Pitch-correcting old tapes is mostly about fixing tape-speed problems. Old tapes with pitch errors are usually not “out of tune” in any consistent manner, such as a string out of tune on a guitar. Most often, tape-speed problems with old tapes involves capstan-speed trouble, reel-motor servo trouble, or tape-tension servo trouble. It could be caused by a power supply problem (low batteries). The result of tape recorder speed troubles is that the pitch will vary over the length of tape on the reel when it is played back on a “known good tape deck”. In these cases, there is NO single pitch-correction fix. Some old tapes have multiple pitch variations. Each pitch problem is caused by a tape-speed variation. These should be corrected for separately. Matixing a show is when this really comes in handy. Especially when the two sources are impossible to match up otherwise. Maybe both tapes were bad!
I just matrixed an old show. It involves my first time taping GD. I circulated it last weekend. It finally made it into the Live Music Archive. This was the Grateful Dead’s first show at RFK Stadium, on June 9, 1973. Here’s the matrix discussion we had. Quote from Hunter Seamons: Monte! I had a chance to check out your matrix and I think it’s a great result. It really puts you “in there,” so to speak, and the sound is much fuller than the straight SBD.
Pitch Correction:
– SBD pitch and speed correction performed in Samplitude Pro ver 7.22
– the tape speed difference between SBD and AUD reels is variable and it slews
– some tracks were manually pitch-corrected into many segments
– some tracks were pitch-corrected into two segments
– some tracks were pitch-corrected in one segment
– Resample Mode was used to perform pitch and speed correction
– (I didn’t get the pitch-correction perfect for every note, but it’s worth a listen.)
Matrix Mixing:
– track changes are seamless
– sources fade-in and fade-out
– remastered and rendered in Samplitude Pro VIP mode
[b]Grateful Dead matrix - Robert F. Kennedy Stadium on June 9, 1973
