VHS: High fidelity audio you didn't expect (Part 1)

The first part of this video is dedicated to the amazing sonic capabilities of a VHS tape. Over 90db of dynamic range, 20Hz-20Khz of frequency range, more than 75db of signal to noise ration...incredible! A High fidelity sound that you did not expect!
Look here below for the best VCR machines with Hi-Fi audio.
___________________________
BEST Hi-Fi audio Video Cassette Recorders (VCR)
(source: www.digitalfaq.... ):
- Panasonic S-VHS (NTSC, for the US):
• Panasonic AG-5710 - same as 1980, without tuner
• Panasonic AG-7650
• Panasonic AG-1960P / AG-1960 - has no TBC
• Panasonic AG-1970P / AG-1970
• Panasonic AG-1980P / AG-1980 - a.k.a. Panasonic NV-FS 200 for PAL version
- Panasonic S-VHS (PAL, for Europe):
• Blaupunkt RTV-950 - Panasonic NV-FS200 rebadge, comparable to NTSC Panasonic AG-1980P
• Blaupunkt RTV-965 - Panasonic NV-HS1000 rebadge, comparable to NTSC Panasonic AG-1980P
• Blaupunkt RTV-966 - Panasonic NV-HS1000 rebadge, comparable to NTSC Panasonic AG-1980P
• Metz S-VHS VC62 - Panasonic NV-HS 950 rebadge
• Panasonic NV-FS 200 - comparable to NTSC Panasonic AG-1980P
• Panasonic NV-HS 1000 - comparable to NTSC Panasonic AG-1980P
• Panasonic NV-HS 950
• Panasonic NV-HS 860
• Panasonic NV-HS 930
• Panasonic NV-HS 960
• Panasonic NV-SV 121
- JVC S-VHS (NTSC, for the US):
• GoVideo SDV-650 - JVC HR-S9800U rebadge
• JVC HR-S7500U
• JVC HR-S7600U
• JVC HR-S7800U
• JVC HR-S7900U
• JVC HR-S9500U
• JVC HR-S9600U
• JVC HR-S9800U
• JVC HR-S9900U
• JVC HR-S9911U
• JVC SR-V10U / SR-V10
• JVC SR-V101US / SR-V101U
• JVC SR-VS30U
• JVC HR-DVS3U - (almost) same as SR-VS30
• JVC HM-HDS1
- JVC S-VHS (PAL, for Europe):
• JVC SR-S388E / SR-388EK
• JVC HR-S7600EK
• JVC HR-S7800EK
• JVC HR-S7955EK
• JVC HR-S7965EK
• JVC HR-S8955EK
• JVC HR-S8965EK
• JVC HR-S9600EK/EU
• JVC HR-S9700EK/EU - same as NTSC JVC HR-S9600U
• JVC HR-S9850EK/EU - same as NTSC JVC HR-S9911U, final PAL prosumer model
• JVC SR-V10E / SR-V10
• Philips VR1000 - JVC rebadge
• Philips VR1100 - JVC rebadge
• Philips VR1500 - JVC rebadge
• Philips VR1600 - JVC rebadge

[@TigerBoyRS]

VHS Hi-Fi is the ultimate analog audio format, accessible to all. No calibration needed, no bias adjustments, no noise reduction debates, no azimuth blues and absolutely no wow&flutter... Just high quality analog 20-20KHz bliss, and that's Hi-Fi! For vinyl recordings archive, home studio rehearsals, long play streaming selectas, or even as mixtapes masters. VHS-Hi-Fi is so good and soooo cheap today... Really sounds astonishing, great dinamics (>90db). An experience that any real tape head must enjoy. Cheers 🇵🇹

[@jimi45sandotherrarities73]

Yes can sound great but the buzz and pumping issues make it a non starter for me. If there are models where this was removed or substantially limited through "clever tricks" I might fire mine back up. I still have a lot of HIFI official VHS recordings that I thought sounded great back in the day but unless I can find a machine where these aren't issues I'll be happy using Laserdiscs for officially released material to get analog sound.

[@jfdiaz2010]

In the 90’s I recorded a lot of music using CDs as a source and recorded on VHS. The sound was surprisingly excellent

[@victorlgcarvalho]

A friend of my dad's used to record all his vinyl on hi fi VHS, and then store the LPs to avoid wearing them... He listened to music using the video Cassette on his living room, and the sound was amazing!

[@anadialog]

Exactly, good job!

[@rpdreviews8272]

Brings back memories of the 80s when I used to record mix tapes onto VHS. An engineering school friend in college tipped me off to this, and we used it for good effect in our dorm room basement parties.

[@alainterieur794]

When I was young, in the 90s, I used to record music on the TV and I remember that the sound quality was amazingly good! Now I understand why! I was recording at the best speed and had a very good Hitashi VCR plugged in a mid-range Sony amplifier. The loudness and clarity I could get out of my TV recorded music were very high.

[@hippiedude72]

Wow, thanks for bringing back memories of recording jazz & rock onto VHS!

[@musicDavide]

Belive me when I say that just a few hours ago I was filing some old VHS. Incredible that today AnaDialog published this video. ... and I also remember that during 90s our radio Director used a VHS to record broadcasted audio signal. All VHS are still here in the radio archive!

