Magnetic reproducing apparatus and magnetic recording apparatus with editing function

A magnetic recording apparatus having an editing function, wherein during normal operation, azimuth recording is performed without forming a guard, said magnetic recording apparatus comprising:

• system control means for controlling an operating condition of said magnetic recording apparatus;
• signal processing means for processing an input signal, including modulation and shuffling, to modify a signal form of the input signal to form suitable for recording on a recording medium;
• signal recording means including a recording amplifier and a plurality of recording heads for recording an output signal from said signal processing means on the recording medium;
• track arrangement determining means for determining a portion of a previously recorded recording medium on which an insert recording signal section, selected by an operator or an editing controller, is to be insert-recorded, said track arrangement determining means determining the portion on the basis of a control signal from said system control means having a predetermined signal format;
• guard position determining means, operative at a time of insert recording the insert recording signal section on the portion determined by said track arrangement determining means, for (i) predicting positions of leading and lagging boundaries for a set of new tracks including a plurality of new tracks to be formed after recording to said insert recording signal section, said leading and lagging boundaries (a) being defined with respect to a direction of movement of said recording medium during recording such that said leading boundary precedes said lagging boundary in the direction of movement, and (b) serving to define boundaries where the set of new tracks abuts previously recorded tracks, said prediction being performed on the basis of a location of the portion on the recording medium at which said insert recording signal section is to be insert-recorded as determined by said track arrangement determining means, and (ii) determining a position of a guard to be added so that (a) the guard is not added to a position at which two of the plurality of new tracks are in abutment to each other, and (b) the guard is added (1) to a leading side of said plurality of new tracks facing the leading boundary of (2) to each of both leading and lagging sides of said plurality of new tracks respectively facing the leading and lagging boundaries;
• and
• guard adding means for adding the guard to the recording medium at the position determined by said guard position determining means.