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Hi Guys, I am about to venture into the world of reel to reel land, I am wanting to buy some pre recorded tapes and I will also like to record some of my Lp's as well, I have come across a Revox A77, seller says that her grandfather bought it new in '69, oh dear, it has the 4 Track sticker on the pinch roller arm, now, can this Revox be used for all that I wish for ? and, how can one differentiate the 4 different Mk's of the A77 range ? because, by comparing her photo's to the one's on the reetoreel site it look's more like a Mk4 than a Mk 1, also open to other brands/models as a more suitable machine for my needs. Thanks.

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Not sure if this will help

http://www.reeltoreel.de/worldwide/

 

I think the is a distinction between 4 track and 4 channel.

A 4 track stereo deck will play / record in the forward direction and also in the reverse direction. This is pretty much the norm for home use and yes it will work fine for recording LPs, 

 

Here is another article

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/2-track-or-4-track-reel-to-reel-deck

 

Be prepared for some hassle. Old reel to reel machines are not exactly plug and play..  Having said that I'm in love with mine. 

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Hi Charlie_bird, I am about to buy a Revox A77, it is a 4 track machine, which, as I understand thus far, is what one needs to play back pre-recorded commercially released tapes, but is it also the best way, 4 track,  to record one's record collection with ? or, am I better off to use 2 track machine for recording my records on to ? if so, then that would be very annoying to have to set up two separate machines to be able to do both properly, and, if I go with a 2 track to record my albums with, will it be a better fidelity than a commercially released album ? at say, 71/2 ips ?

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Essentially, a two track is the same as a four track (if using quarter inch tape) except for more options on the four track.

Therefore, you just have to careful which tracks you select when recording two track stereo things on a four track so it matches up with the standard.

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No, a 2 channel can be the same as a 4 track.

 

A 2 track only has 2 tracks on the whole width of the tape, plays stereo, in one direction only. It has much better fidelity.

 

A 4 track is available in 2 channel or 4 channel. The A77 is a 4 track, 2 channel machine. 2 channel (stereo) in one direction, swap the reels, and another 2 channelss (stereo) on the other side.

 

Tracks are how many separate recordings are across the tape.

 

Channels are how many of these can be recorded or played at the same time.

 

Cheers,

Jason.

 

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23 minutes ago, LinearTracker said:

Hi Charlie_bird, I am about to buy a Revox A77, it is a 4 track machine, which, as I understand thus far, is what one needs to play back pre-recorded commercially released tapes, but is it also the best way, 4 track,  to record one's record collection with ? or, am I better off to use 2 track machine for recording my records on to ? if so, then that would be very annoying to have to set up two separate machines to be able to do both properly, and, if I go with a 2 track to record my albums with, will it be a better fidelity than a commercially released album ? at say, 71/2 ips ?

Whilst the A77 is a great machine for home use and your recordings will most likely sound better than a lot of older prerecorded tapes, there are also prerecorded high fidelity tapes being released now you can find more info here. They also suggest machines that suit the tapes they produce. some are 2-4 track switchable. More tape means higher fidelity and higher speed (to a point) also means higher fidelity. Studio masters back in the day were 30 ips and 1/2 or 1/4 inch tape, so lots of tape "real estate" to print on. 

 

I will also have a go at explaining tracks and channels

 

Tracks equals the number or separate tracks the machine can create and play on a tape. 

channels = the number of max channels the machine can play

so a 2  track machine using the same size tape as a 4 track machine will use twice the width of tape per channel and fidelity should be better:wacko:

a 4 track 2 channel machine will only play 2 of the 4 tracks

a 4 track 4 channel machine can play all 4 tracks at once 

 

 

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38 minutes ago, koputai said:

No, a 2 channel can be the same as a 4 track.

 

A 2 track only has 2 tracks on the whole width of the tape, plays stereo, in one direction only. It has much better fidelity.

 

A 4 track is available in 2 channel or 4 channel. The A77 is a 4 track, 2 channel machine. 2 channel (stereo) in one direction, swap the reels, and another 2 channelss (stereo) on the other side.

 

Tracks are how many separate recordings are across the tape.

 

Channels are how many of these can be recorded or played at the same time.

 

Cheers,

Jason.

 

 

That's a very concise explanation. 

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Indeed, the terminology can be confusing.

 

I won't even mention 3-track macines.......... :)

 

I love tape, all the ritual and retro-ness of records, but without the pops and crackles.

 

A 4-track 2 channel machine is a great place to start. It'll likely be 3.75 and 7.5 ips, so you can play just about any pre recorded tapes from the olden days, as well as be able to record and play back anything you like.

 

If you want to step up a level for your self recorded and playback, and aren't concerned with old pre recorded tapes, then a 2-track 2 channel, or 'Mastering' machine will perform better, at a cost of using 2x or 4x the amount of tape, due to them also running at (commonly) 7.5 or 15 ips.

 

There are of course machines that have switchable  2-track and 4-track heads, and run at all three speeds (and sometimes 30 ips), such as some versions of the Otari MX-5050 or Technics RS-1500.

 

Cheers,

Jason.

 

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