About tape leader.

[rutson]

Dear reel to reel guru.

Would like to ask about tape leader for reel to reel.
Is it neccessary for applying a tape leader ?

Between paper and mylar tape leader , which should be choosed ?

Thank you very much.

 

[jpmorris]

Would like to ask about tape leader for reel to reel.
Is it neccessary for applying a tape leader ?
Between paper and mylar tape leader , which should be choosed ?

I didn't know you could get paper leader, but I wouldn't recommend it. Definitely go for Mylar.

You can work without leader, though. I used to wind the tape about 30 seconds in before using it, so if anything disagreeable happened to the start there was still 11 metres of tape before anything important could be damaged.

What it is handy for is telling which end of the tape you are seeing, if you use white at the start and red at the back.

 

[Beck]

Dear reel to reel guru.

Would like to ask about tape leader for reel to reel.
Is it neccessary for applying a tape leader ?

Between paper and mylar tape leader , which should be choosed ?

Thank you very much.

Paper and Mylar leader were both popular for many years. I still use paper timing leader for ¼”. Mylar is great for color-coding. There used to be color standards for indicating “Tails-out” and Tails-in.” White was used in between songs. However, some people had their own methods and might use white leader at every point. In that case some people used different color hold-down tape to indicate tails in or out.

One issue with old Mylar colored leader is that a lot of it flaked apart over the years, leaving “glitter” all over the place. You have to cut it out and replace it with paper or newer Mylar. For that reason you might want to avoid colored Mylar leader and just use white paper or Mylar. On the other hand, newer stuff might not fall apart like the old tape did.

Since standards have pretty much fallen by the wayside, what color you use is not so important as it once was.

You don't always need leader, but it can't hurt and protects the ends of the tape.