[78-L] Stereo half-track tapes

[DAVID BURNHAM]

And yes I do collect commercially released reel 
to reel tapes. 2 track 7.5's are also sometimes the only way to hear 
a recording in stereo.

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Someone loaned me an issued half-track tape of the Liebermann Concerto for Jazz band and Symphony Orchestra with CSO Reiner/Sauter-Finigan band.  I have only seen this issued on a stereo LP once and the sound is dreadful with some added reverb. Unfortunately this reel-to-reel release didn't sound much better.  I have often found that RCA's mono versions are sonically superior to their stereo counterparts.  One particular example which comes to mind is the 1954 Also Spach Zarathustra by Reiner and CSO.  The organ pedals are stunning on the mono LP compared to the thin sound of the stereo CD.  In fact, I made a new master mixing the pedals from the mono LP with the Stereo CD and the result was impressive.

I must say I was surprised, (and a little humbled), when this person, who was little more than a stranger to me, lent me the quite rare half track tape of the Leibermann, knowing that I was a recording engineer and could quite easily remove the tape from the reel and replace it with a dub of the recording.  I'm happy to say I didn't do that but I know I wouldn't have been near as trusting myself.

db