My brother and I got an Aiwa reel-to-reel tape recorder for Christmas one year when we were pre-teens. And that might have been a Christmas that helped shape the course of my creative life.
You’ve probably heard of an Aiwa reel-to-reel tape recorder.
Or at least some kind of reel-to-reel tape recorder. Right? And I gotta say it was a pretty big deal that my brother and I got one for Christmas. Because it wasn’t a cute, little toy. No, it was a solid state machine. Made of metal. And working parts just like the big boys used. Well, maybe not JUST like those. But kinda.
Anyway…
We got ourselves real involved in figuring out how to make the best use of our new gadget. And, as you’d expect a couple of red-blooded boys to do, we figured out how to press a finger on the motorized wheel during recording. Because that made the playback sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks. Score!
But wait. There’s another side to that wonderful discovery.
We also figured out how to slightly speed up the motorized reel by pushing it with a finger or thumb. And that gave us the nice strrrrrrrretched out low voice during the playback. Score again!
Oh yeah. We went deep into science fiction recording mode with those moves.
Years later, after we started our careers and professional musicians, my brother got a much better reel-to-reel. One that we learned to dub tracks with so we could make fuller recordings.
Then we both got Yamaha 4-track cassette recorders.
And we were REALLY off to the tracks races (yes, that’s what I said and meant).
Of course, these days Aiwa reel-to-reel technology sounds mighty old. Especially since you can carry around a high quality studio in your iPhones and iPads. But you’ll never be able to make your voice sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks with your finger on a smartphone or tablet. So take that modern world.
Yeah, I think the mystique of electronic experimentation is diminished. Because back then you could use your hands to to physically see what the gear could do. Now, it’s just a click on something in the software.
Nowadays we just expect it to do fantastic stuff with the tap of a thumb or finger.
But I’ll share something with you that you might not expect after what I’ve just said.
I like recording both ways. The main thing for me is to be able to record without having to GO to a studio. Now I can just STAY at my desk and lay down some tracks my old Aiwa reel-to-reel would have envied.
Inside the lines the route is shorter.
Outside the box there’s no recorder.
Some days your view is from the summit.
Some nights your dreams will let you plummet. (from the song “I Can Do”)
Stay tuned,
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(My regular emails about the essentials of life, AND some music and other good stuff, for Fa-Ree)
