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Precautions
Before using the XR-3, it is a good idea to understand the differences between a radio/
cassette tape recorder that you might be accustomed to using (commonly called a "boom
box") and a multitracker (abbreviated here as MTR).
Using a cassette tape
Both a boom box and an MTR have four tracks for recording. However, the same cassette
tape would be recorded differently, as shown in the following diagrams.
Standard boom box
XR-3
On the standard boom box, both the A side and B side of the tape can be used to record four
tracks, as shown in the diagram. You need to flip the tape over to record the other side.
On the contrary, the MTR uses either the A or B side of the tape to record four tracks. That
is, you never flip the tape over.
Multitrack recording
As explained in the previous paragraph, a boom box usually records data on each side of
the tape in stereo (L, R).
On the other hand, you can record four tracks individually, or two tracks simultaneously,
on the XR-3. In this way, you can record many different musical instruments on different
tracks.
In addition, you can record a new sound on an empty track, while listening to sounds already
recorded on the other track(s). (This operation is called "overdubbing." You can also mix
multiple tracks while recording to another track. (This operation is called "ping-pong
recording.") In this way, the MTR allows you to perform various recording techniques.
The difference between a track and a channel
"Track" and "channel" are sometimes used to mean the same thing. However, in this
manual, these are differentiated as follows:
The word "channel" is mainly used for mixer inputs/outputs, and the word "track" is used
for recorder (tape) inputs/outputs.
For example, we might say, "recordingthesoundoftheguitarconnectedtoChannel 1 onto
Track 1." The XR-3 has two inputs: Channel 1 and Channel 2. It also has four tracks for
recording and playback: Tracks 1, 2, 3, and 4.
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