Yamaha MT1X, Authorized Product Manual

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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRACKS AND CHANNELS
The words “track” and “channel” are often confused. In order to properly operate this unit, it is necessary to under-
stand the meanings of these terms.
TRACK:
The “band” on the tape itself where a certain signal is
recorded. The tape inside a cassette has four different
tracks, enabling the recording of four distinct signals. For
conventional recordings, there are two tracks (stereo left
and right) on each side of the tape.
CHANNEL:
The route of a signal input or output. In the input side,
this unit has four INPUT channels and two AUX chan-
nels. The output side consists of one stereo channel
(made up of two mono channels) and an AUX channel.
WHAT IS A MULTITRACK CASSETTE RECORDER?
The difference between the MT1X multitrack cassette recorder and a conventional stereo cassette deck is shown
below.
CONVENTIONAL STEREO CASSETTE DECK
The diagram shows how a conventional stereo cassette
deck records and plays back music. The four tracks on
a cassette tape represent the left and right (for stereo)
sound for each side of the tape. The MT1X uses these
four tracks for single-direction recording and playback
on only one side of a cassette tape.
Conventional stereo cassette recorders always record
and play back in the same mode, with the tape side
(direction) determining which two tracks will be used.
These recorders do not allow separate selection of tracks
for recording and playback.
MT1X MULTITRACK CASSETTE RECORDER
Multitrack recorders, however, allow you to record or
playback tracks separately as you choose. This enables
a greater degree of recording and playback freedom not
possible with conventional cassette recorders.
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