Re: [ARSCLIST] "Difference Track"

["Richard L. Hess" <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 02:04 PM 2008-11-22, Lou Judson wrote:
> I defer to your greater experience, Richard, and based my comment on
> long experience with the cassttes I made thousands of duplication
> masters on back in the day.
>
> I would only quible that the TASCAM chart is not the last authority,
> and would be willing to bet (handshake only) that the original mono
> cassette spec has a track that is wider than the stereo head path,
> from my experience in the past with hissy right channels on cassettes
> made on mono machines. That is, at this point, anecdotal and
> historic, and possibly incorrect as to the actual track widths.
>
> But this may be irrelevant to getting good transfers from old
> cassettes, though I find the left channel is quieter if no edge
> damage occurs.

Hello, Lou,

I agree with you about the Tascam drawing NOT being the last word...I 
wish someone had drawings that would confirm or challenge the Tascam drawing.

We know that the EQ has been "tweaked" on cassettes over time, so 
perhaps the track width has been as well.

Also, I suspect that many consumer decks erred on the height of the 
head to fight the possibility of inter-side crosstalk, which would 
confirm what you were saying from your experience.

I think what you've said is correct -- I, too, am surprised at the 
number of cassettes with low right channels when played on a stereo 
machine, but, on the other hand, I have found some with low left channels.

Cassettes are so little fun and so much has been entrusted to them. 
It's a shame.

Cheers,

Richard


Richard L. Hess                   email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aurora, Ontario, Canada       (905) 713 6733     1-877-TAPE-FIX
Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.