Loop bin duplicator: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:17, 7 April 2023

Revision as of 01:53, 8 April 2023

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== Analog loop bin duplicator ==

An analog loop bin uses a long loop of either 1/2" wide (for cassette duplication) or 1" wide (for 8-track tape duplication) loaded in a large bin located in the front of the duplicator. This loop "[[Master/slave (technology)|master]]" tape is loaded into the duplicator's bin from a traditional open-reel of tape, where the program material has been recorded to it using a studio-type multitrack tape recorder in real-time beforehand. The loop tape for cassette duplication has 4 tracks on the loop bin master tape (2 stereo tracks for Side A recorded in one direction, and the other 2 for Side B recorded in the opposite direction), and for 8-tracks has all of the 8 tracks (4 2-track stereo programs) recorded in one direction. The loop-bin master tape is read by the duplicator at a very high speed. For cassettes, either 32, 64, 80, or 100 times the normal speed of playback (1.875 [[inches per second|ips]]) of an audio cassette (60, 120, 150, and 187.5 ips respectively) is used, and 10 or 20 times the normal speed of playback (3.75 ips) is used for 8-track duplication (37.50 and 75 ips respectively).

While this loop is being played back, the audio signals for the A and B side (or all 4 programs for 8-track) are sent to a "[[Master/slave (technology)|slave]]" recorder or an audio bus that contains multiple "slaves". The "slave" records from the loop bin master tape the 4 tracks for both A and B sides to an open-faced "pancake" reel (similar to [[film|motion picture film]] wound on a plastic core) of raw 1/8" audio tape (for cassettes), or all 8 tape tracks to back-lubricated 1/4" audio tape (for 8-track cartridges) also wound on a "pancake" reel, at the same high speed. After it is recorded, this pancake of tape is then loaded onto special machines called loaders. For cassettes, the loader has cassette shells containing only a leader called "C-0" cassettes that are loaded one at a time or into a hopper where the C-0s are fed automatically depending on the type of loader. The tape from the pancake is then spliced onto the C-0 cassette's leader and then wound into the cassette by the loader. For 8-tracks, the tape is wound from the slave recorder onto a device mounted on its side, called a "sidewinder", which holds several small reels, and extracts and winds the tape from the slave recorder onto each reel into an endless-loop configuration (with the tape being pulled from the center of the wind), where each full reel is then placed in an empty 8-track cartridge and spliced together, either by machine or by hand, with a foil splice that holds the loop together. The foil splice also serves to automatically engage an 8-track player to advance to the next program when played.