Loop bin duplicator: Difference between revisions

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A '''loop bin duplicator''' is a specialized [[audio tape]] machine used in the duplication of pre-recorded [[compact audio cassette|audio cassettes]].

[[File:Magnefax_DuplicatorMagnefax Duplicator.jpg|thumb|right|Magnefax 7in duplicator]]

== Analog Loop Bin Duplicator ==

An analog loop bin uses a long loop of 1/2" wide tape loaded in a large bin located in the front of the machine, which is read on both sides by the duplicator at a very high speed, 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).

While this loop is being played back, the audio signals for the A and B side are sent to a "slave" recorder or an audio bus that contains multiple "slaves". The "slave" records the A and B side to a reel of raw 1/8" audio tape wound on a "pancake" reel (similar to [[film|motion picture film]] wound on a plastic core) at the same high speed. After it is recorded, this pancake of tape is then loaded onto special machines called loaders. 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.

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== Digital loop bin duplicator ==

Digital loop bins were also introduced in the early 1990s. The early digital loop bins replaced the source tape with audio data stored on [[hard drive]]s that was read and sent to [[digital-to-analog converter]]s that were connected to the "slave" recorders, but they were prone to failure because of the amount of stress put on the hard disks.

The hard disks were replaced by huge [[RAM]] [[buffer (computer science)|buffer]]s which eliminated the failures but added greatly to the expense of the equipment. Since a digital bin was capable of playback speeds of 256:1 or better, a single bin could perform as two by splitting the buffer between two different programs. A program could be loaded and looped for production while an additional program could be loaded into the buffer. A real-time monitoring system could play back the audio stored in either buffer to check for potential flaws in the audio while both programs were looping for production.

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==References==

{{reflist}}

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[[Category:Audio storage]]

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[[Category:Equipment]]

[[Category:Audio electronics]]

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