Since it has come up recently and a lot of folks here aren't too sure how to do it, I have constructed this thread to explain step by step how to splice a tape. This exercise is primarily geared towards those of you who want to take two 7" reels and combine them to make a full 10" tape. For those of you who want to do edits to existing recordings or attach leaders, similar techniques apply but with some minor differences. In the case of edits, that's a bit more complex to do than a forum post that only allows 15 hotlinked pictures will allow. In any event, as long as you can master the fundamentals here, it isn't all that much more challenging.
For this demonstration, because I currently don't have two 7" reels that I'm ready to combine, I simply snipped off about 4" of an old Ampex tape I have laying around. But to explain this procedure, it will suffice. The process is identical regardless of tape length.
Ready?
First, here is what you will need to successfully perform this task. First, obviously are two tapes that you wish to combine. Lay out the two ends on opposite sides of where you are working.
Next, you will need a splicing block. For this demonstration, I used an "all in one" unit. It has a cradle for laying the tape ends in, two clamps to hold the tape in place, a rocker arm (marked "cut" and "trim") that controls a total of three razor blades. One is to make a 45 degree cut and the other two are to trim excess splicing tape. Both functions will be explained here shortly. I strongly recommend obtaining one of these types of blocks as they are not only infinitely easier to use for beginners, but easier to use overall than traditional "pro" open face blocks. They are usually cheaper too. Next, you will need a pair of scissors (to cut a section of splicing tape to use) and a cotton tipped swab. The swab will be explained below.
First and foremost, it is important to know where to actually perform the splice; ergo where does the splicing tape go?
It goes on the BACK side of the tape. On back coated tapes (such as the Maxell XLI and Quantegy 457), it's easy to make this determination. The "back" side of the tape will be somewhat coarse in texture and be a dark charcoal gray or black in color. The "front" or 'play' side will be a shade of brown resembling that of a milk chocolate candy bar and much more smooth and polished in appearance. If you are using a non-back coated tape where both sides are the same color, then you will need to unspool a foot or two of tape. The side facing to (or closest) to the reel is the PLAY side. The part facing out away from the reel is the "back" side.
The first step will be to place the two ends of the tape onto the cradle of the splicing block. You want to first cut the ends to a 45 degree angle so that you can line them up for a perfect splice. You can perform this step with the scissors, but I don't recommend it as the ends might not end up in exact identical angle shapes.
Place the two ends of the tape into the cradle. Overlap the ends by about 1" or so on either side. Then put down the clamps to hold them in place. Position the rocker arm away from you into the "CUT" position. Then press the arm down into the tape firmly but not too hard until you feel and hear the slight "crunch" of the blades cutting the tape. Press down too lightly and you may not cut both layers. Press too hard and you could wrinkle the tape.
Now, lift up the rocker arm, brush away the two scrap ends and you are ready to align the actual tapes for splicing.
Next you are ready to align the tapes. Align the two 45 degree ends to where they just meet and barely touch. It can be a bit of a grunt job to make sure they neither overlap nor have any space between them. This is probably the most critical step in the entire process: Overlapping tape will mean a high spot in the tape pack and will, over time deform adjacent layers resulting in a "bump" or dropout on subsequent playback on that point of the pack. Leaving a gap will leave exposed splicing tape that will not only create a sticky spot at the splice, but also, over time, the adhesive will work its way into adjacent layers as well. Likewise, this residue can also get deposited on your heads and guide pins and end up distributed into any other point of the the tape. Or worse...end up in ANOTHER tape if not cleaned off.
Now that you have your tape ends lined up and ready to splice, it's time to break out the splicing tape. Again let me reiterate. Use *ONLY* tape marketed as splicing. There are no substitutes here (not if you want a tape to last anyway). That means no Scotch tape, electric tape, duct tape, or masking tape.
Although there is quarter inch wide splicing tape available out there, I don't like to use it. I prefer to use half inch (1/2") tape for these (which are quarter inch tapes). If using 1/4" splicing tape, it has to be lined up exactly straight and flush on the surface of the recording tape. Any degree of error and you are going to be short on one side and over on the other. I'll show you why I prefer using the size I do.
