tape question

what is the difference between high bias and normal bias tape?

heres what i found with a quick google search

  Quote

What is Type I, Type II, Type III, and Type IV cassette tape?

These are IEC (International Electrotechnical Committee)

standards. They provide broad standards for all tapes,

and end the need to align a deck for an individual tape.

Type 1 is for normal "iron oxide" tapes (Fe2O3), Type 2

is for high-bias "chromium oxide" tapes (CrO2), Type 3

(obsolete) is for FeCr (ferric chrome), and Type 4 is

for Fe (Metal). Type 2 tapes tend to be more expensive

than type 1, and type 4 tapes are the most expensive.

This is because type 2 tapes tend to have less noise and

flatter high frequency response than type 1, and type 4

tapes tend to have even flatter highs and even less noise.

 

Some Type 1 tapes are more expensive than other Type 2 tapes,

and may be worth the extra price. More expensive tapes come

in better shells, have better lubrication, fewer dropouts,

smoother frequency response, and better uniformity from tape

to tape. Even though the types imply a particular tape

formulations, the type really refers to the tape performance.

For example, some iron oxide tapes have an unusual oxide

formulation with very small grains that conforms to the type

2 standard better than the type 1 standard. These tapes

will be labeled type 2, but may not have any chrome in them.

 

Most modern cassette recorders sense the tape type by the

holes in the back of the housing and adjust bias and

equalization to compensate for the differences. A few

top cassette recorders (the Revox and several Nakamichis)

automatically align to a particular tape by recording test

tones and then setting their own equalization.

 

In practice, each brand and model tape is slightly different.

For the very best recordings, adjust your recorder for the

tape you use most, or buy the tape which works best in your

recorder. Manufacturers adjust each recorder for a specific

tape at the factory. So the best tape might be the one

referenced in the recorder owner's manual. In a recording

studio, it is common to align the bias and equalization for

the specific tape used, and stick with that tape.

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/AudioFAQ/part7/

Maybe you had a more specific question about it, but theres that. I didnt know there were types 3 and 4.

hmm all i got from google was a million people selling high bias tapes...

the reason i ask is that i'm modifying one of my tape decks to work like a tape echo (no real point... i just like fucking with things) and since i have lots of type I tapes, and extra type II tapes for my 4 track, and the deck in question takes either, i was wondering which kind i should use for my project.

if the only difference is sound quality and noise i'll probably go with a type I just because i have tons more of them.

dbl post.

id like to hear that in use.

heres some other links

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread/t-61604.html

http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm

type 2 is better.

when i used tapes type 2 tapes were cheaper, because the only places that sold them (some places didn't sell type 1) also didn't rip people off. places like dixons only sold type 1 and they were a lot more expensive.

thats for the links. basicly my unit will work the same way the guy did it with the tascam reel to reel recorders but it will be in one box and use cassette tape. the time is adjusted by moving a roller up or down to change the distance the tape moves between heads. it will be pretty simple though because i only have 3 heads.

type 4 is the best