How do you handle this?

[Foxbat]

You pull a tape from the shelf... look at the label, and - Oh, Horror! - there is no EQ ID on it!

Do you:

1. Put it quietly back on the shelf, hopefully no one noticed

2. Play it randomly... heck, they all sound about the same anyway...

3. Spend the next two hours playing it back and forth while switching EQ.

 

[dminches]

Probably a variation of 3.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

4. determine to jump on this question when you are in the mood to sort it out. a year ago i knew i had a few reels of classical where it had been so long since i had played them i had forgot the EQ. also these needed proper side labels. so this task was in my head as a thing to do, and i did get around it it and was glad i did it as these are now fresh and new to me again. the right EQ (NAB in these cases) was kinda obvious. but if you are in the wrong head space then better later.

 

[dcc]

All my 400+ tapes are IEC CCIR. Problem solved...

 

[Mike Lavigne]

All my 400+ tapes are IEC CCIR. Problem solved...

i'm 90-95% IEC, and choose IEC if given a choice, but some of my best tapes are NAB. and the music wins. i had an early source for some classical and jazz who kept the original EQ when he made dubs.

 

[dminches]

Same. I have some copies of CBC safety masters and those are all NAB.

 

[Foxbat]

In old classical tapes it is a mix, plenty of NAB. It is a shame some people did not bother to put it on their labels.

 

[stellavox]

Come on Foxbat/guys - If it's an older tape from the US, it's NAB - Europe IEC. All "new" tapes from the post 2010 "tape renaissance" are IEC. You undoubtedly (should) know where it came from and it's (approximate) age.

And there ISN'T that much difference in the curves - what, 3 or 4 db over the audio band. I can enjoy either/both without worrying about that - should I forget to flip the switch.....

And don't forget to reset the azimuth for each tape - and the individual EQ curves should you have a Palette. Ritual is EVERYTHING!

 

[Foxbat]

Ah, Charlie, but life ain't THAT easy! There are old tapes replicated either in the US or Canada, so all bets are off regarding the EQ used - since they were mostly meant for the US customers... I am guessing...

And then there are them tolerances. Yes, the curves are not that much different... but you also need to put the typical machine error on top of that, so that's easily another 2dB...

And you know how anal the audiophiles are. Since I am just a half-audiophile (OK, OK, maybe 33%...) I gently prefer playing at the correct curve.

 

[stellavox]

half what??