Questions about R2R recording.

[thoraudio]

A few months ago, I picked up a collection of about 40 R2R tapes, and I'm just now getting around to sorting and cataloging them. Most of them are recordings of records, a few radio broadcasts, and even a couple of 'turn the recorder on while we watch a movie on TV in the 60s' recordings.

About 75% of the tapes are good, but the rest I'm labeling as 'bad' because they're dual single track recordings (different recordings on the left and right tracks). Of those, about half have the other audio track backwards.

I'm trying to figure out how other track was backwards. I know tapes are divided into 4 tracks, where 1/3 are stereo tracks and 2/4 are the reverse stereo tracks.

How did reverse audio end up on track 3?

 

[savatage1973]

Depends on what deck you have, and what the tapes were recorded on originally. If you like what is on them, then just sort through them and see how they play. If you are just going to re-use the tapes, just spend $20 and buy a "bulk eraser"--looks like a small clothes iron, but generates a strong magnetic field to wipe out whatever is on there. Then look up the database to find out what types of tape you have--some hold up well, others deteriorate with age and can really screw up a machine--search for SSS "sticky shed syndrome". Also, if an external noise reduction unit was used, they wont sound "right" unless you have one as well.

 

[oldvinyldude]

Sounds like you have some 1/2 track mono recordings. You can listen to them-sort of-by just turning down one channel, so you are not hearing the other track in reverse.

Given the time frame you mentioned, 1/2 track mono was still used regularly on home machines. Also, if the time frame is correct, you will not have any Stick Shed tapes. This did not occur until there was a binder reformulation used by manufacturers starting in the mid\late 70's.

 

[audiojones]

I/2 track mono recordings can be played back on your 1/4 track stereo tape deck by playing the left channel only. If you try to listen in stereo you will hear backwards gibberish from side two in the right channel in addition to the forward recording from side one the left channel.

As you probably know already the different programs in left and right channels was an old trick to quadruple the length of time you could get from a reel of tape. Mono recording on left channel of side one, flip tape over and continue onto left channel of side two, flip over again and continue on right channel of side one then flip over one last time and finish the recording on the right channel of side two.

 

[VinceInMT]

thoraudio, your find sounds similar to mine but I had 561 tapes to go through. It took me a year but I documented every reel and made mp3s of all the non-copyrighted content to share. The adventure is here:

http://www.otrannex.com/the600/

 

[MRL_Audio]

Vince. Heck of a project.

 

[thoraudio]

thoraudio, your find sounds similar to mine but I had 561 tapes to go through. It took me a year but I documented every reel and made mp3s of all the non-copyrighted content to share. The adventure is here:

http://www.otrannex.com/the600/

Cool. I've got a couple of weird/interesting tapes in the mix. 1 family tape of them just talking. I contacted the estate company and offered to digitize it if the family wanted it, but never heard back.

Apparently this guy was an Air Force officer who spent a lot of time in Hawaii. There's one tape of what appears to be a formal officers function, complete with a 'comedic' MC, some skits and music. Another appears to be a professionally done soundtrack to what appears to be a 'history of Hawaii' show. Professional voice over guy, musical swells to what's probably some on stage action, and a non politically-correct take on the US taking over the islands.

Throw in a couple of movie watching sessions and random radio stuff, and it's pretty interesting.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

A few months ago, I picked up a collection of about 40 R2R tapes, and I'm just now getting around to sorting and cataloging them. Most of them are recordings of records, a few radio broadcasts, and even a couple of 'turn the recorder on while we watch a movie on TV in the 60s' recordings.

About 75% of the tapes are good, but the rest I'm labeling as 'bad' because they're dual single track recordings (different recordings on the left and right tracks). Of those, about half have the other audio track backwards.

I'm trying to figure out how other track was backwards. I know tapes are divided into 4 tracks, where 1/3 are stereo tracks and 2/4 are the reverse stereo tracks.

How did reverse audio end up on track 3?

Not all tapes on 1/4" are 4 track. There's also mono and Stereo, 1 track (aka Full Track Mono), 2 track aka 1/2 track mono or Stereo, and 4 track in mono, Stereo, or Quadraphonic formats also known as 1/4 track. And lastly some multitrack machines also do 8 tracks on 1/4" tape also.

 

[illinoisteve]

My first R2R machine was 1/2-track mono. Considering how crappy my first two 1/4-track stereo machines were, I should have kept it! But maybe I shouldn't second guess my long ago teenager self.