[@mhmrules]

That's awesome! :D

[@jasbo7288]

I remember going around Viking radio in those days and they use to record there own broadcasts on 4hr VHS tapes in long play on HIFI stereo..it was the only thing back then that could record 8hrs in decent quality..

[@KeritechElectronics]

Cool! Back in 2000s I volunteered at a campus radio and we used VHS for recording the broadcast output, it had to be monitored for regulatory compliance reasons. The cassette on long play could take a good few hours of audio.

[@scottlowell493]

I purchased my first Hi-fi VCR on Okinawa in 1987. I was overjoyed. MUCH better fidelity than before, and you COULD use a PCM to encode using the video write head.

[@LibraAudioLaboratory]

PCM Adaptors, are the only solution, to recording audio on a VTR.

[@anadialog]

It's one of the possible solutions...in any case with the adaptors you have a digital conversion...Might as well use DAT...

[@chasevineland1508]

I’ve always been a believer in VHS hifi... not just SVHS. It was the DAT in hiding. Great video.

[@s.g.3042]

true ;)) a large DAT basically, although I have DAT recorder too, it has optical and coaxial digital IN / OUT too, which is the basical difference to a VHS

[@MyDenney]

I need audio meters VCR’s for some unexplained stupid reason stoped putting audio meters on my he units.

[@ET2carbon]

No, DAT is PCM, not FM.

[@MaxW-er1hm]

Not quite, except if you were recording actual digital audio on to an ADAT machine. Happily for me if you record on a VHS Hi-Fi it's an analog signal and is comprable to open reel tape more than digital DAT

[@MaxW-er1hm]

@@ET2carbon yeah the helical scan throws people off, however of course you could record digital signals on special recorders which is known as ADAT

[@hacmustafaus173]

I recorded a song from my tablet to VHS tape using a cable (Sony SLV-ED6 VHS Recorder) . Now I am listening it on my hi fi system.I couldn't believed in my ears. Incredible.. Wonderful. Thank you very much for this data.

[@anadialog]

Thanks you Haci!!

[@Hr.0ldenberg]

Deutsch, German, 1987 habe ich einen Panasonic HiFi Stereo VHS dazu benutzt, um drei Stunden Musik für eine große Party aufzunehmen. Alles per Mischpult schön vor der Feier aufgespielt auf das Band‼️ Hat alles auf der Feier mit 100 Leuten super funktioniert. 1x zurück spulen, und sechs Stunden Lala waren gesichert... Das VHS - Band habe ich noch heute im Jahr 2023.. Remember, schön war es damals.. ❤❤

[@anadialog]

Cool!

[@s.g.3042]

I still have my VCR, seems like it's the time to unveil it again. Thanks for reminder.

[@jasonkane454]

One more tip, & I remember Nicam Stereo coming out, is don't be shy of using your machine. That's healthier than letting it sit, because the belts will sit in one position. Keep using it. FF & rewind the tape a few times to begin as well.

[@TheAgeOfAnalog]

I was really into this back in the early nineties. I recorded several records to VHS on my Sony 3-head HiFi VCR. The sound quality was stunning.

[@shpater]

Hi. Again thank you for toughing all topics one by one. very important topics. Regarding HI FI VHS recording: 1) Standard VHS recording: The regular VHS Audio recording is done by use of a statutory head (like on a regular cassette) which is placed right after the Statutory erase head and records on the whole VHS tape width. The audio head records mono audio information and since the VHS tape speed is very slow, the result audio is low frequency response and high audio noise. this is the reason why people overlooked VHS machine as option for hi quality audio reproduction. The Audio frequency is so low compared to the video signal recorded on top of it so one do not interfere with the other. 2) Hi Fi Stereo: The rotating heads are capable of recording very high frequency (MHz) but cannot record or read lower then few 100 KHz signals. So how Hi Fi stereo audio is recorded? the method is modulating the audio on Hi MHz carrier Frequency. I am not sure if the modulation is FM or AM I believe it is done like FM Stereo Technic which require higher bandwidth than just AM modulation. The Mono Stationary head still records the poor mono quality audio, and it is used as a backup for parts where the tape has some flow (when you see problems on the picture) the machine switches automatically to the mono reproduction so the listener don't suffer from an interrupted audio, 3) Number of heads: 2 Heads will provide a standard video one head records the odd lines ans other records the even lines. 4 Heads: Same as two heads, but this structures allow the video machine to provide a still picture while the machine is paused. 6 Heads: the additional 2 heads are for recording the Hi-Fi Stereo Audio Track. 8 Heads: This is done for SVHS recording which Records Twice the bandwidth for the Black and wight signal, and records Separately (via the added 2 heads) a video signal for the color information . On SVHS the Video signal and the color signal are separated all the way into the machine, on the tape and out of the machine. This is the reason why SVHS recorders has an additional (to the yellow RCA video Jack) a 5 pin DIN type connector for video input and output. The Higher video quality is obtained only on the DIN Connector! 4) Video Signal Must be Present! There is an important information related to Hi Fi Recording on VHS tape: it can be done only when a video signal is also present, other wise the machine will not record and will not play back! this is another reason why it is not used a stand alone audio recording machine.

[@s.g.3042]

a very underrated commentary, thank you

[@BogoEN]

Really helpful info. The one caveat I have is that I have done HiFi recording without a video signal with success. I think it depends on the machine.

