Stereo 8, frequently accepted as the eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, or artlessly eight-track, is a alluring band complete recording technology. It was accepted in the United States from the mid-1960s through the aboriginal 1980s, but was almost alien in abounding European countries. Stereo 8 was created in 1964 by a bunch led by Bill Lear of Lear Jet Corporation, forth with Ampex, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Motorola, and RCA Victor Records (RCA). It was a added development of the agnate Stereo-Pak four-track armament created by Earl "Madman" Muntz. A after quadraphonic adaptation of the architecture was appear by RCA in April 1970 and aboriginal accepted as Quad-8, again after afflicted to just Q8.
Monday 26 March 2012
Development of tape cartridges
The amaranthine bend band armament was aboriginal advised in 1952 by Bernard Cousino about a individual reel accustomed a connected bend of accepted 1/4-inch, plastic, oxide-coated recording band active at 3.75 in.(9.5 cm) per second. Program starts and stops were signaled by a one-inch-long metal antithesis that activates the track-change sensor. (Bill Lear had approved to actualize an endless-loop wire recorder in the 1940s, but gave up in 1946, even admitting endless-loop 8 mm blur cartridges were already in use for him to archetype from. He would be aggressive by Earl Muntz's four-track architecture in the aboriginal 1960s.)
Inventor George Eash, aswell from Toledo, invented a armament architecture in 1954, alleged the Fidelipac. The Eash armament was after accountant by manufacturers, conspicuously the Collins Radio Corporation, which aboriginal alien a armament arrangement for broadcasting at the National Association of Broadcasters 1959 anniversary show. Fidelipac cartridges (nicknamed "carts" by DJs and radio engineers) were acclimated by abounding radio stations for commercials, jingles, and added abbreviate items appropriate up until the backward 1990s if agenda media took over. Eash after formed Fidelipac Corporation to accomplish and bazaar tapes and recorders, as did several others, including Audio-Pak (Audio Devices Corp.).
There were several attempts to advertise music systems for cars, alpha with the Chrysler "Hiway hi-fi" of the backward 1950s (which acclimated discs). Entrepreneur Earl "Madman" Muntz of Los Angeles, California, however, saw a abeyant in these "broadcast carts" for an auto music system. In 1962 he alien his Stereo-Pak four-track armament stereo arrangement (two programs, anniversary consisting of two tracks) and tapes, mostly in California and Florida. He accountant accepted music albums from the above almanac companies and bifold them on these four-track cartridges, or "CARtridges", as they were aboriginal advertised.
Inventor George Eash, aswell from Toledo, invented a armament architecture in 1954, alleged the Fidelipac. The Eash armament was after accountant by manufacturers, conspicuously the Collins Radio Corporation, which aboriginal alien a armament arrangement for broadcasting at the National Association of Broadcasters 1959 anniversary show. Fidelipac cartridges (nicknamed "carts" by DJs and radio engineers) were acclimated by abounding radio stations for commercials, jingles, and added abbreviate items appropriate up until the backward 1990s if agenda media took over. Eash after formed Fidelipac Corporation to accomplish and bazaar tapes and recorders, as did several others, including Audio-Pak (Audio Devices Corp.).
There were several attempts to advertise music systems for cars, alpha with the Chrysler "Hiway hi-fi" of the backward 1950s (which acclimated discs). Entrepreneur Earl "Madman" Muntz of Los Angeles, California, however, saw a abeyant in these "broadcast carts" for an auto music system. In 1962 he alien his Stereo-Pak four-track armament stereo arrangement (two programs, anniversary consisting of two tracks) and tapes, mostly in California and Florida. He accountant accepted music albums from the above almanac companies and bifold them on these four-track cartridges, or "CARtridges", as they were aboriginal advertised.
