![]() ![]() With magnetic tape you don’t have any of this, and so you can use low frequency sounds in stereo, just as a cautious use of certain counterphases allows you to increase the sound field, without limits, so that you can simply make more interesting and emotional mixes. Let me explain: if an album is released on vinyl, the engineer doing the mixing has to comply with a number of rules the low frequencies must be in mono below a certain number of hz, there can be no counterphases, and there are also limitations on the quantity of high frequencies. Magnetic tape doesn’t have the artefacts of vinyl, but the really important thing, which only mixing engineers are aware of, is that there are no limits on mixing when you use tape. What makes these master tapes the “purest analogue source” there is? There are many benefits to be had from an original master tape (rather than copies):ġ) There are no artefacts created by copying (added noise or greater wow and flutter)Ģ) The recorded tapes are not in stock and don’t sit on a shelf for months or years waiting to be sold: they are made when the order is placed, and sent the same day.ģ) By mixing down the album whenever an order is placed, we can customize the emulsion of the tape, the format, the speed and equalisation curve, for complete compatibility with any tape machine. ![]() We can do it because our recording studio is part of Analogy Records, and because the original master tape is the purest analogue source there is, it is the original medium used to print vinyl, for example. Given that the format is so central to the label, could you tell us why you release the recordings as original master tapes? How does this benefit the listener’s experience of the music? When all the printed material is ready, the album is finally ready for sale. In the meantime, we collect biographical information, take photos and everything else we need to produce the graphics for the booklet, for press releases and other printed stuff our premium customers get with the tape.Īfter recording we go on to the mixing stage, which is automated and stored in the multitrack system in the recording studio, and then the album is ready to be recorded on magnetic tape. When the artist comes into the studio, he or she has plenty of time to record the songs, which is very important so that they don’t feel under pressure to meet a deadline, and everybody can work in a serene, creative atmosphere – something that is pretty rare these days. It’s a long process that begins with scouting of the artist, with whom we discuss the project, the deal and the timing of the recording sessions. ![]() Could you tell us about what goes on in the run up to a releae? The process of releasing a record must be more elaborate than with any standard releases. Ours is a label for audiophiles, with our completely customizable Premium Line, but we also have a Basic Line version of albums for people who appreciate music on tape but don’t have a high-end stereo system. What really makes us stand out from the other labels that work with magnetic tape is that we produce “studio original master tape”, not copies of an existing master. We are looking for interesting, communicative artists to produce their albums in the studio. Our preference is for all genres of acoustic music, from jazz to world music, classical music, folk and acoustic pop. The format certainly seems to define the label’s output but could you explain what underpins the concept of Analogy Records?Īnalogy Records is an old-fashioned, artisanal record label. And so I felt the need to offer my productions to a more critical, demanding audience, to the audiophiles, using the best analogue medium there is: magnetic tape. Unfortunately, in recent years I have begun to see a growing gap between the quality of my recordings (and my investment in equipment and specialized skills) and the way people listen to music: people are getting used to “hearing” music rather than “listening” to it. I’m an sound engineer, a musician and a producer I have my own recording studio, and I’ve always tried to offer the best possible quality to the artists who rely on my know-how and my facilities. Releasing exclusively on original master tape, we spoke to director Roberto Vigo about why tape is the “purest analogue source” out there.įirst things first, can you tell us how Analogy records came about? While the rest of the world is going digital, Italian label Analogy Records is heading in the other direction. ![]()
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