Tape Drive - Glossary

Access Storage
Storage conditions at or near room ambient conditions that allow tape collections to be readily accessed for immediate playback.

AES
Abbreviation for Audio Engineering Society.

Analog Recording
A recording in which continuous magnetic signals are written to the tape that are representations of the voltage signals coming from the recording microphone or the video camera.

Analog-to-Digital
The process of converting analog signal into digital (a series of binary integers).

Archival Storage
Storage conditions specifically designed to extend or maximize the lifetime of stored media. Generally involves the use of temperatures and humidities lower that access storage conditions. Temperatures and humidities are also tightly controlled within a narrow range, and access by personnel is limited.

Binder
The polymer used to bind magnetic particles together and adhere them to the tape substrate.

Cinching
The wrinkling, or folding over, of tape on itself in a loose tape pack. Normally occurs when a loose tape pack is stopped suddenly, causing outer tape layers to slip past inner layers, which in turn causes a buckling of tape in the region of slip. Results in large dropouts or high error rates.

Coercivity
The amount of power needed to magnetize or demagnetize a permanent magnet. Measured in MegaGauss Oersted (mGO)

Cohesive force
The force that holds a material together.

Digital Recording
A recording in which binary numbers are written to the tape that represent quantized versions of the voltage signals from the recording microphone or the video camera. On playback, the numbers are read and processed by a digital-to-analog converter to produce an analog output signal.

Digital-to-Analog
The process in which a series of discrete binary integers is converted to a continuous analog signal.

Dropout
Brief signal loss caused by a tape head clog, defect in the tape, debris, or other feature that causes an increase in the head-to-tape spacing. A dropout can also be caused by missing magnetic material. A video dropout generally appears as a white spot or streak on the video monitor. When several video dropouts occur per frame, the TV monitor will appear snowy. The frequent appearance of dropouts on playback is an indication that the tape or recorder is contaminated with debris and/or that the tape binder is deteriorating.

Flange Pack
A condition where the tape pack is wound up against one of the flanges of the tape reel.

Format
The arrangement of information tracks on a tape as prescribed by a standard. The two most common categories of recording formats are longitudinal and helical scan.

Head Clog
Debris trapped in the playback head of a video recorder. Clogging of the playback head with debris causes dropouts.

Helical Scan Recording
The recording format in which a slow moving tape is helically wrapped 180° around a rapidly rotating drum with a small embedded record head. The tape is positioned at a slight angle to the equatorial plane of the drum. This results in a recording format in which recorded tracks run diagonally across the tape from one edge to the other. Recorded tracks are parallel to each other but are at an angle to the edge of the tape.

Longitudinal Recording
A recording format in which a slow or fast moving tape is passed by a stationary recording head. The recorded tracks are parallel to the edge of the tape and run the full length of the tape.

Lubricant
A component added to the magnetic layer of a tape to decrease the friction between the head and the tape.

Magnetic Particles
The magnetic particles incorporated in the binder to form the magnetic layer on a magnetic tape. Iron oxide, chromium dioxide, barium ferrite, and metal particulate are various examples of magnetic pigment used in commercial tapes. The term pigment is a carry over of terminology from paint and coating technology - the magnetic coating on a tape is analogous to a coat of paint in which the magnetic particle is the paint pigment.

Magnetic Remanence
The strength of the magnetic field that remains in a tape or magnetic particle after it is (1) exposed to a strong, external magnetic field and (2) the external field is removed. The property of a tape that determines its ability to record and store a magnetic signal. Mr is the common abbreviation for magnetic remanence. Magnetic remanence, Mr, and magnetic retentivity, Br, both refer to the ability of the tape to retain a magnetic field; however the latter is expressed in units of magnetic flux density.

Mistracking
The phenomenon that occurs when the path followed by the read head of the recorder does not correspond to the location of the recorded track on the magnetic tape. Mistracking can occur in both longitudinal and helical scan recording systems. The read head must capture a given percentage of the track in order to produce a playback signal. If the head is too far off the track, recorded information will not be played back.

NARA
The abbreviation for National Archives and Records Administration.

