Re: arsclist Assistance for Armenian Ethnomusicology Archive

[John Ross <johnross@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> And along these lines, I have a question that someone can probably answer: 
> Have tape speeds and track configurations historically been different in 
> Europe than in the U.S.? In other words, in order to play back tapes made 
> in Armenia (1940s-1980s) would one have to obtain equipment made for a 
> European or Asian market?

Playing tapes in Armenia on equipment for the American market is possible, 
but not easy, for several reasons:

First, the AC power standard is 50 Hz rather than 60 Hz, so most motors 
won't run at the right speed.

The AC power standard is 220 VAC, so they would need a step-up converter to 
run gear designed for 110 VAC.

The tape speeds were essentially the same, but they were expressed in some 
metric value (I'm halfway remembering 17 and 38 cm per second, but that may 
not be correct.

If the recordings were made on East-bloc equipment, there's a strong 
possibility that the reels have a different-shape hole in the center, and 
the tapes may have been wound with the oxide out. Neither of these is an 
insurmountable problem, but they're nuisances.

John Ross
Northwest Folklife
Seattle


-
For subscription instructions, see the ARSC home page
http://www.arsc-audio.org/arsclist.html
Copyright of individual posting is owned by the author of the posting and
permission to re-transmit or publish a post must be secured
from the author of the post.