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From a marketing point of view, thanks largely to its promotion by the auto industry, the 8-track cartridge was by far the most successful new audio format of the mid-1960s and early 1970s. From a technical point of view, however, the 8-track was inherently an unreliable design, subject to frequent mechanical problems, and missing the basic advantages of conventional tape machines: namely, fast forward and reverse, easy erasure, editing, and indexing.
Heat kills 8-Tracks - Leaving cassette recordings in a hot car will shorten the life of the tape and cassette mechanism. The cassette may warp and the tape may become brittle.
If the tape is old and has not been played in a long time, do what we do: DO NOT fast forward. Just push "Play"and be happy that the deck did not "eat the tape".
If the tape still plays, but has a dark, weak sound, the pads are probably shot. These are the plastic foam parts that press the tape against the tape head. They must be changed.
The tape is contained in a plastic box. Instead of two spools with tape feeding from one to the other, however, in the 8-track cartridge system a continuous loop of tape is wound on a single passive spool, feeding out from the centre and returning to the periphery. To attempt to pull the tape the other way would cause it to tighten on the centre boss and bind, which is why cartridge machines do not provide rewind facilities.
The plastic cartridge contains a continuous length of 1/4 in lubricated tape wound on a passive spool, suitable guide pulleys and a built-in pinch roller. A plastic sponge pad forms a backing to the tape opposite the slot into which the head penetrates when the cartridge is inserted into the machine.
The tape is prerecorded using eight tracks in stereo pairs. Counting the tracks as numbers 1 to 8 from top to bottom the pairs are: 1 and 5, 2 and 6, 3 and 7 and 4 and 8.
The head has two gaps which read these pairs to produce a stereo output. The head is moved vertically by a stepped ramp wheel so that, when it reaches the end of one pair of tracks tie the loop has gone full circle), it steps on to the next pair, eventually stepping from bottom to top to start the cycle again. The stepping mechanism is operated by a solenoid actuated by contacts which connect with a strip of metal foil at the end of each track. It can also be stepped by means of a push button to select the required track.
Now, Find all those ancient 8 tracks and bring them to Canada Home Movies so we can help you you to hear them as you were meant to!
We will run your Audio tapes through our cleaning process, which is intended to loosen up particles and actually eradicate any dirt from the tape itself. It is a NON-abrasive procedure that in NO WAY will affect the audio quality or harm your tapes. In effect, we are preparing the tape to ensure a high quality transfer, utilizing only professional grade equipment.
You can choose to transfer a whole album or a cassette or an LP to a CD, MP3, .WAV and about 50 other audio types. Which ever method you choose you can be assured that the quality will be the highest available. The main difference between CD and the other digital formats, such as MP3 or .WAV is that a CD can be played in your car, home stereo or portable cd player. That is not to say you cannot upload the CD to your Apple iPod or MP3 player, but you would still have the versatility to play your audio CD.
While microcassettes are no longer frequently used in general, at Toronto Home Movies, we have the equipment and expertise to do a number of things with your microcassette. Microcassettes are most often used for audio recordings such as interviews and legal proceedings. Most of our customers request either microcassette to CD, 
Reel to reel tape otherwise known as open reel tape came in many shapes & sizes. The most common to the average consumer was 1/4" tape. Reel-to-reel tape also came in other sizes but was used mostly for the professional recording market. To determine what you have, simply measure the tape. It should measure 1 quarter of an inch in width. Here at Toronto Home Movies we transfer all 1/4" reel-to-reel tape to CD.
From a marketing point of view, thanks largely to its promotion by the auto industry, the 8-track cartridge was by far the most successful new audio format of the mid-1960s and early 1970s. From a technical point of view, however, the 8-track was inherently an unreliable design, subject to frequent mechanical problems, and missing the basic advantages of conventional tape machines: namely, fast forward and reverse, easy erasure, editing, and indexing.
Since the demise of the minidisc so many people wonder how and where to get them transfered onto CD, quite honestly Toronto Home Movies the first and best place you should check to get this done professionally and easily. We have all the highest level of equipment to do this right, just for you! Give us a Call now and set up an appointment to bring your mini discs to Toronto Home Movies by calling us at 866 559 1163
We can transfer Digital Voice Recorder to CD or any other analogue or digital audio format. ©2012 Canada Home Movies Ltd.
416 479 0537 or 1 866 559 1163
