Tape Splicing Lesson

Welcome back. Now we're going to talk about tape splicing. A lot of people get scared by tape splicing, thinking it's a complex procedure. But actually, if you have a good editing block and a nice sharp razor, it's not that difficult.

What You'll Need

• Editing block
• Sharp razor
• Leader tape
• Splicing tape
• Quarter inch tape

Casper later will show you how to do this. We'll splice on a leader tape.

Reasons for Splicing

The reasons for splicing are manifold, but the principal reasons are:

1. To put leader tape on: This allows for the take-up spool to come to the right tension. If you didn't have a leader tape and started recording immediately onto the oxide, you would probably experience some wow and flutter at the beginning. With a leader tape, the tape can come to the correct tension. Typically, you use about three arm's lengths of leader tape.

2. Alternative Methods: Some people prefer not to put leader on at all. Instead, they will just use three arm's lengths of blank tape and may use a china graph (a pencil on the back of the tape) to mark their position. This is because some believe that slippage of the glue where the splices can weaken over time, causing wow and flutter and disintegration.

3. To create a perfect crossfade: When editing music, you may want to chop out a section or add in a segment. You will take the relevant piece of tape and stitch it in or take it out, cutting at an angle. This method helps avoid disturbances like pops and clicks.

4. To splice in leader tape or track separators: You can add leader tape between tracks or at the beginning and end of the tape. There are color codes you can use for leader tape to designate different sections.

Splicing Procedure

Now, Casper will show you how to do it.

Steps to Splicing Leader Tape

• Preparation: Today we're going to splice some leader tape onto the start of your tape.

• Setting Up: We've got some quarter inch tape ready. You will need:

  • Leader tape
  • Splicing tape
  • Razor blade
  • Splicing block (I have some built into the tape machine already)

• Important Angle Notes: The angle at which you splice the tape is crucial. Depending on the speed of your tape machine (7 1/2 inches per second, 15 inches per second, or 30 inches per second):

  • The faster the tape speed, the shallower the angle you will want to cut your tape.
  • For 15 inches per second, you should cut at a 45-degree angle.

Cutting the Tape

1. Line Up the Tape: Place your tape into the splicing block.
2. Cutting: Keep pressure on both sides of the tape. Insert the razor blade into the groove at 45 degrees and push down to cut. The cut should come off cleanly.
3. Measuring Leader Tape: Measure out about three arm's lengths of leader and repeat the cutting process.
4. Align Both Tapes: Line up the leader tape and the cut tape in the block, ensuring they touch without overlaps.
5. Taping Together: Take a small section of splicing tape and carefully tape the two together, ensuring they do not move during this process.

Final Check

And there you've spliced the tape successfully!

This is the other side. It should look perfect. That's a perfect splice. Look at that, a perfect crossfade!