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Repeat Performance Multimedia

ENGINEERING INFORMATION

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TAPES OUT
DAT tapes and CD masters are recorded at 44.1kHz without pre-emphasis, peaking to 0.1 dBfs, unless we have to match an existing programme. A printed verification report is the norm with all DAT masters and production master clones, unless your budget requirements dictate otherwise.

Open reel masters: Unless requested otherwise, we normally make analogue tapes to 1/2" 30ips no Dolby, with 0VU=320 nWb/m (8dB PPM below peak). 1/4" 15ips tapes are normally NAB, Dolby A, with 0VU=250nWb/m; 1/4" IEC and 1/4" 30ips recordings are made at 320nWb/m. 

Cassette copies: our real-time cassette recorders all have Dolby HX-PRO and we record most programmes to peak at 4-5dB above Dolby level, but are happy to accommodate customers' other preferences. Please specify if Dolby B noise reduction is required. 
TAPES IN
Imagine we receive a programme for copying that sounds like it was recorded through a woolly sock onto a bit of scrunched up old tape someone found in the rubbish bin: funny noises all over the shop, phase totally gone to pot, and absolutely no top end at all! Well, this does happen, and we need to know if, er, unusual sounds are deliberate or not. It helps enormously to have the home telephone number of the engineer or the producer written on the tape box so we can ask someone in the know, as these jobs tend to come in at night or over a bank holiday weekend, particularly when there is a tight deadline. Ideally all recordings should come in with tones: this saves us so much time, particularly with classical or avant-garde music where the levels are often highly unpredictable. So in a perfect world, if there is ever such a thing, we'd like to see the following on material brought in for copying:
Analogue
  • Tones: 1kHz, 10kHz, 100Hz, 50Hz, all at 0VU, then NR tone (all with NR out)
 
  • Speed, EQ curve, operating level, type of noise reduction used
 
  • Some indication of peak levels, and their positions in the programme
 
  • Track numbers, times and duration on the box. Total running times as well
 
  • Beginnings and ends of tracks clean, any hums and clicks etc noted down
   
Digital
  • Tones at top: 1kHz at 0VU analogue level, and again at 0dBfs or at peak leve
 
  • Sampling frequency, pre-emphasis, and (F1 only) video system and bit resolution (DAT tapes should be sampled at 44.1kHz for CD production) 
 
  • Programme should start exactly at 1 or 2 minutes in from the beginning of the tape
 
  • Some indication of the peak levels, and their positions in the programme
 
  • Track numbers, times and duration on the inlay card. Total running times as well 
 
  • Beginnings and ends of tracks clean, any hums and clicks etc noted down
 
  • No unrecorded sections of tape anywhere until the end of the programme (ie. continuous control track from the very beginning of the tape)
 
  • Start IDs recorded and numbered consecutively, and any skip IDs noted down
 
  • Continuous, ascending time code or A-time recorded until the end of the programme

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This page is from the Web site of RPM, Repeat Performance Multimedia
6 Grand Union Centre, West Row, London W10 5AS
 Tel. 020 8960 7222 . | . Fax. 020 8968 1378

E-mail: info@repeat-performance.co.uk
Home: http://www.repeat-performance.co.uk

All our prices are quoted in pounds sterling. E.&O.E. ©1990-2006 Repeat Performance Ltd.
Prices contained in these pages supercede any previously published, and are subject to our standard terms and conditions, and to VAT

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