RCA tape cartridge
Encyclopedia
The RCA Victor tape cartridge (also known as the Magazine Loading Cartridge and Sound Tape) was a magnetic tape
format designed to offer stereo
quarter-inch reel-to-reel tape in a more convenient format for the home market. It was introduced in 1958, following four years of development, at the same time as the stereophonic
gramophone record
.
Like the later Compact Cassette
, the cartridges were reversible and either side could be played; an auto reverse mechanism in some players allowed it to run continuously. Playing at 3.75 ips
as standard, half the speed of the most common reel-to-reel music recorders which ran at 7.5 ips, the format offered four discrete audio tracks that provided a typical playtime of 30 minutes per side of stereo sound, or double that for monophonic
sound; some machines could play and record at 1.875 ips, doubling playing time.
The track format, two interleaved stereo pairs, was compatible with 3.75 ips reel to reel stereo tape recorders. It was possible to dismantle the cartridge, spool the tape onto a reel, and play it on such a machine.
Unlike the later audio cassette, but similar to video cassette formats such as VHS, the RCA cartridge incorporated a brake to prevent the tape hubs from moving when the cartridge was not in the player. Small slot windows extended from the tape hubs toward the outside of the cartridge so that the amount of tape visible on each spool could be seen.
Despite its convenience, and a design that would later be echoed in that of the much smaller and very successful Compact Cassette
, the format was not a success. The system did see some success in school language labs, as it made it unnecessary for teachers and others to deal with threading conventional tape. However RCA was slow to produce machines for the home market and to license recorded music, and the format disappeared from the market by 1964.
The physical width and speed of the tape and even the size of the cartridge was almost exactly duplicated in Sony's Elcaset
system, introduced in the late 1970s, but that too failed to achieve market acceptance and was soon withdrawn.
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
format designed to offer stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
quarter-inch reel-to-reel tape in a more convenient format for the home market. It was introduced in 1958, following four years of development, at the same time as the stereophonic
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
.
Like the later Compact Cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, the cartridges were reversible and either side could be played; an auto reverse mechanism in some players allowed it to run continuously. Playing at 3.75 ips
Inches per second
The inch per second is a unit of speed or velocity. It expresses the distance in inches traveled or displaced, divided by time in seconds...
as standard, half the speed of the most common reel-to-reel music recorders which ran at 7.5 ips, the format offered four discrete audio tracks that provided a typical playtime of 30 minutes per side of stereo sound, or double that for monophonic
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
sound; some machines could play and record at 1.875 ips, doubling playing time.
The track format, two interleaved stereo pairs, was compatible with 3.75 ips reel to reel stereo tape recorders. It was possible to dismantle the cartridge, spool the tape onto a reel, and play it on such a machine.
Unlike the later audio cassette, but similar to video cassette formats such as VHS, the RCA cartridge incorporated a brake to prevent the tape hubs from moving when the cartridge was not in the player. Small slot windows extended from the tape hubs toward the outside of the cartridge so that the amount of tape visible on each spool could be seen.
Despite its convenience, and a design that would later be echoed in that of the much smaller and very successful Compact Cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, the format was not a success. The system did see some success in school language labs, as it made it unnecessary for teachers and others to deal with threading conventional tape. However RCA was slow to produce machines for the home market and to license recorded music, and the format disappeared from the market by 1964.
The physical width and speed of the tape and even the size of the cartridge was almost exactly duplicated in Sony's Elcaset
Elcaset
Elcaset was a short-lived audio format created by Sony in 1976, building on an idea introduced 20 years earlier in the RCA tape cartridge.In 1976, it was widely felt that the compact cassette was never likely to be capable of the same levels of performance that was available from reel-to-reel...
system, introduced in the late 1970s, but that too failed to achieve market acceptance and was soon withdrawn.
External links
- Revolutionary New Triumph in Tape, an RCA promotional film
- RCA Cartridges: 1958 - 1964
- Audio Recording History
- Image of a prerecorded cartridge by Perez PradoPerez PradoDámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo...