Editing in Quad format at DVinfo.net

Andrew Smith · June 15th, 2024, 07:30 AM

Tripped over this video on YouTube.

Why yes, it was up hill both ways!

Andrew

Christopher Young · June 17th, 2024, 03:43 AM

That's where I started with editing. 2" Ampex Quad.

If you didn't have the vacuum set correctly to suck your tape into the correct curve in the boat, you were in big trouble. With head adjustment, if your heads protruded too far from the drum, it could slice the tape like a razor. We had to use a solution with microscopic iron fillings in it to paint the tape to find the cut points. The iron filings would be attracted to the highest density ares of the magnetic tracks on the tape. This would reveal the scanned magnetic tacks visible along with their sync pulses. Adjacent to the sync pulse is where you had to cut the tape. Because Quad wasn't a helical scan system, you could physically cut between each head scan. This enabled a splicing method not dissimilar to film.

A slow and laborious process. Only Assemble editing. No Insert editing, basically. Noisy, hot, monstrous bits of kit they were. In today's money. Worth about US$400,000 each. And in constant need of maintenance nearly every day.

Andrew, You brought back some memories. Pretty mixed ones at that! 😃👍

Chris Young

Paul R Johnson · June 22nd, 2024, 02:30 AM

..... and the fact that the audio was recorded in a different location, so your edits contained a bit of before/after!

June 15th, 2024, 07:30 AM	#1
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,066	Editing in Quad format Tripped over this video on YouTube. Why yes, it was up hill both ways! ABC TV Videotape room tour and edit demo [720p60] - YouTube Andrew

June 17th, 2024, 03:43 AM	#2
Christopher Young Trustee Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,570	Re: Editing in Quad format That's where I started with editing. 2" Ampex Quad. If you didn't have the vacuum set correctly to suck your tape into the correct curve in the boat, you were in big trouble. With head adjustment, if your heads protruded too far from the drum, it could slice the tape like a razor. We had to use a solution with microscopic iron fillings in it to paint the tape to find the cut points. The iron filings would be attracted to the highest density ares of the magnetic tracks on the tape. This would reveal the scanned magnetic tacks visible along with their sync pulses. Adjacent to the sync pulse is where you had to cut the tape. Because Quad wasn't a helical scan system, you could physically cut between each head scan. This enabled a splicing method not dissimilar to film. A slow and laborious process. Only Assemble editing. No Insert editing, basically. Noisy, hot, monstrous bits of kit they were. In today's money. Worth about US$400,000 each. And in constant need of maintenance nearly every day. Andrew, You brought back some memories. Pretty mixed ones at that! 😃👍 Chris Young Attached Thumbnails

June 22nd, 2024, 02:30 AM	#3
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	Re: Editing in Quad format ..... and the fact that the audio was recorded in a different location, so your edits contained a bit of before/after!