German inventors created the first reel-to-reel tape recorder in the 1920s, and it wasn’t until the 1950s that it began to catch on in the United States. Use of reel-to-reel remained high throughout the country until audio cassettes displaced them. While audio reels had much better sound quality, audio cassette players were less expensive, smaller, and portable. As a result, several makers of reel-to-reel tapes stopped production by the 1980s.
Up until the 1980s, affordable reel-to-reel tape recorders were frequently used to record voice in the house and professional recording studios, as well as to pre-record popular and classical music.
However, compact cassettes and emerging digital audio techniques eventually replaced them. Old reel-to-reel tapes were either donated to thrift stores or relegated to the audiophile’s dustbin or hidden corners of basements.
Perhaps you acquired reel-to-reel audio tapes from a relative or bumped into a treasure trove of them at an estate sale. Either way, you probably have vivid recollections of the large and intriguing equipment that played them as a child. Similar to how vinyl has had a comeback, reel-to-reel tapes and players have today become treasured items for audiophiles. You can still find old tape decks, which are now available in a new customer range. For everyone else, reel-to-reel tapes are a fascinating, antiquated, and unusable form of storage that is accumulating dust yet contains hidden musical or sentimental gems.
Reel-To-Reel Tapes: A Brief History
It’s crucial to understand the history and development of any outdated audio formats you own. This historical flashback centers on the evolution of reel-to-reel audio tape recording, showing how it transitioned from being a peaceful form of entertainment to a weapon of war before returning to its original form. Furthermore, the development of some of the antiquated components utilized in reel-to-reel tape recording will be discussed. Let’s get started!
Reel-to-reel recording technology underwent rapid development in the 1940s and into the 1950s as a result of the military’s considerable use of radio during World War II. In an effort to persuade Hollywood film studios to utilize magnetic tapes for movie soundtracks, Jack Mullin, a US Army researcher who was interested in German radio, sent two Magnetophon tape recorders to the US in the 1940s and started developing the format.
Mullin performed live music and played back the live music behind curtains for Hollywood after the war to show off the recorder and magnetic recording tape. Since it was difficult to distinguish between the two, he got the attention of well-known musician Bing Crosby. Crosby was attracted to Mullin’s work by the appeal of switching from live radio format to pre-recorded performances. Together, they improved the technology and even used it in movies and television shows.
Reel-to- Reel advancement was accelerated by Crosby’s fame, which immediately boosted its profile. The introduction of the reel-to-reel format ushered in a new era of audio and visual entertainment, and the use of magnetic tape for recording led to the creation of compact cassettes by Phillips in 1962 and the invention of the first videotape recorders.
Magnetic Tape Production
The type of audio recording that most people are familiar with in reel form is magnetic audio recording tape. The Germans invented the Magnetophon, a reel-to-reel recorder with a magnetic film, in 1935, just before the start of World War II.
The Magnetophone’s excellent sound quality perplexed the Allies. A live radio broadcast sounded exactly like the recordings. Following their invasion of German territory near the end of the war, the Allies were able to obtain the technology.
With 1/4-inch audio tape on the reel, reel-to-reel technology was used as a voice and audio recorder in homes or at various schools. Reel-to-reel audio tape recording was discontinued in favor of cassette tapes by the advent of digital audio tape in the music industry.
Did you know audio tape was first made of Steel?
Initially, steel tape was utilized for recording on reel-to-reel audio recorders. Similar to razor blades in composition, this steel tape was also known to break under pressure, spewing dangerous metal fragments. However, the benefits of a better audio recording on film were superior to the risks. Substandard versions of the electrical recording were the only recording technologies accessible prior to tape-based reel-to-reel recordings.
The Blattnerphone, which was the first steel tape recorder, was created in the 1920s and was named for its inventor and licensor, Ludwig Blattner. He utilized the original wire recorder format and transferred that technology to steel tape. He was born in Germany.
When he moved to Great Britain, he took the technology with him. In November 1930, at the India Round Table Conference, King George’s address was captured using a Blattnerphone. These steel tape recorders were exceedingly hefty, mechanically demanding, and difficult to use.
Why Should You Digitize Your Reel-To-Reel Tapes?
If you have any audio on reel-to-reel tapes, it might include the voices of your loved ones, close friends, or music that was trending several years ago. These reels get harder to play and eventually tougher to transfer as the already delicate tape coiled on them becomes much frailer with time. This issue can result in fragile tape breaking and reduced sound quality.
These reels are also quite huge. It’s not like the cassette tapes that replaced them. Unlike cassettes, which have a protective cover to hold them, these tapes are looped around a spindle. Something larger than a shoebox is necessary for storing your collection of vintage reels.
