Question for the Ghost ( and anybody else! )

[sixtiesman]

Hi

You have helped me many times over the last couple of years!!!!
( thanks! )


Today's question:-

I have just acquired a Revox C278 and I think it has a record head and a play head, unllike the TRS-8 that I used to use. ( which I think just has one )

My first try at a layered recording tonight involved a rhythm guitar part on track one and a lead guitar part on track two.

I pressed "input" and I could monitor the guitar

Then put the rhythm part down on track one.

Then I pressed "reproduce", armed track two and I put the second guitar part down.

When I played them both back they were out of sync!

I thought about it and concluded that I may have bought the wrong kind of machine!

Panic set in at this point.

But....inbetween "input" and "reproduce" is a button called "sync"

Up to now I had ignored this thinkling it was something to do with midi.

But when I pressed this and made the second layer it worked fine!!!

I am much relieved obviously but my question to you is:-

how does it do this? It must use a delay circuit of some kind?

could this be a digital delay??

You must by now see where I am going with this??!!


regards

clive (sixtiesman )

and a happy new year to you!!

 

[The Ghost of FM]

The "sync" position is monitoring off of the record head when you are layering tracks together to make a complete multi-part song. The sync head can both playback and record at the same time, just like your previous deck could do.

The reason there is no delay and everything is in time with each other is because you are hearing the first part already on tape coming off the record head that is capturing the second track in the same physical spot on the tape.

The repro head is further to the right and out of sync with the record head and thus the time delay between the distance of the two heads.

The repro head is a dedicated playback only head and is used primarily for calibration and quality purposes.

When overdubbing, always use the machine in the sync position only.

Get the picture?

Cheers!

 

[sixtiesman]

Thanks for your excellent reply!!
I would never have guessed a play head then a record head that plays as well!!
I assumed some clever analog delay or worse a digital delay circuit in there somewhere!

I am trying to get hold of a manual...so I should get there soon.

Thanks again

 

[jpmorris]

Thanks for your excellent reply!!
I would never have guessed a play head then a record head that plays as well!!
I assumed some clever analog delay or worse a digital delay circuit in there somewhere!

What you did at first is the idea behind tape delay. The Revox B77 has the ability to do this built-in. Generally, you would use a custom-built machine like the Copicat, Binson or Space Echo, but the idea is the same.

Not quite what you wanted to know, but I thought it was worth pointing out.