Tape Project Forum
General Category => Prerecorded Tapes => Topic started by: GenX on January 09, 2012, 08:01:48 PM
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What type of factory pre-recorded tapes can I buy?
PHASE 4 STEREO?
2-TRACK STEREO?
2-track reel format?
4-track reel format?
4 -Track Stereo?
Is 2-TRACK STEREO same as PHASE 4 STEREO and 2-track reel format?
Is 4-track reel format = 4 -Track Stereo?
And what is in-line tape? Can this format play on A80?
TIA
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Hi Tia,
You might want to take a look at the "Beginner's Guide" located above the General Forum. There's a good primer on the different formats for reel to reel tape toward the end.
Regarding "Phase 4" tapes, those are a series of tapes made by London and are just a brand name for 1/4 track tapes.
Most of the time, you'll notice that folks on this forum refer to the different formats as 1/4 track and 1/2 track since it avoids confusion.
Very early 1/2 track tapes were the subject of something of a "format war". The winner were tape recorded "in-line" . The loser was "staggered heads". In line is the normal way that you'll find a machine like the A80 set up. For the most part, only restoration/archivists have staggered heads custom made for the playback of those relatively few tapes which were made in the staggered format.
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Thanks for the reply. I went to the mentioned page before I ask. I got lost there. :)
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Hey Tia,
I realize that getting into a new format can be a bit daunting at first.
The Beginner's Guide is meant to take up where the owners manuals for consumer/prosumer machines leave off. I think if you take your time and read each post from the beginning things will become clear after a while.
Learning the basics such as the difference between the tracks on the tape and the tracks on the heads and how they interface is the only way to really understand which tapes will play with which heads.
Referring to the other post you made concerning head wear, the understanding of the above mentioned interface will also help you with that question. It may not tell you what you can expect as far as the hours that an A80's heads should last (I have no personal experience regarding that), but it will help you to be sure that your heads will last the maximum hours before needing re-lapping.
Of course, there are those who don't wish to know any of this stuff and that's fine.
But that's only a workable route to take if you have a tech who is familiar with your machine and can do regular maintenance and check ups for your machine.
Having a machine that's out of adjustment can ruin the tapes that you play on it and when it really comes down to it, it's all about the tapes IMHO.
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Thanks Steve, I'll follow your advice.
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In general, for that machine, I believe you want 2 track tapes not 4 track.
Here is my original post on 1/4" tape formats other Steve was referring to -
http://www.tapeproject.com/smf/index.php/topic,595.msg4619.html#msg4619
As he says, don't get confused by trade names like "phase 4".
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FWIW;
A long time ago I was taken to task for calling the 2 track stereo tapes 1/2 track. This was because there were a number of pre-recorded, 1/2 track, MONO tapes released.
From then on I've adopted the convention of calling the stereo ones; 2 track stereo.
Charles
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Yeah I have been called on that too, and have taken the same approach - two track stereo and quarter track stereo are the most clearly defining terms for the types of commercial pre recorded tapes we see most often - even though the labels always say 4track for the quarter track tapes.
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Hey Charles,
Good point regarding the 1/2 track mono.
I do however feel like the terms 1/2 and 1/4 make visualizing the head and tracks recorded on the tapes easier for beginners.
Once they get a grip on the relationship of the head/tape, tracks and channels, it probably is better to use the proper terms.
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Steve,
Totally agree
Charles
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I know I will get into trouble wading in here.
I had always used the term 2 track for stereo pro format tapes like Tape Project or studio masters.
I had used 1/2 track mono for the older standard consumer, mono home format machines and tapes that had an A and B side.
My friend who worked assembling Scully machines back in the day and now owns a Nagra T always chastises me for not calling the stereo 2 channel 2 track machines "1/2 track" He swears that that is the pro nomenclature for the format. I would bet Paul does not call his studio machines "half track"!
I also typically call the interlaced, 2 sided, consumer stereo format "quarter track" (1/4 track) reserving "4 track" for either the old car cartridges that came before 8 track or the semi-pro 4 channel format like a Teac 3340 or pro machines with the same thing on wider tape. Not to mention good old "4 track mono" consumer format on the stereo machines - one track at a time to double the recording time at any given speed and tape length!
I carefully defined all this at one point in the sticky in the Beginners Guide. How come the whole world doesn't want to use my terminology ? :-)