track width?

[poopchute]

I have a question about 8 and 4 track reel to reels. The question is dealing with track width. wider is better. that I know. But if I took a 8 track machine and use it as a 4 track, by recording everything to 2 tracks at 1 time. Would this be the same as having a 4 track with 1/8" per track instead of 8 to 1/16"?

[trancedental]

It would be better to double up parts like vocals by doing 2 different takes of the same vocal part. Try recording for example Bass maybe DI & amp mic / condensor or maybe dynamic mics for guitar amps on separate tracks instead of sending the exact signal to 2 tracks on the recorder IMO. People often do this on 16 track recorders .

Blending 2 mics together onto one track can sound good as well.

[Vagodeoz]

hmmmm.... it has anything to do, one thing with the other.
There are cassette recorders that use the 2 tracks per side and make it 4 tracks only one way (keeping the width of each track) and there are 8 track cassette recorders that divide each track into two (reducing the width of each track) but that depends on how the machine was thinked about and built.
If you have a 8 track recorder, you have an 8 track recorder, period. Doing what you are doing (recording the same thing in two tracks) is just nonsense.
To get wider tracks you would have to get an analog recorded that uses 8 track tapes as a 4 track recorder to have higher fidelity, that I really doubt anything like that exists.
Instead developers think about the most optimal combination of elemts to get the best sound overall (x inches per track, noise reduction, tape speed... etc)
You can double your voices and guitar and stuff, but that is more an artistical issue to give more power to the voices for the chorus for example, but has nothing to do at all with audio fidelity.
Hope I was helpful

[Beck]

Originally Posted by poopchute

I have a question about 8 and 4 track reel to reels. The question is dealing with track width. wider is better. that I know. But if I took a 8 track machine and use it as a 4 track, by recording everything to 2 tracks at 1 time. Would this be the same as having a 4 track with 1/8" per track instead of 8 to 1/16"?

Using two tracks is not the same as having one larger track because each track on the head is a separate electromagnet with its own record/repro circuitry. The tracks remain separate, each with its own noise and distortion characteristics. To get the benefit of more tape area you need a larger electromagnet for each track.