News

Analogue Productions Ultra Tape is a new reel-to-reel reissue program that includes some highly sought after titles at 15IPS, 1/4 inch half-track.

The first two will be Janis Ian's Breaking Silence and Ben Webster's Gentle Ben. Future titles include the Vox/Turnabout Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, the "Living Stereo" Reiner/CSO Scheherazade, Pines of Rome/Fountains of Rome, Lt. Kije/Song of the Nightingale and many other RCA classics as well as many highly acclaimed Wilson Audio recordings.

The production is fascinating. Where Analogue Productions can get the master tapes, they will be brought to Chad Kassem's Salina, Kansas Blue Heaven Studios where Gus Skinas will be in charge of making the sale copies using the studios' ATR-modified Ampex Tape Machine with flux magnetic heads.

In the case of the RCA titles, which are 3 track originals, Sterling Sound's Ryan K. Smith will produce two track mix downs that will be sent to Blue Heaven and those tapes will be used to produce the final for sale tapes. In other words, in the case of the famed RCA titles, you will be able to buy "one off the master tape" versions.

The price will be steep: $450 each, but for many, the chance to own "one off the master" copies of some of the most revered recordings and performances of the "golden age" of recording, is not too much to ask. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if some audiophiles buy a few without having a deck on which to play them.

Now that Concord Music and Sony Music—both owners of major "golden age" catalogs—have literally opened the vaults to tape copies, how much longer before the other labels fall in line?

At that point, only money will prevent legal ownership of tape copies that many already own illegally you can be sure.

Can The Beatles on tape soon be coming? Don't hold your breath on that one! The machine in the picture at the top was in last spring's Munich Hi End show spooling an alleged "copy" of The Beatles (White Album). It didn't sound particularly good so I had the host put my USB stick in his DAC and play a vinyl transfer I'd made of a song off that album from an original UK pressing. Guess which sounded way better?

The point is, there are a lot of bogus "copies of master tapes" floating around. With this new program and The Tape Project you can at least be assured of getting the "reel" thing. The only issue as always is the condition of the master tapes. In the case of the many of the 3 track masters, they appear and sound to be in superb condition. I wonder if Chad can convince Sony to let Ryan mix to tape the 3 track of Kind of Blue that's not supposed to be in good enough shape to use. If it's not, what's the harm in trying? :-)