Hi All:
I am about to transfer a small pile of Quad reel tapes, and wanted to revisit this question -- which
also applies to full-track and 2-track tapes -- will I get better results playing the tapes
tails-to-heads (in reverse) and then reversing the digital file (back-to-front), and of course
assigning the correct tracks to the correct channels (the tape would be upside-down if played
backwards, so 1=4, 2=3, 3=2 and 4=1). I have read commentary that playing a reel backwards allows
for sharper wave fronts and thus crisper dynamics. It seems like it wouldn't _hurt_ anything to play
the tapes backwards, but I would like more info from the tape-playback experts.
Important to note - I know this can't be done with NR-encoded tapes, that those must be played
forward (the regular way) for the NR decoder to work properly. But what about if I transferred the
tape backward and then send the digital audio out to the decoder, is there any reason that would
work? (I don't think so, but wanted to ask the experts).
Thanks in advance for facts/discussion about this topic.
-- Tom Fine
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