Re: [ARSCLIST] Fred Layn's post on the Studer list re: Quantegy

[steven austin <stevena@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ah, but isn't it extreme desperation that drives everything to evolve?
Rather than bemoan the disappearance of analog tape, we should be
working toward that next, best format.

Everyone out of the water and onto dry land!

Steven Austin

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of H. Duane Goldman
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 9:02 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Fred Layn's post on the Studer list re: Quantegy

Hi Richard,

I'm a bit slow on the uptake at times so please near with me.  Will 1/4"
material be available from Europe? Will wider widths be available from
Europe?

Is this yet a continuation of the effort to make digital sound
reproduction
the ONLY option.  I am not alone in believing this will thus be the end
of
high quality sound reproduction.  If you've ever heard direct to lacquer
playback or the sound quality of analog master tape, you could never
look
upon current digital formats as an equal to fine quality analog
reproduction.

Must we stand by & watch the demise of high quality recorded sound for
the
sake of convenience?  The history of recorded sound makes it clear that
sound quality was never a driving force.  Are we to accept this mandate?

When there is a growing market for analog gear among the young because
they
can HEAR the difference, can not we be a part of making sure this
technology survives at least until a true equal is ready to take it's
place?

Analog recording has never captured the entirety of live music & digital
methods are a poor second at best.  Why do we bow out of the effort to
insure the quality of our archives whether personal or professional?

My 16 year old is an armature international piano finalist, now guitar
player [too much hard rock for this dinosaur], has recently taken up
harmonica & will start playing double base at school next session.  He
listens to digital music all the time, but he doesn't need me to lecture
him about analog sound... HIS choice for a major Chanukah was a
turntable!!

We cannot allow analog tape to disappear, regardless of the cost.  Just
one
person's thoughts.  My business be damned, its about the music, period!

Regards,

Duane Goldman


At 02:54 PM 1/11/2005 -0500, you wrote:
>Fred Layn just posted on the Studer List some interesting news. I think
>this answers the question about reformatting audio archives to
1/4-inch,
>and was the news that some people were wondering about.
>
>--He just talked to Steve Smith who had retired from Quantegy October 1
>--Smith continued as a consultant until December
>--There were cash flow problems due to the decline of videotape sales
>    and insufficient funds to pay for raw materials.
>--DuPont had stopped making 1.5 mil basefilm
>--Flanges had quadrupled in price in the last six years
>--Oxide manufacturers weren't real interested in supplying small
>    quantities of audio oxides
>--Apparently Ampex sold 250,000 reels of two-inch in 1992. Quantegy
>    sold 2,500 in 2004.
>--Investors apparently bought two coating lines from Emtec and are
>   planning to manufacture in the Netherlands.
>--"Quantegy will not rise again."

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