Eddie Kramer Master Tape Plug-In User Guide

the modeling process. Because the members of the Waves team had extensive
experience with 3M Scotch 206 (a 1.5 millimeter base) and 3M Scotch 207 (a 1.0
millimeter base), 207 was selected because of the slightly thinner base, although
perhaps subject to greater print-through (clearly not an issue for a tape modeled plugin),
207 provided a more intimate recording and playback head contact (called ‘tape wrap’)
and thus produced a more extended high frequency response. Fortunately John Haeny
had a sufficient supply of virgin 3M Scotch 207 stock for the purpose so off the shipment
flew from Australia to Florida.
Tape Speed
The original
machine’s transport has 2 speeds: 15 ips (inch
es
per second), and 7.5 ips.
15 ips was the default professional standard providing the best high frequency response
and the lowest noise. 15 ips has a gentle roll off at around 16 kHz. 7.5 ips was the
minimum reasonable professional quality speed for studios and there was also a fair
amount of equipment for the home that operated at 7.5 ips. 7.5 ips has quite a high
frequency loss with a roll-off starting at around 8 kHz, but 7.5 ips managed to preserve
low frequencies better than 15 ips with a slightly more ‘solid’ bottom end and therefore
was widely used in rock recordings in the 60’s and 70’s.
When switching between the 2 spee
ds you should expect to get a very much improved
high frequen
cy response with 15 ips when compared to 7.5 ips but perhaps a somewhat
less tight low end. Note that 15 ips will also provide less THD (Total Harmonic Distortion)
than 7.5 ips. There is also a shift in the frequency of the noise by an octave between 7.5
ips and 15 ips, with the noise at 15 ips sounding an octave higher than 7.5 ips. The
significance of this difference has always been argued, with some preferring the noise
signature of 7.5 ips and others preferring the noise signature of 15 ips. As time
progressed and 30 ips became popular, many used 30 ips because as the noise shifted
upwards yet another octave from 15 ips, it moved further away from the fundamental
musical frequencies and thus became less obtrusive. Experiment and form your own
opinions on the issue of speed vs. noise vs. frequency response.
Pre-Empha
sis Curves
At the time of the modeled tape machine’s popu
larity, there were a number of magnetic
tape recording standard
s in use worldwide. Because of the in
herent limitations in
analogue tape recording, these curves generally applied high frequency pre-emphasis
equalization during recording and then applied a high frequency post-emphasis during
playback. The net result of this was to maintain high frequency response according to
the standard being used with the added benefit of also reducing tape noise.
The most popular standa
rd in Europe at this time was CCIR; in America, the standard
was NAB (National Asso
ciation of Broadcasters). The machine at Olympic, as best we
can determine, was a NAB machine although the manufacturer would provide CCIR
machines on special order. Additionally, NAB was the standard used for the vast
majority of the American pop recordings done on this machine. Because the NAB
standard provides the most accurate sonic signature of this legendary American tape
machine, the NAB standard was chosen by Waves for the Kramer Master Tape model.
Waves Kramer Master Tape
User Guide
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