Tail Ends and Tape Machines

Studer/Revox A77

Marshal MRI Thorn

I recently went to MOTAT for the first time in years and discovered some of my most loved machines were part of the display of antique recording devices. It was strange to see them so static when mine still have so much life. 

While tape is the forgotten hero of the recording industry, my Studer/Revox and Marshal MRI Thorn, having been recently reconditioned, have provided a window in to some old recordings, unheard for years, with a warmth and depth only achievable in analogue sound. In other words, bloody marvelous.

The Studer/Revox A77 came into my life in 1988, a second hand treasure I bought from Steve Garden at Progressive Studios in Anzac Ave, where it was a mix down machine in their commercial studio. This machine had been modified to play at higher speed for professional use, resulting in better quality. 

I had three or four different tape machines, one of which was brand new. I replaced that with the older yet, far superior model for sound quality.  A lot of Graham Brazier’s demos including Black Dreams and Greylands, that later were included on the Raw album where mastered on the Revox. Thirty years later the sound is still as good as any modern system.

My relationship with the Marshal is more personal, you could say it’s part of the family. The Marshal belonged to my mother, May. She was a professional violinist and music teacher who played with NZ’s most respected orchestras until she was well into her 70’s. I remember her using the Marshal in the 1960s to record herself as part of her practice regime and to record her students. This was quite a modern technique at the time. 

In the 1990’s May passed the Marshal on to me. It was a godsend for tape restoration and I did a great deal of dubbing for people who no longer had access to this type of machine. I digitised many tape recordings for the late Max Cryer, which led to a friendship of many years. 

Midge Marsden recently unearthed a Country Flyers recording that hasn’t be heard for decades. The machines are back in action this week dubbing these classics so we can get them up on Spotify. Stay tuned!

THIS ^ HAS NOW BEEN DONE ! check out the Country Flyers on Spotify