Tandberg 10 X Brochure

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A refinement of what is possible in 1/4 inch
tape recording format today

The 10X is the refinement of what is
technologically possible to achieve in
standard 1/4 inch recording format today.
We started to build this instrument for the
home. But we know that because of its many
professional features and its performance it
is destined to become the standard field
recording instrument for the professional
and semiprofessional industry as well.

The 10X has all the essential requirements
for the most critical applications: first of all
Tandberg legendary recording quality, se-
condly extreme reliability, dependability.
flexibility and convenience.

As with the electronics so with the me-
chanism: all the parts have been designed
and produced to precise limits and are
therefore extremely stable.

0 Tandberg Cross-field recording technique
0 3 motors

O 15 i.p.s., 7 2 i.p.s. and 3 3/4 i.p.s.

0 Complete integrated electronic controls
0 Servo tape drive and tensioning systems
0 Equalized peak indicating instruments

0 Self-adjusting input circuits

0 Special editing facilities

0 Remote controllable

Tandberg Cross-field recording technique
These Norwegian recording instruments
have become famous for their trse of the
Tandberg Cross-field recording technique.
In this system the tape passes between the
record head and a special Cross-field head.
During recording the Cross-field head.
provides transverse bias magnetization
which means that the tape is thoroughly
magnetized. The result is that the tape can
accept mttch stronger signals than with
conventional techniques and reproduce the
same signals without audible distortion. The
most important criterion for achieving top
quality recording is the full reproduction of
the highest tones. it is exactly in this
situation where the Cross-field technique
makes its biggest impact and contributes
most to the sound quality!

Record head

Record "08d

. ,

Record dynamo-noise ratio

Cross-field head

through. Here the tape
has not been magne-
tized completely.

1) Recording with a
conventional recor-
ding technique.

To achieve an opti-
mum signal-to-noise
ratio. low distortion.
and a wide lrequency
range the tape should
be magnetized right

Tandberg Cross-field recording head (A).

The special Cross-field head is located op-
posite the record head, and the magnetic

2) Recording with the
Yandbarg Cross-field
technique.

The tape has been
magnetized thoroughly,

tape passes between the two heads. The
Cross-field head allows the tape to accept
much stronger signals than is possible with
conventional recording techniques. thereby
improve the dynamic range and extending
the frequency response.

15 i.p.s. tape speed - of course.

A tape speed of [S i .s. for record and
playback has long been taken for granted
on professional tape recorders. 'lhis speed
is ideal for editing work because it spreads
ottl the recording over a very large tape
surface.

The 10X has three speeds.

The Tandberg 10X is today one of the few
tape recording instruments with a speed of
3 3/4 i.p.s. For most recording 7 1/2 i.p.s.
will give suii'rcient quality. The majority of
manufacturers have adopted this speed as
the lower limit because they cannot achieve
an acceptable performance at lower speeds.
With the lOX Tandbcrg has broken this
barrier. The use of Cross-field results in a 3
3/4 i.p.s. performance from this machine
which matches or surpasses 7 1/2 i.p.s.
recording quality on other devices. Ar 3 3/4
i.p.s. the frequency response goes from 30
to 20000 Hz and the maximum speed
variation is 0. l5% measured according It)
DIN 45 5| I.

Tandberg ferrite playback head (8).

As a material for magnetic heads. ferrite
has now been developed to such a degree
that we find it defensible to adopt it for the
playback head on the 10X. We make these
heads ourselves and we are convinced that
ferrite gives very low intrinsic noise and
very high wear resistance.

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Refined audio frequency section

Unless the audio electronics are equal to the
mechanical properties of the recording in-
strument, excellence cannot be attained.
Tandberg machines have always been noted
for their audio refinements, from our very
first recorder in 1952, the worlds first 1/4
inch tape stereo recorder (Tandberg Model 3
Stereo) in 1957 - right up until today.

Self-adjusting input circuits.

Noise contribution from the input amplifiers
is a big problem in many tape recorders.
often making it impossible to achieve top
quality sound reproduction. If the signal
from the microphone is weak so that the
input levels on the recorder must be
adjusted for maximum sensitivity. the
results is often audible noise from the input
amplifiers. Tandbcrg has developed a
microphone amplifier which automatically
adjusts itself to the impedance of the
microphone giving a minimum noise
contribution with (Ii/fluent microphone
impetlanees. The input stage in the 10X is
of course transformer-less. bttt it is also
equipped with this novel self-adjusting input
antplifier which means that the noise
contribution from this stage is very low
indeed.

Mixing in stereo.

The Tandbcrg 10X has 4 input controls. 2
for microphones and two for line inputs
(programs from radio receivers/amplifiers
or another tape recorder). This provides
opportunities for mixing stereo programs or
mono programs. In common with the
output controls. the input controls have
slide potentiometers which are easy to use
because of the large distance travelled by
each control.

The 10X has equalized peak-indicating in-
struments.

Unless the meter system is foolproof.
serious errors can be made. The input level
instruments give us the only visual indi-
cation we have of the signal level going
onto the tape. Therefore the way these
instruments operate is of prime importance
for every recording we make. The l0X has
been designed to suit the characteristics of
the best magnetic tape currently available.
To exploit this combination of top design in
tape and tape recorder. it is extremely im-
portant to have quality meters operating
according to the best known measurement
practices. The most common meter in use
today is the so-called VU meter. When
recording. the object is to have the stron-
gest possible signal on the tape without
audible distortion. But very many ofthe
sound impulses that are recorded are of
very short duration e.g. the peak intensity
ofa piano note or a kcttledrum note. The
problem here is to get an exact measure of
these short duration sound impulses.
because they are just the ones that distort
first.

A VU meter only indicates the average
value of the sound level which is some-
where between the weakest level and the
strongest level during a given time interval.
This type of meter will not reveal the peak
intentsity of short. powerful sound impulses
and therein lies its disadvantage - exactly
where there is the biggest danger of
distortion. In practice it is impossible to
avoid periodically overloading a tape on a
recorder equipped with this type of level
meter. Tandberg tape recorders have
always been equipped with peak-indicating

instruments because we believe they give
the truest indication of the sound level. On
all Tandberg tape recorders the level in-
struments are connected offer the frequ-
ency-corrected record amplifier. For this
reason the instruments measure direct the
current flowing in the record head. We call
this an equalized meter. Tandbergs is one
of the very few manufacturers in the world
connecting peak-indicating instruments in
this way! Peak-indicating instruments
always show the most powerful components
in the sound signal regardless~ of the fre-
quency of the sound. Correct use of the
large. precise peak-indicating level instru-
ments on the 10X will result in: a correct
indication of the level at all times and never
any audible distortion! (In addition the 10X
h' omc overload reserve which means
that if despite careful use there is an un-
expected loud signal there is that extra bit
of "head room" to provide for it. for safe
recording everytime.