[ProAudio] Plangent playback, was: Re: FeralA - Recordings released encoded with Dolby A

[Richard L. Hess]

On 2020-02-10 9:00 a.m., Scott Dorsey via ProAudio wrote:
>> I don't know whether the erase head records a signal on the tape at the
>> erase frequency -- I've never tried running a recorder with the record
>> head disconnected.
> Probably not; the erase head does not have a very sharply defined field.
> The gap on the erase head is designed to get as much flux as possible onto
> the track without leaking into other tracks, rather than to have nice sharp
> edges in the direction of tape travel.
> --scott
>
Also, many "modern" erase heads are double-gap. I'm referring 
specifically to the white Woelke ones used widely by Studer and Sony on 
their APR machines. I suspect they were also used by MCI prior to its 
acquisition by Sony.

These are available in several configurations,  including one where the 
tracks are checkerboarded so there is complete erasure of the tape, 
including guard band. Those seem to come on "Stereo" as opposed to "Time 
code" machines.

Richard

-- 
Richard L. Hess                   email: richard at richardhess.com
Aurora, Ontario, Canada           http://www.richardhess.com/
http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.