The usual domestic disposition of tracks is that 1 and 3 are recorded by 
the upper and lower halves of the head respectively and 2 and 4 
similarly with the tape turned over.  Thus two tracks run forwards and 
two in the reverse direction. If you have tracks running backwards this 
may have been recorded by one of the early quarter inch multitracks such 
as the Sony TC366/4.

The quick way of finding out what is going on trackwise is to use a 
magnetic viewer.


On 21/07/2016 18:30, CJB wrote:
> Please can someone advise.
>
> I am digitising 50-year-old 1/4in. magnetic tapes apparently recorded
> with tracks 1 2 3 4 - not sure of the physical order though - I think
> 1-4 are outer tracks and 2-3 are inner tracks.
>
> The setting on my Akai 4000DS MK-2 has three settings 1-4 / Stereo / 2-3
>
> Does this mean that I actually have 8 tracks on the tapes - one set of
> 4 with the tape going forwards and one with the tape reversed (turned
> over so to speak).
>
> Or do I only have 4 tracks thus:
>
> If I play a tape forwards with the player set for tracks 1-4 I get two
> different mono tracks - that's OK, Audacity can separate them.
> If I then turn the tape over so to speak what would I get if the
> setting is still 1-4 ??
>
> However
>
> If I play the reverse side of the tape with setting 2-3 I get two more
> different mono tracks.
>
> And what would I get if I chose the Stereo setting? I'm not sure which
> physical tracks are paired.
>
> BTW if any track is digitised playing backwards Audacity can quickly
> reverse that!!
>
> Many thanks - Chris B.
>


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