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Tape Recorder Qs

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(@cmaracz)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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Today I purhcased a Sony tape recorder for about $40 CND. It's meant for voice recording, and has a lot of background noise, I mean a lot, not a nice tape sound a lot of noise (though I tried recording only on an old used tape so far.) However, I think it'll do the trick for me. It's a mono 2-track. I like the concept of two tracks so I can actually make something I can let people listen to if I'm doing two guitar parts (although I don't think you can listen to the other track while you're recording the other, that'd be pretty sweet if you could.

Anyways, I have a few quickies about tape recorders:

a) How do you erase a tape? Can you? Or do you just record over it?

b) Is it a problem recording in mono or is mono recording than panning to stereo on another device just as good?

c) If I plugged a 2-track into a recording device in order to transfer to digital, would there be two seperate tracks I could manipulate or one?

Thanks.


   
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(@blackzerogsh)
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a) there is no dleting, you only rewind and record over something

c?) it depends on what you have available, stereo recording simply means that the sound is split into 2 speakers such as (drums and vocals on one speaker, guitar on the ohter) while mono has the whole sound coming from each speaker


   
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(@vegas_jay)
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a) How do you erase a tape? Can you? Or do you just record over it?

Recording over it will work. You can also buy "tape erasers" from most office supply stores. They are basically a box with a powerful magnet that you put the tape in,
b) Is it a problem recording in mono or is mono recording than panning to stereo on another device just as good?

Nothing wrong with a mono recording. But a mono recording spread across two channels is still a mono recording. If you want a sterero recording, you need to record it in stereo.
c) If I plugged a 2-track into a recording device in order to transfer to digital, would there be two seperate tracks I could manipulate or one?

As long as your tape deck provides a stereo line out, yes.


   
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(@cmaracz)
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I don't think it does have a line out, the only plugs are for AC adapter, an earphone jack, and a mic minijack.

Anyways I'm having a hard time figuaring out how to work this track thing. It let's me add a new track by recording over something that already has something on it. However the track it replaces is something I have yet to figuare out.

Like I think the first track takes predominance, as when you record A, B over it, and C over that, you'll heard A and C on the tape. Add a D on top of that, and A and D will sound.

Whatever, it's cheaper than a real four-track meant for musical recordings, even if those can recording in stereo, pan, set levels, and probably sound better. Then again I most likely that wouldn't be an efficient purchase for me.


   
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(@cmaracz)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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Topic starter  

I don't think it does have a line out, the only plugs are for AC adapter, an earphone jack, and a mic minijack.

Anyways I'm having a hard time figuaring out how to work this track thing. It let's me add a new track by recording over something that already has something on it. However the track it replaces is something I have yet to figuare out.

Like I think the first track takes predominance, as when you record A, B over it, and C over that, you'll heard A and C on the tape. Add a D on top of that, and A and D will sound.

Whatever, it's cheaper than a real four-track meant for musical recordings, even if those can recording in stereo, pan, set levels, and probably sound better. Then again I most likely think that wouldn't be an efficient purchase for me. I'm not sure if on real four-tracks you can hear one track playing as you record another one, probably not for reasons of making it diifuclt to monitor that sound withotu feeding it into the mic and the sound you're recording now.


   
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(@cmaracz)
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Topic starter  

Ok, here's one other thing maybe you could help me with. I bought the voice recording thingy as someone who was going to sell me a Tascam decided not to sell it. He claimed that his tapes couldn't be played on a conventional tape player as the device records dtwo tracks to each side or something and only a four-track plays all four sides.

Know anything about how that could be/could have been solved?


   
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(@demoetc)
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Joined: 21 years ago
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In most consumer type tape recorders (reel-to-reel or cassette) that are in stereo, the recording and playback heads are actually divided into 4 little tracks. Like if you were to look at the complete width of the tape, think of it as being divided into 4 'lanes.' You record on the tape in one direction and 'lane 1 and lane 3' are recorded at the same time, giving you a stereo image. You usually can't choose which tracks will be recorded - on the consumer type machines.

You record all the way to the end and then you turn the tape over to the other side, the B side and record again. Now tracks (lanes) 2 and 4 are being recorded on giving you stereo again. They normally do it this way so you can get twice the length of playback on the same length of tape; one stereo recording going in one direction, one in the other. So for a 60 minute tape, it's 30 minutes a 'side.'

The older voice recorder may look like the head has two tracks, but they don't record at the same time. Voice only recorders don't need to be in stereo generally. So you record something on the tape going one way and get a 1 track mono recording on one side, then turn it over and get a 1 track mono recording on the other side.

In this case it doesn't record 2 tracks at the same time because it's mono.

That said, the multi track machines with 4 tracks will allow you to record 4 separate tracks, but all going the same direction. These machines are made to allow you to choose which tracks you want to use. The only thing is, you can only record the tape in one direction because all 4 'lanes' are meant to be used at the same time. Therefore a 60 minute tape will only be 30 minutes in length because you can't flip it over; there's no 'other' side.

The friend who says his tapes won't playback on that one machine is right because if you did, you would only hear tracks 1 and 3. If you flipped it over you'd hear tracks 2 and 4, but they'd be playing backwards, like the Hendrix reverse guitar track type thing.

Hope this helps. :)


   
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(@vegas_jay)
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I don't think it does have a line out, the only plugs are for AC adapter, an earphone jack, and a mic minijack.

An earphone jack can be used as a stereo line out... you just might have to fiddle with levels.


   
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(@cmaracz)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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Topic starter  

I don't think it does have a line out, the only plugs are for AC adapter, an earphone jack, and a mic minijack.

An earphone jack can be used as a stereo line out... you just might have to fiddle with levels.

Thanks :)

I might have a lot of fiddling, the sound only comes out of one earphone haha so I'm nto sure of waht the consequences are but it's probably not designed for that sort of output heh. I have to see if a real mic attached will sound decent, otherwise I might return it, seeing as how the ridiculous amount of noise is very bad.


   
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