Tape Project Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: ironbut on January 04, 2014, 10:21:06 PM
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My first post of 2014 and this time we're gonna go way back.
Before magnetic tape was on acetate or even paper, it was on metal.
You've probably seen the pictures of these huge machines and if you're like me, you might want to know more about them.
To get this started, here's a video of one in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31VRgGV-AfM
And now more than most of you guys could ever want to know about them.
http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/blattner.htm
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Very interesting first post of 2014. Thanks. I can't remember if the Ampex museum had an actual non-functional one or just a picture.
In any case it was fun to see one actually play..."tape".
The other article was also interesting. I do disagree with one of the opening statements, however. They said -
"the process involved in making a record took at least twelve hours". Perhaps to make a pressing, but certainly by that time there were instantaneous lacquer or other discs that could be cut and played back immediately. In fact, from any point, with a needle drop, which has always been the advantage of disc over linear storage media, to the very hard discs in our computers today.
Anyway, very fun stuff, but I wouldn't want to be too close to a Blattnerphone when it was rewinding!