Long live the tape!
Despite digitisation, reel to reel tape recorders come into professional use even today, in music studios, during recordings or when composing music. But also in the private domain, tape supporters advocate the use of reel to reel tapes- rightly so, for hardly any other recording technique compares to the quality, the sound and the particular audio studio charm. Especially in times when digital audio formats continue to get more compressed. Contrary to this trend, the audio specialist Revox still focuses on highest sound precision and now offers an online shop with selected tapes in studio master audio quality. Thus audio enthusiasts experience their music in a way that only sound engineers or the artists themselves have heard before – with 1:1 copies of analogue master tapes. The scope varies from Jazz to Bigband records and Blues to classical music. The tapes are available on www.musicstore.revox.com.
Pleasure like in the recording studio
The copies are generated without any transformation into other audio formats by means of 15 completely refurbished Studer A80 machines. The playback and recording levels are controlled by RTW gauges, the copy is created using a Pure Analogue process directly from a master tape of the first generation and therefore in the highest possible quality. Before every recording, the audio heads are demagnetised and all tape-guiding elements are cleaned. After every tenth recording the machines are calibrated by means of monitoring devices and corrected if required.
A77 – A Milestone in audio history
Before digitisation, tapes were the storage medium for sound engineers. Thanks to the tape’s width and the high throughput speed a precise recording is possible even with high frequencies. Studer Revox’s experience in constructing audio heads date back to 1949 when Willi Studer developed with Dynavox the first amateur reel to reel machine. The audio head is the heart of the tape recorder. Extreme engineering precision and technical know-how are the basics for the production of a high-class magnetic head. The tape recorder Revox A77 became a milestone in audio history.
From Beatles to U2
Many recording studios used Studer Revox equipment, including the famous Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded their legendary LP “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in 1967 on a Studer J37. . 28 years later, in 1995, the master tapes of the Beatles LP and CD “Anthology” were also recorded on the J37. Many other great artists and orchestras have also recorderd their music using Studer Revox devices, for instance Abba, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Elton John, Madonna, Freddie Mercury, The Rolling Stones, Sting and U2. Classical music was recorded with the Berlin and Viennese Philharmonic, with Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras and Anne-Sophie Mutter.
No tape recorder at home?
For all those music enthusiasts not yet possessing their own reel to reel tape machine, Revox offers completely refurbished devices with a 12-month warranty. Even devices from the 1950s are serviced and overhauled in the in-house service facility in Villingen-Schwenningen/Germany. For those who want to enjoy their tape recordings in best quality in several rooms, the new Multiuser System Voxnet offers great opportunities: Simply load the tape, push Play and the music follows you from room to room.
Revox tape recorders B77 + A77:
Revox has been developing audio systems for more than 60 years.It all started with Dr. Willi Studer producing tape recorders. The Revox B77 and Revox A77 reel to reel machines are milestones in audio history.