Recording Loops

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samth3mancgp

samth3mancgp

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Today I tried splicing together a loop on 1/4" tape using my 3340S. I have it setup so it threads through the capstan and up to the edge of the machine where there is some pens taped to the side. I didnt want the motors that are running super to put alot of un needed friction on the tape by having it go across the reels. It seems primitive, but I heard somewhere that It has been done that way.

I have spliced together the loop. I started with 1 mark then folded the loop at that mark and put one at the opposite end. Then I folded it so the two marks meet in the middle then made 2 more on the ends. This lets me see beats 1 and 3 of the loop and it is a 2 measure loop.
Here's my problem. I cannot get the recording to stop before it covers the beginning of the loop again. I think this may be because of the slow down time of the motors? The speed up time when I press record dosent matter since I let it re record the loop sever times to get it solid, but the beginning of the loop still gets cut off a bit.

Perhaps someone here has an explanation for this. Maybe it's some simple problem that I am missing. :confused:
 
samth3mancgp said:
Today I tried splicing together a loop on 1/4" tape using my 3340S. I have it setup so it threads through the capstan and up to the edge of the machine where there is some pens taped to the side. I didnt want the motors that are running super to put alot of un needed friction on the tape by having it go across the reels. It seems primitive, but I heard somewhere that It has been done that way.

I have spliced together the loop. I started with 1 mark then folded the loop at that mark and put one at the opposite end. Then I folded it so the two marks meet in the middle then made 2 more on the ends. This lets me see beats 1 and 3 of the loop and it is a 2 measure loop.
Here's my problem. I cannot get the recording to stop before it covers the beginning of the loop again. I think this may be because of the slow down time of the motors? The speed up time when I press record dosent matter since I let it re record the loop sever times to get it solid, but the beginning of the loop still gets cut off a bit.

Perhaps someone here has an explanation for this. Maybe it's some simple problem that I am missing. :confused:
Click to expand...

It's best to make the recording first, cut out the particular passage from the tape, and make a loop from that length of tape.

Problem solved :) Good luck!
 
By the way, a microphone stand works well as the "remote capstan" for holding the tape in place:

[video=youtube;<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/A_4nvYJO-xQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/A_4nvYJO-xQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>]video[/video]

I shot this video about a year ago.
 
Thanks man! I guess we'll just have to do it that way. It's almost impossible to get it right recording to the loop already setup. Although it was fun and interesting. By the way, I like your setup!
 
samth3mancgp said:
Thanks man! I guess we'll just have to do it that way. It's almost impossible to get it right recording to the loop already setup. Although it was fun and interesting. By the way, I like your setup!
Click to expand...

You can record onto the loop if you set your deck's output to the repro/playback head. This would effectively be a tape delay, not a 'loop' like the kind that you're going for. For a true loop, the only way is to splice the tape out of an existing recording and then loop that segment.

And, thanks! The setup in the video is my previous one... I'll post photos of my new setup soon :)
 
I am sort of confused by the way you said I can record to the loop. So I do it monitoring off of the repro head and instead of input monitoring it's monitoring off of the tape? What Difference does this make?
 
samth3mancgp said:
I am sort of confused by the way you said I can record to the loop. So I do it monitoring off of the repro head and instead of input monitoring it's monitoring off of the tape? What Difference does this make?
Click to expand...

I think he was telling you how to make a tape echo which doesn't need rewinding, rather than what you're actually intending, but I'm not sure.
 
jpmorris is right. Sorry, I blame it on the Sudafed :-P
 
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