Teac A-1250S - Page 13

Normal condition reel
The use of a good quality reel is an important point in
preventing damage to the tape edge or uneven stretching.
Always use reels of the same diameter.
Reels which damage tape
Reels
warped
in
the
shape
of
a
bowl]
will
bend
the
tape,
resulting
in
the
so-called
uneven
stretching,
and
is
sometimes
rountered
even
in
new
reels.
The reel may be warped in a Yo-Yo shape due to tight
winding. This will not occur in reels made of hard plastic or
whose hub is perfectly fitted.
If the hub is not truly perpendicular to the flange, the
wound tape will be pressed against the flange resulting in a
seaweed form of tape.
Hang down a length of tape to check straightness
aul
Selecting tape speed
Two different tape speeds, H=19cms (7% ips) and L=9.5cms
(3% ips) can be selected on the TEAC Model A-1250S.
The 19cm speed is suitable for hi-fi recording of music and
the 9.5cm speed is used for Back Ground Music and speech
recordings.
As the 9.5cm recording speed provides twice that of the
19cm speed in recording time, if the sound quality is
satisfactory at this speed it will be more economical.
The level of quality desired in the finished recording will
determine which speed you should use.
Skillful setting of recording level
Relation of noise to recording tape
Regular tape Low noise tape
Level meter reading Saturation point of tape
+10 ___1l-——-¢
< fe 4 Distortion __
OdB NAB
"| Standard
—1¥ Levet The inherent noise level is low
—20
|
in
the
tape
itself
of
a
low
noise
en
tape
compared
to
conventional
standard
types
and
moreover,
since
the
saturation
point
is
slightly
higher,
the
recording
level
can
thus
be
raised
by
the
same
amount.
= 30
Two important factors are required in a good sound tape.
One is that the frequency range be wide and the other is
that it has a minimum of distortion and noise.
Although the frequency response is actually determined by
the tape deck performance characteristics and quality of
the tape used, variation of the recording level has a great
affect on the end result.
In order to make a recording with minimum noise, it is
desirable to record at the highest possible level just before
distortion is introduced. Even then, it is not always
necessary to record at the maximum volume level of the
music or to maintain the level meter indication at the
dividing line between the red and white zone (0 VU). It
must be kept in mind that any tape will suddenly increase in
distortion, and recording sensitivity of the high notes will
slightly decrease when the recording level exceeds a certain
point. For this reason, a standard level of 0 dB is established
with an ample margin of safety taken into consideration. In
actuality, it is best to become fully acquainted with the
performance of the tape and the deck you are using before
determining the operating level.
Experimentation while using the “Monitor” feature will
quickly acquaint you with the best recording level for the
type tape you are using.
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