29. I can hear what sounds like another program playing in the background on many of my OTR tapes. Is this due to the tuning on the old radio or to the tape recorder that recorded the program?
Description
This article is from the Old Time Radio FAQ, by Lou Genco webmaster@old-time.com with numerous contributions by others.
29. I can hear what sounds like another program playing in the background on many of my OTR tapes. Is this due to the tuning on the old radio or to the tape recorder that recorded the program?
In addition to the old radio being mistuned, similar problems
can be caused by one or more of the tape recorders used before you
received your copy of the program. Print-through has already been
mentioned in Q & A 19. Bob Burnham has a nice explanation of two more
problems: crosstalk and channel leakage.
Crosstalk and Channel Leakage are 2 different things. OTR
collectors seem to have the most problem with channel
leakage.
When you hear another program faintly playing in the
background in normal direction, this is usually Channel
Leakage. This is a leftover problem from the 1970s &
early '80s when most collectors traded on open reel
tapes which were quarter-track mono -- there were
different (separate) programs on left & right channels.
This allowed 6 hours of shows to be placed on one reel.
Unfortunately, many collectors would duplicate L & R
shows simultaneously. Depending on the quality of the
equipment (and its condition) it was common for one
program to bleed into the opposite channel...especially
if the collector was careless and allowed over-modulation.
Crosstalk results when a tape is recorded (or played
back) on a machine with mis-aligned tape heads. It can
also occur when trying to record over a 1/2 track
recording with a 1/4 track machine with dirty or
mis-aligned erase head. You usually will hear another
program playing IN REVERSE in the background.
HOW TO PREVENT CHANNEL LEAKAGE AND CROSSTALK...
If duplicating quarter track reels, copy ONE channel or
track at a time. As for crosstalk, make certain your
machines are kept in proper alignment. Use a high quality
BULK ERASER if you re-use old tapes... this is especially
true for those who use reels.
Sorry, there is NOTHING you can do to remove these flaws
once they are there.
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