Hello Mitch4T! I have many "pre-recorded" commercia tpes from 50-60 years ago, broadway shows, movie soundtracks, etc. They Stil have EXCELLENT sound. The years have added a noticable hiss from sitting inthe earth's magnetic field, however. I also have many tapes recorded from LP's and FM radio programs as well as live recordings of musical groups. The hiss can be easily removed by using a program like Wave Pad. First: record your music digitally. Then find about 5 - 8 seconds of space between songs that should be silent. It should be in the program material itself. That way, you can remove noise and hum in the original presentation Plus any noise and hiss in the original recording equipment. If it is just the blank tape sound, you can get rid of the hiss from the aging of the tape and any hum in the equipment. The trick is to record this "blank - supposedly silent" area and then make a copy and reduce the level by about 10- 20 percent and use that reduced level copy as the "noise sample" for the computer to remove. This way, you will avoid cutting the high frequencies in the actual music by any noticable amount. The results are remarkable. Happy listening!
The Sound Quality Of Commercially Pre-Recorded Reel-To-Reel Albums
I’ve owned reel-to-reel machines since 1976. I’ve only used them to make copies of my vinyl LP’s at 7 1/2 ips, and I’ve been quite pleased with the quality of those recordings. I have never once purchased a commercial reel to reel pre-recorded album.
I understand that commercially pre-recorded reel albums were mass produced and recorded at 3 3/4 ips and 7 1/2 ips. Were the pre-recorded tapes generally sonically superior to home recorded reel tapes made from LP’s?