1 definition by Tony in pa
Something that is used to store music. Used to be real popular. Actually they sound better than cd because they don't start to distort at 15khz like 44.1khz a second cd's do! Cds also cut the high frequencies right off at 22.5khz while analog tape flexes instead of just cutting off. We can only hear up to about 19khz but we can feel the high frequencies like you can with bass. This is what gives it the feeling, character and experience. You need a good deck and tape though! Cds use the physcoacoustic technique which is when the sound is missing chunks because of the 16 bit rate and your brain fills in the missing info. Tapes don't do this! They are linear. The signal mixing with the tape creates complex harmonics and transients which sound even warmer. Ya, they have hiss, but only in quite areas and you can overcome that by recording "hot" and using a good dolby deck. I think the hiss actually adds more charcter and warmth, like a more airy feeling. Plus you can record tapes hot(past 0db) to get a louder and more powerfull signal, digital just clips and disorts right after 0db. Vinyl is even better. Go get a good vinyl record(like and origianl pink floyd) on a good turn table and compare it to a cd or mp3(compressed cd). A ton of music is still recorded on the best real to real mulitrackers and then mixed down to cds for the average consumer. At least use dvd audio at 96khz, that's much better than cd. Tapes are awesome!
by Tony in pa February 21, 2007