4 track to 2 track...

[dga223]

i have many 4 track recordings from my pioneer rt 909 which no longer works. i am looking into some 2 track machines. will the 4 track tapes play on a 2 track machine, if so what should i expect? thanks.

[mlsstl]

No, a 2 track machine will not play 4 track tapes correctly if both sides of the 4 track tape have been used. The 2 track playback head will pick up the signal from the reverse side of the tape and play it backwards at the same time as it plays the forward tracks.

If there is nothing on the reverse side of the 4 track tape, a 2 track machine will play it but the signal to noise ratio will not be as good since the signal only uses half the tape width that the 2 track playback head expects.

The only reason to buy a 2 track open reel is if you plan to make brand new original 2 track tapes or have existing 2 track tapes to play.

[dga223]

good info. thanks for that...