Next, unspool about an inch or two of splicing tape. Cut it off the master roll with the scissors (it's next to impossible to cleanly tear it by hand). And make sure that you do NOT touch the middle section of it. This is what is going to go on the actual tapes and hold them together. Fingerprint oil or other contaminants will compromise your splice and it could eventually get loose or fail altogether.
Next, you want to apply the splicing tape across the tape. As you will see in the picture, it's a lot easier to do this when you can lay the tape across at a 90 degree angle versus having to match it exactly dead on. You want to try and center it across the 45 degree cut as much as possible. Also try and lay it as straight as possible. Unlike with quarter inch splicing tape, any degree of error isn't as important here short of doing an absurdly sloppy job. And also be sure that the section of splicing tape that goes onto the oxide tape is the part that you did not touch with your fingers when you cut it. Lay it across.
Now here is where the cotton swab comes into play. Because you don't want to touch the splicing tape or the recording tape-particularly at the point of the splice, and no matter how good you think you are, you are not going to get the splicing tape to adhere as good as possible. So, using the cotton swab, press down on the splicing tape until it is firmly adhered, also making sure to 'iron out' any possible air bubbles that might get trapped in there.
Now you are ready to trim and finish your splice.
Now, slide your rocker arm back towards you into the "trim" position. Press it down again exactly like last time when you did your "cut". Do it and lift the rocker arm.
And vòila! You are finished and have completed your splice.
And this is another reason why you don't need to splice "both sides" of the tape. Done right, the cut will be barely noticeable and you'll be able to record right across it. Here is a view of the "front" side of the completed splice.
And that's pretty much all there is to it. You can now load your second tape onto the big reel and be ready to roll. Attaching leader tape is pretty much the same procedure. But unlike when attaching two tape ends, when splicing on a a leader tape, then I WOULD recommend attaching splicing tape to both physical sides of the tape. But no second 45 degree cut will be necessary.
Hope some of you find this little tutorial helpful. If there is any aspect of splicing (besides editing an existing recording) that I haven't touched on, either myself or another AK'er would be glad to help.
For another related "how to" thread, please also see "How To Load A Pancake" posted a few weeks back.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147156
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
DL-The kindest cut
For this demonstration, because I currently don't have two 7" reels that I'm ready to combine, I simply snipped off about 4" of an old Ampex tape I have laying around. But to explain this procedure, it will suffice. The process is identical regardless of tape length.
Ready?
First, here is what you will need to successfully perform this task. First, obviously are two tapes that you wish to combine. Lay out the two ends on opposite sides of where you are working.
Next, you will need a splicing block. For this demonstration, I used an "all in one" unit. It has a cradle for laying the tape ends in, two clamps to hold the tape in place, a rocker arm (marked "cut" and "trim") that controls a total of three razor blades. One is to make a 45 degree cut and the other two are to trim excess splicing tape. Both functions will be explained here shortly. I strongly recommend obtaining one of these types of blocks as they are not only infinitely easier to use for beginners, but easier to use overall than traditional "pro" open face blocks. They are usually cheaper too. Next, you will need a pair of scissors (to cut a section of splicing tape to use) and a cotton tipped swab. The swab will be explained below.
First and foremost, it is important to know where to actually perform the splice; ergo where does the splicing tape go?
It goes on the BACK side of the tape. On back coated tapes (such as the Maxell XLI and Quantegy 457), it's easy to make this determination. The "back" side of the tape will be somewhat coarse in texture and be a dark charcoal gray or black in color. The "front" or 'play' side will be a shade of brown resembling that of a milk chocolate candy bar and much more smooth and polished in appearance. If you are using a non-back coated tape where both sides are the same color, then you will need to unspool a foot or two of tape. The side facing to (or closest) to the reel is the PLAY side. The part facing out away from the reel is the "back" side.
The first step will be to place the two ends of the tape onto the cradle of the splicing block. You want to first cut the ends to a 45 degree angle so that you can line them up for a perfect splice. You can perform this step with the scissors, but I don't recommend it as the ends might not end up in exact identical angle shapes.
