INAKUSTIK - Great Voices Vol. 1

Publisher: INAKUSTIK Art. Nr.: In-Akustik-508-38

Playing time: 59 min

Specifications: half track ¼", stereo, SM 468 , CCIR, 510 nWb/m, 38 cm/s

Reel(s):               3 special metal reels, printed, (1 empty reel)

Packaging:        1 special cardboard box, printed, with spine labeling

Inserts:               1 booklet with 12 pages

Homepage: https://www.stereo-shop.de/inakustik-mastertapes

Translation of the German review:

The company in-akustik, known primarily for excellent cables, but also for an extensive catalog of music productions, brought several samplers with a focus on vocals to the market starting in 2012. I am now very pleased that in-akustik follows the revival of the magnetic tape and places these compilations as high-quality audio productions on the market. At the moment there are four albums available: "Great Voices Vol. 1" reviewed here as well as "Great Voices Vol. 2", "Great Women of Song" and "Great Cover Versions".

The music on this sampler moves between the genres of folk, world, country, country rock, blues and blues rock. There are three less tracks on the two tapes of the 38 cm/s version than on the double LP, due to the total running time of the tapes.

1. Chris Jones: No Sanctuary Here

— From the album: Roadhouses & Automobiles | Stockfisch Records | 2003

I heard this song at many fairs and demonstrations. It became one of my reference songs already on vinyl. Of course, besides the vocals of Chris Jones, it is the basses as well as the chorus reaching deep into the frequency cellar that characterize this song. A wonderfully played guitar solo provides for loosening up.

2. Cheryl Wheeler: Walk Around Downtown

— From the album: Different Stripe | Philo | 2003

Here it's the flowing structures with the sovereign and completely unexcited vocals of Cheryl Wheeler. A healthy bass foundation, springy drums and a shimmering captured guitar round out this track.

3. Udo Schild: All The Lonely Girls

— From the album: I'm Still Waitin' | Focus | 1993

To have so much soul in your voice is a gift - and then to put on a song like this with such phenomenal overall flow and depth - Udo Schild really succeeded. Very relaxed!

4. Miller Anderson: By The Light

— From the album: Chameleon | Rokoko Records | 2008

This track is more rocking than many others on this compilation. For my taste not as relaxed as the predecessors and not as spectacular in terms of sound.

5. Kimberly M'Carver: Silver Wheeled Pony

— From the album: Breathe The Moonlight | Philo | 1990

Actually, I'm not that into country. But Kimberly M'Carver delivers her song with such sovereignty that I melt away. Guitars, violin, all that fits together so wonderfully. A reference piece of the music genre.

6. Lynn Miles: 1000 Lovers

— From the album: Love Sweet Love | Continental Song City | 2005

This song is beautifully performed by Lynn Miles. However, the not so cohesively presented instrumentation doesn't really sweep me off my feet.

7. Philipp Fankhauser: I'm Finished Here

— From the album: Love Man Riding | Funk House Blues | 2008

The commitment that I felt was missing in the two previous songs is present again in Philipp Frankhauser. His vocal dedication comes through very nicely. A deep bass line and solos from wind instruments complete this wonderful track.

8. Patrick Largounez & Friedemann: Petit, Tu Viens Petit

— From the album: Les Plaisirs De La Vie | Biber Records | 1992

If anyone is a master at building atmosphere, it's Patrick Largounez and Friedemann. The almost whispered, French-speaking vocals, embedded in a coherent instrumental carpet, make up for the simply knitted melody lines.

9. David Munyon: Words Of Love

— From the album: Seven Leaves In A Blue Bowl Of Water | Stockfisch Records | 2004

I've been into David Munyon's music since the first time I heard it. I'm caught by the intimate vocals, the guitar sounds and the sparingly but concisely used instruments.

10. Michael Schenker & Gary Barden: Lost

— From the album: Wine & Vocals | inakustik | 2009

The continuation of the extremely atmospheric songs of this compilation succeeds Michael Schenker with his guitars and the vocals of Gary Barden. A timeless flowing rock ballad, perfectly arranged and recorded.