Introduction of Stereo 8
The Lear Jet Stereo 8 clue armament was advised by Richard Kraus while alive beneath Bill Lear and for his Lear Jet Corporation in 1963. The above change was to absorb a neoprene elastic and nylon compression roller into the armament itself, rather than to accomplish the compression roller a allotment of the band player, abbreviation automated complexity. Lear aswell alone some of the centralized locations of the Eash cartridge, such as the tape-tensioning apparatus and an accord that prevented band spillage. In the Cousino, Eash, Muntz, and Lear cartridges, band was pulled from the centermost of the reel, anesthetized beyond the aperture at one end of the armament and anguish aback assimilate the alfresco of the aforementioned reel. The ball itself was freewheeling and the band was apprenticed alone by astriction from the capstan and compression roller.
With a reel axis at a connected rate, the band about the hub has a lower beeline acceleration than the band at the alfresco of the reel, so the band layers have to blooper accomplished anniversary added as they access the center. The band was coated with a glace abetment material, usually graphite and patented by Bernard Cousino, to affluence the connected blooper amid the band layers. While the architecture accustomed simple, cheap, and adaptable players, clashing a two-reel system, it did not admittance rewinding of the tape. Some players offered fast-forward by dispatch up the motor while acid off the audio; but rewinding was never offered, because it was technically impossible.
Muntz's armament had acclimated two pairs of stereo advance in the aforementioned agreement as then-current "quarter track" reel-to-reel tapes. This architecture was advised to alongside his antecedent material, which was usually a individual LP (long playing) almanac with two sides. Program switching was accomplished by physically affective the arch up and down mechanically by a lever. The Stereo 8 adaptation angled the bulk of programming on the band by accouterment eight absolute tracks, usually absolute four programs of two advance each. Lear accustomed this as a abundant improvement, because abundant added music could be captivated central a accepted armament housing, but in convenance this resulted in a slight accident of complete superior and an access in accomplishments babble from the narrower band tracks. Clashing the Stereo-Pak, the Stereo 8 could about-face amid advance automatically, with the use of a baby breadth of conductive antithesis at the braid collective on the tape, which would could cause the amateur to change advance as it anesthetized the arch assembly.
The Stereo 8 aswell alien the botheration of adding up the programming advised for a alternate LP almanac into four programs. Generally this resulted in songs getting breach into two locations (the breach was generally fabricated during an active breach or a again chorus), song orders getting reshuffled, beneath songs getting repeated, and songs afar by continued passages of silence. Some eight-tracks included added agreeable agreeable to ample in time such as a piano abandoned on Lou Reed's Berlin and a guitar abandoned in Pink Floyd's Animals.
In attenuate instances, an eight-track was able to be abiding absolutely like the almanac anthology version, after any song breaks. Examples of this are Quadrophenia by The Who, and some versions of Days of Future Anesthetized by The Moody Blues. Added examples of this aberration are Freeways by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Live Bullet by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Caught Live + 5 by The Moody Blues, The Concert in Central Park by Simon & Garfunkel, and Octave by The Moody Blues.
In 1964, Lear's aircraft aggregation complete 100 affirmation Stereo 8 players for administration to admiral at RCA and the auto companies.
With a reel axis at a connected rate, the band about the hub has a lower beeline acceleration than the band at the alfresco of the reel, so the band layers have to blooper accomplished anniversary added as they access the center. The band was coated with a glace abetment material, usually graphite and patented by Bernard Cousino, to affluence the connected blooper amid the band layers. While the architecture accustomed simple, cheap, and adaptable players, clashing a two-reel system, it did not admittance rewinding of the tape. Some players offered fast-forward by dispatch up the motor while acid off the audio; but rewinding was never offered, because it was technically impossible.
Muntz's armament had acclimated two pairs of stereo advance in the aforementioned agreement as then-current "quarter track" reel-to-reel tapes. This architecture was advised to alongside his antecedent material, which was usually a individual LP (long playing) almanac with two sides. Program switching was accomplished by physically affective the arch up and down mechanically by a lever. The Stereo 8 adaptation angled the bulk of programming on the band by accouterment eight absolute tracks, usually absolute four programs of two advance each. Lear accustomed this as a abundant improvement, because abundant added music could be captivated central a accepted armament housing, but in convenance this resulted in a slight accident of complete superior and an access in accomplishments babble from the narrower band tracks. Clashing the Stereo-Pak, the Stereo 8 could about-face amid advance automatically, with the use of a baby breadth of conductive antithesis at the braid collective on the tape, which would could cause the amateur to change advance as it anesthetized the arch assembly.
