mistrackingn.
/ˌmɪsˈtrakɪŋ/, U.S. /ˌmɪsˈtrækɪŋ/ Failure of audio or video equipment to read or follow accurately the track of a recording.
ΚΠ
1973 Gramophone Feb. 1610 (heading) Tape mistracking.
1975 G. J. King Audio Handbk. viii. 183 Mistracking is said to occur when the stylus tip fails to communicate accurately with the modulation recorded on the walls of the groove. The effect is a sharp rise in harmonic and intermodulation distortion.
1983 E. Trundle Beginner's Guide Videocassette Recorders iii. 36 If slight mis-tracking should occur, crosstalk between tracks could not take place.
1990 Compact Disc 7 Aug. 39/2 Even a light finger tap on any part of the player's exterior was enough to produce a crackle of noise from mistracking.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1973