Pack Slip
A lateral slip of selected tape windings causing high or low spots (when viewed with tape reel laying flat on one side) in an otherwise smooth tape pack. Pack slip can cause subsequent edge damage when the tape is played, as it will unwind unevenly and may make contact with the tape reel flange.

Popped Strand
A strand of tape protruding from the edge of a wound tape pack.

Print Through
The condition where low frequency signals on one tape winding imprint themselves on the immediately adjacent tape windings. It is most noticeable on audio tapes where a ghost of the recording can be heard slightly before the playback of the actual recording.

Restoration
The process where a tape degraded by age is temporarily or permanently restored to a playable condition. The tape backing procedure is an example of a tape restoration procedure.

Retensioning
The process where a tape is unspooled onto a take-up reel and then rewound at a controlled tension and speed. In performing this procedure, tape pack stresses are redistributed and, thus, the tape is retensioned. This has sometimes been referred to as refreshing (or exercising the tape).

Signal-to-noise ratio
The ratio of the recorded signal level to the tape noise level normally expressed in decibels. Commonly abbreviated as S/N.

SMPTE
Abbreviation for the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers.

Stick Slip
The process in which (1) the tape sticks to the recording head because of high friction; (2) the tape tension builds because the tape is not moving at the head; (3) the tape tension reaches a critical level, causing the tape to release from and briefly slip past the read head at high speed; (4) the tape slows to normal speed and once again sticks to the recording head; (5) this process is repeated indefinitely. Characterized by jittery movement of the tape in the transport and/or audible squealing of the tape.

Sticky Shed
The gummy deposits left on tape path guides and heads after a sticky tape has been played. The phenomenon whereby a tape binder has deteriorated to such a degree that it lacks sufficient cohesive strength so that the magnetic coating sheds on playback. The shedding of particles by the tape as a result of binder deterioration that causes dropouts on VHS tapes.

Sticky Tape
Tape characterized by a soft, gummy, or tacky tape surface. Tape that has experienced a significant level of hydrolysis so that the magnetic coating is softer than normal. Tape characterized by resinous or oily deposits on the surface of the magnetic tape.

Tape Baking
A process in which a magnetic tape is placed at an elevated temperature for a brief time in order to firm up the tape binder. This procedure is recommended as a temporary cure for the sticky shed or sticky tape syndrome. The tape baking procedure is discussed in the reference, "Sticky Shed Syndrome - Tips on Saving Your Damaged Master Tapes," Mix, May 1990, p. 148.

Tape Noise
A magnetic signal on the tape resulting from the finite size and nonuniform distribution of magnetic particles in the magnetic layer of the tape. Tape noise is inherent in any magnetic tape but can be reduced by using smaller pigment sizes in tape formulations. The iron oxide pigments found in less expensive tapes have the largest tape noise level. Ranked in size: iron oxide > chromium dioxide > metal particulate > barium ferrite. Therefore, ranked in order of tape noise: iron oxide > chromium dioxide > metal particulate > barium ferrite.

Tape Pack
The structure formed by and comprised solely of tape wound on a hub or spindle; a tape reel consists of a tape pack, the metal, plastic, or glass hub, and flanges.

Tape Transport
The mechanics used to guide and move the tape through the recording system and past the read and write heads of the recorder. The tape transport consists of the tape guide pins, capstan, rollers, tension controllers, etc.

Tension
Force, or force per tape width. The force on a tape as it is transported through a recorder. A tape wound on a reel with high tension results in a tape pack with a high interwinding stress. See stress.

Track Angle
The angle that the track of a helical scan recording makes to the edge of the tape. This should correspond with the scan angle of the helical recorder - the angle that the tape makes to the equatorial plane of the rotating drum head. If the track angle and scan angle do not correspond, mistracking will occur.

Transcription
The process of copying all of the information on one tape to another tape of the same or different format. The term refreshing is commonly used by some archivists and librarians to refer to the process of copying information from one tape to a newer tape of the same format (e.g., VHS to VHS). When the information is copied to a different format (e.g., BetaMax to VHS), the terms reformatting and converting have been used.

Trapezoidal Error
A change in the angle of a recorded helical scan track. Can result in mistracking.