[@shpater]

@@BogoEN Thank you for the feedback. The video tape synchronize on the video input signal. without video signal it cannot record. It is possible to record "audio Only" if the machine is generating a synthetic video signal when no signal is present on the input. This is probably what is implemented into the machine you have had.

[@BogoEN]

@@shpater You know, I wondered whether that would be the case, and makes sense. Thank you for the response

[@Andersljungberg]

There was also a dbx-like noise reduction system.

[@thehistoryofchingfordwater8933]

Love it. Full helical deep layer pure analogue fm hifi.

[@efmax9954]

I have a Panasonic Hi Fi VHS player, I still run mine through a DBx 224 encode/decoder and the sonic quality is unreal given its format.. not to mention up to 8hrs of playing time.

[@wdavem]

OMG! Thank you for doing this!! Because this was so much fun when I was a kid I really got into recording indexed albums on vhs and even 8mm Hi-FI audio. It was the cheapest best sound for a long long time. In the early 90's, $2.50 VHS tape for 6 hours of great sound.

[@joesalyers]

So back when I started in studios in the mid-90s most local bands would store their mix-downs to VHS (not ADAT) since it was the most common hi-fidelity long form storage available and the cost of a single 1/4 inch mix down reel was about 50 times the cost of 1 VHS cassette. So small bands or artists who were paying for their own studio time couldn't afford the high cost of analog tape even back then. So we came up with a solution. We used a S-VHS ET (Super-VHS Expansion Technology). We used a Panasonic 4-Head S-VHS VCR for mix-downs which we converted to balanced ins and outs to reduce interference. The S-VHS tapes were less prone to drop-outs and had a little more head room compared to VHS. We ran 2 recording rooms the big room ran 2 MCI 2 inch 24 track JH-24 machines sync'ed . We also used 4 ADATs in our smaller room so we had S-VHS for those machines but they were digital for multitrack recording, so we weren't really adding to our overall cost. S-VHS would be something to look into if you want the best audio quality in an analog medium that is as close as you would get to studio reels on a budget. Cheers!!

[@anadialog]

Sweet!!

[@spacemissing]

I bought my first VCR on Dec. 24, 1986. It is a JCPenney 686-5075 --- a HiFi model, and I got it partly so I could use it as an audio recorder. It even has a mode specifically for that purpose.

[@xray111xxx]

I did too. VHS Hifi was awesome. Hours of music in one place. Using FM technology, and the helical scan, VHS Hifi was my go too tape vs. Reel to Reel. It was more fun than my favorite Otari MX-5050b mk.2. Now digital is so much easier for me.

[@scottscott5827]

In 1988 I started recording audio onto VHS tape (at the SP speed) using my parents new $1,000 Curtis Mathes "Digital" Hi-Fi VCR. It sounded so good it seemed like a "Digital" copy. Actually the word "Digital" meant the machine displayed a "Digital" video image (no shake) when you paused the videotape.

[@anadialog]

Cool!

[@erwindewit4073]

How cool this is. A college offered me his old JVC S-VHS recorder and I remembered how we used to have a Philips Matchline stereo video you could use as a cassette deck. And I wondered whether this thing could. Pity I got rid of all my VHS cassettes during our last two moves though. I had 300+ original movies and 30 or so normal tapes, but hey.. Still, really interesting. Going to try this out!

[@thehistoryofchingfordwater8933]

Yes yes. Spread the word.

[@kawmic7]

It is fantastic!! Still use it, AND it's analog!!😍😍😍😍😍😎😎

[@mikegreen4409]

I remember owning an Hitachi VCR which had adjustable record levels and an editing suite. One day I recorded some music direct from CD for a video I was compiling and played the music back through a decent hifi I had at the time, and wow, the sound was amazing and so powerful too. The Bass was phenomenal and no hiss at all. after that I made lots of compilations that lasted hours on end even on normal speed which I used all the time as it sounded the best to my ears. I've still got some of those old TDK VHS tapes but sadly the Hitachi player has well gone. I do have an old Panasonic VCR so maybe ill dig those old tapes out 😎Great Video Sir, and greetings from Liverpool, England UK.👍

[@CoolDudeClem]

I remember my first Hi-Fi VHS, and even making a few audio-only Hi-Fi VHS tapes back in the day. I know now that those recordings are frequency modulated, but for a long time I always thought it was a digital recording.

[@anthonyf3957]

I used to use VHS tapes to record the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts off the radio. It was perfect for recording 4+ uninterrupted hours of high fidelity music. Eventually I digitised them before I abandoned the format completely many years ago, but now after watching this, I kinda wish I had kept them

[@anadialog]

😊

[@genericfirstnamegenericlas6490]

Cool, I just bought a Hi-Fi Stereo VCR at a garage sale with the remote for $5!

[@anadialog]

Great! Start recording!!

[@s.g.3042]

It's over with the low prices now, since the greedy businessmen on eBay apparently watched this channel ;)

[@taketimeout2share]

I think you have triggered something here. incredible upload and presentation. In the UK you cannot give away VCRs and VHS tapes. But I am collecting ALL OF THEM. But only the old films and TV programmes. Anyone can do this and in effect you are creating a unique and valuable time capsule, valuable historically and socially. Then you introduce the HI Fi possibilities of VHS to me. What can I say? SUBBED.

