Yamaha MT1X Owner's Manual - Page 5

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRACKS AND CHANNELS The words "track" and "channel" are often confused. In order to properly operate this unit, it is necessary to understand the meanings of these terms. TRACK: The "band" on the tape itself where a certain signal is recorded. The tape inside a cassette has four different tracks, enabling the recording of four distinct signals. For conventional recordings, there are two tracks (stereo left and right) on each side of the tape. CHANNEL: The route of a signal input or output. In the input side, this unit has four INPUT channels and two AUX channels. The output side consists of one stereo channel (made up of two mono channels) and an AUX channel. WHAT IS A MULTITRACK CASSETTE RECORDER? The difference between the MT1X multitrack cassette recorder and a conventional stereo cassette deck is shown below. CONVENTIONAL STEREO CASSETTE DECK MT1X MULTITRACK CASSETTE RECORDER The diagram shows how a conventional stereo cassette deck records and plays back music. The four tracks on a cassette tape represent the left and right (for stereo) sound for each side of the tape. The MT1X uses these four tracks for single-direction recording and playback on only one side of a cassette tape. Conventional stereo cassette recorders always record and play back in the same mode, with the tape side (direction) determining which two tracks will be used. These recorders do not allow separate selection of tracks for recording and playback. Multitrack recorders, however, allow you to record or playback tracks separately as you choose. This enables a greater degree of recording and playback freedom not possible with conventional cassette recorders. 3