Magnetic Tape

[alrockliffe]

Hi

 

having a bit of a problem of late with my collection of cassettes. When I leave them, usually overnight, the section of tape that was 'exposed' has been erased. What sort of radiation could be causing this? The machine is switched off at night and sited well away from any strong magnetic fields etc, apart from which, any cassettes that have been stored partially wound, lying in my drawer, have also been similarly affected. This is becoming increasingly annoying / worrying, and is happening now on a nightly basis, so any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, Andrew

[studiot]

Scotch or 3M had lots of egg on their faces in the heyday of cassette tapes when they introduced a super chrome tape that did exactly this.

 

But that was years ago.

 

What brand are they?

[Strange]

having a bit of a problem of late with my collection of cassettes. When I leave them, usually overnight, the section of tape that was 'exposed' has been erased

 

Are you leaving the cassette in the machine? If so, it could be that your heads have got magnetised and are partially erasing the section that is near them. Solutions: don't leave the tapes in the machine! Buy a demagnetiser(if such things are still available in this digital age).

Edited January 12, 2015 by Strange

[Sensei]

sited well away from any strong magnetic fields etc

 

Did you verified it using compass array?

 

f.e. my room and bathroom are complete magnetic field nightmare.. At different heights, different locations, compass/compass array is showing completely different results even +-90 degrees from the north.

(bathroom has good explanation of this- washing machine, and something well magnetized in walls).

 

Compass array looks like this (it's my model). It costs ~30 usd.

 

Are you leaving the cassette in the machine?

 

He said that contents of drawer was also affected.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Sensei

[ALex7JA]

My guess is that you're not fully recording on the tape.

Here's what I think in a bit more detail:

You record a sample on a tape OR You trick yourself about recording on your tape (Rule 101 I think, know your system, then discover the truth, in this example, a protected tape is way much better than toying with tape) Have mercy with your equipment or you might burn your own house down in electrolysis exclamation so badly, you'll have less than a house and wish you never even bought a stereo!

 

You have two tapes, and press the wrong button to record, you then press another wrong button and play back the tape that you think you've recorded, take it out, rewrap the magnetic tape around another tape in mixing and editing, then obviously nothing is there.

 

There's also the ability that you are recording correctly, yet where you think you've recorded on the tape is actually much further along the tape strand or more likely, when you rewrap the tape, you're wrapping it the reverse side up, so alike side A, or side B but not quite.

 

Magnetic interference is highly unlikely unless you're in a thunderstorm area, and all that just is some microscopic odds.

 

Hope it helped.

Edited January 14, 2015 by ALex7JA

[Sensei]

You have two tapes, and press the wrong button to record, you then press another wrong button

ALex7JA, when the last time you recorded anything on magnetic tape? Ever?

The all recorders that I saw had to have pressed two buttons to start recording, not one.

Record button typically is red. And simultaneously you have to press play.

That was to prevent overwriting by accident.

 

ps. I recorded thousands times in Atari times in '80, my computer applications. Every day, new recorded thing..

Edited January 15, 2015 by Sensei

[ALex7JA]

Namaste Sensei,

 

ALex7JA, when the last time you recorded anything on magnetic tape? Ever?

 

I suppose yesterday in my chemical made brain... Whenever for that matter... What matters is Andrew's question and point, not getting bogged down on others strands by epistemology and habitat. I admit I'm a bit offended by the question you appear to pose to me.

 

The devices that you have come across obviously don't account for the device Andrew has, whereby the 'buttons' are less well formulated (even by not seeing a photo of the devices being used) and also the recording mechanisms, hence it's evidently easy to be in the button/recording methods predicament as just as a legible inference as your own. Please have respect. Please have mercy.

Edited January 15, 2015 by ALex7JA