Re: [ARSCLIST] Fw: [78-l] ^ Distortion on a cassette tape

["Prentice, Will" <Will.Prentice@xxxxx>]

With tape recorded on a machine whose batteries are dying, the rate at
which the tape passed over the rec head decreases (obviously), but not
at a consistent linear rate. As it gets slower, wow & flutter increase,
often to the point where the material becomes incomprehensible. 

So, if the change in pitch when played back at constant speed is vaguely
linear, then maybe the tape was mis-threaded. If the speed is all over
the shop by the end, maybe it was the batteries.

BTW, is anyone passing these messages back to the original enquirer on
78-L? 

Will

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Lennick
Sent: 22 June 2006 17:36
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Fw: [78-l] ^ Distortion on a cassette tape

Parker Dinkins wrote:

> on 6/21/06 9:47 PM US/Central, steven c at stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
wrote:
>
> >> Why should the material have become distorted?
> >>
> >> If the cells in the cassette recorder were losing voltage, that
would
> >> account for it... but surely they'd never drive the motor for half
an hour
> >> in that state?
>
> Might happen if one or more of the cells became exhausted before the
others,
> as in the case where not all cells were replaced at one time.
>
> ---
> Parker Dinkins

I mentioned the other week, either on this list or 78-L, that I took my
first
cassette recorder (which was a portable radio/cassette thing) to the
Riverboat in
Toronto when David Amram was doing his "folkie" thing and recorded him,
and then
found that the batteries had been low and my recording was literally
"half speed
mastered". Not a question of misthreaded tape or schmutz caught on the
heads..just low batteries.

dl

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