Sony NT-2 manual What is the NT Non-Tracking format?

mWhat is the NT (Non-Tracking) format?

The Non-Tracking format

With the conventional helical scan system of tape tracking, a rotary head must precisely trace each recorded track of the tape during playback. This tracking method requires highly precise mechanical components, which makes it difficult to reduce the size of the recorder.

track

head tape tape direction

The head rotates in this direction.

On the other hand, with the NT (Non-Tracking) format, a rotary head is not required to precisely trace the recorded track during playback. Therefore, the number of mechanical parts has been reduced. And this makes the compact size of the recorder possible.

Instead of tracing each track one by one, the rotary head reads several tracks at a time.

head

a recorded track

data recorded in a track

data picked up at a time

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