Analog tape recorders have their own peculiar noises and distortions. These days of course it is possible to make a record entirely without analog tape. But so much of the history of recording is entwined with the analog tape sound, it is extremely useful to have a feel for what it actually does sound like.

First, some tones. The tones start at a low level and get louder.

WARNING: Loud tones. You may want to turn your monitor level down.

The first thing that can be noticed on the lowest-level file is how unsteady the tone is. This is normal. In fact, this is quite a good recording in this respect. Many analog recorders are much less steady. Also you will be able to hear analog tape noise, and that the channels are subtly different causing shifts in the stereo image.

As the level gets higher, distortion creeps in progressively. There is no 'clipping point' as there is with digital systems. It is up to the engineer to decide how much distortion is too much.

Some engineers like the analog tape sound, particularly on drums. Here is a recording of drums made entirely digitally...

And here is the same file copied to analog tape at a moderate recording level...

To an experienced engineer the differences are immediately noticeable. The sound is fuller and stronger. The peaks have been 'squashed' rather than clipped, which is a much more pleasant experience for the listener.

Just to get a real feeling for this however, it is worthwhile listening to an example that goes just a little over the top. In this example you will hear some unpleasant sounds mixed in with the nice ones, but the characteristics of tape should be very evident and imprinted in your mind...

Download the audio files for this tutorial...