Track Crosstalk
Tape crosstalk describes unwanted pickup from the programme recorded for the opposite side or direction of a tape.
The attenuation is expressed in decibels. A larger positive value means less unwanted signal under the stated test conditions. This is distinct from leakage between the left and right channels of one stereo programme.
Track Crosstalk — Cassette Deck
The figure indicates how well the deck keeps side A separate from side B. Leakage can allow the other side’s recording to intrude on quiet passages. Read the number with its test frequency and any “better than” qualification: a lower bound is not an exact measured result at every frequency.
Compare like-for-like crosstalk measurements, keeping tape format and test conditions together. A separate channel-separation figure concerns left-to-right leakage within the same programme. Do not exchange those figures or assume that a strong result for one proves the same performance for the other.
Track Crosstalk — Reel-to-Reel
On a quarter-track machine, this figure describes isolation between the track pair used in one direction and the pair used in the other. It helps assess unwanted pickup from the reverse programme, rather than the width of the current stereo image. The stated test frequency and limit qualification remain part of the result.
Compare machines with the same track arrangement and crosstalk definition. A two-track machine’s stereo crosstalk concerns left and right of one programme, so it is not the same measurement. A larger attenuation number is meaningful only when the compared figures describe the same signal paths and conditions.