The Conversation - have you seen this movie?

I've been a big fan of Gene Hackman since the 70s. He has often appeared in gritty drama/action movies such as The French Connection. But I managed to somehow miss the 1974 movie "The Conversation." This movie shows off the surveillance technology and techniques of that era. They were very sophisticated! Then I thought of how much more the technology has advanced. What I found interesting was the bank of reel to reel tape decks used to edit together and enhance various sources of the same recorded Conversation (hence the movie title). Those decks reminded me of my table top reel to reel deck I used back in the 70s.

The reel deck could greatly increase the amount of time on each tape recording by simply slowing down the recording speed. Better quality was achieved at faster tape speeds. At slower speeds, it was the 60s and 70s version of mp3. The first mass market stereo recordings were on reel to reel tape back in the mid fifties. The stereo LP soon followed.

Many people back then would archive their LPs to reel to reel tape and then to cassette tapes after they came out. We would buy LPs, clean and record them, then store the LP and listen to the tape version. If the tape got damaged, or the car tape deck "ate it," then another copy could be made from the stored LP. My older brother would get greatly irritated and annoyed when his brand new LP, on the very first play, had pops and ticks on it. I like the sound of analogue, but it can be and sometimes is irritating.

Anyone still using reel to reel? Anyone still archiving LPs to tape?

The Conversation is currently on Xfinity/StarzEncore.

This movie also has appearances by Harrison Ford and Cindy Williams.

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 7,658
    That movie is a real favorite among tape enthusiasts. In the scene where Harry is trying to determine the missing information and keeps replaying the tape over and over, the big deck is the Ampex 354 and the three smaller decks (A, B and C) are Uher 5000 machines.
    I have lots of reel to reel machines and use them a great deal, not archiving records but playing prerecorded tapes.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,922
    It's a good movie.
    Yes, some of us still use tape decks.
  • bikezappa
    bikezappa Posts: 2,463
    Great movie and real hidden gem.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 7,658
    "How does the sound quality of a reel to reel prerecorded tape compare to the same LP recording? I've never heard commercial reel to reel recordings. "

    Well, good question. I don't believe tape recorder transports and playback electronics have benefited from audiophile pushed improvements the same way that record player capabilities have improved. By this I mean that efforts to make turntables reveal more of the hidden information locked in record grooves has resulted in really good sounding turntables, phono cartridges and phono playback electronics. Tape recorder transports and the associated playback electronics have lagged behind in extracting the same level of information from recorded tapes. Most of the highly regarded tape recorders use electronics that are either mid seventies or early eighties in sound quality. Many use older opamp designs and high negative feedback circuits that severely hinder how the tape is going to sound.
    But that is slowly changing for the better. People are starting to apply the same kinds of mechanical and electronics improvements to tape playback that have improved record playback. There are companies such as Bottlehead and Dehavilland that are making really great sounding playback circuits using vacuum tubes. Next I believe high impedance playback heads will become available requiring less gain and improved sonic transfer. I think tape transports will look to the older Ampex heavy flywheel big motor designs of the '50's and incorporate them into newer designs.
    A well made 2-track second generation, 15ips tape played on a really good tape transport will sound more like the original tape than any other format that I've heard. The dynamic range is amazing, the transient response is fantastic, the frequency response is wide and smooth and the distortion is nice and even order.
    The bottom line is both formats can sound great with a little effort.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,922
    Depends on the tape formulation and backing material.
  • daddyjt
    daddyjt Posts: 2,305
    ...Anyone still using reel to reel? Anyone still archiving LPs to tape?...

    I buy CDs and archive them to FLAC... Makes one wonder what's next - something cloud-based I'm sure...

    "Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow


    “Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
    ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 7,658
    Part of the appeal of a reel to reel machine is that you can see what's making the sound. The reels are turning and the tape is passing by the heads and the result is very kinetic and not hidden in a drawer or locked in a computer chip. It's physically there.
    The other enjoyable factor is the appreciation of something mechanical. It's motors, pulleys, relays, brakes and the satisfaction of seeing something mechanical working the way it was designed. Hard to explain exactly but I've always found it enjoyable to take something apart and put it back together. My favorite toy was an Erector Set with gears, a motor and girders and screws, nuts and a set of plans.
    I probably would have made a fairly good mechanic I guess.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 7,658
    By the way another movie with plenty of cool tape recorders is "Blow Out" with John Travolta as a freelance sound engineer. Probably the most amount of tape decks in one scene.