2-track tape on a 4-track machine?

[adg57]

I'm relatively new to reel-to-reel decks. I have a chance to buy some 2-track tapes & am wondering if they will play on a 4-track deck. I have an Akai X150-D.
Thanks for your help. Couldn't find the answer in the archives.

Andy

 

[wa2ise]

I'm relatively new to reel-to-reel decks. I have a chance to buy some 2-track tapes & am wondering if they will play on a 4-track deck.

It won't damage anything, but one of the channels will yield backwards sound, from the tape's flip side. The other channel will play correctly, though.

 

[4343]

It won't damage anything, but one of the channels will yield backwards sound, from the tape's flip side. The other channel will play correctly, though.

Actually, that's what happens when playing a 4-track tape on a 2-track deck...

I hear this all the time on my Otari 2-track. When playing a 4-track tape I switch the head switch to the 4-track position. Invariably I forget to put it back when playing a 2-track tape. The result is a weak channel that fills out when I remember and switch back to the 2-track position. One track on 4-track heads falls partly on the guard band between the 2-track layout, IIRC.

Bottom line, you can play a 2-track tape on a 4-track deck, but it's not "All There" on one channel. Actually both channels sound better with the proper head playing them back, but you can't hurt anything giving them a listen.

HTH

 

[icenine]

My Sony TC-399 will let you play a 2 -track since it has two source/tape switches for each track (in the case of a 2 track tape). You play the tape and turn the switch for the track that has the backward music to source. Then you will not hear the backward
music. Of course leave the channel with the correct side playing to tape. If you are fortunate you can switch on the mono switch on your amp to play both speakers at same time...if you have such a switch. I do not know if your Akai has the ability to go to go to source/tape on each single channel separately. I know some of the older Akai decks can be made to play mono.

 

[MelodyMaster]

A two track (meaning half-track) tape will play perfectly on a four track (quarter-track) machine, but only half the track is being read. This results in a 3db worse noise figure, and greater susceptibility to dropouts. In other words playing a half-track tape with a quarter-track head results in specs nearly identical to quarter-track play-record. I use my Sony TC-399 quarter-track stereo machine all the time for playing my old 1950s-60s half-track mono tapes.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Unless your Sony is a very upper end model, you can't correctly play back a stereo 2 track tape. You can play with the balance and get it acceptable (at a 6 db loss on one channel)