[@bob4analog]

I recorded so much music on vhs hi-fi, excellent quality.

[@adamyoung4477]

My old band always wanted to record onto 1/4" tape to get a vintage sound. Reel to Reels were very expensive, and we figured out if we could find a stereo VCR we could use the VCR as a master tape in our recording setup.

[@anadialog]

Good job dudes!

[@prometheus963]

@@anadialog What would be the best VCR for this very process that Mr. Young has mentioned? One with XLR I/O

[@anadialog]

I don't know what is best, if XLR is a priority you might find hifi VCRs for pressional use, like medical machines, ebay is usually filled with them at decent prices like this one www.ebay.it/itm/124463835447?hash=item1cfa9f6937:g:~yEAAOSwDxdfw-mE

[@prometheus963]

@@anadialog Thanks for the reply! I was looking at the Panasonic AG-7650 that you recommended above, but only has XLR outs, as it does not record. The AG-7750 looks very similar, it has XLR I/O but you didn't have it listed above. Is there something about it that makes it inferior?

[@anadialog]

I am sure it's fine! Just make sure that condition is perfect because VCRs are VERY sensible and nasty!

[@BigStereoVR]

I worked for a company that recorded event audio to VHS in the 90's. I have been archiving jam sessions (guitar left, bass right) to VHS ever since.

[@10lassie]

Must be 20 plus years ago I saw where a company was thinking about coming out with an 8 track Hi- Fi VHS recorder . Like an ADAT but analog. Never saw the article again. Thanks for you article . You are so right HI-Fi VHS.

[@jimmyFX]

I first tried recording on VHS in 94.i could not believe how it sounded vs cd player. When I played back VHS. And did comparison. I couldn't tell the difference . Plus you could fit lots of music on them..with the sp and lp modes.i always recorded in I think sp(better quality).used more tape per recording. I Used an 4head hi fi player.

[@dilbyjones]

JS B agreed I noticed same thing and was like ..meh sounds pretty detailed... hmm

[@s.g.3042]

@Bill Ridge VHS as a broad, wide tape system is much closer to a reel to reel system in regards of quality, than little narrow tape audio cassettes

[@s.g.3042]

@Bill Ridge yeah, just what I said above ;))

[@sundayanalog589]

Back in the day our band used it to record demo's, because as we used to say, "You'd be surprised but it's 'Studio Quality'"

[@anadialog]

Cool!

[@thehistoryofchingfordwater8933]

It is amazing. Panasonic super drive over 92 dB. I've tested and fixed a few. The helical hi-fi track is mechanal electro digital control. More power than the space shuttle. Best tapes... Scotch 3m, maxell, jvc. You have old stock and new stock. New stock isn't as good. The sound is incredible.

[@Badassvidsz]

1st time it crossed my mind to record music from CDp & Tt to my video recorder the Panasonic NV-HD660 it ws back in 1997 the year of buy in summer -June of this year I said to my self < Hey Nick why don't you try this ? > an' i did .......man i was speechless the quality of a hi-fi Vhs - SVhs machine is amazing :

[@warrenmacdonald1372]

An interesting thing to note here, is that where VHS uses separate audio heads on the rotary head, beta uses the same heads for video and audio, ( the audio signal is buried in the same track space as the video signal ) so most beta decks that were Hi-Fi had only two heads. Back in the day I was a strong supporter of beta, but when it came to audio VHS was better. If you listen carefully to Beta hi-fi there's a funny noise that comes from the system when the heads switch electronically every 1/2 revolution. I've had 3 beta Hi-Fi machines and all three of them exhibit the same audio symptoms, but you have to have the volume turned way up.

[@anadialog]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@thehistoryofchingfordwater8933]

Yeah and beta was previously better picture quality and pre threaded. It took Panasonic to pre thread it on super drive. There are a few decks that do beta pure analogue.

[@RC-nq7mg]

I actually just played a 6hr EP recording i made many years ago today, even on EP speeds you cannot hear the difference from the 320kbps MP3s it was created from. The thing that blows my mind in general is how a helical scan transport can spin heads that fast over slow moving tape and not tear it to shreds.

[@Florentina-ox9xq]

I remember getting my first VCR and VHS tapes when I was 8 in 2005. I collected more VHS tapes until about 2008 the DVDs took over the Romania market. I have almost 60 tapes which are still alive and work fine. All have HI-FI too! :)

[@kozkoz7776]

Long time no hear (need to catch up with your videos ) VHS what a format misunderstood the HIFI VHS was stunningly good I still have my Mitsubishi 4head and are available still at goodwill etc also their easy to repair ( belts/elastic bands ) I was listening to the movie BIRDY in HIFI VHS awesome THANKS FOR THE Memory

[@laranaarana]

I used many VHS cassettes to record many of my vinyl collection back in the '90s. I had a Teac Hi-Fi recorder player that had a switch to record audio track only. Made great recordings.

[@anadialog]

Wow! Audio track only?! That is great, do you remember what model it was?

[@jacobbellwood6184]

The other general thing is that with tape of any kind, not just vhs but with others as well, as long as you keep everything clean, the heads and the pinch roller/kapstan but everywhere that the tape comes into contact with, as long as you keep all the clean on a regular basis, say atleast monthly, more if you use the item more, this helps to keep the tape from degrading and lasting for years.

