Talk:Stereo 8

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Contents 1 Reel-to-reel 2 Internal structure 3 Criticism 4 Obsolete 5 Use for live TV show sound effects 6 What's with the redirect? 7 Removed Orrtronics reference 8 How to Use 9 Neutrality 10 8-track introduction 11 Fidelipak/Fidelipac 12 Tape length 13 Article name 14 Boxed Sets?

[edit] Reel-to-reel

Reel-to-reel introduced in '40s --- Are you sure about this? The best I could dig up was the Ampex in 1956, and use by CBS for the first time in November 30, 1956. Magnetic tape was actually invented in in 1928, but wasn't really feasible until the invention of plastic tape in 1947. Ioa 19:59 Oct 14, 2002 (UTC)

[edit] Internal structure

I've opened up one of my 8-track cartridges and will be posting a picture of its internal mechanism to replace the closed one I put there in the meantime, but it's going to show there's ONLY ONE REEL in the cartridge, so the article is wrong. Whoever wrote it must have been working from a written description, because anyone who's ever taken one apart to fix a broken tape knows there's only one reel, and the tape comes off the bottom and winds back on the top, and the tracks are next to each other on the single tape on the single reel. So will someone please rewrite the article, so when I put the picture there we won't look stupid? -- isis 20:37 Oct 21, 2002 (UTC)

[edit] Criticism

What? No mention of funcionality problems in the article. 8 tracks had a limited life at best. How many times did you eject one from you car's player and the cartridge came out but the tape stayed in the player leaving you with a tangled mess and a decision of whether to try to repair it or just buy another copy. Or how about when you recorded your favorite album onto a blank 8 track to take with you in your car and it would inevitably change programs right in the middle of a song. These types of things need to be added to the article.

Au contraire, I've never had an 8-track tape get eaten or mangled by the machine. I have, however, had plenty of VHS and Cassette tapes ruined this way!

[edit] Obsolete

Isn't calling it "now-obsolete" a bias? Some people still use 'em! swirsky

Maybe some other word might be more appropriate? As far as I know, 8-track players and cartridges are no longer produced --Zilog Jones 18:14, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I don't think it's biased to call something obsolete even if they are still in use - some people still listen to 78s. Obsolete means superceded by a newer technology and no longer used by the majority of people. The 8-track is definitely obsolete. Graham 00:07, 27 July 2005 (UTC)

Obsolete, in my eyes, means something that is out of production, as well as being superceded by a newer technology. --65.147.23.106 04:51, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Use for live TV show sound effects

Were the professional 8-track tapes ever used for sound effects playback on TV shows recorded in front of a live audience? (eg late night talk shows). I saw a quick shot of the "sound guy" on a variety show once where the guy was surrounded by an array of cartidges that he could quickly slot into the player to provide various sounds for particular segments (or for a quick laugh). - Diceman

They most likely were the Fidelipac professional three-track commercial carts, not 8-tracks. --Blainster 21:26, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for replying. - Diceman 12:51, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] What's with the redirect?

Why is ' Eight-track recording machine' re-directed here? I ended up being redirected here from a link in the article about 'Hey Jude' - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Jude - the concepts of multi-track recording and eight track stereo cartridge are being confused here. I'm sure that the Beatles did NOT record 'Hey Jude on an eight track cartridge.

[edit] Removed Orrtronics reference

I removed this sentence from the end of the opening paragraph: "Much early development of the 8-Track itself (after its inital conception) was also pioneered by the Orrtornics Corporation of Toledo, Ohio.". As it stands it does not convey much useful information. It could be added back in the narrative of 8-track development if it can be determined just what contributions the company made. Otherwise it just sounds like advertising.

A Google search shows the company name Orrtronics was mispelled in the sentence referred to above. A web page here says they had licensed an endless loop tape cartridge that was unsuccessful in the market. --Blainster 18:35, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] How to Use

The article does not cover how 8-tracks are played back, Is there a speaker, a headphone jack, or is an external appliance needed? Afterburner 00:25, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

An 8-track deck is similar to a cassette deck in this regard. It was originally used in automobiles and plugged into the auto radio (or speakers if it conained an amplifier). In the home it could be a stand alone unit with amplifier and speakers, or a deck that plugged into a stereo system.

[edit] Neutrality

The article isn't very neutral in its coverage of the fidelity of 8-tracks, constantly touting mediocre sound quality and being disavowed by audiophiles. Sure, a good few of the 8-tracks you'll pick up from a thrift store might not sound quite as crisp as they were 30 or 35 years ago, but it's been my experience that a few of my 8s are indistinguishable from CD-quality audio. Factors including age, cartridge design, player condition, proper storage/maintenance, and original recording quality (for example, don't look to a recording of the greatest hits of the Monkees on a Realistic cartridge in a typically out-of-alignment 8-track/record/radio combo unit as a true representation of audio fidelity from the 8) influence how good an 8-track can sound. If executed properly, you can defeat the argument of replacing it with a CD for quality's sake. --User:Vintagejonny 20:36, 23 April 2006