The Stereo 8 aswell alien the botheration of adding up the programming advised for a alternate LP almanac into four programs. Generally this resulted in songs getting breach into two locations (the breach was generally fabricated during an active breach or a again chorus), song orders getting reshuffled, beneath songs getting repeated, and songs afar by continued passages of silence. Some eight-tracks included added agreeable agreeable to ample in time such as a piano abandoned on Lou Reed's Berlin and a guitar abandoned in Pink Floyd's Animals.
In attenuate instances, an eight-track was able to be abiding absolutely like the almanac anthology version, after any song breaks. Examples of this are Quadrophenia by The Who, and some versions of Days of Future Anesthetized by The Moody Blues. Added examples of this aberration are Freeways by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Live Bullet by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Caught Live + 5 by The Moody Blues, The Concert in Central Park by Simon & Garfunkel, and Octave by The Moody Blues.
In 1964, Lear's aircraft aggregation complete 100 affirmation Stereo 8 players for administration to admiral at RCA and the auto companies.
Commercial success
The acceptance of both four-track and eight-track cartridges grew from the booming auto industry.1 In September 1965, Ford Motor Company alien factory-installed and dealer-installed eight-track band players as an advantage on three of its 1966 models (Mustang, Thunderbird and Lincoln), and RCA Victor alien 175 Stereo-8 Cartridges from its RCA Victor & RCA Camden artist's catalogs.2 By the 1967 archetypal year, all of Ford's cars offered this band amateur advancement option. Thanks to Ford's backing, the eight-track architecture bound won out over the four-track format, with Muntz abandoning it absolutely by backward 1970.
Despite its problems, the architecture acquired abiding acceptance because of its accessibility and portability. Home players were alien in 1966 that accustomed consumers to allotment tapes amid their homes and carriageable systems. "Boombox" blazon players were aswell popular. With the availability of armament systems for the home, consumers started cerebration of eight-tracks as a applicable another to vinyl records, not alone as a accessibility for the car. Aural a year, prerecorded releases on eight-track began to access aural a ages of the vinyl release. Eight-track recorders had acquired acceptance by the aboriginal 1970s.
Quadraphonic eight-track cartridges (announced by RCA in April 1970) were aswell produced, with the above auto manufacturers getting decidedly acquisitive to advance in-car quadraphonic players as a cher option. The architecture enjoyed a abstinent bulk of success for a time but achromatic in the mid-1970s. These cartridges are admired by collectors back they accommodate four channels of detached sound, clashing matrixed formats such as SQ. Most quadraphonic albums were distinctively alloyed for the cloister format.
Despite its problems, the architecture acquired abiding acceptance because of its accessibility and portability. Home players were alien in 1966 that accustomed consumers to allotment tapes amid their homes and carriageable systems. "Boombox" blazon players were aswell popular. With the availability of armament systems for the home, consumers started cerebration of eight-tracks as a applicable another to vinyl records, not alone as a accessibility for the car. Aural a year, prerecorded releases on eight-track began to access aural a ages of the vinyl release. Eight-track recorders had acquired acceptance by the aboriginal 1970s.
Quadraphonic eight-track cartridges (announced by RCA in April 1970) were aswell produced, with the above auto manufacturers getting decidedly acquisitive to advance in-car quadraphonic players as a cher option. The architecture enjoyed a abstinent bulk of success for a time but achromatic in the mid-1970s. These cartridges are admired by collectors back they accommodate four channels of detached sound, clashing matrixed formats such as SQ. Most quadraphonic albums were distinctively alloyed for the cloister format.
Decline and demise
There are abundant affidavit for the format's decline. While the cassette offered appearance that the eight-track lacked, such as abate admeasurement and rewinding capability, it aswell had disadvantages:
Its band acceleration was bisected that of Stereo 8, bearing apparently lower complete quality
It appropriate greater automated complication of the player.
