Anyone still into audio casettes?

Takumaji · Dec 13, 2015

I still have lots of tapes and reel-to-reels and listen to them from time to time. I've also recorded a mixtape not too long ago. With a good tape player, audio quality is decent enough, always liked the format. The tape saturation effect of a good reel-to-reel machine gives you some sort of natural organic compression that lets well-mastered tracks shine like gold. There are plugins for various digital recording programs that try to emulate it and some are quite good at it but nothing beats the real thing. Sometimes a bit of technical imperfection tremendously adds to acoustic perfection.

Modern technology got rid of the grit between the soundwaves, the barely audible hum, hiss, crackle and tiny inaccuracies that let the sound become alive. It's not nostalgia or anything, just listen to some Abbey Road master recordings done on EMI tape and compare the dynamics range with what we have now.

xsq · Dec 13, 2015

Back in high school me and my friends (/crushes) made mixtapes for each other. It was mainly Punk Rock, Screamo/Emo/Hardcore stuff, which fit the medium rather well. I still have my Sony WM-DD2 from that time (works fine - hope the center gear never breaks though

) and some tapes that still sound OK. My first car also had a tape deck, so I made a couple more tapes to listen on the road. I also remember making tapes of vinyl records so I wouldn't wear those out too fast.

I still buy tapes occasionally, mainly synthwave and scremo releases... surprisingly, if they are professionally recorded (like Blood Music seem to do) they sound quite good or (particularly with the Hardcore music) better than the digital releases. I think for the artists it's a nice gimmick and a good way to get a physical release out (which will be bought rather than pirated) that sounds alright without having to wait for/stress with a record plant.
I enjoy using the Walkman, even though it's bulky, because it sounds better than my smartphone. I usually just take bought tapes, but seldom when I really dig into an artist I record one (most recent was a Gunship tape). My current home setup includes a Technics RS-AZ7 deck I scored from a relative... it's total overkill for my purposes but it's so choice :lolz:

Grats on that WM-D6C btw, such an awesome piece of engineering.

norton9478 · Dec 13, 2015

I stay away from cassette tapes. Especially since both of my players only play one channel (I assume it is a cap or something?).

I have been dabbling with 8 tracks as I sometimes get large lots of them and I got a player up and running in my basement. Some early 80's punk tapes can be worth some decent money.

I also need a 7" reel to reel player as I occasionally come across small collections of commercial tapes. An untested tape is worth $5 tops (since it could be anything on that reel) but a tested tape can be worth considerably more. The only ones that I assume are good are the sealed ones I have.

Famicommander said:
I can get on board with vinyl, LaserDisc, CDs, etc. But fuck magnetic tape media.

What about digital audio tapes?

wyo · Dec 13, 2015

BITD I used to copy records onto high quality tapes using good equipment. The results were excellent for portable use in a car or Walkman. Dolby noise reduction reduced hiss but muffled the sound so fuck that.

Neo Ash · Dec 13, 2015

LOLZ at cassette tapes. I'm only into big tapes. :keke:

I've been itching to dive into reel to reel. When I do, I will have officially lost my mind :loco:

The Otari 5050 is on my short list.

Jibbajaba · Dec 13, 2015

That walkman in the OP looks fucking badass. I wouldn't mind picking up a high-end cassette player for my stereo setup if I ever run across one. Reel-to-reel would be awesome, except that I never really run across media for them, and that's the fun of outdated formats for me - picking up interesting shit at the thrift or music shops.

lithy · Dec 13, 2015

ki_atasuke

or that guy that collected 'vintage televisions'

StevenK · Dec 13, 2015

Jibbajaba said:
That walkman in the OP looks fucking badass.

It really does.

Got me thinking I wouldn't mind one myself, I've been looking around seeing what they cost, they're not cheap.

It seems like this site just attracts old stuff that won't fucking drop in value.

Ki, do you mind me asking how much it set you back?

xsq · Dec 13, 2015

norton9478 said:
flippin
flippin
flippin

fixed.

ki_atsushi · Dec 13, 2015

xsq said:
Back in high school me and my friends (/crushes) made mixtapes for each other. It was mainly Punk Rock, Screamo/Emo/Hardcore stuff, which fit the medium rather well. I still have my Sony WM-DD2 from that time (works fine - hope the center gear never breaks though ) and some tapes that still sound OK. My first car also had a tape deck, so I made a couple more tapes to listen on the road. I also remember making tapes of vinyl records so I wouldn't wear those out too fast.

I still buy tapes occasionally, mainly synthwave and scremo releases... surprisingly, if they are professionally recorded (like Blood Music seem to do) they sound quite good or (particularly with the Hardcore music) better than the digital releases. I think for the artists it's a nice gimmick and a good way to get a physical release out (which will be bought rather than pirated) that sounds alright without having to wait for/stress with a record plant.
I enjoy using the Walkman, even though it's bulky, because it sounds better than my smartphone. I usually just take bought tapes, but seldom when I really dig into an artist I record one (most recent was a Gunship tape). My current home setup includes a Technics RS-AZ7 deck I scored from a relative... it's total overkill for my purposes but it's so choice

Grats on that WM-D6C btw, such an awesome piece of engineering.

