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Author Topic: why do some reel to reels have the horn looking things over the NAB?  (Read 5316 times)

Offline amnesia

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I am new to this so please excuse my ignorance but I see some reel to reels with NAB adapters the silver, or on ebay red, blue circular alu adapters.

Are they essential, what do they actually do if you already have a NAB?

Offline jcmusic

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Re: why do some reel to reels have the horn looking things over the NAB?
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2009, 07:48:05 AM »
They are basiclly for looks they are not essential.

jay
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Offline ironbut

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Re: why do some reel to reels have the horn looking things over the NAB?
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2009, 12:24:12 PM »
They are basiclly for looks they are not essential.

jay

Actually, that's just why most folks now days get them (I've lusted over having a pair since the 70's just for the cool factor).
They're designed as editing aids (editing hubs).
When someone does lots of splicing and other tape editing it's essential to find the exact spots on the tape to splice out or in tape. Now this isn't so important to a hack like me who's happy with getting the splice "close enough" but someone who really knows what their doing (like a fellow around here by the name of Paul) is an artist when it comes to producing seamless splices and knowing just where to put them.
To edit tape you'd stop in the area to be edited and engage the "cue" switch which drops the tape lifters down allowing the tape to make contact with the heads. The rollers aren't engaged since that would be the same as the play function and the tape would move.
Now you need to find the exact spot you wish to splice. To do this you need to jog the tape reels back and forth and listen. Without the editing hubs you'd have to move both reels by their flanges which certainly can be done, but it's much easier and precise with the editing hubs as handles (especially if you have to go more than a tiny bit).
So, in reality, they're handles but it doesn't hurt that their very cool looking either.
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