However, connected development of the cassette angry it into a boundless high-fidelity average and aswell bargain the amount and complexity. That, accumulated with the inherent deficiencies of the Stereo 8 format, contributed to its decline.
Some of the inherent deficiencies of the architecture were:
High wow and agitate due to the consistently alteration amount presented by the sliding band pack
Tendency to jam as the band got dirty, the adipose wore away, and the band was apparent to heat
Flattening of the compression roller, over time, if a armament was larboard acquainted in, causing added wow and flutter
Inability to attain and advance arch alignment due to the adaptable arch design.
As time went on, these issues were circuitous as afterwards cartridges started appliance cheaper, lower superior materials, such as artificial compression rollers. Addition accidental agency was an accomplishment by almanac companies to abate the amount of formats offered. In the backward 1970s, if sales of eight-tracks slipped, they were quick to carelessness the format.
The able advertisement barrow architecture survived for added than addition decade at a lot of radio stations. It was acclimated to play and about-face jingles, advertisements, base identifications, and music agreeable until it was replaced by assorted computer-based methods in the 1990s. This architecture survived best because it was acclimated for almost abbreviate complete loops, area starting from the alpha was added important than added criteria. The amaranthine bend band abstraction continues to be acclimated in avant-garde cine projectors, although in that appliance the ball is actively rotated and not fatigued by astriction on the film. That too, however, is getting supplanted by agenda cinema technologies.
Eight-track players became beneath accepted in homes and cars in the backward 1970s. By the time the bunched disc accustomed in 1982–1983, the eight-track cartridges had abundantly beneath in popularity. In some Latin American countries as able-bodied as European, the architecture was alone in the mid-70s in favor of the cassette.
It was a accepted and awful carriageable music format, acceptable for use in the home, recreation, and vehicles. It accomplished a advanced bazaar and perpetuated the recordings of a majority of music genres. The eight-track architecture maintains a band afterward with ardent collectors even afterwards its annihilation on the accessible market.
Its band acceleration was bisected that of Stereo 8, bearing apparently lower complete quality
It appropriate greater automated complication of the player.
However, connected development of the cassette angry it into a boundless high-fidelity average and aswell bargain the amount and complexity. That, accumulated with the inherent deficiencies of the Stereo 8 format, contributed to its decline.
Some of the inherent deficiencies of the architecture were:
High wow and agitate due to the consistently alteration amount presented by the sliding band pack
Tendency to jam as the band got dirty, the adipose wore away, and the band was apparent to heat
Flattening of the compression roller, over time, if a armament was larboard acquainted in, causing added wow and flutter
Inability to attain and advance arch alignment due to the adaptable arch design.
As time went on, these issues were circuitous as afterwards cartridges started appliance cheaper, lower superior materials, such as artificial compression rollers. Addition accidental agency was an accomplishment by almanac companies to abate the amount of formats offered. In the backward 1970s, if sales of eight-tracks slipped, they were quick to carelessness the format.
The able advertisement barrow architecture survived for added than addition decade at a lot of radio stations. It was acclimated to play and about-face jingles, advertisements, base identifications, and music agreeable until it was replaced by assorted computer-based methods in the 1990s. This architecture survived best because it was acclimated for almost abbreviate complete loops, area starting from the alpha was added important than added criteria. The amaranthine bend band abstraction continues to be acclimated in avant-garde cine projectors, although in that appliance the ball is actively rotated and not fatigued by astriction on the film. That too, however, is getting supplanted by agenda cinema technologies.
Eight-track players became beneath accepted in homes and cars in the backward 1970s. By the time the bunched disc accustomed in 1982–1983, the eight-track cartridges had abundantly beneath in popularity. In some Latin American countries as able-bodied as European, the architecture was alone in the mid-70s in favor of the cassette.
It was a accepted and awful carriageable music format, acceptable for use in the home, recreation, and vehicles. It accomplished a advanced bazaar and perpetuated the recordings of a majority of music genres. The eight-track architecture maintains a band afterward with ardent collectors even afterwards its annihilation on the accessible market.