The DD2 is a nice walkman! Wouldn't mind having one of those. Before I scored a great deal on my D6C I was looking for a DD-100 "boodo khan", but it seems way overpriced...

norton9478 said:
I stay away from cassette tapes. Especially since both of my players only play one channel (I assume it is a cap or something?).

I have been dabbling with 8 tracks as I sometimes get large lots of them and I got a player up and running in my basement. Some early 80's punk tapes can be worth some decent money.

I also need a 7" reel to reel player as I occasionally come across small collections of commercial tapes. An untested tape is worth $5 tops (since it could be anything on that reel) but a tested tape can be worth considerably more. The only ones that I assume are good are the sealed ones I have.

Yeah Scott, it's actually most likely your volume pot... if dirt gets in there it will screw it up, giving you scratchy sound or one channel going out, etc. Try shooting some Deoxit fader lube in it. Cleans the contacts and lubricates at the same time.

How do 8 tracks sound? I haven't heard one since I was really little.

wyo_vr4 said:
BITD I used to copy records onto high quality tapes using good equipment. The results were excellent for portable use in a car or Walkman. Dolby noise reduction reduced hiss but muffled the sound so fuck that.

Probably Dolby B, that shit is so heavy-handed. C gives a nice balance of NR vs. dynamic range.

ki_atsushi · Dec 13, 2015

Jibbajaba said:
That walkman in the OP looks fucking badass. I wouldn't mind picking up a high-end cassette player for my stereo setup if I ever run across one. Reel-to-reel would be awesome, except that I never really run across media for them, and that's the fun of outdated formats for me - picking up interesting shit at the thrift or music shops.

That's what I need to do, hit up the thrift stores next!

stevenk said:
It really does.

Got me thinking I wouldn't mind one myself, I've been looking around seeing what they cost, they're not cheap.

It seems like this site just attracts old stuff that won't fucking drop in value.

Ki, do you mind me asking how much it set you back?

I got lucky... found a US seller, actually tested everything and conformed that it worked, and put a buy it now price on it of $174.99! It even came with the soft case, I can tell this thing was babied.

Jesus, the rest of those eBayers want $400 or more for ones with issues (which they hide by saying "untested"). I haven't seen a boxed one for less than a grand.

Neo Ash · Dec 13, 2015

Jibbajaba said:
Reel-to-reel would be awesome, except that I never really run across media for them, and that's the fun of outdated formats for me - picking up interesting shit at the thrift or music shops.

I never run across them either; online sources are the easiest route to obtain them. 1-1/2 generation tapes made from the original master are simply mind blowing. Such tapes are easily capable of surpassing the quality of digital sources and LP.

http://tapeproject.com/

norton9478 · Dec 13, 2015

ki_atsushi said:
Yeah Scott, it's actually most likely your volume pot... if dirt gets in there it will screw it up, giving you scratchy sound or one channel going out, etc. Try shooting some Deoxit fader lube in it. Cleans the contacts and lubricates at the same time.

I know it's not that on my one cassette deck as it has no pots. On the other console unit, it give s me no sound in any position. Plus the output VU only lights up on one channel.

ki_atsushi said:
How do 8 tracks sound? I haven't heard one since I was really little.

From the one working console I have, like shit. Could be the deck or the tapes, but sounds like shit to me. If you adjust the EQ, it sounds almost ok. Certainly not as good as a cassette tape.

I also need to wire up this Pioneer auto unit. I expect that it should work. I just have to solder up a 12v source (thank you white xbox PSU's). and two speakers.

Probably Dolby B, that shit is so heavy-handed. C gives a nice balance of NR vs. dynamic range.[/QUOTE]

ki_atsushi · Dec 13, 2015

Neo Ash said:
I never run across them either; online sources are the easiest route to obtain them. 1-1/2 generation tapes made from the original master are simply mind blowing. Such tapes are easily capable of surpassing the quality of digital sources and LP.

http://tapeproject.com/

Oh man, that's a whole can of worms right there...

norton9478 · Dec 13, 2015

xsq said:
flippin
flippin
flippin

In respect to 8 tracks, not really. I end up keeping most of them. If I could get something to pay off the bundle, it might work out as a flip. In the end, I'll end up spending more on them than I get out.

In respect to 4 tracks, I might as well flip them as I don't have a player. I'd probably like to get a player to be able to flip commercial tapes, then have that pay off the player. Any self-recorded tapes would be for my amusement.

ki_atsushi · Dec 13, 2015

norton9478 said:
I know it's not that on my one cassette deck as it has no pots. On the other console unit, it give s me no sound in any position. Plus the output VU only lights up on one channel.

Do you have a volume dial or slider? The entire current goes through that, so if it's wrecked it doesn't surprise me that even your vu meter is showing nothing for that channel. Try cleaning it. Most of these old electronics are built like brick shithouses so usually it's only minor problems like that. The worst case scenario is you'll have to recap the deck.

MtothaJ · Dec 13, 2015

ki_atsushi said:
Been using Sony CD-IT CrO2 tapes and really I can barely tell the difference between the tape and a CD. Of course that changes a bit when I put the tape in my cheaper walkman, but it still sounds great.

So, are any of you guys into this stuff?

I also enjoy playing around with cassette tapes and also have amongst others a Sony D6C - its a great machine for both playback and recording. I find in many cases that the overall listening experience is more pleasing than that offered on a CD, and especially comes into its own when recording from vinyl - but only for those who are willing to put in the time, money and effort in terms of i) getting a high quality deck ii) getting good quality type II or IV tapes iii) learning to make high quality recordings (setting recording level, bias etc.)
Those who are sceptical about the format most likely derive those memories from listening to those dreadful pre recorded cassettes on an entry level Walkman or ghetto blaster - its kind of like gaming on a crappy clapped out consumer CRT via RF and from that inferring that the image quality of a BVM via RGB must also be crap since its also a CRT.

ki_atsushi · Dec 13, 2015

MtothaJ said:
I also enjoy playing around with cassette tapes and also have amongst others a Sony D6C - its a great machine for both playback and recording. I find in many cases that the overall listening experience is more pleasing than that offered on a CD, and especially comes into its own when recording from vinyl - but only for those who are willing to put in the time, money and effort in terms of i) getting a high quality deck ii) getting good quality type II or IV tapes iii) learning to make high quality recordings (setting recording level, bias etc.)
Those who are sceptical about the format most likely derive those memories from listening to those dreadful pre recorded cassettes on an entry level Walkman or ghetto blaster - its kind of like gaming on a crappy clapped out consumer CRT via RF and from that inferring that the image quality of a BVM via RGB must also be crap since its also a CRT.

Nailed it. Like I said earlier, most pre-recorded stuff is on the cheapest ferrite (nornal bias) tapes they can get away with, and usually not mastered to cassette very well. Most commercial tapes I have are only put through Dolby B NR and they called it a day.

Neorebel · Dec 13, 2015

I kind of want some Blood Music tapes for the novelty of it even though I can play the music through bandcamp already

norton9478 · Dec 13, 2015

I'm sure a properly mastered tape on the right setup can we wonferful.

Likewise, a properly mastered CD played on the proper equipment......

FAT$TACKS · Dec 13, 2015

As far as the old 8 track players go. Even if you have a working one you may not really have a working one. There can be a lot of issues with those. Most of the ones I had messed with, even when they worked sounded bad because the belts and such had worn and stretched. Also some of the cheap plastic innards had worn and weren't allowing things to do right.

The higher end ones still usually need to be refurbished somewhat. Also, as the 8 tracks themselves go, there is a very limited selection of music. They weren't made for all that many years and there was just not as much released onto them as on records or cassettes. As far as audio goes, if you don't like the audio on mass produced audio cassettes then these won't be any better, and in a lot of cases worse from what I've experienced.

I just mess with them because I find them super cheap and there is the novelty of it. Finding an artist you like on an 8 track out in the wild can be fun. I can usually pick them up for about .25 to 1.00 at yard sales and junk shops.

Oddly enough, I like to pick up Christmas music on the older formats for some reason. I've a few good old Burl Ives holiday cassettes and some other stuff like that.

I would love to get into Reel to Reel..

I would imagine most of you have seen this but still...

ki_atsushi · Dec 13, 2015

norton9478 said:
I'm sure a properly mastered tape on the right setup can we wonferful.

Likewise, a properly mastered CD played on the proper equipment......

Oh absolutely man... you haven't heard a CD until you've popped one in one of these:

Sony D-25 (I have one

)

The 4x oversampling is a rare feature that blows many expensive systems right out of the water. My laser is starting to give out though, and the repair is going to cost me more than I paid for it.

FAT$TACKS said:
I would love to get into Reel to Reel..

I would imagine most of you have seen this but still...

Fuck yeah, I was wondering if anyone has tried that! :buttrock:

wyo · Dec 13, 2015

ki_atsushi said:
Oh absolutely man... you haven't heard a CD until you've popped one in one of these:

View attachment 31145
Sony D-25 (I have one )

The 4x oversampling is a rare feature that blows many expensive systems right out of the water. My laser is starting to give out though, and the repair is going to cost me more than I paid for it.

I know that feel. Never got into Discmans but throughout my youth/early 20s I spent far too much on high end Walkmans that I wore out after 12-18 months of daily use.

sylvie · Dec 13, 2015

I LOVE MR. TAPE

BerryTogart · Dec 13, 2015

Still habe an original Biohazard - state of the World address but honestly no, I don't listen to my tapes any more

Anyone still into audio casettes?

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