REEL PROBLEM END OF AN ERA: TAPE FADES OUT.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

BURBANK - Smith Craig's ears are so sensitive, he can tell when a guitar riff is recorded on digital equipment versus audio tape.

``Oh, yeah, you can feel it,'' said Craig, whose ears have been listening to different sounds for the 40 years that he has been an engineer. ``Tape makes everything sound simply marvelous.''

Those who can hear the difference describe tape as ``warmer'' and without a ``clinical, almost too clean feel.'' like digital.

But the growth in digital technology has put a crimp in reel-to-reel recording, forcing many high-quality audio tape manufacturers out of business. The last of the major manufacturers filed for bankruptcy protection this week.

And now a scarcity of tape is beginning to worry those recording studios that insist the richness of rock 'n' roll can only be heard on tape.

Recording alternative rockers like Evanescence, Fallout Boy and Jimmy Eats World, the Ocean Studios in Burbank is among the tape purists.

``All of the clients who come here record to tape first, and, with no distributors in Los Angeles, we're certainly in for a tough ride,'' said Craig, chief technical engineer and manager of the studio.

Professional audio tape supplies have been tight for years; some recording studios have even stockpiled the precious medium. Demand grew even fiercer after Quantegy Inc., the last big U.S. manufacturer of audio tape, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday.

``They filed and then abruptly closed down, which caused a rather large panic,'' said Jeff Greenberg, chief executive officer of The Village, a West Los Angeles-based recording studio where Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones have played. ``Everyone is starting to think this could be the end of tape.''

The Society of Professional Audio Recording Services is in talks with Quantegy, encouraging the Opelika, Ala.-based manufacturer to eke out a few batches of tape.

``We don't know exactly how much they're going to give us just yet,'' said Greenberg, who also sits on the board of SPARS. ``We should have a clearer picture by next week. Hopefully, they'll be able to hold us over.''

Quantegy executives did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Despite the dearth of tape, all of the rooms at The Village were recording without a hitch Wednesday evening. Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst didn't seem to have a problem with the lack of tape, and the engineers didn't show any signs of tape withdrawal.

That's because most hip-hop and pop artists are accustomed to recording on digital equipment these days. In the last decade, software known as ProTools has dominated the soundboards at most recording studios, providing a nonlinear approach to mixing and munching music.

Tape also costs more, with two-inch tape retailing for about $180 a reel.

``But I think there will always be people around who want to manufacture it,'' said Ellis Sorkin, who runs Studio Referral Service in Calabasas. ``People don't hear in digital. Our ears hear in analog.''

Tape generally comes in three different sizes - two-inch, half-inch and quarter-inch. The latter two are used for ``mixing down,'' the point in which music is ready for a final polish. Many engineers use tape in conjunction with ProTools, finely tuning their tracks beyond perfection to the layman's ear.

Harold Kilianski, chief engineer at O'Henry Sound Studios in Burbank, said that, in terms of tape, half-inch is probably in more demand, ``but from what I can tell you, we don't see it becoming a problem for us. And besides, I don't think we have much of a reserve.''

The Village certainly has enough tape for several months, if not years. However, Ocean Studios is concerned about its next move, should its tape reserve run out.

On Thursday morning, independent producer Neal Avron was cutting tracks at Ocean Studios with Fallout Boy.

``And I love tape,'' he said. ``When I'm recording live instruments, there is a beauty to the analog. It's the way it colors.

``But given the situation, I'm totally bummed. So, I guess we'll just have to adapt, even though things will never be the same without tape.''

Evan Pondel, [phone]

evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Matty Green, assistant engineer at Ocean Studios in Burbank, adjusts a 24-track Studer deck, which uses 2-inch magnetic tape, supplies of which are hard to come by.

(2) The recording of music in digital format may make shelves of tape such as these obsolete, even though many musicians and engineer prefer to record on tape.

(3) This Studer deck at Ocean Studios uses 2-inch tape made by Quantegy, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer