Tape recording Flashcards
What is tape?
Composed of a strip of plastic with a thin layer of magnetic oxide particles on top, followed by another layer of plastic.
How does tape record audio?
- An acoustic sound source creates waves, varying in pressure. The microphone capsule responds to the changes by moving the diaphragm
- Diaphragm moves, triggering change of flow in electrons in microphone which is amplified and sent to the record head
- The record head changes the electrical signal into a continuously changing magnetic flow, which are imprinted onto tape and stored for playback.
What are some advantages to recording with tape?
Is a direct duplicate of the original recording, whereas digital recording is just an accurate representation
Recording onto tape adds a distinctive warm tone, thickening the low frequency range
What are some disadvantages of tape?
- Limited takes
- Poor signal-noise ratio
- Tape will decay over time
- Tape is expensive
- Tape editing is time consuming
- Tape machine is heavy & bulky
What is variable speed recording?
Sounds recorded at different tape speeds allow for the artist to alter tempo & pitch of a track by and octave
What is reverse tape?
Reversing the tape reverses the audio recorded onto it - an example is Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Are you experienced?’
What is backwards masking?
Backwards Masking is a recording technique where a sound is recorded backwards onto a track which is supposed to be played forwards, often used to hide a secret message in a track.
What is sel-sync, (selective synchronisation)?
Where new audio is recorded in line with other existing track on the same multitrack tape machine.
Was achieved by using the record head as the playback head so that new signals can be recorded onto other tracks in sync with the original
Who invented Sel-sync?
Paul and Ross S.Snyder and Ampex in 1955
What is artificial double tracking?
It’s an analogue recording technique that uses tape delay to create a delayed copy of an audio signal which is combined with the original