Interesting arguements. I guess, if you think about it, pretty much any audio format degrades over time if it's not properly cared for. I only own one cart. I've taken good care of it, and I've only tested it out once on a system that didn't have great speaker sound to begin with, so I don't know with any certainty about the sound quality. But maybe the amount of cart care and maintenance is too much for some folks, and maybe that's why it's not as popluar as lower-maintenance formats such as cassette or CD. I'll try to edit some of the bias, though; it's all in the ears of the beholder, after all. --[[User:Dynamite XI|Dynamite Eleven] 02:12, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

The tape itself is capable of good sound, but the real problem is the mechanics. I have yet to hear an 8-track that didn't wow, and for an audiophile, that is intolerable, no matter how good the sound otherwise. The problem is that the mechanical drag of the reel is quite substantial, despite the graphite coating, so a very high pinch-wheel pressure is needed (exacerbated by the very same graphite working against friction at the pinch wheel/capstan). The pinch wheel pressure is provided only my the springs holding the cartridge in the player, so it's rather limited (or else the cartridge becomes very hard to pull out of the machine). Also, the drag partly depends on the softness of the pinch wheel, which being part of the cartridge, must vary somewhat. All these factors make the pinch wheel force variable and compromised. As I say, I have yet to hear one that didn't wow. Graham 05:41, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

I agree. But the BIG problem with 8 tracks were that they were SO reliant on the QUALITY of the equiptment. Cheap players had problems like crosstalk between tracks and severe head alignment issues that resulted in poor sound quality. Higher quality decks, like my Pioneer with Dolby make crisp, clear recordings that have VERY good fidelity. In the days before auto reverse cassettes, The 8 track was vastly superior, as it would play continuously. I never owned a cassette deck until autoreverse decks became common in the late 80's. Teamgoon 06:37, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

You know, CDs are awfully high maintenance. I keep having to find out how to clean them, over and over again. Cassette tapes would be better for my favorite sounds. As for eight-tracks. . . all I really want is to play something that doesn't wear out after a few months. They're really pretty and shiny, and look really futuristic, but frankly, I'd rather have something I can actually keep for an extended period of time. Maybe 8-tracks are the key. I have to admit I'm not an "audiophile," though.

[edit] 8-track introduction

Sources requested for article: Ford Motors, which in 1965 (debuted September 15) offered 8-track players as an option in their complete line of 1966 model cars – from You Really Got Me a comprehensive history of the Kinks, by Doug Hinman and Jason Brabazon, 1994

Also: After getting RCA Victor to commit to the mass production of its catalog on Learjet 8-tracks, Ford agreed to offer the players as optional equipment on 1966 models. – from "A History of The Eight Track Tape" by David Morton in 8-Track Mind magazine, 1995. dredged up by Google & --Blainster 22:37, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Fidelipak/Fidelipac

I was just in here to do some copy editing, so I'm not sure of the difference between these two. Did the name ever change? The article doesn't make that clear, and so it looked like an error to me, but I have no idea which of them is correct (or whether either is incorrect). Thathollygirl 22:55, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Tape length

It's not obvious from the article how many minutes an 8-track can hold. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.234.16.120 (talk) 07:59, 4 February 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Article name

I'd like to hear some views about the article title. Strictly speaking, the format was called "Stereo 8"; many cartridge manufacturers actually did use this term, althouh it seems Learjet wasn't terribly bothered about requiring the trademark to be used, or used consistently. Most people in English refer to the object as an "8-track cartridge" and this term was in semi-formal use; CBS cartridges generally say "8-Track Stereo" on them, while others, such as those from RCA, generally are labeled "Stereo 8 Cartridge"; ie, the formal trademark. I think it's OK the way it is (Stereo 8 is mentioned in the intro and as the title of the infobox) but as other formats stick to the trademark (Compact Cassette, Compact Disc) I thought I'd ask. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 20:26, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

If there's no objection, I will do this; both terms are used in the article enough to make it clear what we are talking about, and the use of the trademark would make it consistent with other media-format articles. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 14:43, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Boxed Sets?

"Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Live/1975-85... is probably the only boxed set ever released on vinyl, cassette, compact disc and 8-track tape."

I can actually name you several boxed sets that were released on all 4 formats, so this might should be changed. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Garr1984 (talk • contribs) 01:28, 8 March 2007 (UTC).

Please do, that would be interesting, and if you have pictures, they might be useful. I've removed this claim from the article. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 14:44, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

Maybe it meant that its original release was on on all formats? It's not difficult to imagine that in 1988 (the last year of official commercial 8-tracks and one of the first years of commercial compact discs) that this brief window of time might have given the album the distinction of being one of the only (if not THE only) simultaneous debut release of a boxed set on all four said formats. But that's purely speculation. --Dynamite Eleven 01:07, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

• Here are a few 8 Track Boxed Sets I know of, that were also available on LP, Cassette, and CD sets. They were all put out by Reader's Digest.:

Marty Robbins - His Greatest Hits and Finest Performances.

The Best Of Roger Whittaker - His Greatest Hits and Finest Performances.

Tumbling Tumbleweeds (Various Western Artists).

The Best Of The Statler Brothers - Their Greatest Hits and Finest Performances.

Charley Pride's Country.

Garr1984 02:33, 25 March 2007 (UTC)§