At LAAS 2017 Chad Kassem Talks Tape

At the Los Angeles Audio Show (June 2-4) Analogue Productions' Chad Kassem talks about the company's reel-to-reel tape program, the late Doug Sax's refurbished and restored The Mastering Lab mastering system that's now operational in Salina, Kansas and more.

COMMENTS
c1ferrari's picture

Alright ;-)

Ortofan's picture

... simultaneously, given that the master tape from which the retail copies are dubbed will deteriorate somewhat each time it is played back, how much difference in sound quality (particularly high frequency response) is there between tapes produced in the first batch as compared with those from the final batch?

Also, is there any risk of the tapes being damaged (as in being all or partially erased) during shipment to the end customer. I recall shipping via USPS, some years ago, a VHS tape.
Upon receipt, my relative found that the recording had been erased, evidently by whatever scanning devices the package containing the tape had passed through during shipment.

Incidentally, did TEAC show their rumored new reel-to-reel machine at Munich?

PeterPani's picture

Nearly 90% have been shipped from US to my place here in Vienna, Europe. And all tapes arrived in perfect condition. From analogue productions I got the Rickie Lee Jones already. I also have the 45rpm vinyl. But listening to her version of 'Smile' on reel is incredible. Never-the-less the vinyl is not bad, too. The 'Scheherazade' take is already on its way to my place, too.

thomoz's picture

It's obvious in any interview this man nearly tirelessly fights the good fight. Products conceptualized and executed the right way. And he is nearly tireless about it.

It's almost enough for me to drop everything and move to Kansas - show up on his doorstep and ask if my skill set would be of any use in this good fight.

michaelhigh's picture

When every note that was ever recorded through the annals of time has finally met its ultimate and inevitable demise, someone will re-sell the notion that music was nostalgic and meaningful, then someone will re-invent and implement YouTube in lossless format with no commercials, then someone will invent a new way to piss us off with some other temporary thing!

It's simply the way of the world!

theboogeydown's picture

surprised Chad didn't reach across the table after you asked him who that pop act was for the third time. New Yorker to the core! Really cool stuff from Chad, wish I could afford to play in that world.

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