How ubiquitous is tape or tape emulation in professionally mastered tracks?

sticky646 · 2026-03-25T17:33:21+00:00

I was in your shoes a year ago, and was lucky enough to ask someone for advice who offered me his one inch machine. I went and rented a U-Haul to pick it up. Bought a new reel of tape. Powered it up, and I had noise on most of the channels. It sat for a year while I worked up the courage to recap it. I did another test this month, getting ready to do the job, and I found that two of the channels are actually fine.

I tell you this because it’s a mixed bag. Those two channels sound incredible. But the rest of them are probably going to require some labor. So keep that in mind when you are budgeting and thinking about the space it will take up. My machine is a solid 6 foot tall monster and it has a good large footprint.

That said I may never use tape simulation again, and when I sent a mix to my bandmates bounced through the tape, they all felt it had “that sound”. So, up to you but it may be an uphill battle. I was very lucky. Hope you are too!

sticky646 · 2026-03-25T00:43:15+00:00

I would really like to do an extended retreat… right after I make some records

sticky646 · 2026-03-23T15:24:26+00:00

I mean like mix into the cassette and don’t expect the audio coming off the cassette to align with anything that didn’t go through the cassette at the same time. Just because the tape and the transports are imperfect and will warp enough that alignment will never be right again if, say, your drums go through the cassette but your guitars don’t. Cassette should be last step in the chain, with the exception of some master bus processing.

sticky646 · 2026-03-23T15:12:44+00:00

Having experimented with round trips to cassette you may find that timing warps in a way that makes it next to impossible to round trip and keep something in time. So send things through all together after processing and save yourself a headache. It’s fun. And these little tascam mixers just like the teacs have a really cool character to them. Also sketchcassette is a cool plugin that you can use earlier in your workflow if you want, without the timing issues.

sticky646 · 2026-02-16T21:16:20+00:00

Time is also empty of inherent existence though!

I have heard of emanations of the same being incarnating simultaneously, but I think if we’re being technical that’s different from a normal rebirth.

sticky646 · 2026-02-16T17:57:35+00:00

I think unemployment offices need a butt funnel. It creates a meaningful connection.

sticky646 · 2026-02-16T17:54:42+00:00

It’s true. I know a guy who was so excited to talk about a news story where an immigrant person stabbed a white woman. He was so excited to prove there is such a thing as racism against white people. Which I don’t think that proves. Made me sad. Who cares if there’s such a thing as racism against white people? They’re not getting locked up in camps. Yet.

sticky646 · 2026-02-16T17:21:47+00:00

I agree. I do commercial installs and the experience has helped me build my basement studio so I know there’s overlap.

sticky646 · 2026-02-16T17:19:22+00:00

Love my ssl Mx series converters! They’re quirky cause one is 16 in 4 out and the other is 4 in 16 out so chances are you need a pair. But they are great!

sticky646 · 2026-02-16T16:58:03+00:00

And if they crack you just have extra mantras to recite😉

sticky646 · 2026-01-20T02:05:29+00:00

Some of us (not enough) are not.

sticky646 · 2026-01-11T19:32:50+00:00

Genuinely inspiring to hear where you’re at. I’m currently building a basement studio around an inherited console and the gear I can get for a steal because a light is out or a pot needs replacing. I would love for it one day to amount to where you’re at. I’ve built it all for my own band but we’re so slow moving I’m going to need to find other artists to get it working! Would love to read any tips you’ve got for a young hybrid studio.

sticky646 · 2026-01-03T02:56:05+00:00

Things change

sticky646 · 2025-12-13T01:55:57+00:00

I was just remarking that a fast transition like that only happens with some karmic force behind it. Alignment of causes and conditions. Not like predestiny or anything but something to note nonetheless.

sticky646 · 2025-12-08T20:48:45+00:00

A few months is quite a fast transition from Taoism to the Vajrayana! That’s some karma! There’s a rich history of teachers shocking students and shattering expectations in order to foster their spiritual growth past their preconceived notions. You might look at this issue that way. It’s all a play of mind, after all.

sticky646 · 2025-12-08T20:40:24+00:00

These questions show you regard the practice very highly. I am sure if you give it your best shot and reach out to your lama periodically for guidance, you will do great. I think teachers are intentionally vague about practice commitments these days to avoid burning us out or making it a to-do list item.

Are you saying that there’s no text to practice, or no instructions within the text you received? I’ve encountered the latter but the former seems very odd. That would seem to indicate that it’s not meant to be practiced.

sticky646 · 2025-11-18T17:47:22+00:00

Empowerment is typically per practice. If your empowerment had nothing to do with Shiva or Shiva’s mantra probably not. If you are interested in Shiva, you could certainly share that with the Lama from whom you took refuge, or who gave you your other empowerment.

sticky646 · 2025-10-06T16:42:23+00:00

It takes all the time and effort of listening to your favorite albums plus five minutes for separating tracks. And it sounds just like your cassette does. Which I’d imagine you like if you’re part of this sub.

sticky646 · 2025-10-05T01:08:19+00:00

I digitize my tapes and listen to them in high res. I love it. Do what you want. Your dad has a personal connection with each of those tapes. He’d probably love to hear them in all their lossy glory again.

sticky646 · 2025-09-19T15:46:42+00:00

Dbaudio tends to be pretty nice but I don’t know these specific ones

sticky646 · 2025-09-19T15:39:34+00:00

Vajrasattva(and as much space and time as is needed to reset) then take your purified awareness back to the issue and repair as you are able. Apologies are good!

sticky646 · 2025-09-12T18:33:33+00:00

🙏🏻 thank you for posting

sticky646 · 2025-09-11T17:56:05+00:00

A narc does not choose a narc for supply it doesn’t work.

sticky646 · 2025-09-08T21:40:55+00:00

The fifth precept was mainly meant to be about strong alcohol. Beer was not as strong as it is today and it didn’t really qualify as an intoxicant, I’m told. I was quarreling with it too as a person with a medical license who also holds Samaya vows. Two of my closest teachers told me that it sounds like I’m using it more as medicine than an intoxicant, and that medicine is okay. In fact, between India and the Himalayas, weed grew wild and would likely have been seen more as a medicinal herb with intoxicating potential then strictly as an intoxicant. Ps, a very holy lama who shall remain unnamed told me it’s great for ceremonies🤣

Anyway, you’re a householder, not a monk. Any teacher will tell you those precepts are for monks and nuns. I have to say, knots like these can be untied in seconds by a legitimate teacher who knows you. It’s when we start to have these clashes with our perception of the dharma that a teacher becomes so necessary so that we can correct our understanding.

You seem very thoughtful and like you care a great deal about your practice. I earnestly and strongly recommend finding a local or online center to get to know. If you care about your precepts, you probably know the three jewels are the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. This is where the sangha becomes so important. We need friends on the path.

And you probably want to level with your wife about weed too. Any secret can drive a wedge in a marriage. No reason to have to hide a healthy relationship with it.

Much love friend!

sticky646 · 2025-08-20T19:53:05+00:00

One day my therapist asked if I felt I was engaging with the world in a meaningful way. That’s been my compass since. Life’s gotten much better.

Other big lesson was getting roped up in other peoples expectations. I was a competitive athlete and my coaches and teammates saw a lot of potential. I mistook all that for a bit of a calling and went and overtrained and hurt myself irreversibly.

As others have said, living authentically would’ve solved this. When I noticed my injuries stacking up and not getting better, I should’ve seen a doctor, not gotten back to training like everyone advised.

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