¼" reel tape used for 8-tracks...?

[shrouded|elk]

hey all.

just picked up a [near mint] Wollensak 8075 8-track recorder off eBay that i'm going to start doing some recordings/transfers/releases on, but i was curious what the distinction was between ¼" tape used in 8-tracks as opposed to ¼" tape used for open reel machines?

i know 8-track tape was made from plastic and had oxide on the back side, but i also know that 8-track tape sheds like crazy and the backing comes off like dust if touched or stored improperly. poor quality open reel tape seems to have some of the same issues, but what are the real differences?

here's my goal: rethread a bunch of commercial 8-tracks with open-reel ¼" tape [i have hundreds of miles of it] to my own exact time lengths to be able to release new music on 8-tracks! i've created a few 8-track loops for musical performances and had luck rethreading them myself, even if it takes FOREVER. just want to spread the love of 8-tracks without having to purchase pricey blank versions of varied lengths.

many thanks!

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

The main difference is the tape used in 8 track and broadcast carts is backcoated so it will move freely in the loop and pack.
I'd think someone someplace would still have pancakes or reels of this type of tape still available for radio stations.

 

[Phototone]

The "KEY" is the backcoating which provides lubrication. Plain 1/4" Reel to Reel tape will not work correctly.

 

[shrouded|elk]

hmmm...i'll start searching for NOS pancakes of this then.

what sort of tape degausser/eraser could i use to attempt resalvaging commercially-recorded 8-track tape? i've seen larger versions useful for videotape applications as well, perhaps something in that range?

many thanks for the help. oftentimes i need a much shorter length than a mass-marketed 8-track program usually is, so i think i'll continue cutting them down to size in a quasi-accurate manner and make short ones. in my mind, it's much better system to have a single song per program so there's never any of the typical 8-track "issues" with cutting a song in the middle with a loud CLUNK or whatnot.

alright then.

 

[dshoaf]

This type of tape _must_ be hard to get given that 8-track volume production died decades ago. Even if there is bulk tape from back in the day, I'd think that oxide shed plus dried up lubricant would be problems in recharging old 8-track cartridges. Cute idea, though.

Yes, I hated the way that many commercial 8-tracks of popular LPs just ignored the track change issue with those big Clunks. IIRC, some vendors put a fade out/in whenever the tracks were to change. Very weird and nothing consistent across the industry either.

My first 2, 8-track tapes were Led Zeppelin and the first Santana album I bought when my high school buddy, whose father owned the local Ford dealership, got an 8-track player for his 1969 Torino. He bought the hardware and I installed the system in his car - 6x9's in the back, Craig tape player under the dash. We went cruising through the local drive-in that very Saturday. We were 2 17 year old dudes being Uber Cool!

Cheers,

David

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

These are listed as being backcoated. You may want to verify if that's true.
http://www.fullcompass.com/category/Reel-to-Reel-Tape.html

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

This type of tape _must_ be hard to get given that 8-track volume production died decades ago.

8-Tracks, yes. NAB broadcast carts, no. A similar design that used the same kind of backcoated tape.
I'll bet there are several older or small radio stations still using them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidelipac

 

[KentTeffeteller]

The difference is that cartridge tape has a lubricated back. Normal tape does not have this backing. Get tape intended for cartridge use to record on.

 

[jeffs01879]

Congratulations on your 8075. I have one that I bought new in 1975. Great machine.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Celt,

That RMGI tape is for open reel decks, not for cart use. He needs some tape like The Cart Guys offer like used in Fidelipac cartridges. They're at www.cartguys.com!

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

Good info to know, Kent. I was thinking that backcoated equaled lubricated. Been too many years since I've fooled with them @ K105.
We used Aristocarts back then. Loaded with good tape, they were great for music.

 

[shrouded|elk]

Kent.

many thanks for that link! it appears that they have some back-lubricated ¼" tape that just might work...a little pricey, but worth the extra money if the quality is up to par and it works in this application.

great references everyone. i knew this was the right place to ask...

 

[Dwartz]

Having repaired my share of 8-tracks, good luck. Very labor intensive.

 

[shrouded|elk]

i'm quickly learning why 8-tracks went by the wayside the more i attempt recording on them, fixing them, etc. the fidelity of the audio nearly always come down to the quality of the pressure pads inside them. i pulled out a brand new, shrink-wrapped Rod Stewart album to record some tracks, but the foam pad was already disintegrated.

time will tell how long my motivation to resurrect the format will hold out...haha.

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

Yep, the foam pads sucked (they sucked when they were new).

 

[ussexplorer]

Ah Yes

At first I thought you just found out 8track tape was the same. Yes back coated tape. But there is 1/4" tape that is back coated. Don't see why you couldn't use it. I would think some high quality reel to reel tape with a nice backing would work just fine. As for the foam pads. I used a trick picked up from 8track heaven. Weather stripping.

There is one 8track player I'm still looking for. I'll have to find the model number but they are also garbage had a fine tune adjustment knob on it for the head. Good idea for playback. Bad idea for record. I cannot remeber why I got ride of such a deck many years ago.

Josh

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Normal reel to reel tape DOES NOT HAVE a lubricated backing. Tape for loading in cartridges MUST BE lubricated. The source I recommended stocks lubricated tape.

 

[shrouded|elk]

i'm 100% going for the back-lubricated cartridge tape you posted, Kent.

just a matter of getting my stock of 8-track shells up to par and trying out that weather stripping method to guarantee precise playback.

thanks again for the ideas & suggestions.

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

There is some weather stripping material that has a soft cloth top. This may be a good choice.
I may be wrong (again) but it seems to be that without that, you'd encounter friction and resulting tape squeal. :scratch2:

 

[dshoaf]

....to guarantee precise playback...

Slightly OT:

Well, since we're talking about the consumer version of 8-tracks, I'd humbly suggest that 'precise playback' is a bit of an oxymoron. This is based on my years of bench work in the 70s with those things. I did make a lot of $$ from cleaning up after a failed 8-track, I must say.

OTOH, 8-tracks were a god-send to people like my grandfather who found even operating a record player daunting. 8-tracks were the absolute ultimate in ease-of-use. You pushed it in and the player lit up and played without stop until you pulled the tape out. What could have been easier?

While I wouldn't classify 8-tracks as being precise, I would say they had their place in consumer audio.

Cheers,

David