"dave" wrote in message
...
I had a 4 track(?) reel to reel tape recorder circ 1960's that had a track
selector slider switch. I remember though it had only two positions.
Either T1-2
or T3-4 (or maybe it was T1-3 T2-4. I don't recall if it was stereo but if
not
why record 2 tracks at once?

Having rediscovered some tapes from that machine (long since gone), I'd
like to
play them and see what secrets they hold! Trouble is I don't understand
what
that track selection meant. Was it perhaps that one could do...

Record Pass 1, selected T1-2
Rewind
Record Pass 2, selected T3-4
Turn tape over and repeat the above, giving 4 complete passes through the
tape?

AFAIK there was no way to record just say, T1

Have tried witha friend old recoder and we are getting two "tracks"
palying at
once ie two stes of sounds played simultaneously.

I'm taking a look at what recorders are on ebay and may not get exactly
the
machine I had, so need to understand this track business.

The first recording was made with the new full reel on the left and the
empty on the right. This recorded tracks 1 and 3. When you got to
the end you put right reel on left and vice versa. In other words turned
them
over. You could then record tracks 2 and 4. Each these would be in stereo.
Many recorders (like the Revox A77 I use) allow you to record on
one track at a time, giving you two mono recordings.

Peter Scott