[@anadialog]

True!

[@sbcinema]

I use audio VHS for years, 12 hours of brilliant Sound 📼 👍

[@nopochoclos]

How? using speeds like sp SLp i dont remembrer the letters, sorry for my english ?

[@sbcinema]

@@nopochoclos I have a special video recorder that has a function that allows you to record audio at a very slow speed, if I have time I will make a detailed video about it

[@nopochoclos]

@@sbcinema I see a lot of mutant hardware, i record data on a VCR in 1993 , the card was named Dammere or something like that, very interesting cheap method, in Argentina the hard disk drives are expensive .. on that time too, and record data on vhs was very cheap, i dont remember how many MB can do a tape but was great. Now i try to find here vhs with quality almost all are normal, very hard to find too the great vhs tapes.

[@henrikl1394]

I had a JVC a expensive one. It was as a good as the CD. You could not here the different between CD or the VHS.

[@weallfollowmanutd]

Now imagine how good it would sound if the recording source was better than CD.

[@s.g.3042]

@@weallfollowmanutd actually it is even better, since the tape allows for 48Khz - wheread a CD is only 44.1Khz.

[@marcinwilk5718]

Thank you for the two nice videos, Guido. I really like your videos because I can see your passion. As I understand you live in Italy but your English really sounds as if you are from the States. Anyway when DVD came out (I was a teenager) I as a film buff was, of course, extremey impressed by the excellent picture quality (compared to VHS at the time of course) however one thing that I also realised is that Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo/Dolby Surround on DVD didn't sound nearly as good as VHS Hi-Fi sound. Some of the films released on commercial VHS tapes here in Germany sounded fantastic. It would be nice to maybe compile a list of great sounding music VHS tapes. There were so many of those and I am certain that some / many of these tapes sound great !

[@anadialog]

Thanks! That would indeed be interesting to do even though best results come from recording like cassettes. My English is good because my mother was from the US so I am bilingual.

[@martiny1804]

I always recorded audio on my VCR. Had the Electrohome SVHS HIFI (Cant remember the model but it was second from top of the line) And this recorded also in PCM. Great sounding unit while It lasted. Looking for another one.

[@JacGoudsmit]

This brings back memories of when a radio station in the Netherlands (where I lived) had all-night non-stop dance music that I liked. European VHS runs slower than American VHS (because PAL is 25 frames per second and NTSC is 30 frames per second) so even though there was never an SLP mode in Europe, you could get E300 tapes that would hold a maximum of 10 hours of hifi non-stop music in LP mode. I still have some! There was one minor problem with my particular VCR (a JVC): you couldn't record hifi audio without video because it didn't make its own synchronization signal out of nothing. So I had to put my VCR in Simulcast mode and record e.g. MTV or some other channel on the video and the static mono track, and the radio would be recorded on the hifi track. I also have a tape somewhere that I used to record CD's from my dad, and I used my Amiga as video source, running the CDTV program. That made it easy to locate tunes within the CD recording too (just turn on the TV and look at the CD track number and time on the screen).

[@anadialog]

Cool!

[@mowtoll]

I was using this in the late 80:is to record CD and vinyl

[@dougg1075]

I have a Mitsubishi HS U52 I bought brand new at Circuit City in the early 90s for 500 bones. The salesman sold it to me on its audio prowess alone, Said audiophiles were using them to record long playing hi fidelity tapes. Man Jurassic Park ( I still have) sounded amazing and I mean to me it is better than DVD. I religiously kept the heads clean with the nicest cleaning tape I could get. Played maybe 20 or 30 movies through it and retired it. It’s in perfect shape.. I need to break it out and hook it up:)

[@anadialog]

Do it! And report back!

[@tweakerman]

Excellent video, I still use VHS for recording audio, excellent sound quality👍

[@anadialog]

Thanks man!

[@moshezaharia4666]

HI, Just a small remark: Sony's Betamax came before JVC's VHS, and Sony invented the Hi-Fi stereo so Betamax was the first to implement Hi-Fi stereo. The first Betamax Hi-Fi came out in 1980.

[@anadialog]

True! Thank you for pointing that out. I just told the story of the flying heads and VHS...

[@vinylcity1599]

I remember back in the early 90s or so, I bought a music video! The music on that video sounded 3 dimensional and live, like a master reel to reel tape or high quality record! Then in the late 2000s I bought the same video on DVD, and it sounded flat two dimensional like a CD! All hi-fi VCRs are four head machines!

[@3Cr15w311]

Most HI Fi machines were actually 6 head. Hi Fi machines usually also had other high end features like good stills even at SP, which required 4 video heads. The 2 audio heads added to the count for a total of 6. One or two flying erase heads on even higher end machines would bring the count to 7 or 8.

[@tveasy5172]

6 heads as usual

[@BavarianM]

Have been using it for a while Great quality

[@garyharper2943]

This worked well. I had a fisher unit that let you manually adjust recording levels, very unusual. Sounded great, but searching was impossible.

