blindwillie127 Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 (edited) Obviously, the '75 sbds are far superior to the '77 sbds, and my question is why? Was '75 recorded onto a 2 track reel to reel tape, and was '77 recorded onto cassette's or something? The difference is stark and has always baffled me a bit. To me, it seems the '75 boards were intentionally recorded with more fidelity than the '77 boards were. Aside from balance, the drum sound is always what I use as a template for a good vs bad recording. In '75, drums are always rich and full of detail, in '77, it sounds like Bonhams playing on a tin kit in a tiny room by himself. Also, why does the sbd fragment of TYG from MSG '77 sound so much fucking better than any other '77 sbd out there up to now? I need answers!!! Edited November 5, 2017 by blindwillie127 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckman Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 1975 is probably the last tour the Revox reel to reel deck was used. Dave Lewis (in The Concert Files) after 75 a Nakamichi deck (haha... the same brand Mike Millard was using!) Is this why 75 boards sound better? definitely . The 1975 state of the art Showco PA/mixing desk is also a key ingredient. But the Revox deck was also used on the 71 (Orlando, Hampton, Toronto, Osaka 928) and 73 boards (Mobile Ft.Worth, Dallas, Buffalo, Seattle, ...) And those tapes are certainly not an audiophile's wet dream. Bad azimuth Why do Zep's Nakamichi soundboards sounds so lame (compared to the 75 and 77 AUD recordings by Mike the Mic)? Bad noise reduction, lousy dubbing, or a mixture of different issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibsonfan159 Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the majority of the 75 soundboard releases due to a Showco employee running a separate line out to another source? Seems like I remember reading that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibsonfan159 Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 36 minutes ago, duckman said: Why do Zep's Nakamichi soundboards sounds so lame (compared to the 75 and 77 AUD recordings by Mike the Mic)? Bad noise reduction, lousy dubbing, or a mixture of different issues. You realize you're comparing a dry soundboard source to an audience recording? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindwillie127 Posted November 6, 2017 Author Share Posted November 6, 2017 21 hours ago, duckman said: 1975 is probably the last tour the Revox reel to reel deck was used. Dave Lewis (in The Concert Files) after 75 a Nakamichi deck (haha... the same brand Mike Millard was using!) Is this why 75 boards sound better? definitely . The 1975 state of the art Showco PA/mixing desk is also a key ingredient. But the Revox deck was also used on the 71 (Orlando, Hampton, Toronto, Osaka 928) and 73 boards (Mobile Ft.Worth, Dallas, Buffalo, Seattle, ...) And those tapes are certainly not an audiophile's wet dream. Bad azimuth Why do Zep's Nakamichi soundboards sounds so lame (compared to the 75 and 77 AUD recordings by Mike the Mic)? Bad noise reduction, lousy dubbing, or a mixture of different issues. Thanks duckman. So, what about that '77 MSG fragment of TYG? Do you think the Revox reel to reel was used? Also, if the entire MSG run was recorded in the same quality as the TYG fragment then we could be in store for a hell of treat when they start being released. And, the fact we have no sbds from both NY & L.A. seriously raises my suspicion that the L.A. sbds could be of similar quality to the MSG sbd fragment. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckman Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 21 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said: You realize you're comparing a dry soundboard source to an audience recording? I know it's apples and pears. But a professional and expensive deck like the Nakamichi should yield excellent audio fidelity any time. I heard demo's from bands recorded on a prosumer cassette deck and the results sounded vastly superior compared to the majority of the 77 Zep SBs. Until a few years ago I was convinced all the 77 boards were line feeds from the video camera's. Obviously my assumption was wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckman Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 47 minutes ago, blindwillie127 said: Thanks duckman. So, what about that '77 MSG fragment of TYG? Do you think the Revox reel to reel was used? Also, if the entire MSG run was recorded in the same quality as the TYG fragment then we could be in store for a hell of treat when they start being released. And, the fact we have no sbds from both NY & L.A. seriously raises my suspicion that the L.A. sbds could be of similar quality to the MSG sbd fragment. Any thoughts? Don't think the Revox was used for MSG. I think the band's roadies took care of the MSG recording(s) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibsonfan159 Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 One thing I've noticed about the 77 boards is the frequent overloading of certain lines, usually Plant's vocals. The 75 boards seem to have more balanced instruments, though the quality varies. I'd really to get my hands on a book that details the circumstances of how all the soundboards were recorded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmtomh Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 One thing that doesn't help the '77 boards IMHO is that Jones' alembic bass sounds just dreadful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogie Chillen 82 Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 Interesting! I love all '75 sbds and I love 5-22-77. That one sounds really good to my ears. NQ main theme, with the full band, is punishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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