Echo back to basics podcast.

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Echo back to basics podcast.

Post by MOF »

I don’t think Paul White’s description of ADT is correct, he gives a short slapback delay as an example.
ADT can’t be done how he describes it because the record and playback heads can’t be close enough to each other.
ADT is achieved by feeding the synch head to another tape recorder that has an identical distance between the heads. Varispeed is used to thicken this sound as it’s mixed back with the original signal.
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Re: Echo back to basics podcast.

Post by The Elf »

Well, Paul's decription is what *we* called ADT back when I were a lad!
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Re: Echo back to basics podcast.

Post by Hugh Robjohns »

MOF wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 7:48 pmADT can’t be done how he describes it because the record and playback heads can’t be close enough to each other.

Depends on the tape speed, surely?

ADT is achieved by feeding the synch head to another tape recorder that has an identical distance between the heads. Varispeed is used to thicken this sound as it’s mixed back with the original signal.

That approach would give a very short delay indeed, and I would think it more akin to chorusing than the 'ADT' I grew up with.

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Re: Echo back to basics podcast.

Post by Folderol »

Hmmm.
Has anyone seen a tape running at 30 IPS? I thought 15 was pretty scary :lol:
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Re: Echo back to basics podcast.

Post by MOF »

https://www.waves.com/behind-abbey-road-adt-effect

If the delayed signal is exactly the same and then slowly varispeeded then it will be tape phasing, but a delay less than the slapback that Paul used will give the double track effect.
Typical head spacing at 30ips is still in slapback territory.
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Re: Echo back to basics podcast.

Post by James Perrett »

In the first proper studio recording that I did (at Airship Studio in Bognor) they had a Revox running at 15ips doing ADT. I did a varispeed modification to my Philips N4515 which allowed it to run faster than it was designed for to achieve the same thing.
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Re: Echo back to basics podcast.

Post by James Perrett »

Folderol wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:54 pm Has anyone seen a tape running at 30 IPS? I thought 15 was pretty scary :lol:

I use 30ips fairly regularly here - it isn't so scary once you get used to it. The scariest tape related thing I find is rewinding 14" reels of 2" tape - the empty reel ends up running extremely fast at the end of the tape.
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