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Author Topic: Listening To Mono Tapes  (Read 8226 times)

Offline steveidosound

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Listening To Mono Tapes
« on: January 10, 2009, 08:52:51 AM »
Here is my post from Tape Project Albums - 2nd Series Titles:

I was wondering about that too.
The configuration for mono that is.
It could be set up as 1/2 track mono with a side one and side two, and duplicated just as easily.
One half the tape used as well.  One reel instead of two. The only downside is a bit of cross talk might be possible from the opposite side.
And people don't have the easy switching provision on equipment any more to route the left channel only to both speakers.
So, it is being released as 2 identical mono tracks in the same direction.
It could be argued that it is better to listen to only one track for phasing and alignment issues and one speaker for mono.
Someone will have to do those experiments.
Another possibility would be a full track mono release but that is incompatible with all the equipment setups for stereo duplication so we won't be going there I would assume !



The mono reissues from The Tape Project represent something that has not been encountered in the world of prerecorded tapes before.
That is (if I understand the release format properly) 2 identical mono tracks one direction at 15 ips.
For the experimentally inclined audiophiles among us this represents an opportunity for several playback experiments as I briefly outlined above.
The intention is probably for them to be played as normal - letting the 2 mono channels come from your left and right speakers and mix in the air of your listening room. This is probably the best playback option for most people as it involves doing nothing to the playback set up and on a properly set up system should provide a solid center image much like playing a good mono record on a stereo system. But it is not exactly the same as the vinyl scenario.
I don't know what the custom is in high end audio for mono playback of discs, but obviously there are new mono high end cartridges out there, which some are using, again I presume to drive both channels and both speakers of a stereo and letting their speaker's phantom center image reproduce the sound.
2 other variations present themselves with disc or the new TP mono releases which can themselves be used together or separately.
The first is to either combine the 2 tracks electrically (mono switch) before they hit the amps and speakers OR listen to only one mono track.
The second is to play the combined tracks or just the one through only one speaker.
Some older preamps from the beginning days of stereo gave you all of these options with switches like L+R to L, R or Both, and/or L to both channels or R to both channels. Now it is hard to even find a "mono" switch that combines both channels to both outputs.

Of these options, I would suggest against electrically combining both channels and playing them through one or both speakers.
This would show up any phase abnormalities or alignment issues between your tape machine and the TP tape.
I would not expect there to be much of an issue with this but probably there is inevitably a little.
Back in the bad old days I installed many stereo cassette decks in mono background music systems. With the channels combined even with the mono content in stereo tapes there were almost always horrible phasing flanging combing effects from tape skew and head misalignment.
Let me hasten to add that I realize that we are talking now about state of the art reel to reel playback here and not prerecorded cassettes but the conceptual problem is still there if you combine the channels. It might just manifest as a tiny bit of very high frequency phase shift and comb filtering and be very "stable" but for the audiophile that is unacceptable. If the playback remains "stereo" (2 channel) to the listening room speakers the effect will only show up, possibly if at all as slight very HF image wander.
But some may want to try playing back just one channel of the tape through only one or perhaps both speakers just to see what that sounds like for comparison purposes. 
« Last Edit: January 10, 2009, 09:31:44 AM by steveidosound »
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Offline classicrecordings

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Re: Listening To Mono Tapes
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2009, 09:13:07 AM »
I would think that full mono and not double mono would be best.  That way the tape could be played back on a mono head as well as a two track head.

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Offline xcortes

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Re: Listening To Mono Tapes
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2009, 09:44:19 AM »
I will definitely try mono as in mono. One channel only through one speaker and without combining the other's track signal. I'd love to have enough mono material to justify a one channel system :>)
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Offline Ben

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Re: Listening To Mono Tapes
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2009, 11:30:15 AM »
The real question is would mono be better recorded as one full track
or two 1/2 half tracks. I assume we can't have option in the studio
and must go with two half tracks.

BTW:  For those that want a good mono amp this looks to be the place.
http://www10.big.or.jp/~dh/

PS: If it were not for lack of a R2R that might be a good place to send
a *mono* demo tape for good audio advertising with Japan. Or at least
a  few cuts.

« Last Edit: January 10, 2009, 11:36:50 AM by Ben »
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Offline ironbut

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Re: Listening To Mono Tapes
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2009, 12:11:13 PM »
I would think that full mono and not double mono would be best.  That way the tape could be played back on a mono head as well as a two track head.David
Actually, one factor regarding the use of full track mono as opposed to 2 track mono is called the fringing effect. This is encountered in using full track test tapes. The fringing effect is an increase in low frequency response when 1/2 track stereo repro heads are used on a full track mono tape. It's essentially reading a tiny amount of the extra width and causing a 1-3dB increase (@50Hz) depending on the head construction and shielding. It's small of course, but if it can be avoided why not.
If you want to check out more on the fringing effect, read Jay McKnight's paper " Tape Reproducer Response Measurements with a Reproducer Test Tape" which can be found on the MRL web site. Interesting stuffhttp://home.comcast.net/~mrltapes/
« Last Edit: April 17, 2009, 10:47:57 AM by ironbut »
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