After audio is sent to the record head, its flux polarity induces the tape’s magnetic particles to align accordingly. Their individual magnetic fields cancel each other out so there’s barely any magnetic flux (force). Unmagnetized particles point in random directions. Often made of carbon black, it improves winding properties, removes electrostatic charges, and allows the tape to be packed tight enough so it doesn’t fall apart.įor open reel tape machines, the tape will be wound around a tape reel’s hub, forming a tape pack, with the tape being protected by flanges on the sides.īlank tape has unaligned magnetic particles and domains. The back coating was added to improve tape handling. The material used here can significantly affect the tape’s performance. The base is also covered in thin layers of primers. Different materials have been used throughout time: paper, cellulose acetate (CA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester aka polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PE), and polyethylene nap phthalate (PEN). The tape’s base is the sheet where the coating mix is applied. The binder adheres the magnetic particles to the base. Stabilizers and lubricants slow the tape’s deterioration and help it slide along the tape path. Magnetic pigment is added to give the magnetic particles their color. They start out as tiny iron oxide pieces and are then crushed into powder.
Magnetic particles retain the magnetic orientation as the tape passes the headstack. The magnetic coating is a mix of magnetic particles, lubricants, stabilizers, the binder, and magnetic pigment. The parts of magnetic tape include the magnetic coating, the base (aka substrate), and the back coating (this was added as tape evolved). When using your tape machine, you are using the unique medium of magnetic tape to record and play back sound. Image courtesy of Aaron Coe, The Cutting Corporation. These principles are used by tape heads for recording and playback. If a changing external magnetic field is moved across the gap, it induces a proportional varying current in the coil.
In this setup, if the current is run through the wire, a proportional magnetic field is produced at the gap. Just don’t let the very ends touch – make sure you leave a gap. Take a piece of magnetic material, wrap wire around it to form a coil, then bend the material into a donut shape. Magnetic recording is based on the principles of Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction.
The monitoring options from the tape machine.An explanation about AC bias and why it’s important.The parts of the tape machine transport mechanism.The basic science of magnetic recording.Learning to use a tape machine is not a primary goal for many aspiring audio engineers, but it’s beneficial to learn its basic concepts at the very least so you can appreciate where the technology in your DAW came from. What approaches can you take with editing?īefore the days of digital audio workstations and quick editing with a click of the mouse, recording engineers would use magnetic reel-to-reel tape recorders.Disclosure: We may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.
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