The third in a short series of videos captured at the recent Hi-Fi Show Live 2019 in Ascot, UK – in which the Rambler’s roving reporter, Shauna Robertson, grabbed a quick chat with a number of devotees of R2R – from journalists to record labels to manufacturers of open reel tape.
Ed Pong is the man behind Toronto-based UltraAnalogue Recordings, a niche label created from turning a personal passion into a professional enterprise. The label makes live recordings of chamber music, in a natural acoustic, using custom-built valve electronics and analogue tape – to allow listeners to experience the ultimate in recorded sound.
Ed’s master tape duplicates, all 15-ips 2-track, are recorded on RMG SM900 tape at +4 dB above 250 nWb/m, which equals 396 nWb/m. “This will give you the most realistic dynamic range and best S/N ratio possible,” he explains. Though if your tape deck does not have an adjustable output stage, he will make you a 250 nWb/m tape instead. (Note: If these figures leave you scratching your head, check out our earlier blog on tape operating level aka ‘reference fluxivity’).
But it’s not all about the tech – far from it. Ed has a deep respect for excellent musical artists – and a real knack for spotting young up-and-coming talent. Find out more about where he finds his artists and what’s coming up from the label in our quick chat… then hop over to ultraanaloguerecordings.com/new/sample-videos to sample a selection of superb sounds.
Stop press…!
UltraAnalogue Recordings is very excited to release its first solo recordings with the 2013 Gold Medal winner of the Van Cliburn Competition, painist Vadym Kholodenko. View the recording of his Beethoven Rondo performance here: Vadym Kholodenko, Beethoven Rondo, Op.129
Dave Denyer: The Reel-to-Reel Rambler 