[@jimmyFX]

Hmmm yeah ,thinking back now,i had a Hitachi 4head. With a jog wheel. if my memory serves me correctly ,you could insert an index mark on the fly during recording. This would allow to advance to next track.also I used the jog wheel to search track. I used to record short sample rhythm and beats. We used the VHS for fill in beats(beat mixing)with cds in the club.

[@LostBeetle]

So I just recorded onto hifi VHS using a Panasonic Omnivision, using audacity I synced the original digital source with the VHS recording so I could go back and forth between them, I also gave them equal volumes, and to my ears it is a perfect duplicate. I mean perfect, I'm amazed. At first I even thought there was literally no floor noise, you can only notice it if you turn the volume up as loud as it gets, and that's with headphones (just don't do that when music is playing!). This is far less floor noise than you get even from reel to reel by an order of magnitude. And the frequency response, as I said, it's perfect. I tried sometime ago with a different hifi vcr and it had floor noise (a buzz), this one has virtually none, for all intents and purposes it might as well be NO floor noise. I'm baffled how this went unnoticed, people could have had what amounts to cd quality sound back in early 80s.

[@anadialog]

Cool! Thanks for sharing that!

[@videolux4111]

Cool. Will try this today.

[@BKDBrian2]

I have to admit, Hi-Fi audio is really great, isn't it? I remember in 2003 when I got a children's sing-along VHS from 1985 off eBay and transferred the Hi-Fi Stereo audio onto a CD so the music would last forever.

[@dailyraillive1492]

Fantastic

[@richardhudson3014]

Yes I remember the VHS tapes and video players/recorders and I already know what you are talking about you are talking about the audio VHS witch are prerecorded audio video cassettes but without the video part!!!

[@birgerolofsson2347]

I still have a Hi-Fi VHS (Panasonic) connected to my stereo that can bee used as a tape deck and perhaps 15 cassettes with CD and LP music. 15 x 3 hours x2 = Aronud 90 hours music totally, I guess. I've been using Hi-Fi VHS as a tape deck since 1989, 30 years.

[@CoolDudeClem]

I still have my Super VHS VCR. I remember a long time ago I used to record music onto VHS as the quality was so good. When it came to recording TV shows though, it didn't look any better than normal VHS evemn though I was using SVHS tapes.

[@s.g.3042]

in SP mode it should look better tho, at least on a Panasonic professional machine with a jog dial editing feature, unless your RF HF tv signal was compromised

[@RealHomeRecording]

Were you using RCA or svideo cables (3 total) or an RCA cable?

[@venturarodriguezvallejo1567]

Yes. In the 80's you cuold buy a commercial movie in VHS. If in the box it appeared "Hi-Fi Stereo" or the like, it was surprising how far better was the sound than the image. Once you learned the basics about how the tape was readed by the multihead block, it becames evident why the sound was so good. I had a Grundig machine (don't know where it can be now, after a few moves from here to there) and used it sometimes to record just sound. The closer to a professional open reel results I had ever! (Besides: I advised to some friends who had medium range cassette decks and also hi-fi video recorders to try this. All of them looked at me as I was a martian and none of them paid any attention to me).

[@gochurra5702]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@anadialog]

Thank YOU!

[@ManoelNunesOSan]

You forgot to mention that hifi audio in VHS and all that dynamic range is attained by two frequency modulated carriers. One for each channel.

[@anadialog]

True! Its FM independent audio channels.

[@000jimbojones000]

Yep i used that in the early 90s already to record live dj radio sets from radio to 4 Hour VHS tapes... Even a 4 hour tape sounded way better than a normal music cassette. Also every 4 or 6 head VCR is HIFI stereo. Just look for 6 head with both audio jacks.. you get them for a few bucks... My father always thought im joking when i recorded to VHS and he had his expensive reel to reel and was out of his mind as i showed him how good it sounded when you recorded a CD to VHS. haha.

[@anadialog]

Cool!

[@s.g.3042]

true, thx for reminder

[@s.g.3042]

well VHS is a reel to reel too, all in a compact body.

[@000jimbojones000]

@@s.g.3042 True. even if you dont use the full Tape. If they had a special audio recorder to use the full tape only for audio i guess you could even pack 4 times the audio on a vhs tape. But it was never invented. The Stereo audio track is only stored in the upper 1/4 of the tape. So the VHS tape is technicaly wide enough to hold 4 Stereo or 8 mono tracks. Imagine if this was a thing in the 80s. Mindblown. They just needed to modify the head Drum with Audioheads only. Makes me wonder why nobody did invent this. That little modification would fit 16 Hours of Stereo HQ Audio on a 240 min Tape. Insane.

[@dougg1075]

Wow I was wondering if I was crazy when I thought my HIFI VCR sounded better than my CD player.

[@anadialog]

🤣🤣🤣 you are not alone!

[@DennisTamayo]

I always remember the VHS tapes back in the late 1990s when I was 2 to 4 years old, that is until my parents buy VCDs in the early to mid 2000s.

[@feverSoundHK]

very interesting findings !!! :P

[@semperfi-1918]

I still watch vhs on my mixed old/ newish system. Remastered vhs like star wars... is clearly a big difference and wow factor.

[@whssy]

My brother's best mate's uncle had his own little studio and recorded everything on a 4-track system that ran on VHS tapes. People have known about this for a long time.

[@ikymagoo]

I have tons of VHS with hours of music on them, I miss making tapes

[@cubdukat]

ikymagoo I’m half tempted to go back to it.

[@jonjonas2528]

Go to e Bay and buy a VHS vcr videorecorder and blank VHS tapes

[@Florentina-ox9xq]

I guess you know how to record something into a tape because I'm 21 and for many years I wanted to learn but I just can't, it seems that old tech and the new generation doesn't mix. :)

[@ikymagoo]

GameLover97 what do want to learn, let me know

[@Florentina-ox9xq]

@@ikymagoo I simply want to make a copy of Cinderella, my first VHS tape my mom bought me in 2005. It represents for me something special and something that can't be forgotten at all. I read on the Internet you can record something on a tape with a VCR but I just can't seem to be able to learn how. In my childhood I had a long time before I finally learnt some basic functions of my VCR and now I can use it by myself but I can't say I'm as smart as other people born in the '80s who had VCRs most of their lives.

[@ronaldjanmaat6191]

I used to record 8 hrs on a vhs tape with a philips matchline vcr. It was very convenient for parties. I still have the tapes, not the recorder though.

[@danlivni2097]

You should get a VCR on Ebay to move the stuff you recorded to DVD

[@anadialog]

Ten years ago someone would have written the same thing but vice versa!!😂

[@victorinborsciov6817]

I used to make recording from NV-FS90 to Technics RS-M95.

[@Sejin_Song]

Great!

[@3Cr15w311]

April 3, 1987, I got a Mitsubishi HS-421UR Hi-Fi VCR and on the stereo system I had then, I could not hear the difference in the source and the tape. It was far superior to even the best compact cassette recordings, to me. I loved that machine, which had music search. Later, I got a Mitsubishi HS-413UR which had a real-time counter and I could directly search to the beginning of a song in a different way by going straight to the time index.

[@anadialog]

How cool! Do you still have it?

[@3Cr15w311]

@@anadialog No, they were replaced by SVHS machines in the early 90s and neither work now.

[@thatguyontheright1]

When my family got satellite in the early 2000s, I recorded the music channels onto tape and used those to make cassettes with. Always sounded amazing. I had to stop because my mom claimed I was wasting tapes. Apparently S-VHS had a native PCM track that was recorded to the tape on the drum rather than the linear audio head like with a hi-fi VHS.

[@anadialog]

Only a few SVHS recorders had a PCM adaptor, the norm was analog. I did 2 vids on vhs hifi, amazing sound: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZ-nkJtrd7t_m8U

[@chuheihkg]

I think I should check MY VHS Recorder after this. It was reserved for backup purpose.

[@tveasy5172]

I remember it was popular in certain circles HiFi enthusiasts with peak around 1992-1993

[@bobjohnson1814]

Hey i had a Fisher Av 7600 hifi vhs deck that would encode black video for audio recording...i made 180 tapes of Floyd,Parsons,catalogs...wonderful clean cd quality...loved it

[@anadialog]

Cool!

[@davedavis9693]

ANA[DIA]LOG There's an old VHS player which records in All Audio Mode . Do U know the model number of that unit ?

[@anadialog]

No, I don't and I would love to know that....do you know the brand?

[@davedavis9693]

ANA[DIA]LOG no I don't . but I heard of a guy who recorded live band's in all audio mode . he gave a copy to the Pixie's . they couldn't believe the superior quality .

[@anadialog]

The Pixies? Wow! He probably modified a VCR or he used an ADAT (if we are talking 90's)!

[@michaels8597]

I spin music and my masters are on VHS tapes,and had started doing this,over 20 years ago.I experimented with different brands,and even used a JC Penny VCR first,then ended u with Sony/JVC.I now have Sony semipro decks,which have a jog wheel,which enables me to pinpoint my recording spots.Here in NYC,you can get stuff for free,like I got a Sony deck and monitor.He is right,because you do need a HiFi deck,and it's better to not use the same deck to watch tapes,dedicating your audio to certain machines.Then you store the tapes in the jackets,in a dark/cool place,nowhere near any magnetic/EMF fields.You can also hook the deck up to a tv or dedicated monitor,and keep track of your run time.

[@s.g.3042]

true, you have a good understanding of a proper setup.

[@DavidWood-rc6gj]

You mention that a lot of people didn’t know this because they used their VCRs primarily for video. There were a couple other reasons as well that go along with this I think. In the hay day of VHS and even Betamax, most people didn’t have Hi-Fi capable machines and were just fine using their boring TV speakers for sound anyway. These models were considerably more expensive than their linear only audio counterparts. In the early days of Hi-Fi Betamax, Sony even marketed some machines as being “Hi-Fi Ready”. These machines had a port in the back which allowed you to “upgrade” them later on with a separate Hi-Fi processor.

[@Kylefassbinderful]

If you wanna watch vhs tapes (that were kept in excellent condition) it's best to watch them using a smaller CRT TV, specifically a Trinitron. I have a 10" Trinitron and it hides the imperfections of VHS video very well. Any modern TV will really do the picture quality major injustice. But yeah VHS HiFi sounds great as long as you play them back a limited amount of times, store them well, and use the same machine to play them back. The latter isn't always necessary but sometimes it is.

