You can’t tell from the photo, but that’s a little piece of history in the back of the car. To be precise it’s a 3M 24-track recorder that was a classic in its genre. This particular one has a pedigree, as it was first bought by the French icon Henri Salvador (who reportedly didn’t use it much) and then by Louis Chedid who had hits with “Moi vouloir toi” and “Ainsi soit-il” in the eighties.

Was either of these hits recorded on this machine? It’s impossible for us to say without asking Chedid. But in any case, the recorder is now in a good home. Instead of being in a dusty warehouse, it’s sitting proudly back in a recording studio where it should rightly have been all along.

It still runs – more or less. But it really needs a thorough restoration to get it back in shape. With equipment of this age, this is quite a task as sometimes the spare parts have to be built from scratch as they are not made any more. Luckily, we know someone that might be able to help. It’s time to call the doctor!

This is actually our second 3M 24-track analogue recorder. We are currently using the first one to digitize old 24-track tapes of Johnny Guitar Watson, Rufus Thomas and others. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was recorded on the same model (but not this actual machine!).

We also own a superb collection of other analogue machines. If you have old tapes that deserve to be digitized, check this page.Or if you want to lay down some vocals or guitar on a real 24-track, just get in touch.

For fans of chanson, here’s Louis Chedid.