[78-L] Stereo half-track tapes

[Robert M. Bratcher Jr.]

At 04:43 PM 8/6/2009, you wrote:
>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.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>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

I trade dubs of commercial reels with a local fellow who only has one 
reel to reel machine. Basically I borrow his reels to make dubs from 
on a pair of quarter track 10.5" reel Pioneer decks & return his 
tapes & keep my dub. Or I give him dubs from my commercial tapes. So 
he does trust me with his tapes thankfully. None of the 2 track tapes 
I own or have dubs of are fake stereo however I haven't heard your 
concerto so perhaps it is fake stereo.