Occasional dropouts on one track (TSR-8)

[diskobox]

hello,

i have been recently recording and get the occasional dropout on track 1 of my Tascam TSR-8. i changed to a newer tape (I use Quantegy 456), which seemed better, but then i still here the odd dropout. When i playback the tape the dropout is always in the same place so i guess the playback head must be fine. The tape has been recorded over approximately 3 times and i've had it about 1 year.

is it common for the outside tracks to wear more quickly, or does it sound like a problem with the record head?

thanks, Ian

[The Ghost of FM]

Edge tracks are more susceptible to damage and drop outs because they can get exposed to uneven winds which could cause damage to the tape as well as any guide posts, lifter or heads which have wear and are grinding up the tape, usually occurring on the edge tracks first.

Dirty heads can also produce the drop outs because of the dirt getting in the way of the tape meeting the head so, in some cases, you can clean the heads and tape path, re-record the track and make minor drop outs go away ... but not in all cases!

Best bet is to obviously keep you tape path as clean as possible, use library winds whenever possible and try to keep critical musical parts off the edge track. IE; kick or bass guitar are good edge track choices, higher frequency content rich parts are not.

Cheers!