Place the two ends of the tape into the cradle. Overlap the ends by about 1" or so on either side. Then put down the clamps to hold them in place. Position the rocker arm away from you into the "CUT" position. Then press the arm down into the tape firmly but not too hard until you feel and hear the slight "crunch" of the blades cutting the tape. Press down too lightly and you may not cut both layers. Press too hard and you could wrinkle the tape.
Now, lift up the rocker arm, brush away the two scrap ends and you are ready to align the actual tapes for splicing.
Next you are ready to align the tapes. Align the two 45 degree ends to where they just meet and barely touch. It can be a bit of a grunt job to make sure they neither overlap nor have any space between them. This is probably the most critical step in the entire process: Overlapping tape will mean a high spot in the tape pack and will, over time deform adjacent layers resulting in a "bump" or dropout on subsequent playback on that point of the pack. Leaving a gap will leave exposed splicing tape that will not only create a sticky spot at the splice, but also, over time, the adhesive will work its way into adjacent layers as well. Likewise, this residue can also get deposited on your heads and guide pins and end up distributed into any other point of the the tape. Or worse...end up in ANOTHER tape if not cleaned off.
Now that you have your tape ends lined up and ready to splice, it's time to break out the splicing tape. Again let me reiterate. Use *ONLY* tape marketed as splicing. There are no substitutes here (not if you want a tape to last anyway). That means no Scotch tape, electric tape, duct tape, or masking tape.
Although there is quarter inch wide splicing tape available out there, I don't like to use it. I prefer to use half inch (1/2") tape for these (which are quarter inch tapes). If using 1/4" splicing tape, it has to be lined up exactly straight and flush on the surface of the recording tape. Any degree of error and you are going to be short on one side and over on the other. I'll show you why I prefer using the size I do.
Next, unspool about an inch or two of splicing tape. Cut it off the master roll with the scissors (it's next to impossible to cleanly tear it by hand). And make sure that you do NOT touch the middle section of it. This is what is going to go on the actual tapes and hold them together. Fingerprint oil or other contaminants will compromise your splice and it could eventually get loose or fail altogether.
Next, you want to apply the splicing tape across the tape. As you will see in the picture, it's a lot easier to do this when you can lay the tape across at a 90 degree angle versus having to match it exactly dead on. You want to try and center it across the 45 degree cut as much as possible. Also try and lay it as straight as possible. Unlike with quarter inch splicing tape, any degree of error isn't as important here short of doing an absurdly sloppy job. And also be sure that the section of splicing tape that goes onto the oxide tape is the part that you did not touch with your fingers when you cut it. Lay it across.
Now here is where the cotton swab comes into play. Because you don't want to touch the splicing tape or the recording tape-particularly at the point of the splice, and no matter how good you think you are, you are not going to get the splicing tape to adhere as good as possible. So, using the cotton swab, press down on the splicing tape until it is firmly adhered, also making sure to 'iron out' any possible air bubbles that might get trapped in there.
Now you are ready to trim and finish your splice.
Now, slide your rocker arm back towards you into the "trim" position. Press it down again exactly like last time when you did your "cut". Do it and lift the rocker arm.
And vòila! You are finished and have completed your splice.
And this is another reason why you don't need to splice "both sides" of the tape. Done right, the cut will be barely noticeable and you'll be able to record right across it. Here is a view of the "front" side of the completed splice.
And that's pretty much all there is to it. You can now load your second tape onto the big reel and be ready to roll. Attaching leader tape is pretty much the same procedure. But unlike when attaching two tape ends, when splicing on a a leader tape, then I WOULD recommend attaching splicing tape to both physical sides of the tape. But no second 45 degree cut will be necessary.
Hope some of you find this little tutorial helpful. If there is any aspect of splicing (besides editing an existing recording) that I haven't touched on, either myself or another AK'er would be glad to help.
For another related "how to" thread, please also see "How To Load A Pancake" posted a few weeks back.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147156
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
DL-The kindest cut
But I use a razor and a block to do all of my splicing, and one must follow the traditional methods to splice when using these tools.