Last cartridges
In the U.S., eight-track cartridges were phased out of retail food by backward 1982. Some titles were still accessible as eight-track tapes through Columbia House and RCA (BMG) Music Service Almanac Clubs until backward 1988. Abounding of these late-period releases are awful collectible because of the low numbers that were produced and the few barter who anytime purchased them. A part of the a lot of attenuate is Stevie Ray Vaughan's Texas Flood. Another is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Live/1975-85, which was one of the actual few boxed sets to be arise on vinyl, cassette, bunched disc, and eight-track tape.
There is a agitation a part of collectors about the endure bartering eight-track arise by a above label, but abounding accede it was Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits in November 1988.3 The endure eight-track tapes by above recording companies were from almanac and band clubs in 1988 like RCA (BMG Music) and Columbia House (CRC). All of the accepted final pre-recorded 8-tracks arise commercially are accurate at the "Reel To Reel / 8 Track Index" Website with complete account and scanned photos of all products. Demographics had country and western 8-tracks affairs possibly the arch at that time. Readers Digest aswell had absolute releases at atomic as backward as 1989 aimed at admirers of earlier archetypal recording and simple alert and country. Rock and pop 8-tracks from the backward 1980s are absolutely attenuate and in top appeal and can advertise on eBay as top as $200.00 anniversary depending on the acceptance of the music group.
There are letters of bootleg eight-track tapes getting fabricated in Mexico as backward as 1995.4 Some absolute artists still absolution eight-track tapes.5 Also, bands sometimes absolution eight-tracks as appropriate releases; for example, The Melvins arise a limited-time, reside eight-track album6 and Cheap Trick issued a bound copy adaptation of their anthology The Latest on the architecture on June 23, 2009.7 In the book Journals, Kurt Cobain wrote about absent to absolution Nirvana's endure flat album, In Utero, as an 8-track tape, but this never happened. Apart from a called accumulation of awful collectible artists, the almanac club issues, and the quadraphonic releases, abounding eight-track tapes assume to accept bound amount to a lot of collectors, abnormally if the tapes accept been abolished or arise to be worn.
There is a agitation a part of collectors about the endure bartering eight-track arise by a above label, but abounding accede it was Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits in November 1988.3 The endure eight-track tapes by above recording companies were from almanac and band clubs in 1988 like RCA (BMG Music) and Columbia House (CRC). All of the accepted final pre-recorded 8-tracks arise commercially are accurate at the "Reel To Reel / 8 Track Index" Website with complete account and scanned photos of all products. Demographics had country and western 8-tracks affairs possibly the arch at that time. Readers Digest aswell had absolute releases at atomic as backward as 1989 aimed at admirers of earlier archetypal recording and simple alert and country. Rock and pop 8-tracks from the backward 1980s are absolutely attenuate and in top appeal and can advertise on eBay as top as $200.00 anniversary depending on the acceptance of the music group.
There are letters of bootleg eight-track tapes getting fabricated in Mexico as backward as 1995.4 Some absolute artists still absolution eight-track tapes.5 Also, bands sometimes absolution eight-tracks as appropriate releases; for example, The Melvins arise a limited-time, reside eight-track album6 and Cheap Trick issued a bound copy adaptation of their anthology The Latest on the architecture on June 23, 2009.7 In the book Journals, Kurt Cobain wrote about absent to absolution Nirvana's endure flat album, In Utero, as an 8-track tape, but this never happened. Apart from a called accumulation of awful collectible artists, the almanac club issues, and the quadraphonic releases, abounding eight-track tapes assume to accept bound amount to a lot of collectors, abnormally if the tapes accept been abolished or arise to be worn.
Reliability and usability
The cartridges accept an aural abeyance due to the attendance of a breadth of brownish foil, which a sensor detects and signals the end of the band and acts as a braid for the loop. The antithesis passes beyond a brace of electrical contacts which are in the band path. Contact of the antithesis closes an electrical ambit that engages a solenoid which mechanically accouterment the band arch to the akin of the next track.
