Back to . . . Open-Reel?!

You say you've (re)discovered vinyl? Fuhgeddaboudit! The LP simply isn't old-fangled enough. To really go reelin' in the years, it seems, you must go all the way back to open-reel tape!

The Tape Project, a label for reissuing recordings on reel-to-reel, has apparently been around for much of 2007, but I only just discovered it now — via, ironically enough, surroundablog.com.

The label's "two requirements: (1) that the master exist on analog, and (2) that the music be great."

All I can think of saying right now is to paraphrase Monty Python for what must be the Tape Project motto: We are the geeks who say, "Niche!"

But I realize that there are many geeks — er, dedicated sound enthusiasts — out there in S&V Land (hey, Stereo Review used to review open-reel tapes!), so by all means, check out the fascinating site at tapeproject.com. —Ken Richardson

Comments

[afewtips.com]

This is so good - I have many Horowitz reels and have always loved the higher freqs of the tape. The players can still be expensive but the tapes (a few years ago) were cheap. You could get classic albums on tape for less than $10.

afewtips.com

Tips

[Tim McDonnell]

With $4500 decks, WTF are they talking to? I'd sooner consider a $4500 tube SACD player and that's a non-starter. Sorry if anyone's cornflakes were just made less appetizing, but there it is.

I can applaud anyone trying to preserve something of our past. But when it's too expensive to maintain and insure steam engines, they stop running them. It's been a diesel engine world for the past 60 years. By similarity, it's been a digital (both damned/divine) for 25 years and it's only going to get worse/better. We all deal with it.

The roster of music they listed may be somebody else's favorites, but on the surface there is nothing that warrants the prices being asked.

Defender's may say this is just what it takes to provide the gear and the tape catalog to some number of people. See the train anolgy above, this business model appears doomed from inception.

And now back to full-time lobbying for surround music in high resolution.

[Tim McDonnell]

Addendum; it should be noted that I do own two Pioneer 10.5 reel decks and a non-functional Fostex multitrack reel deck. It is my fondest wish to archive all the music I am reliant on these machines to play; I'm nearly done. Then you'll see most of all of them on eBay...