Sony DTC-57ES - Manual (Page 19)

Before Recording
Blank Section and Sound Muted Portion Absolute Time Codes
With conventional analog audio tapes, the tape portion on
which no recording ever has been made and the portion on
which a recording has been made but the sound is muted
are treated the same, since no sound can be heard from
these portions.
However, with DAT cassette, you should know that the two
kinds of “no sound" porttons must definitely be
distinguished one from the other.
Blank section
Means the portion on which no recording ever has been
applied.
Sound portion
Means the portion on which a recording has been applied
but that no audible sound is recorded.
Important
When recording, be certain that no blank section is left on
the tape. If blank sections remain on the tape, search
operations using the AMS buttons, for example, may take
quite a long time or the absolute time is not written
correctly.
Difference between the blank section and sound-muted
portion
When you record, a track format is constructed on the
recorded area, even if the sound is muted during
recording. On the blank section, since no recording is
applied, there is no track format. See page 45 for details on
the track format.
The absolute time indicates the position of the tape, giving
the time elapsed from the beginning.The absolute time
codes correctly written on the tape can be used in various
convenient ways during playback.
Recording absolute time codes
When you record, the absolute time codes are also written
automatically from the beginning of the tape.
Once the absolute time codes are recorded, it cannot be
re-written. With the absolute time. you can check the
elapsed time from the beginning of the tape or designate
the position of the tape to be played back precisely.
Note, however, that the absolute time codes are not written
if you start recording from the middle of blank section. No
blank sections should be left on the tape when recording.
Tips for recording:
• To insert silence between selections, use the record
muting function (page 23). Do not advance the tape with
the ►► or ► button.
• To start recording from the middle of the tape, use the end
search function (page 23) to locate the beginning of the
blank section. This will avoid leaving a blank section.
• When loading the tape written the absolute time codes,
the ABS TIME indicator is displayed, otherwise, the
COUNTER indicator is displayed.
If a blank section is left on the tape
If you start recording from the middle of a blank section, the
absolute time codes are not recorded, since the DAT deck
can no longer count the absolute time from the beginning of
the tape.