Most players produced a automated bang if switching programs, although aboriginal Lear players switched silently. Because of the amount of bearing band active able of account eight tracks, a lot of eight-track players accept active that apprehend just two tracks. Switching from affairs to affairs is able by affective the arch itself. Aback the alignment of the arch to the band is acute to any band system, and because eight-track systems were about advised to be cheap, this agreement added base the complete of the eight-track tape.
The Stereo 8 arrangement was adequately simple, mechanically, but presented difficulties in two primary areas:
1) Capstan abrasion and buildup. As band residue, clay and adipose congenital up on the capstan, the band acceleration would access and, aback the accretion was uneven, the band acceleration would become appropriately uneven. Similarly, some units were accountable to the capstan wear, causing a abatement in band speed.
2) Arch alignment. This was an affair for two reasons: a) Azimuth misalignment after-effects in bargain top frequencies, and b) Arch acme misalignment allows sounds from adjoining advance to drain over, an aftereffect sometimes accepted as "double-tracking". This format, clashing added band formats, appearance a adaptable arch with four positions. Among audio account technicians, there acclimated to be a antic that "the eight-track is the alone audio accessory which knocks itself out of alignment four times during anniversary album."
Another affair with azimuth misalignment is a accident of stereophonic-image accuracy. This is due to the resultant time adjournment amid the larboard and appropriate channels consistent in a abasement of appearance correlation. This aftereffect is added in an 8-track system, as compared to either reel-to-reel or cassette, due to the beyond concrete distance, on the tape, amid the larboard and appropriate approach tracks. This aftereffect could generally be convalescent (or induced) by admittance of a bout book in the amateur aperture alongside the cartridge, alive the alignment slightly.
Stereo 8 tapes and players developed a acceptability for unreliability, mostly because of the abnormality of accepting the amateur "eat" the band as able-bodied as casual failures of splicing tape. The auto environment, with its temperature extremes, vibration, dust and so on, contributed to abounding failures.
The "melted" elastic compression rollers that can be begin in abounding aboriginal 8-Track cartridges were the aftereffect of the elastic not getting absolutely cured. After advertent this cause, after cartridges acclimated alone absolutely convalescent (hard) elastic compression rollers that did not deteriorate, as much, over time.
Tape astriction was addition could could could could could cause of unreliability. Prerecorded eight-track tapes tended to authority alone a individual album, about 46 account of content, or 11.5 account per track. Consumers capital the adeptness to almanac added music on a individual cartridge, so manufacturers came out with units of greater capacity. With the agnate access in band length, there was a greater acceleration cogwheel amid the band getting fatigued from the centermost of the reel and the band getting fed aback to the alien bend of the reel as it anesthetized the capstan/pinch-roller accumulation (loop length). Over time, this would could could could could could cause the band backpack to tighten, authoritative it added difficult to feed, and to advance a connected playback speed.
When the sliding band backpack would cull itself tight, for whatever reason, a awash 8-track armament was the result. A quick band-aid was to authority the armament in one hand, adverse down, while affairs out a area of, about 4-6' in breadth from the alien ambagious side. A quick tug on the band would could could could could could cause it to anon wind in and the aftereffect was a alone up band backpack that would play correctly.
Failing that, addition band-aid was to accessible the cartridge, cut the band at the splice, and abate the balance astriction by manually unwinding one or two sections from the alien bend of band (loop length) while befitting the reel stationary, again re-splicing the tape, with a beginning section of antithesis (since the old antithesis was usually caked with built-up graphite abbreviation application and authoritative it difficult to change tracks). Another, simpler fix was to agitate the cassette in the even of the band reel with a rotary motion, sometimes this would could could could could could cause the windings central to circle and loosen.
A abatement in the superior of the locations acclimated in the eight-track cartridge, that is, artificial compression rollers, adipose superior and quantity, etc., was addition draft to the aged format. As problems added bargain the reliability, the complete quality, and the accuracy of the band speed. As a result, the eight-track eventually developed a acceptability for getting choosy and unreliable.
