Why is there a buzz on my videotapes?

This is a Panasonic VCR and most of the tapes were made on a Panasonic VCR, although a different one. It's a different TV, too. So why is there a buzz? I never remember hearing it before.

It's ruining my favorite tapes for me. Anyone know what's causing it? And what I can do?

Regardless of that, VHS tapes have a lifespan of ~20 years with minimal use. The more you play 'em, the sooner they will degrade.

A buzz is a sign of degradation in the audio track of the tape OR the VCR's heads gone out of alignment.

Hi-fi tracks are much more susceptible to buzz because of how they were designed to maintain backward compatibility with mono, proper alignment is essential.

Hifi, because of that, is also more apt to degrade more quickly too.

If it's constant, it's likely the VCR audio heads. If it's periodic, it's bound to be the tape...

MY BELOVED TAPES HAVE DEGRADED????????????????????

So if I tape over and there's no buzz, what does that mean?

Why is there a buzz on every damn tape I tape off my Mom's vcr since she got Direct TV? Not to mention very low sound.

noisy audio has many possible causes ....

Given that your complaining about ALL of them: this indicates a systemic issue: the sound heads are separate from the video head: so it could be related to the player in use NOW, or that which it was recorded on: ..... it could also be a poor ground: or a ground loop .... trying flipping the polarity of the player, or the TV ...

a 'buzz' is usually 60 Cycle hum that becomes present onto unshielded amplifier inputs, and could be either present when recorded, or currently being impinged onto the inputs by a 60 cycle source in the area around the Player.TV ...

Did the tapes USED to work ok ?..

Have you tried a different hook up cable ?

caused by the cia/illuminati mind control/reading rays bing beamed, even now, into your home.

:tinfoilhat: on

Is on track, in my opinion. In my experience, tapes recorded on one particular, individual unit can pose consistent problems on another particular unit.

Two suggestions. Go into yr new vcr menu and change the audio from hi-fi to mono. The sound will not be as good. If you were only playing back through your tv, it may not be too big a deal, but you will most likely notice it if you are playing back through yr stereo. But if you are playing back trough stereo, your amp may have several ways of re-processing the sound and ways to save your eq and ambience settings. I have a modest amp (~ $300) an I have modified one setting to my liking and use it for old movies that I have to play back in mono from vcr.

Another suggestion is to buy a couple more vcrs. I have tons of tapes, too, and now that you can get hi-fi machines for as little as 60 bucks, I've purchased a couple that are still in boxes. Cheaper than repair and relatively cheap "insurance" that you'll continue to enjoy your collection across the years.

my inlation adjusted 2 cents

:toast: