What Happened When I Took My Beatles Sgt Pepper Master Tape To Abbey Road Studios

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In our final installment from Abbey Road Studios, the amazing Miles Showell helps me to transfer and my high-speed 1981 Sgt Pepper's master tape using the finest vintage reel-to-reel equipment. But things didn't go as smoothly as planned.
Reared videos:
Unboxing The Sgt Pepper's master tape: • Sgt. Pepper's Master T...
Unboxing the Let It Be Master Tape • I Found a Beatles Let ...
Check out the previous two episodes from Abbey Road:
The Master of Half Speed Vinyl Miles Showell Tell All: • Abbey Road's Master of...
Diggin Inside Abbey Road For Beatles treasure: • Digging Inside Abbey R...
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Thank you!

[@johnnada.]

I’m just sitting here watching the reels go round and round

[@bernlitzner2739]

Good one!

[@MegaMacReal]

You just have to let it go.

[@louiebee6745]

I really love to watch em roll.

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

This man has a wit on him.

[@TrevorOuellette]

Yeah not sure why I’m watching this either… 😂

[@MCAN]

I’ve never been so thrilled watching someone rewind tape for 30 minutes

[@bletheringfool]

😄 my thoughts exactly

[@caddelworth]

EMI's own BTR2 tape machines make the Studer A80 almost sound silent by comparison (!). The BTR2 also rewinds at what looks and feels like the speed of light. During my editing test at the BBC in 1974, the tape caught under the top flange of the reel during rewind and I had to instantly "brake" it by hand. It hurt, yes, but I _did_ pass the test thanks to my quick thinking and reactions. And aligning with the test tones brought back memories, too! (And yes thanks, I'm aware that the BTR2 is a mono machine, unlike the Ampex and the Studer!) PS: It didn't help the chafing (when rewinding the Side Two tape) that the plate the tape was on was very clearly warped.

[@lechatnoir22]

It was mesmerizing

[@terencejay8845]

Nerve-wracking business.

[@caddelworth]

@@terencejay8845 Indeed, but not as life-threatening as rewinding on a Blattnerphone! 😲

[@michaelcarpenter2498]

Watching Miles at a tape machine makes me realize what a treasure it is to still have him on this Earth. The fact he heard that defect on side two takes a different kind of hearing. I will never scoff at being a tape operator again. Fascinating video.

[@Parlogram]

He really is The Master. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Zappa-bn3dq]

You’ve had all your birthdays and Christmas Days together there at Abbey Road! What a top bloke Miles is, he did go where us mere mortals could never go working with those tapes, especially the second one. BRILLIANT.

[@tomgray6093]

My day had to go on pause as I watched this fascinating video, what a great experience for you, so glad you could share it 🎶🎶👍

[@arcid63]

Such a great experience, really.

[@stpworld]

@@Parlogram Ive got a danliel radcliff master tape I should save.

[@Apo458]

This has to be the wet dream of every Beatles fan: 1. Visit every corner of Abbey Road Studios 2. Talk directly to the legendary staff 3. Own a Beatles master tape copied directly from the 1st generation original tape 4. Play it back and listen to it on fine equipment along with one of the greatest cutting engineers

[@marilotta]

Asolutly true :)

[@steadyyeve]

Parlogram is a wet dream and a gold mine in itself for all Beatles fans out there

[@RAFchurchlawford4469]

Alright, but apart from all that, what have the Beatles ever done for us? Well, they've given us Beatle music. SHUT UP, YOU!

[@BaccarWozat]

Travel to 1980 and stop Mark David Chapman... um

[@Apo458]

@@RAFchurchlawford4469 Uh, what did I say?

[@LanceHall]

You are one of a few fans who have heard a genuine analog version of the master tape without any "remastering" or digital manipulation.

[@michaeldeloatch7461]

Actually my late 70's Capitol cassette SPLHCB (which I had bought because my LP got some major damage to the lead-in grooves by accident) had an amazing "liveliness" that surpassed my shure cart pickup off the record, all other stages being equal. Can't remember if it was labelled XDR but the high end sounded great to my then-young ears for a cassette and the VU meters were getting pegged frequently with no distortion, so pretty good S/N. It probably wasn't too many generations removed from your copy, and maybe it wasn't even all-analog in the chain by then, but it sounded better than when the CD came out. So I imagine that to be about what you are hearing there, only 2^4 times as good at 30 ips haha.

[@BB..........]

Everybody that owned copies on analog media, before digital was a thing, heard "a genuine analog version of the master tape."

[@caryheuchert]

@@BB.......... Exactly!

[@michaeldeloatch7461]

@@BB.......... I think the original point in the comment was about generations of analog copying from the actual master tape with George Martin's grubby handprints on it. Even the subject of this video is not the true master itself. And even the master tape was a mix down COPY. My own comment was about getting close to the actual sound of the master without even any RIAA or other stuff done in production of vinyl records. Since Mr. Parlogram won't give us a listen, we can only speculate.

[@BB..........]

@@michaeldeloatch7461 I understand what you're saying, but my point still stands. The OP wrote it like only a few have ever heard a " genuine analog version of the master tape without any "remastering" or digital manipulation," but everybody that owned an LP, 45, open reel tape, cassette or 8-track all heard " genuine analog version of the master tape without any "remastering" or digital manipulation" too, it just might have had more generational losses, but they're still "genuine analog versions" of the master tape.

[@julianmorrisco]

That’s a tape box I never thought I’d see again! I used to work at Studios 301, the Australian EMI studio, so kinda their Abbey Road. I was there in the late 80s early 90s and I remember someone decided to throw out a bunch of these 30IPS master dupes as the tape storage was full and the studio was moving to PCM U-Matic digital masters. I don’t remember who ended up with Sgt Pepper, but I remember the box quite well, as I coveted it. I did end up with Dark Side of the Moon in the same format, but that tape was caught in a flood (hooray for ‘Straya!) and I believe the tape was destroyed. I haven’t had the heart to look at it, I lost a whole bunch of stuff, photos, 2 inch multitracks etc. but anyway. Talk about nostalgia, seeing that box again!

[@julianmorrisco]

Yeah. I hadn’t seen the bit where he talks about flooding. Not good. There’s an irony that he’s using Ampex reels though. They’re the ones, I think it’s mostly 456, that often need baking. Most of my 2 inch tapes were 456. Grrr. I’d just about got over losing all that music I’d recorded. Sigh. Never mind. None of that other stuff mattered to anyone but me and a few musicians I’d recorded. But maybe it would have been screwed by the shedding anyway.

[@Parlogram]

Fascinating to hear this backstory! Thanks for posting!

[@last808]

Maybe send it to someone who can preserve it so any damage doesn't fester?

[@edaudio]

Even water damaged tapes can be rescued

[@markcheetah4960]

Were these tapes baked?

[@faltarego]

If you'd come up to me the other day and told me that there was this video of a guy winding a tape from one spool to another, and that I was going to find it fascinating, I'd have said you were nuts. But, here we are.

[@dfc99nyc]

Only Andrew can make tape winding interesting. Sometimes he puts up a YT video on a topic that I'm not really interested in, but he always makes it interesting.

[@billkeithchannel]

31 minutes well spent.

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

What a pleasure to watch a master recording engineer at work, knowing the quirks of the material and how to jerry-rig solutions on the fly. This is one of the best things ever on KZbin. Historic and valuable.

[@brianjames5685]

Anybody else thrilled by the clunks and clicks of those machines? I certainly was, it sounds like confidence.

[@BugRib]

Yeah, it's weirdly therapeutic, haha.

[@kronos5385]

Those satisfying sounds are solenoids clicking in and out. That alone is music to most old time sound engineers ears.

[@stephensaines7100]

@@kronos5385 Yup...sounds like old times! Also some of the earliest logic control on those machines as to the engagement sequence of the heads. Done by simple diode logic on the earlier ones.

[@bunkie2100]

Did you notice that he managed the rewind (while using the alignment tones) of the Ampex deck by alternately pressing the RW and FF buttons? That's a skill required with older decks that didn't have full-logic controls (all the Teac and Tascam decks were full-logic). it was really easy to spill the tape if you didn't keep tension on it as you were trying to brake the spinning reel. You did this braking with the opposite hub motor. But it required finesse because too much would send the tape in the other direction. The mentioned Revox B77 had full logic but the earlier (and highly-regarded) Revox A77 did not. I learned this skill on the A77 and watching a pro do it triggered a visceral memory. Fun times!

[@eefjuh5533]

I ws especially thrilled by the scraping tape sounds and the dirt on the deck..

[@Turboy65]

I'm just thrilled that at the age of 58 I can hear that 15 KHz head alignment tone quite clearly!

[@gasgas2689]

At 73 I can't even hear 3kHz! Aaaarrrrggghh, I have all the Beatle LPs I bought when they first came out, a good deck and amplifier and it's all wasted, I can't hear it. I have hearing aids but they distort the sound. A Steinway sounds better without wearing them, even though I can't hear the high notes. What am I to do with my Beatle records? Just sit and look at them and try to remember what the weather was like when I bought them? I do remember cycling 3 miles to the record store in the rain and bringing Beatles For Sale home tucked inside my rain jacket. I made my own record player and wondered what the strange echo was on the lead in groove at the start of the record. It was feed through from the actual start, when the original wax disc was being cut the cutting needle distorted the lead in groove a bit.

[@clintharrington9524]

When Miles said ‘the machine is clean’ were you tempted to sing ‘it’s a clean machine ‘

[@meestuinier4486]

😂😂😂

[@dunebasher1971]

For anyone confused by what Miles was talking about with print-through, storing the tape tail-out means that if print-through occurs, it will sound like a post-echo. If print-through occurs on a head-out tape, it sounds like a pre-echo - in other words, you hear a sort of echo of what's on the tape a moment or two *before* the proper audio. That is much more noticeable and distracting than post-echo.

[@lenwennerberg1631]

You know something, I remember hearing that very same phenomena with some cassette tapes I used to own back in the day. Thanks for the explanation and the clarification! 👍

[@audioengineer3720]

In addition, because the "tails-out" print-thru is so magnetically weak, it is the rewinding process that causes the print-thru to "collapse" or to weaken to such a degree, that when the rewound tape is finally played-back in a normal forward condition, the print-thru can no longer be heard over the original material. Apparently, these "Sgt. Pepper" tapes must have been wound in a "Fast-Forward" condition, which would cause the "ridge conditions" they were so concerned about. You are "supposed" to -- Play -- the tape onto the take-up reel, which would then cause the tape to be evenly wound on the take-up reel. So, there are many reasons of -- WHY -- studio tapes are stored in a "Played / Tails-Out" condition. I know

[@WaterShowsProd]

I can remember hearing the pre-echo on television and radio as a kid and wondering how it was happening. I realised later how it was happening, but funny enough I'd forgotten about that condition until it was mentioned in this video.

[@stuartreynolds4480]

Imagine the horror of hearing any kind of echo on a re-press!

[@TheHesseJames]

I had vinyls in the olden days on which you could hear the print through. Mostly on secondary presses from Israel or wherever.

[@Havelbaude]

Best winding-back-tape video in history 🤣 Well done.

[@BaccarWozat]

And without the use of a pencil!

[@GreenGibbon]

My heart was in my mouth the whole way....

[@Comedy4cast]

As someone who worked a lot with tape, I appreciate greatly all the care that was taken here. Reel-to-reel is beautiful, but so unforgiving.

[@trevorsneath4665]

It's so satisfying watching a competent technician in his element.

[@OTOss8]

'This is the greatest version of Sgt. Pepper that's available and you'll never get to hear it." Alright.

[@whichgodofthousandsmeansno5306]

Never say "never". However hearing it in the Abbey Road Studio.. probably not so much. Such is life. However nothing is really preventing an album being released directly from these master recordings and if done right will suffer very little loss other then maybe some corrections. Wait and see.

[@NickGoblin]

The AudioPhil release of this album on RUtracker was supposedly sourced from a second gen master tape, too. 24/96 lossless rip, sounds great. So that's probably as good as it'll get for us right now.

[@poiu477]

@@NickGoblin Man I miss what.cd

[@jerahmaya77]

It's tough not to get to hear it. That's for sure.

[@dieselbaby]

Indeed, the world lost something wonderful when what got taken down. In the years since I haven’t had the desire to really bother with getting into the replacement site(s) that have popped up as frankly I can find whatever I am looking for these days anyway, but they do exist and from what friends of mine who are on there say, it’s about equivalent to whatcd at this point if not superior in terms of offerings available.

[@tikvision]

So glad it actually was the right tape and not any other random recording inside the box

[@jimjam51075]

I mean, it would have been kind of funny if it had been audio from an episode of "Gimme A Break" someone had recorded over the original. "I hear...Nell Carter?" Funny...but massively tragic.

[@simonw.2206]

Many congratulations on getting a digital copy of your tapes. I was fascinated when you showed them in your original video. It was magical seeing how they were expertly handled at Abbey Road. Thank you so much for sharing and letting us experience some of the 'tension' of working with tape.😊

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it, Simon!

[@johndiloreto3738]

I need a full double album of nothing but tape machine clicks and clacks. Those noises are so much fun to listen to

[@matthewwarner9390]

Lou Reed, "Metal Machine Music" is exactly that. Was even a double lp

[@Edux17]

Throughout the video it seemed that I was there, in the studio, with both of you, hoping that the tape would not be damaged. It has been quite an experience for everyone. I'm glad you have those tapes, they are truly a treasure. Mr. Miles Showell is a kind person indeed. Congratulations, Andrew!

[@Parlogram]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@oddo710]

As someone who owns an original 15ips master from 1967 I totally understand your comment about She's Leaving Home. The whole album sounds amazing in its original mix but She's Leaving Home has some special magic on the master that I had never heard before. Thanks for confirming my observation.

[@audioengineer3720]

And.....I have a reel-to-reel tape deck that can play 10-1/2" -- 15IPS tapes right here-at-home!!! Would you want a CD made of your 15IPS tape??? I still have and occasionally play the various studio tapes I had recorded of bands back during the late '70s here-at-home and I also have got some 10-1/2" -- 7-1/2 IPS tapes of -- YES -- in concert in the years 1979 and 1980!!! (1979 = Jon Anderson/Vocals & 1980 = Trevor Horn/Vocals).

[@GustavoSMoreira]

This video was so great it healed me partially from this past week full of tragedy due to the floodings in my city. I can't explain, but watching Miles talking on the previous video, and acting on this one, gave me an inner peace. He's so in love for his job, and take it so seriously that looks like he lives every moment in the present - which most of us cannot do. Also his care on your master tape copy reminded me of all the care I've had when I've transferred my old cassete tapes with recordings from my childhood. Thank you Andrew!

[@Parlogram]

I'm glad it helped, Gustavo. My best wishes to you and your city.

[@ArthAttack]

Melhoras.

[@rienpost3145]

"The tape might explode." Your heart rate must have been close to 200 when he said that. :D

[@muziktrkr]

But if it’s going to explode anywhere, it should be at Abbey Road.

[@pdunderhill]

@@muziktrkr I've worked with 1/4 inch for 50+ years, 40 in Broadcast and was trained by the BBC. Never seen a reel of Tape 'explode' or had to hand wind one off the floor. 2 inch 24 track or 16mm sepmag is a different matter. Slightly surprised not to see any leader tape between tracks, if nothing else to reduce print through. What were the frequencies of the squeak/alignment tones at the head of each reel? Bearing in mind they would have been mastered on Studio Machines and not Film Crew Nagras, for instance, I'd be very surprized if the replay Azimuth needed adjustment... Never liked platter tape, for some reason German Broadcasters and Recording Companies, DG and Archiv, seemed to use them almost exclusively. If your 5, 7 or 10.5 inch spool is bent then bin it. Then, and now, I can't see any reason to leave out that minimum of physical protection.

[@rienpost3145]

@@muziktrkr Fair enough.

[@rienpost3145]

@@pdunderhill When you're rewinding a 40+ year old tape, you want to be careful with ridges like that. 'Exploding' might be a bit dramatic but the tape could break or tear at that point. And there's no leader tape between tracks because Sgt Peppers is supposed to be cut without ridges.

[@organfairy]

@@pdunderhill I've worked with 1/4 tape for almost 50 years too - though on amateur level. I share your dislike for platters, and this video shows exactly why: It can go horribly wrong both in handling and in playing, but with a reel the tape is both protected and kept in the right place. By the way doesn't the Germans prefer "oxide out" on their machines?

[@allisons3663]

I love videos like this that offer a glimpse into the more technical side of the recordings.

[@bradrapp3697]

Sgt. Peppers was the first album I ever bought, I was 10 yo. I started taking guitar lessons and eventually made my living teaching and gigging, all because of my love for the Beatles (and Jimi Hendrix). Your journey with this tape is extraordinary and yes, I wish I could hear it too. I’m tickled at how uncommon and rare it is (in this digital age so far removed in time) to appreciate fully what you have, and what you’ve done to preserve it. Congratulations to you, and thank you for sharing.

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@larrydaniels6532]

You should file suit against the Beatles for misappropriation of your youth. You could get thousands, if you are lucky.

[@davidrobertson1980]

Ahhh you need some Robin Trower to fill the gap 🤩

[@paulg2733]

Amazing to see , i never thought watching a reel of tape re-spooling would be so interesting! Thanks Andrew

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it, Paul!

[@aydinstone]

Seeing these machine kept in such great working condition is one thing. Seeing the guy who has all that experience and skill is another. Superb. But it did make we wonder about the future. Who will know anything about these analogue techniques in a decade or so? Do Abbey Road train young apprentices up?

[@arzabael]

Couldn’t have said what I was feeling better

[@erestube]

So cool of Abbey Road and Miles Showell to take on this project. Greatest studio ever!

[@rogerturner1881]

that's what Connie Francis said in one of her many questions/answers of which recording studio was the best in sound etc..answer ABBEY ROAD,LONDON.She started in March 1959 and recorded her 2nd album MY THANKS TO YOU, ONE FOR THE BOYS [which sounds oh boy that orchestra]and many albums there-off incl her very good Spanish and Latin American Favorites, Italian Favorites, Christmas In My Heart, and even in the 1965 ALL TIME INTERNATIONAL FAVORITES.

[@shnibby69]

It’s phenomenal that you have these tapes! And you get your first listen of them in ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS?!? Well done, Andrew!

[@joecrowaz]

As a recovering audio engineer, THIS is simultaneously giving me joy and PTSD 😂

[@underthetornado]

Me too. Lol

[@sagauer]

Same, I miss winding the tapes like that lol

[@stephensaines7100]

Do you 'get the spins'?

[@joecrowaz]

@@stephensaines7100 I can barely look at a single edge razor blade 😜

[@tammastrongbear]

me too. I haven't worked with analog gear since 94. the q-tips brought back some nightmares. LOL

[@alonzowurlitzer5617]

Seeing the tape playing, it feels like being transported back in time, it's so few generations away from the tapes the Beatles recorded on.

[@crawfb]

It's never dull watching a man who knows his job back to front and twice round the block doing what comes naturally to him.

[@poetsdreamsatc]

Very exciting to be a part of this sound discovery! And thank you for taking us along. I almost felt like I was in the room with you.

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@martinfenton1275]

We used to do the library wind with a rubber band trick in radio. Amazed to see it still being used here.

[@Gigidag77]

Even from the few short snippets of tape audio you play AND through youtubes compression, I can tell how wonderful that tape must sound. If only we could get our hands on flat transfers (no EQ change, no "fixing" of lipsmacks and such and most important no digital compression of any sort) of all the Beatles albums officially...

[@rhorto01]

A tip of the hat to Mr. Showall for taking the time to do these. Fascinating.

[@ricknbacker5626]

4 years ago, I needed to have two of our 2-inch 3m 996 Audio Mastering Tapes from 1994 baked up at Fantasy Studios at a cost of $300.00 per reel. It took a day or two to get them back. But it was well worth it. I was very pleased to see your reels didn't require this process. Saving you time and money. I can't imagine what your listening experience was. But obviously it was a moment in time you will never forget. Lucky buggar!! The most famous case of not storing a reel of tape 'Tails Out' is Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love". From 4:01 - 4:16. Robert Plants pre vocal echoes are easily heard. In this case the band was very pleased with these (in this case) fortunate results. Best wishes Andrew from the San Francisco Bay Area, RNB

[@chair4361]

The one section of whole lotta love wasn’t actually from print through, but from an equally interesting mistake. When recording whole lotta love, Plant went through three takes that were kept for this section. The first was done live when the main track was being recorded, the second being the rough vocal heard on the rough mix on the deluxe edition of LZII, and the third being the final vocal take heard on the album. What happened was the first the two earlier takes “bled” through on the mics of the other instruments. The live vocal was captured by the mics for the drums, bass, and main guitar. And the rough vocal got captured by the guitar overdubs, since jimmy listened to a mix with the rough vocal while recording his overdubs.

[@ricknbacker5626]

@@chair4361 I have heard the 'Tails Out' exclamation for decades and decades. Your exclamation makes equally good sense. Thanks for sharing this with me. I always love learning new things. Take care chair4361, RNB

[@johnosullivan2017]

@@chair4361 just a casual Zep fan, so gotta ask: did they edit out the vocal bleeds on the digital remasters?

[@chair4361]

@@johnosullivan2017 they did not, which is why you can still hear the other versions on the remasters. When mixing it originally, their sound engineer Eddie Kramer realized it would be next to impossible to fully remove it since both versions also bled into Plant’s final vocal take, coming from the bleed of the other tracks which bled on plants vocal. So rather than try to remove it, Kramer kept it and added some reverb to it, which the band liked the sound of.

[@michaelshultz2540]

I thought you were going to say the worst case print through was ,CCR end of Run Through the Jungle .

[@hustonpiner4283]

Thank you for sharing your visit to Abbey Road studios with us. Fabulous!

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@renemies78]

This was one of my favorite videos on the channel ever! Really cool showing people the process of transferring tapes and how long the process can be. Miles Showell is so darn cool for doing this for you and for us as well. Awesome video!

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@douglasboyle6544]

23:11 I've never watched a tape unspool so intently in all my life

[@68024]

The video I've been waiting for all week! Incredible, now you have your own unique personal copy of Pepper.

[@david.e.h.]

Great video!!! I thought this was going to be a video solely about issues and the quality of the audio. It was great that you shared this issues Miles had concerns with in the physical condition of the tape, it's great to have an expert leading the way. This video is definitely in my "things I didn't know, I didn't know ". Thank you again for sharing this with us!

[@Parlogram]

Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@TheHutt]

Never experienced such tension watching a tape being rewound!

[@tomfurgas2844]

Fascinating! Miles was the soul of kindness and professionalism. Hats off to him!

[@stevekirk7066]

Wonderful tension filled video. I loved the elastic band. Thanks for sharing your special day.

[@Parlogram]

You're welcome, Steve. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@WilkinsonX]

It’s really awesome to see this process documented. I imagine there aren’t many people left who still know how to maintain and operate these old studios.

[@billleary5779]

Spellbinding video Andrew…..glad you were able to listen to the masters …..great Abbey Road series…..thanks again for sharing!

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it, Bill.

[@JagadguruSvamiVegananda]

A couple of generations down from the master tape, that is.

[@Spukmeyer]

What can I say, simply that you have been lucky, not only because of the visits and interviews carried out at Abbey Road. But the icing on the cake has been that you were able to listen to the tape. And at Abbey Road... And because of the comments you make...it's wonderful, I hope with all my heart that you enjoy it for many years. Thank you for sharing this history.

[@Parlogram]

You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed them!

[@catmando7262]

Fascinating video. Never thought watching tape winding from one spool to another could be so watchable.

[@thomascaselli6139]

Fascinating, Miles appears to be as excited to hear this copy as you are. Seems to be a genuinely nice guy.

[@Parlogram]

He is!

[@michnygaard]

That was great fun. Fortunately I do not have tapes like that. My wife just said that if I found Beatles tapes, I would for sure purchase an Apex machine plus the gear needed. So thank god for nice old vinyl records 🙂

[@jameswatson5370]

Who would have thought 30 minutes of watching tape rewind could be so fascinating and nerve wracking?

[@whichgodofthousandsmeansno5306]

This was actually exciting to watch. Not just because I am a hard core Beatles fan and a pro musician who has been in plenty of recording studios, but mainly because it is a master of Sgt Peppers. With the chance of something so precious and priceless "exploding" or damaged in any way is a scary thought.

[@Vince_Tasciotti]

A truly once in a lifetime experience in hearing a Sgt Pepper master tape in the studio where it was recorded.

[@Parlogram]

Indeed it was, Vince!

[@Musicradio77Network]

The studio master tape of “Sgt. Pepper” is amazing, and it has the same sound quality than what you hear on the Capitol release in the US.

[@soymartin07]

I assure you, Andrew, that watching that tape rewind has caused me more tension than when I saw Paranormal Activity, I'm having a great time!!

[@five-toedslothbear4051]

What an incredible story. I was riveted at every moment. And thank you so much to Miles for helping you get up an archive of those tapes. He’s an incredible person and his love for the music and the art and his skill with the tools and equipment is evident.

[@johnnytheg]

Fantastic video Andrew. What a treat to not only be in Abbey Road Studios but to transfer and listen to a 30ips Sgt Pepper! What a shame that side two had that awful x-ray thump. Miles is such a nice guy and such a pro! Lastly, it was so great to finally put a face to the legendary Harry Moss!

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kevinbrown4947]

Definitely an analog world in his corner of Abbey Road Studio. Screwdrivers, rubber bands, weights and brushes.

[@trevortamboline279]

... don't forget the Q-tips ;)

[@voicetube]

My father had recorded two of his songs on an eight track half-inch tape in 1980 and I just recently (2024) had somebody in Los Angeles digitize it properly. I'm very surprised that this engineer did not BAKE the tape first. [UPDATE: I see that he says at 10:00 that BASF tape does not generally need to be baked. Seems like something I would do anyway because of the nature of that particular master, just to cover the bases.] The engineer I hired did something called "baking" the tape, where they heat it up for quite some hours in a special oven, which somehow creates a situation where the magnetic recording part adheres to the backing tape better (after baking) and stays stronger I guess for some hours afterwards, so that one can run it through machine without too much flaking, etc. Although there were dropouts here and there, it was a successful transfer.

[@quiastje6316]

loved the sound on the fixing a hole clip it! Thanks as always Andrew for one more incredible video.

[@Parlogram]

Glad you liked it!

[@PaulShepherd-dk6zm]

Absolutely brilliant. I loved every minute of this, watching a master at his craft. I visited Abbey Road in 1983 when they opened it up for the summer and was overwhelmed by the experience. To see the passion and dedication these good people put into their work makes me humble. Fantastic work Andrew, no wonder your channel is the best Beatles site out there. Thank you 👍🎸

[@Parlogram]

Thank Paul. Glad you enjoyed it! 😎

[@magneto7930]

What a fascinating video from start to finish! I'm sure that was a thrill that you'll never forget. It's totally understandable that you couldn't share the audio. Your detailed description of it and the process prior are more than enough for me. Thanks for sharing. Well done!

[@Parlogram]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@wolfybaby911]

This was one of the most exciting videos you have ever done !! My hat’s off to you !!👍👍

[@Parlogram]

Thank you! 😊

[@Zappa-bn3dq]

Blimey you’ve had all your Xmas and birthdays at once. What a top bloke Miles is. To boldly go where us mere mortals could never go. BRILLIANT.

[@dfc99nyc]

As we would say here in the US, Miles is The Man!

[@magnushansson5732]

Miles is a total pro and Abbey Road is just wonderful.

[@thevinylfrontier3736]

KZbin is very hypocritical. I've seen videos here on KZbin, mostly showing the audio of the vinyl, that are not blocked, I just saw a video showing the complete song A Day In The Life on 3 editions and i'ts not blocked. I've also seen vinyl videos of Sgt Pepper/A little Help From My Friends and Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds and they're not blocked. I don't know why KZbin blocks some videos and some they don't, that's why I hate KZbin. It's a shame they don't let you show at least some seconds of the actual audio of the tape.

[@verrucktaberschonemusik4288]

KZbin is a b#tch

[@Back2VinylLP]

Yeah, I've noticed the same thing. I once uploaded COme Together and it was blocked, but I've seen 2 or 3 vinyl videos of that song that are not blocked.

[@aej06]

Not KZbin's fault

[@IsraelQuezada999]

@@aej06 So whose fault is it that some get blocked and some don't???

[@aej06]

@@IsraelQuezada999 Record labels'

[@adrianmorris2628]

Another brilliant film Andrew. Still totally amazed that you got into the great Abbey Road studios.🎙

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@stephenbarrette610]

It is stupid that certain artists prohibit their work from being played and many dont. This is a piece of rock history and we should be alllowed to hear it - Miles and your channel are amazing.

[@dudidudoh]

I think thats (usually) not a thing artists like the beatles could decide. I bet the rights of the songs are at some music catalog company....maybe SONY ... or Michael Jackson? ;-)

[@Sekaoh]

watching this as someone who was fascinated by VHS tapes and cassettes from my parent's collection, and by how it all worked together (alongside CDs too), it's my favorite way to see how these older forms of tech actually work. truly must be the peak of this channel's history

[@philippecolinge5334]

Truly fascinating! I absolutely love that Abbey Road technology of weights and elastic bands to have the machine working the required way without damaging the precious tape.

[@emiliorozas]

Congratulations, Andrew. Thank you for showing us these true treasures: a master tape, an original analogue equipment and an expert Abbey Road sound engineer. As one of the songs you have heard says, "Who could ask for more...". If "healthy envy" exists, that is what I feel. I would love to have had the same experience in that room.😊

[@Parlogram]

Thank you, Emilio. Glad you enjoyed it! 😊

[@davidrowlands9498]

So much care taken over these tapes. It's Reel Love

[@harlycorner]

The cigarette burn right before the ad break was a nice touch.

[@vanbillsing]

I hope this planet never loses the people with the knowledge of the likes of Miles.

[@jesserussell7242]

Sergeant Pepper is one of the greatest albums ever it is absolutely one of my favorites from beginning to end.

[@RoyaltyInTraining.]

I wish the copyright period wasn't as ridiculously long as it is today. Historic finds like this should be celebrated, not just locked up on some hard drive.

[@lucalone]

Did you people know that tape and tape machine were invented by BASF and AEG in 1935 in a joint venture? The first practical tape recorder was called Magnetophon K1. You can read more about it on wikipedia^^

[@LLYMYNT]

Thank you for this video, I was excited and scared that the tape would have gotten damaged. Very knowledgeable and friendly crew at Abbey Road Studios. ❤

[@MrMusic-nd5to]

The tape reels made it home to Abbey Road!!! Only a true Beatles fan and a savant Abbey Road engineer, would show so much respect for these reels of music history!! Well Done Mate!!! I just subscribed to your AWESOME channel!!!🎶🎹🎶🎸🎶

[@Parlogram]

Thanks mate and welcome aboard!

[@sourisvoleur4854]

Fascinating to me all the adjusting they had to do before they could play it.

[@JordyBoothy]

I'm so happy you got to experience this!

[@bayricker]

Inadvertent comedy, stating this was the safest way to reload the tape while jury rigging the rubber band and CD spindle weight to facilitate the process.

[@KB-jz5rk]

Facinating. You certainly found the right man for that job.

[@baberoot1998]

What a nice guy, Mr. Showell is...to do this for you. This is absolutely amazing content. Thanks so much for posting, and a big thanks to Miles Showell for doing it. Any Beatles fan should find great pleasure in this kind of content.

[@Parlogram]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@aureliande2659]

Your visit to Abbey Road Studios (last three videos) yielded the most fascinating stuff I've enjoyed for a long time. Thanks for that.

[@Parlogram]

My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MaxLedZep]

Amazing how he manages the tape machines!!!

[@bugradio]

It's my birthday, it's Mother's Day (here in the US), and I'm watching a video about carefully re-spooling a poorly packed vintage reel of tape! 😆 Thanks for thisI I was in the last class of students in my college communications media arts program that worked with quarter-inch tape: playing, recording, editing with a razor. My final audio project was done on a 4-track reel to reel with narration, dialogue SFX, music, etc on different tracks, live-mixed to cassette for submission. The radio station I joined after college phased out reel to reel within a year. As brief as it was, as tricky as it was, I feel lucky I got to work with tape. Thanks again for the memories, and for a tantalizing audio glimpse of a really nice-sounding copy of Pepper's!!

[@Parlogram]

Happy brthday and thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@fgrady1]

Fascinating and so professional. He’s such a pro! Thank you for sharing this, Andrew!

[@jasonwhiton174]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful adventure and your fab artifacts with us! Aside from the direct tape transfers, I imagine the playback sound in the studio itself was extraordinary.

[@deningunapartefilms8257]

i held my breath several times during the video haha... amazing, simply amazing!!

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tz6414]

Very good of him to allow you to film him, I wouldn’t want anyone filming me doing delicate work.

[@edwardrussell5989]

Just brilliant. Miles really knows his stuff. A genius. So happy you got to hear it all

[@jimellis1913]

One of the most interesting videos I've ever seen on KZbin. Thank you

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it, Jim!

[@ziofrenko]

But why ruin a tape (because every time you listen to it it wears out, like vinyl) to make vinyl?! Just convert it to 24/192 and it will always be the same every time you listen... Without worries and without worries... And every time you hear it you will know that it is physically impossible to hear a tape better than you are doing it!

[@finished6267]

you know nothing about tape. delete your comment. PLEASE.

[@richchannel-1311]

Andrew, how is possible that Abbey Road Studios lost possession of this tape? I would assume they were the original and current owners.

[@Clone1212]

Because back then they did not take care of any of their Beatles tapes including the masters. A lot were stolen or just lost.

[@3leggedgenes]

This was a production master, a dub of the original master tapes sent to Australia for use on a specific release. Even in the early 80s when this one was made, the focus was still almost entirely on frontline so no one really gave a shit about catalog yet. These types of tapes were routinely thrown away, grew legs of their own and walked away, or were otherwise generally mishandled. Bill Holland explored this in depth for Billboard in '97, "Labels Strive to Rectify Past Archival Problems." Good read.

[@3leggedgenes]

An excerpt from the first page of that piece from BH - "I was in the studio supervisor's office--this was 1980-- and there were a pile of tapes, so I started looking through them. They all had a big S on them, including boxes clearly labeled 'Louis Armstrong--Unreleased Concert.' I said, 'What is this?' The guy said, 'All that's old stuff getting thrown out to make room in the vault.' The S was for Scrap."

[@carlrudd1858]

Well, that was an outstanding overview of the innerworkings of Abbey Road and the methods of the crew there. You have certainly made a good friend in Miles.

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it, Carl!

[@AnalogueInTheUK]

An absolutely awesome series. Many thanks to all involved.

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jrussellcase]

That was nice of Miles to do that, especially considering what a long process it was. Most people in that position would have scoffed and said "get lost" 😄

[@TheHollowBodiesBand]

He must have been just as thrilled and interested on this tape as we all are!!!

[@stevena9305]

Most people in Miles positions are also enthusiasts and would be only too happy.

[@Peregrine101]

From all the movies I have seen from Abbey Road I am very sure that they have a very warm connection to their history and the technology of their trade. When those two come together you don't have to use that much persuasion to get them interested in such a project. I am very sure that the new digital copy of this Abbey Road original will also be cherished at the studio.

[@davidtoups4684]

Miles seemed like he wanted to hear it as much as Andrew did!

[@CricketEngland]

Such a real shame we can’t hear the songs on this tape, it would have been great to hear how they sounded after all these years

[@clarkem4119]

on KZbin? It would sound like an mp3.

[@padraigcollins6525]

What an amazing experience. I’m so glad for you that you were able to do that. And what a gentleman Miles is.

[@Parlogram]

He certainly is, Padraig!

[@labnine3362]

Amazing experience you had! Thank you for sharing this. It was fascinating.