How would a magnetic tape recording head sound like used as an output transformer?

Attemtion. Any voltage can be dangerous. All safety precautions should be strictly followed.


This is on DC bias of magnetic tape. Possibly all books say AC bias is better. A very nice book explains both DC and AC bias is [Hellyer].


How would a recording sound like with the recording head being the output transformer itself?


For example on Pleiades Electra 1.2 or 3.


On Pleiadss 2N3053.


On Pleiades V6.


Just sending a music signal to a recording head does not recorded almost anything. The demagnetised tape is by nature magneticaly biased to cutoff. So only the peaks are recorded which is exactly the opposite of what is wanted.


A magnetic head looks almost exactly like an output transformer for a single ended amplifier. The magnetic laminations. The winding or windings. 2 in fact air gaps. Hmmm...


A DC current flowing through the recording head can bring the magnetic operating point of tape near the mid point of the straight part of the BH curve characteristic. For example on the positive X,Y quadrant.


How would it sound like? At high tape speed too?


How would then superimposing another recording sound like?


Would the head polarity have better be reversed for the next overdub?


Anyway. There seems to be a great analogy. We change, ie pull up the bias of an electron tube so that it can operate at say 6V plate voltage without cutoff (pull up or Pleiadss bias) and this same bias procedure pulls up the magnetic operating point or bias of the recording tape.


Sounds nice. Mabe it is a very silly idea.





Reference:


Tape Recorders - Hellyer