Master and slave tapes respectively move on a pinch roller from a first supply reel to a first take-up reel in a first cassette and on a capstan from a second supply reel to a second take-up reel in a second cassette. The pinch roller locked in a first position abuts the capstan to transfer to the slave tape the image on the master tape. After such transfer, a signal sensing the slave tape end causes the pinch roller to be unlocked and to be moved to a second position displaced from the first position. In this position, the second cassette is replaceable by another cassette for an image transfer from the master tape. The rotations of the supply reel produce eccentricities which vary tape tension. These tension variations are compensated at positions before the pinch roller and the capstan by springs guiding the tapes and by damping members attached to the springs. The damping members are pre-stressed to provide damped compliances in accordance with the tension variations. Stiffeners are attached to the spring ends. The capstan may be hollow and non-magnetic to receive a magnetic head. A constant amplitude alternating signal applied to the head erases any image on the slave tape by providing a magnetic field greater than the the slave tape coercivity but less than the master tape coercivity. Thus, the image on the master tape is transferred to the slave tape by the abutting tape relationships.