11. Allan Taylor: The Traveller

— From the album: The Traveller | Rubber Records | 1978

With his expressive vocals and typically full and balanced sound, Allan Taylor is at his best. A musically told story in unique quality.

12. Lucy Kaplansky: The Tide

— From the album: The Tide | Red House Records | 1994

This song by Lucy Kaplansky is also wonderfully done. For my taste, though, the instruments don't sound quite as balanced. The bass stands a bit alone - well, that's a matter of taste.

13. Leigh Blond: You Can't Always Keep The One's You Love

— From the album: See Me Thru - Blues, Ballalds, And Rock And Roll | RM Records | 1997

Already the guitar intro is promising. Leigh Bond's vocals join in, then bass, keyboard, drums - and a grandiose tension is conjured up in the listening room.

The digital files are recorded at in-akustik for the speed of 38 cm/sec with a Studer A 80 and at 19 cm/sec with a Telefunken M15/M21. RTM supplies the SM 468 tape material. Everything comes in a professionally made cardboard slipcase, including an informative accompanying booklet. The 19 version consists of one metal reel (26.5 cm), the 38 requires two reels, all engraved. In addition, each version comes with one empty reel. A special feature are the leader and trailer tapes with the standardized color patterns: red/white at the beginning of the tape, which means 38 cm/s. When unpacking, the yellow tapes can be seen, which shows the user that the reel has been spooled in international layer "tail out", which prevents the copying through of pre-echoes. So before listening, the tape must be rewound, which has the further advantage that the slow speed means that the tape ends up neatly wound and ready for the archive box. A designation about equalization according to the CCIR standard is missing in the specifications but was confirmed after I asked in-akustik.

I listened to the Great Voices Vol. 1 with my tape machine Telefunken M15 and compared it with the vinyl output on my turntable. Compared to the vinyl, an even better dynamic can be heard from the tape. The "punch" in the bass range comes from the tape unmatched rich. Energy, force and substance make for a huge fun factor when listening. The great voices to which this compilation is dedicated are reproduced authentically, spatially, precisely and vividly. The result, then, is a rich and tidy sound with a smooth-sounding midrange and clear highs. The music results in a great overall musical flow, which promises a unique atmosphere. In total, however, the record does surprisingly well and can convey the claim of the perfect sound just as well with a few sacrifices in terms of dynamics, frequency spectrum, detail and pressure.

The high-quality sound characteristics are certainly related to the RESO process used: The signals of the left and right channels were converted into a mid and side channel for this purpose. This made it possible to edit dynamics, panorama, frequency balance, pitch as well as the spectrum in the studio. The sound engineer had an extensive arsenal of digital and analog intervention options at his disposal, which were applied here with a great deal of experience and tact. The heart of the system was an analog high-end equalizer with integrated dynamics processing. Each track was processed individually in this way in order to bring out acoustic characteristics while still preserving its characteristic properties. Afterwards, the signal was converted back into a stereo signal.

With hardly any other production I know, this question can be answered better: Why music from tape and not from the high-resolution digital medium? Good equipment for the playback of digital files can quickly become expensive and wants to be very precisely inserted into or adapted to a listening chain. When reading from CD or similar audio carriers, computing processes and error correction take place. The stereo signals have to be calculated out of a total signal stream of the digital media. In addition, there are latency times, phase issues and other problems that have to be dealt with at home. With vinyl, stereo signals have to be extracted from the flank of a single groove. This process works amazingly well, but you pay the price of dynamic losses. Tape recorders, unlike the aforementioned systems, offer two separate tracks. This simplifies the playback process in many parameters. By adjusting the tape recorders by reference tape, a standard is achieved that is based on studio rules. If a master tape copy is now created in the studio, the end customer is given a reference product that can be played back in exactly the same way on a reference device at home.

In the end, I always sit overwhelmed in front of my stereo when listening to this compilation. FOR THIS, all the efforts, costs and every effort have been worthwhile!

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)