ips = inch per second
The tape recorder is the principal instrument of the classic electronic music studio. The technical quality of the composition is limited by the decks used, and may be further compromised by how the decks are used.
The factors that determine the possible quality of a recording made on any analog deck are tape speed and track width. (Surprisingly, the electronic design of the deck has a relatively small effect on quality as long as drastic flaws are avoided. The difference in price among various decks of the same format primarily reflects durability of the machine.) Speeds and widths in common use today are:
speeds widths tracks
30 ips 2" 16-24
15 ips 1" 4-16
7 1/2 ips 1/2" 2-16
3 3/4 ips 1/4" 1-8
1 7/8 ips 1/8" 2-8
You can probably find decks that run at all combinations of these, but as a general rule, the wide tapes are run at the faster speeds. The ubiquitous cassette finishes last at 1 7/8ips on 1/8" tape. The track width depends not only on the width of tape but on the number of tracks stuffed on the tape.
The format most commonly used is 1/4" tape: 2 tracks at 71/2 or 15 ips. This meets minimum standards for broadcast audio quality while remaining reasonably economical. Cassettes and 1/2" 8-track are also widely used.
[ 本帖最后由 himhui 于 08-3-18 03:32 编辑 ]