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Here is the deal. I need to transfer some 1/2" reels recorded at 7 1/2 ips into a DAW, but the playback machine only does 15ips it seems. I was wondering if there is some kind of plugin that can be used to slow down the 2xspeed audio to where it sounds normal without losing much quality. It is pretty much just voice I believe, anyway. But most of the time-stretch plugins nowdays are so fancy that they don't change pitch as would happen when playing a reel at half speed. Is there a plugin that can do what I need, or is there some kind of time-stretch, pitch shift trick I will have to do? Using Cubase.
THanks

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Reggie Mon, 07/11/2005 - 21:22

Hmmm, didn't think about that....
Just might be crazy enough to work.
Taking up extra HD space will suck though, because I don't know how much these there will be.

So would it work like this?: record in at 88.2k, change project setup to 44.1k, export audio mixdown?
I'll try fooling around with this idea.

Randyman... Mon, 07/11/2005 - 21:31

Good thinking, David! If you are recording at 2x speed, then you are actually not using any more HD space than you would be at 44.1 at 1x speed :wink:

You may run into frequency resoponse issues from improper playback speed (the 20KHz signals are now 40KHz, and the unit's frequency response will likely attenuate these frequencies), but at least you wil have the files on disc...

:cool:

Reggie Mon, 07/11/2005 - 21:38

Randyman... wrote: Good thinking, David! If you are recording at 2x speed, then you are actually not using any more HD space than you would be at 44.1 at 1x speed :wink:

:cool:

Yeah, good point on HD space. I was already thinking it would be a cool way to do the transfer in half the time. 8-)
However, I am wondering about the frequency response issue you present. I don't know if the playback heads will be able to properly pass a 40k signal into the Daw to be stretched out to 20k afterwards. Probably will lose something along the way. Perhaps it won't really matter since it is primarily voice. And since it is going to be duped on cassette in the end. Weird, huh?

anonymous Tue, 07/26/2005 - 06:21

I am wondering about the frequency response issue you present. I don't know if the playback heads will be able to properly pass a 40k signal into the Daw to be stretched out to 20k afterwards. Probably will lose something along the way. Perhaps it won't really matter since it is primarily voice. And since it is going to be duped on cassette in the end. Weird, huh?

Haven't actually done this but I believe in theory the doubling of the sample rate should provide the same freq. resp. as realtime. The only other issues would be playback set up on the analog multitrack machine and the transferrence of any speed inconsistancies. On a good multitrack though that shouldn't be an issue.

Let us know if it works for you.

Randyman... Tue, 07/26/2005 - 18:18

ReverbBrownie wrote:
Haven't actually done this but I believe in theory the doubling of the sample rate should provide the same freq. resp. as realtime. The only other issues would be playback set up on the analog multitrack machine and the transferrence of any speed inconsistancies. On a good multitrack though that shouldn't be an issue.

Let us know if it works for you.

The issue is not the digital conversion, but the Tape is now playing at 2x speed. This means the tape's original 20KHz waveforms are now trying to play at 40KHz, and the tape machine's circuitry and heads may not have a flat response to 40KHz. If 40KHz is attenuated at 2x speed during the "Bounce", then 20KHz will be affected at normal speed once you slow the digital file down to 44.1.

Hope you can get the DAT's. That would be cake (assuming they are still playable)!

:cool: