used to get that "fat" tape compression and distortion that is so beloved by fans of heavy music (mostly). There are so many tricks and secrets involved in getting an optimum analog recording that it starts to resemble a black art, a prospect that pleases many recording engineers who like to dazzle their clients with technology and science. Hey, Zander, what track do you put the kick drum on? - Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:33am | ||
| osama User Info... | I heard that the best way to get a good quality recording is to record in a room with a five foot ceiling, then mix it at volumes over 100db. Then dump it down to used 2 inch. - Sun, 16 Jan 2005 2:11pm | ||
| Zander User Info... | I personally do not have the time or interest for silly online debates, especially with people hiding behind names like Osama. However, I would invite anyone with questions, or looking to record, to come out to my studio, meet me in person, and have a listen to what I have been working on. The recordings speak for themselves. If anyone is interested there are some new audio samples to check out from Explosive Rage Disorders new album on my website http://www.electricmountain.com under 'media'.... Cheers. - Sun, 16 Jan 2005 5:00pm | ||
| osama User Info... | I really enjoy recording vocal tracks in a small room. Its really good for the diaphragm when you have to hunch over to sing. It cuts off that oxygen that gets in the way of a good vocal performance. - Sun, 16 Jan 2005 10:39pm | ||
| the pine tree savage User Info... | I do not understand. Usually to get maximum diaphragm control, and vocal performance, you should stand up straight, like breathing, being hunched over, causes your diaphragm to be restricted, I think you should research this a lot more..........Osama - Mon, 17 Jan 2005 9:46am | ||
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