Advice please on Tape Storage

Mes amis

Should pre-recorded 1/4 inch tapes be left wound all the time or is it worth runninng them through once in a while ? I have just acquired a Small Faces tape and it has never been played (still has old tape tap holding the leader down) - I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing - any help gratefully appreciated.

All the best - Andrew

 

If the tape was kept well, under good conditions, it should be fine. It won't be because it's not been rewound that it would sustain damage. Some tapes, especially the poor-ol pre-recorded ones may stretch or warp because of longated heat or humidity exposure.

Remember also that most pre-recorded tape stock is the cheapest, and sometimes the worst. Time is not the enemy usually, it's chemical composition and storage.

Winding it back and around won't help or hurt it.

 

I think it's always a good idea to excercise your tapes every year or so. Just FF & RR. Magnetic build up can be reduced and less chance of drop-outs or print through. Video tapes love a bit of excercising every now and then too (FF to the end and next exercise session RR, etc.)...

Todd

 

I find that old prerecorded tapes will sometimes experience print through if they were wound tightly prior to storage. I've seen this with new old stock like yours too. Curiously, I had a couple tapes with this issue that got better after a couple plays.

Mike

 

I'd have to say , never ff or rewind a valuable cassette tape, That just tightens the tape. Especially the 60 or 90 minute ones. My MAR's or MAXG's will never be fast forwarded or rewound. Always listened all the way through and stored at one end or another. Of course avoid dryness and heat and light . And yes play them once every few years to avoid bleed through. VHS tapes are the worst, and can easily be tightened beyond usable limits.
The sound is stunning on these high quality metal tapes by TDK, but the physical technology of cassettes is extremely limited.

I'm not nearly as familiar with prerecorded cassettes, but out of habit, I treat them with the same care. The TDKs I mentioned retail at around $20 blank (empty), so it's easy to treat them with respect.

Many old master tapes (1/2 inch) need to be 'baked' to be usable.

Boy are we spoiled with cd-r's and MP3's or what??

 

With pro reel-to-reel tapes, the practice is to store them in the played position, with the leader in. That way, when the tape must be played you must first rewind it, helping to redistribute the tape pack evenly. There is another advantage as far as reducing print through is concerned but I forgot how that is supposed to work.

I would say, since it is a prerecorded tape with two stereo pairs in opposite directions, store the side you care about more in the played position, or side one in the played position so it must be rewound first.