How To Create Analog Tape Delay ADT and Phasing

In this demonstration, Steve Christie of Vintage Keys Studio demonstrates how to create real analog tape delay, ADT and phasing, using an Akai reel to reel tape recorder, a Melos Tape Echo Chamber and a DAW. No plug-ins required! The sounds you can hear in this video are more organic and other-worldly sounding than anything that you can achieve purely digitally, no matter how advanced the plugin or the computer system you are using.
These effects are easily achieved at Vintage Keys Studio for mixing, and we are able to apply the effects to any recordings either remotely, or in person. See our website for details and for more great effects, instruments and techniques : www.vintagekeysstudio.com.
Background:
The effects demonstrated were first achieved in the 1960s in London recording studios. George Chkiantz invented tape phasing at Olympic Studios after being asked by George Martin for an effect called ADT on the Beatles' session for All You Need Is Love, in 1967.
Chkiantz had not heard of ADT (invented in 1966 by Ken Townsend at Abbey Road Studios), so he set about creating his own variation of the effect. This led to tape phasing which uses a pre-delayed, out of phase signal going in and out of sync with the source signal.
Here these effects are recreated in a hybrid Analog/Digital studio using Logic Pro X, and a selection of tape recorders and analog equipment.
Video by Louisa Revolta
Recorded and Edited at Vintage Keys Studio
'The Man Who Spoke His Mind' by Steve Christie's Wrong ℗ and © 1990 Steve Christie
www.vintagekeysstudio.com
Facebook.com/vintagekeysstudio
vintagekeysstudio

[@piggycity]

When I watch/listen to your videos, I cant help but imagine that Matt Berry is doing a new music special.

[@reubenbotha3331]

Definitely the clearest video on the subject I've found. I've recreated this digitally with a mix of delay, frequency shift and tape emulation that includes wow and flutter.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Awesome, thank you!

[@thesethreekings]

Which tape emulator did you use for this?

[@reubenbotha3331]

@@thesethreekings CHOW Tape Model

[@analog_music_lover]

Yes , the subtle wow and flutter of the capstan generated a special phase shifting.

[@aftertheendtimes]

😃Always enjoy to see your beautiful soul, and interesting inspireing things and tweaks dear Steve😍🧡

[@beatle_jake]

Excellent demo! I absolutely love using the tape recorder for ADT among other effects in conjunction with Logic. Waves ADT is indeed very neat and has some nice flexibility, but my trusty Sony TC-630 does the job incredibly well! Having been serviced sometime in the 80s or 90s (I think), and since I cleaned it all up, oiled the motor, and replaced the run cap, it runs just about as well as ever.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Brilliant! Yes tape sounds best I think

[@AllenPalmer-eh4ht]

Ah the Melos, my first tape echo. How I wish I still had it! Tricky getting cassettes though!

[@jacobsteel]

nice effect!

[@djbuzzword]

I have the gx version of the 4000D. No plugins have come close for me. .. it takes me to a special place :) Love your content and great playing! From a fellow analogue lover

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thank you very much djbuzzword!

[@schipbreukeling3]

I did not fully understand how you did this ADT trick but I do know that you can adjust the latency in logic pro x. I like the video and you have a great voice for radio broadcasting as well.

[@kevintaylor8055]

Excellent.old gear is best

[@vicesquadpunk]

Wonderful ❤ thanks

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Welcome 😊

[@smacloopy4029]

Thanks for these inspiring techniques! I have a 3head cassette deck in the basement that I will try as a delay. Only problem is pitch variation🤔

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Yes that’s it

[@cliff481]

I was in audio electronics in the 60s (Alpha Sound Services) 50 Stuart Rd. Waterloo Liverpool. The shop was owned by Brian Kelly (check his history) and remember the Small Faces' record Itchycoo Park, which was the first record I heard with phasing (mid drum fill). One of my work buddies (Don Mackay) roadied for The Colderstones (later Badfinger) Who knew George Harrison, Who would give Don, American 45s (big hole) and ask if Don could make something that would sound like whatever sound he had heard on that record. I remember Don making a single valve (ECC 82)? triode pentode trebble booster for him. We used to create Phasing by running two record heads (Ferrograph machine) and moving one of the heads back and forth while the tape was running through. We would take separate outputs through two pots to adjust the mix. I'd guess phasing was discovered by accident but I could be wrong. Thanks for the video. great content. It brought back good memories to an old Liverpudlian.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thanks very much for this - really interesting about the variable record head position - it’s given me an idea for a project!

