It is really hard to find the stuff on what would once be a simple trip to Radio Shack.Now it is a hunt man!True this, magnetic tape blows away digital.Though it is much more difficult to work with. From an engineering standpoint.In the most recent experiments on an AKAI two track recording machine I was testing it on a 1/4 inch reel of Count Basie recorded in 1947,the original real from a radio station in the midwest,and the sound was stunning,like the session had just been finished!This tape had not been played since the radio show was broadcast in 1947!It also included Artie Shaw doing "Begin The Beguine" which was a great tune but the dance never made it.Played on an old forgotten deck that had not been used at all for twenty years with a reel from 1947!And it sounded dope man!As a recording scientist and executive producer among my other titles I about shit myself!I had completely observed in my series of sessions he transfer of all studios to digital pro-tools.And the major rock stars and rap stars were buying up every scully 2" machine available and use those to record with.That is why their stuff sounds so solid, and then they transfer to Pro-tools which immediatly recognizes the format.I dig and am very comfy with pro-tools.Yet my approach is analog.And still magnetic tape is NOT number one for the truest of audiophile,Direct to disc is still the ultimate challenge.You burn right on to the acetate.Now that is cutting a fucking record my friends!There are no overdubs,no composites,everyone being recorded has to be in their places and you are going to cut a disc totally live.This is what Frank Sinatra was doing in his early days.Benny Goodman in the studio,this is the baddest of all ass engineering and production.One vocal mic and Two overheads doing up the orchestra.The Righteous Brothers,The Ronnetes,cut direct to disc,mixed and mastered on the spot as it was being recorded.With The Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra in tow.In mono.Dig that!