[@Andersljungberg]

on mono VHS, the tone head for the sound was not on the spinning drum. it was later I think about 1986 when hi-fi VHS came as if they placed a tone head on the spinning drum combined with noise reduction system

[@aegisofhonor]

the Panasonic NV-F200 is a very expensive VCR, they often sell for between $400-$1000 depending on condition as they pretty much cover everything you would want or need in a very good consumer grade VCR for both recording onto and playing back audio and video VHS tapes.

[@anadialog]

Indeed!

[@AndyBHome]

For people wanting to go to analog tape, VHS may be easier to find than cassette. The fact that it's much higher quality is an even more compelling reason to dig up a good old VHS deck and start making tapes!

[@MaxW-er1hm]

Just make sure it's a Hi-Fi VCR, VCRs were not for years and so early machines have terrible linear audio tracks

[@AndyBHome]

@@MaxW-er1hm absolutely true. Not all VCRs had the HiFi audio feature, but most of the models produced in the height of the era did have that. You have to check to be sure.

[@MaxW-er1hm]

@@AndyBHome it's a very common feature, my worries for the new generation getting into this for Nostalgia and fun who wouldn't be aware of it like old heads like us would, and some of the most iconic 80s looking VCRs out there will be mono only

[@diangara3298]

I used to multi track with a VCR and mini disc back before I had a computer. Record a track onto the VCR, play it back through a channel on the desk while overdubbing the next track onto the minidisc, and then repeat. Have to record the brighter instruments last to allow for the natural compression. The thing I found made the biggest difference was the quality of tape. The cheap blank ones were nothing on the expensive master quality ones. I've just bought my first VCR since those days and a handful of master quality tapes (nos) to go in my home studio. I loved the process of recording on those machines and having to do a whole pass of the track at once. So much more challenging and enjoyable than having hundreds of little clips copy/pasted on pro tools. I also have some great old videos (parents wedding etc) that I want to archive on digital format.

[@rolandogamez]

IIRC HiFiVHS had a dynamic range of 90dB, compared to CD 100dB and Cassettes average 70dB! I used to record an Overnight blues show by hooking my HiFI VCR to the Technics amp. Programed it for Saturday 1155 to Sunday 505am, channel 00 was the Aux in. Then listened through the week!

[@anadialog]

Cool!

[@SlinkiestTortoise23]

SVHS stereo audio was digital PCM. Exactly the same as DAT. I mastered loads to SVHS tape. Fantastic sound.

[@anadialog]

Some professional VCRs could record in PCM but the standard was analog audio.

[@SlinkiestTortoise23]

ANA[DIA]LOG I used a JVC machine. It was digital sound.

[@anadialog]

Sure! I am just say a small portions of machines had that capability. The rest was analog.

[@MaxW-er1hm]

The video dropout causes audio dropout as well, on SLP speed it can be really bad after a dozen plays or so, none the less I used to make 6 and eight-hour mixtapes on VHS all the time, I still have a bunch of them- it's an excellent sounding way to get a lot of music on a tape although if you recorded on SP speed it kind of defeats the purpose as you can just use a Chrome compact cassette and have roughly the same fidelity. Sp speed does prevent the dropouts mostly.

[@bobjohnson1814]

The cool thing was,i could even push the incoming levels,running sources thru my yamaha mixer...the Fisher's autolevel accepted it heartily, and the quality was clear and flawless...and being the deck was servo direct drive,any casettes made had no generational issues

[@lesrogers7310]

I use two JVC HR-J935EK machines for audio recording. These machines have a tilting head drum, and much more importantly....manual audio recording level control. This feature is vital for excellent recording quality. If possible, your machine should also have RCA Phono inputs and outputs for easy interconnection. I've been recording audio onto VHS since the late 80s. Ever wondered why a DAT mechanism looks so much like a shrunken VHS or maybe VHS-C ? Anyway, great video as usual.

[@anadialog]

I mention this in the video and also showed my VCR with the recording level and VU meters...fundamental! Yup, DAT is s direct VHS stemmed product!

[@georgeohwell7428]

would be awesome to incorporate this to multi-track recording

[@whssy]

This was a real thing in the 80s actually.

[@andrewdsouza16]

I used to record my favorite FM stn and Vinyl on to VHS tapes through a 4head Panasonic HiFi VHS recorder with excellent SQ compared to Mini Disc and CDs

[@csxlab]

You can add the JVC HR-S5500 as well to the list :D

[@Andersljungberg]

There was also a dbx-like noise reduction system. On hi-fi VHS

[@jonjonas2528]

Use your VHS vcr videorecorders and blank VHS tapes to get even with the news media

[@FBAV]

I know that and used it to backup music video clips I made myself... Backup? Yes backup, all though it's also on hard drives; hard drives can crash and everything is lost. If you have a VHS player/recorder that can record and play back hifi stereo though and the tape and machine are in good condition it's probably safer there than on a hard drive or CD/dvd. I recorded that music (with low quality video clips though) to VHS 7 years ago. I even used Long Play or Extended Play; else I would have needed 8 VHS tapes instead of 4... And in fact the audio stays excellent even at a lower tape speed. The only issue is that the recorded video level sometimes exceeds the maximum brightness; and that unfortunately disturbes the audio when playing it back (buzz/humming). But if I recorded a good and steady video Signal (color bar or even just black) the sound is excellent, even barely hiss or anything