Can anyone explain conventions in leadering tape?

[MicrophoneMark]

So I understand the theory and am perfectly able to leader tape, but I have no idea of the *actual* thinking behind the practise. I'm looking for any and all thinking on the subject.

In my understanding it's done to protect tape edges, indicate head/tail (green/red?), separate tones/bias pad/programme material... maybe to prevent wastage due to threading up? What are the conventions in colours, lengths etc?

Right now I sometimes top/tail 2" with leader if I have it, and always leader 1/4" mixes for clients, though I generally just use the colour I have at the time for top/tail and separating tones. I generally use about 10-15secs at 15ips.

And what is all the crazy leader for? The foil stuff, the stripey stuff etc. My B67 manual mentions looping the tape back when it encounters clear leader (I guess it knows the tape sensor is clear but the arms are still tensioned?)

Thanks for taking the time to read my trivial question.

[tactics]

I think all the colours are/were to used identify mono or stereo material
& what speed to playback tapes at etc. Whereas white is just for gaps between songs
or sides.

[dsw]

I think foil was used in auto-reverse decks (so you could play Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach non-stop for 3 hours at your cocktail party). The foil was reflective and triggered the auto-reverse mechanism. Correct me if I'm wrong....I'm old and used up all my RAM

[Scodiddly]

Auto-reverse reel to reel decks, maybe. Cassettes could just wait until the tape actually stopped, and then reverse.

More likely is in endless tape carts, like 8-track or in broadcast. For 8-track carts (you know, the ones your dad used to play Doobie Brothers in the car) the foil was to make it shift tracks when it reached the start of the loop, and in broadcast it was where the tape would cue itself up after running the commercial.

[Snarl 12/8]

Some leader schooling went down in this thread,

http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=75105

IIRC, after some uninformed snarkiness from me and others.

[Gregg Juke]

Carl, that wasn't snark... That was very creative......levity.

GJ

[MicrophoneMark]

Thanks chaps. I wondered if there were any 'leader tape nazis' making records today, but it seems not.

Is there a functional difference between paper and mylar? I've only ever had mylar in the UK except on a couple of GP9 reels from Electrical Audio with White paper spacing. I like the sound of it running through the transport!

[Gregg Juke]

I _think_ the paper leader was supposed to prevent pops from static build-up... Then again, does that sound logical? It's been many years. I do remember that I _hate_ paper leader and it's non-robust cheapness, almost as much as I hate those flange-less tape pancakes that fall apart in your hands and wind-up all over the floor.

GJ