Most players produced a automated bang if switching programs, although aboriginal Lear players switched silently. Because of the amount of bearing band active able of account eight tracks, a lot of eight-track players accept active that apprehend just two tracks. Switching from affairs to affairs is able by affective the arch itself. Aback the alignment of the arch to the band is acute to any band system, and because eight-track systems were about advised to be cheap, this agreement added base the complete of the eight-track tape.
The Stereo 8 arrangement was adequately simple, mechanically, but presented difficulties in two primary areas:
1) Capstan abrasion and buildup. As band residue, clay and adipose congenital up on the capstan, the band acceleration would access and, aback the accretion was uneven, the band acceleration would become appropriately uneven. Similarly, some units were accountable to the capstan wear, causing a abatement in band speed.
2) Arch alignment. This was an affair for two reasons: a) Azimuth misalignment after-effects in bargain top frequencies, and b) Arch acme misalignment allows sounds from adjoining advance to drain over, an aftereffect sometimes accepted as "double-tracking". This format, clashing added band formats, appearance a adaptable arch with four positions. Among audio account technicians, there acclimated to be a antic that "the eight-track is the alone audio accessory which knocks itself out of alignment four times during anniversary album."
Another affair with azimuth misalignment is a accident of stereophonic-image accuracy. This is due to the resultant time adjournment amid the larboard and appropriate channels consistent in a abasement of appearance correlation. This aftereffect is added in an 8-track system, as compared to either reel-to-reel or cassette, due to the beyond concrete distance, on the tape, amid the larboard and appropriate approach tracks. This aftereffect could generally be convalescent (or induced) by admittance of a bout book in the amateur aperture alongside the cartridge, alive the alignment slightly.
Stereo 8 tapes and players developed a acceptability for unreliability, mostly because of the abnormality of accepting the amateur "eat" the band as able-bodied as casual failures of splicing tape. The auto environment, with its temperature extremes, vibration, dust and so on, contributed to abounding failures.
The "melted" elastic compression rollers that can be begin in abounding aboriginal 8-Track cartridges were the aftereffect of the elastic not getting absolutely cured. After advertent this cause, after cartridges acclimated alone absolutely convalescent (hard) elastic compression rollers that did not deteriorate, as much, over time.
Tape astriction was addition could could could could could cause of unreliability. Prerecorded eight-track tapes tended to authority alone a individual album, about 46 account of content, or 11.5 account per track. Consumers capital the adeptness to almanac added music on a individual cartridge, so manufacturers came out with units of greater capacity. With the agnate access in band length, there was a greater acceleration cogwheel amid the band getting fatigued from the centermost of the reel and the band getting fed aback to the alien bend of the reel as it anesthetized the capstan/pinch-roller accumulation (loop length). Over time, this would could could could could could cause the band backpack to tighten, authoritative it added difficult to feed, and to advance a connected playback speed.
When the sliding band backpack would cull itself tight, for whatever reason, a awash 8-track armament was the result. A quick band-aid was to authority the armament in one hand, adverse down, while affairs out a area of, about 4-6' in breadth from the alien ambagious side. A quick tug on the band would could could could could could cause it to anon wind in and the aftereffect was a alone up band backpack that would play correctly.
Failing that, addition band-aid was to accessible the cartridge, cut the band at the splice, and abate the balance astriction by manually unwinding one or two sections from the alien bend of band (loop length) while befitting the reel stationary, again re-splicing the tape, with a beginning section of antithesis (since the old antithesis was usually caked with built-up graphite abbreviation application and authoritative it difficult to change tracks). Another, simpler fix was to agitate the cassette in the even of the band reel with a rotary motion, sometimes this would could could could could could cause the windings central to circle and loosen.
A abatement in the superior of the locations acclimated in the eight-track cartridge, that is, artificial compression rollers, adipose superior and quantity, etc., was addition draft to the aged format. As problems added bargain the reliability, the complete quality, and the accuracy of the band speed. As a result, the eight-track eventually developed a acceptability for getting choosy and unreliable.
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