There has never been a better time to go from reel-reel to digital and CD. Your precious audio recordings and music can be preserved by transferring your reel-to-reel tapes to digital and CD. You can count on a format that will never degrade and won’t put your precious memories in danger in addition to freeing up a ton of storage space. You can bring your memories with you wherever you go by converting reel-to-reel to digital and CD, which also enables you to resuscitate your old audio by listening to it again on your computer, laptop, or mobile device.
Reel-To-Reel Tape Digitization Process
Although the process of converting reel-to-reel tapes to digital can be lengthy and complicated, it can easily be accomplished if you have the appropriate tools and know-how.
Reel-to-reel audio that has been recorded on tape can be transferred to digital using vintage tape recorders. To hear what you’re converting, put on some headphones or speakers and carefully thread the delicate tape through the deck. You can hear whether the tape is breaking during the recording process if you do this as well.
Despite the fact that you can carry out this process yourself, it’s best to get a professional to help you with the task as it will yield the best result.
Hand over your reel-to-reel tapes to experts to avoid spending money on equipment you might only use once or the trouble of handling the fussy tape. Make sure to preserve your memories by bringing your cherished sounds from the 1950s and 1960s into the current century.
What Is The Most Effective Way To Convert Reel-To-Reel Tapes To Digital?
You definitely have more entertaining ways to spend your free time than going through the lengthy and complicated process of converting reel-to-reel tapes to CD and digital separately.
The most effective way to convert reel-to-reel to digital is by sending them to Two Squares. We will restore your tapes to the finest digital playback by stability treating them beforehand and using the highest-resolution conversion technology, which outperforms the low-quality conversions you obtain with other DIY conversion tools. The opportunity to convert your reel-to-reel tapes to digital while saving yourself the time and stress attached to the DIY conversion process is just too good to pass up.
If you have reel-to-reel tapes or other outdated videos, photos, or audio formats that you’d like preserved on CD or digitally so they can be viewed on your smartphone, TV, and computer, Two Squares is the best company to handle the task!
What are you waiting for? Reel-to-reel tapes should be converted to digital right away. Once the conversion processes are finished, your reel-to-reel tape will be completely converted to digital, giving your audio a new lease of life.
¼ Reel-To-Reel Digitization
The various sizes of reel-to-reel tapes describe the tape’s actual size. Due to varying tape sizes, each kind of tape requires a distinct tape machine that is configured to handle that particular size. Another significant characteristic of reel-to-reel tape is the number of tracks that it stores. For example, a standard ¼ inch tape may only hold 2 tracks, while a 2 inch tape could hold as many as 24 individual instrument tracks.
Since ¼ inch reel-to-reel tapes have been around for so long, they are becoming more brittle with each passing day. This is true of most decades-old storage media. These tapes are susceptible to physical degeneration and environmental harm, but they are also useless without devices to play them on.
Two to four audio tracks can fit on a standard ¼ reel tape, and they can be recorded in various methods. These might be via stereo recording on each side of the tape, or they could be up to four separate recordings. Before making a conversion, one of the steps in our operation at Two Squares includes learning what track format these tapes were recorded with.
Conclusion
Two Squares goes above and beyond to ensure that your reel-to-reel tapes are securely and audibly digitized. Our extensive experience guarantees that services are delivered accurately, quickly, affordably, and securely. Since our customers’ musical memories are so precious to us, we go above and beyond to preserve these memories.
Look no further if you need a service to convert reel to reel to digital. We value each person’s priceless memories as if they were our own. We are aware that your reels may contain recordings with special meaning to you or even great music. You might be wondering, what’s distinctive about our Reel-to-Reel conversion services? Two Squares never outsources any of its services; the conversion process is always carried out by skilled professionals and you will get your original and digital copies within a short time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Reel-To-Reel Tapes Be Converted To Digital Format?
Yes! At Twosquares, we can convert reel-to-reel tapes to digital with excellent results thanks to our fleet of cutting-edge digital audio workstations. We provide digital conversion services that include noise reduction, normalization, and equalization, so the final output is superior to the original recording.
What Is The Lifespan of Reel-To-Reel Tapes?
According to the majority of organizations, magnetic tapes, like reel-to-reel, should survive for about 20 years. However, some users of online forums claim that thanks to safe preservation, their recordings have lasted longer than fifty years. Tapes over 10 years old should always go through a professional rejunvenation treatment before putting them on a player.
Do Old Reel-To-Reel Tapes Have Any Value?
There are several types of tape and different sizes of reels, therefore their value actually depends on the make and model. They are also becoming more expensive as demand for the highest level of analog sound fidelity from people who were into vinyl increases. However, the true determination of value would be any rare or unique content that has been recorded.
Are Reel-To-Reel Tapes Coming Back?
The return of vinyl and cassette tapes has brought analog media forms back into our ears, whether due to hipster vogue or opposition to music streaming. Reel-to-reel hasn’t returned as a consumer format, however, it is wildly popular for professional recording artists.