![]() ![]() The following year, Ford rolled out the 8-track as an option right across its range of vehicles, making it the must-have accessory for new car buyers. Lear had a long association with the car manufacturer, going back to the 30s when he had been party to the founding of Motorola, which provided in-car entertainment systems for Ford. Having developed the new system, Bill Lear’s next move was to persuade the management at Ford US to factory fit his 8-track player to the 1966 range of Mustangs, Thunderbirds and Lincolns, introduced in September of 1965. There are even unique versions of songs on some 8-tracks, including an additional piano solo on Lou Reed’s Berlin and an extra guitar break on Pink Floyd’s Animals. Longer tracks were frequently split into two parts, shorter songs repeated or long passages of silence inserted into the running order. However, with most music designed to be listened to over two sides of an LP, the Stereo 8 cartridges often had to resort to tinkering with running orders and even dividing songs to make them fit the four-programme format. On the plus side, by using a short length of conductive foil at the splice joint on the tape, the Stereo 8 could switch between tracks automatically, a real benefit for in-car entertainment systems. The trade-off for this greater capacity inside a standard cartridge was a slight loss of sound quality and an increase in background noise from the narrower tape width. Kraus engineered the 8-track system, reducing the complexity and addressing reliability issues by incorporating a more efficient mechanism into the cartridge itself.īranded the Stereo 8 system, it meant that eight tracks could be recorded, usually in four programmes of two tracks each. However, Lear was unimpressed with the build quality and asked one of his team, Richard Kraus, to develop a more robust system. Having gained some success in his home state, Muntz expanded his operation, striking a deal with US entrepreneur Bill Lear to have his system fitted into his Learjets. This was seized upon by businessman Earl Muntz of Los Angeles, California, who introduced his Stereo- Pak 4-track CARtridge system, using licensed music from the major record companies. However, cartridges had one major benefit by being both compact and portable, meaning there was potential within the burgeoning post-war US automobile market. And when compared to the popular reel-to-reel systems of the day, quality and fidelity were found wanting. Though 4-track systems were first to be developed, their wider adoption was hampered by numerous reliability problems that stopped the platform from really making any headway with music fans. Cartridge systems were developed in the 50s but really came to prominence during the following decade. This would stop the tape from changing tracks.Long before compact cassettes became popular, the mass-market alternatives to vinyl in the late 50s and 60s were 4-track and 8-track cartridge systems. The sensing foil in the tape would sometimes break off. Music from tracks other than the one being played could often be heard. ![]() The spacing between the tracks were very narrow. This also caused the tapes to wear out quickly. This happened faster if the cartridge was left in a hot car. This could cause a gooey substance in the tapes. It would often wear out, or chemically break down. Unlike cassettes, the rubber roller was in the cartridge. Some independent labels still occasionally release 8-tracks as a novelty or collectible. Some unauthorized (bootleg) releases were made as late as 1995. The last 8-tracks from a major label were released in 1988. Today there are still a small number of people who collect 8 tracks. They could still be bought through mail order record clubs until 1987. In 1980, 8-tracks were rarely being made. By the late 1970s, cassettes became more popular than 8-tracks. It eventually had better quality than 8-tracks. In the 1970s, the cassette tape was improved. 8 tracks became very popular in the early 1970s. This would cause the part of the player that read the tape (the head) to start reading the next track. When the track was over, a very thin piece of metal in the tape would be sensed. ![]() There were four programs of music on each tape with two tracks on each program to create stereo sound. They did not need to be turned over to keep playing. Unlike cassettes, 8 tracks are a continuous loop of tape. It is a tape format which was created so people could play music in their cars. The 8-track is a music format which first appeared in the 1960s.
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