[@jandirkadams1559]

I really like your videos! The harpsichord one is beautiful. I also think you are a little bit like a British Norm Macdonald!:)

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Why thank you!

[@giannirs]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@TweezerBleezer123]

More videos please

[@Dolores5000]

❤❤❤❤

[@Clyde_Lewis]

thanks for this! It inspires me to get out my analog gear again. Those Akai's sound so nice! In the early 80s, I was using my Akai GX4000-D at my first (or second) attempt at overdubbing, and I also had a stereo component dual 10 band graphic eq looping through the back, and so, with the tape echo, could achieve some nice, smooth 'infinite' echoes, which sounded nice on drums, etc. Was something like the Small Faces Itchycoo Park phased with 2 tape machines, or was it a single machine that did the effect, and then the other machine that recorded the whole process?

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Brilliant! It was one tape machine playing the track, and then recorded to two identical tape machines, one recording the mix and the other supplying the added fast echo/ADT effect. The echo machine would have the ‘flanges’ of the tape knocked or pressed on to cause the servos to try to catch up and cause the ‘bumping’, notching wooshy sounds (and I think the effect was better if the phase was inverted too)

[@Clyde_Lewis]

@@VintageKeysStudio Thanks for that explanation! The organ and cymbals in particular really capture the wooshing phasing sounds. Would the echo tape machine be recording an out of phase version of the track in order to invert?

[@theallmightyanalog]

Niiice.......

[@MirlitronOne]

I agree that doing these things digitally is less fun than analoguely.

[@ZeroChannelZero]

Great vid. But I'm a little confused on how they achieved "pre-delay" in the days before DAWs. As far as I know, with tape there's no way to nudge a track earlier in time while feeding it back to the same reel as it plays ...short of executing a tricky maneuver involving a bolt of lightning and a Delorean 🤔

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Two identical tape machines - one being recorded to and the other for the ADT effect (with Vari speed) and a third tape machine that is playing the track into them

[@ZeroChannelZero]

​@@VintageKeysStudio Aha! Thanks for explaining that! It sure involved a ton of expensive hardware.

[@northstar1950]

Back in 1966 had a domestic Ferguson 3214 ( I think) tape recorder which I still have. I decided one day to record a record and then rewind the tape back and change tracks and record it again. It was all a bit hit and miss remember this was a domestic machine. Then I would play back both tracks together. It was more luck than judgement as to whether they were in sync and even if they started in synch it as soon lost it and I had a sort of fast reverb/ echo or sometimes that phasing 'whush' would develop. Was this a sort of cross talk between the tracks being played back together?

[@VintageKeysStudio]

It was phasing pretty much, with two versions of the same recording going in and out of sync with each other. You get a more intense effect if one of the signals is phase reversed

[@LarthVolos]

what if one sets a series of heads which can be justed by moving them. And each of them could be set on or off.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Similar to a Watkins copycat

[@slushedpuppy8044]

So if I understood correctly, you make a duplicate copy of the track you want to delay. You have it start slightly earlier than the clean track, but also mute it while sending it to an aux send with a tape delay on it?

[@schipbreukeling3]

The way Steve explain pre delay confuses me too. `I thought a pre delay is the first echo of a sound you hear. In analog recording with 2 mics they use delay to correct phase problems, well maybe using a delay plugin with a pre delay setting on the track . I have not figured it out yet, did you?

[@Dani-El.]

Surely analog tape delay would be ATD?

[@VintageKeysStudio]

ADT stands for Artificial Double Tracking

[@stephenhall3515]

A BIG like -- but you show a Ferrograph then use an Akai.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thank you! Yes, the Ferrograph (a Vortexion actually) looked more eye-catching than the Akai on the cover photo. Keep an eye on our channel as we will be doing some videos on our other tape machines recently fixed up; two Ampex 351s and a Revox PR99. Also a varispeed modification that was made to this Akai after this video was made.

[@frederickbaugher8361]

Until plug-in manufacturers learn how to incorporate entropy of the hardware they are attempting to emulate, plug-ins will never be as good as hardware.

[@sejrec56]

You don’t have to yell, I like when you talk mellow or normal but then you begin to talk loudly !! A bit annoying but your video is cool besides that. Cuz your voice is a pretty comforting sound w your accent etc. Or maybe compress your speaking a bit through a compressor. Maybe that’s the only problem. Your video is quite informative thanks.