Everyone can make a mistake, and when the engineer is called upon to dispense mercy and forgiveness, it's usually in the form of an edit.

The splice can be an act of rescue or creation, so how's it done? What's needed is an expert opinion, we thought, our minds winging back to George 'Porky' Peckham, master of the The Cut (tape to acetate disc). Surely he'd know, messing about with hundreds of tapes, as he does. Porky speaks.

The Four essential elements are splicing tape, blades, splicing block and chinagraph pencil... well, five if you count that brown, magnetic stuff you're sticking together. Some tape machines will have blocks built-in; if not it's down to the hi-fi shop. They (the blocks not the shops) are solid, non-magnetic lengths of metal with a channel to hold the tape and usually two slots to guide the razor blade through vertical (butt) joins or splices at the common angle of 45 degrees.

Originally splices came at all sorts of angles often much narrower (30 degrees or less) when engineers felt the music should merge rather than meet. As a loose guide, the 45 degree angle is for combining sections of tape (and music); the butt alternative is for taking out short, sharp clicks.

The white splicing tape is fractionally narrower than the brown, magnetic stuff and sticky on one side. Proper editing blades are sharp down one edge only, rounded on the opposite side, useful for keeping spools and recorder uncontaminated by blood. You won't find them in the chemist.

A chinagraph pencil has a very soft 'lead' that marks the back of the tape with little pressure and so less risk of damage to oxide or head. Various colours are available but white is a safe bet.


Prepare yourself for a session of editing, don't blunder in. Sweat from your fingers can mark the oxide (you should always avoid touching that side of the tape, anyway) so wash your hands and dry them thoroughly before starting.

The block should be cleaned regularly — Isopropyl Alcohol and other such-like head cleaners are recommended. Avoid meths, it leaves a residue.

Is the blade sharp and innocent?? "You should really only use them for about ten edits", suggests Porky, "after that they're going to build up their own magnetism. You are working in an area with a magnetic field and that will slowly magnetise the blade which can be transferred to the tape." This puts a click on the tape, and, of course, if you try to splice it out, the same thing happens again. A cautious editor will demagnetise his blades at the start of the session in the same way that he'd demagnetise his tape deck and heads. Warning here: "Remind people that if they're defluxing a tape recorder, make sure it's turned off." Not a point made strongly or frequently enough, says Porky. Blown amps can result.

And a tip. If you keep getting thumps or clicks and are sure all tools are magnetically clean, check if the tape you're working on has been bulk erased. This process wipes clean old recorded material by rescrambling the magnetic particles. If not done properly there will still be a ghost pattern left behind which might not be noticeable when the tape is played continuously, but will materialise if the pattern is disturbed by a splice.


On a machine with an edit facility, you can run the tape past the head by gently turning the spools by hand. Devoid of such a feature, you might have to move the tape itself (carefully) and pull it past the head. Either way you're looking for the exact beat where the splice should occur (only you know where that is) and then position it precisely over the head. "Leave six to eight inches of tape free either side so you've got enough slack to take it to the splicing block. Never pull the tape hard, because it will stretch."

Mark the edit point with a vertical chinagraph line, then put a longer horizontal one on the side of the splice that you want to keep. Saves confused panic later.

Repeat the process for the far end of the join.

Take either chinagraph-marked section to the nearby block, lay the tape gently in the channel so the angled slot dissects the vertical line. "You cut exactly across the chinagraph mark so that when the two halves are put together it should look as if there's one line.

"I've seen people put two faces of tape down and slice across both of them," confides Porky, shaking head disapprovingly, "but it's better to do them separately in case you're fractionally out and you have to splice tiny bits of tape back in later.

"Using the slot that's provided, start at the top and slide the blade gently down, using the tip not the whole edge. If you push down with the edge of the blade it will force the tape into the slot and crinkle it. The smoother the action, the better."

KEEP the bit you've cut out. And keep it safe.

With the two ends to be spliced sitting in the block and meeting precisely (a gap will produce a drop out, an overlap could cause the splice to fly apart in the machine) now comes the time for the sticky stuff.

Cut a length, or several which can be handily deposited nearby. "I've seen splices from 2in long to ¼in, but I'd say about an inch is ample to give strength on each side of the tape. When you've cut your piece, stick it to the flat surface of the razor blade and lay it down across the join — that way you don't have to touch the tape with your hands. Slide it along gently and firm it down with your finger." The back of your fingernail? "No, that could damage the oxide, better to be gentle."

Carefully turn the now-joined tape over and examine the back. If there's a thin white line showing in the cut, you've messed it. Dont attempt to bodge it up, take the splice apart and start again. (See the rescue section further on.)

When listening to the splice, run it through two or three times before making your final decision. It will take time to settle in.


When listening back you shouldn't be able to hear anything except undisturbed music. "A good edit is not noticed by friends." Apart from clicks, lurches and bumps — or lack of them — an effective splice involves paying attention to other factors. "Listen for things like background — are the cymbals on one side of the splice and not the other? Does a keyboard part suddenly disappear? Don't just listen to the beat.

"There can also be volume changes — a track can start off louder than it finishes and if you're taking a large section out of the middle that can be noticeable."


A good edit should last the lifetime of the tape, but there are precautions you can take to protect your investment. "Never store a tape in damp conditions — iron oxide; think about it; iron rusts. And if you're going to do a lot of editing, avoid triple or double play tape as it stretches too easily."

It's advisable to run through your master tapes every few months, if they're not being played frequently. This will show up any weak splices (do them again). In very warm conditions the adhesive surface of the splicing tape can lose its grip and the join may pull apart. Any sudden catches or hesitancies in the travel of the tape are the clues.

Spools should always be stored 'run out' (at the end of the music). This, apparently, will help reduce print-through where the signals on one complete revolution of tape around the spool will impose an echoey image on the revolution before it and after it.

Finally a word for four-track cassetters. Splicing tape for cassette format is available, but editing is very difficult because of the narrowness of the tape, the relatively slow speeds and the almost universal lack of editing modes on the machines. If an edit is essential, much better to have a high quality, reel-to-reel copy made in a studio, and edit that. If nothing else, you'll bleed a lot less in the effort.