You have to promise us that you'll post about this in ten years.

Essentially 100% of my cassettes are lost or somewhere in a storage box. I'll be interested in seeing if your results vary!

_____

Hell, I still have a pile of 45's from when I was a kid in those same obscure boxes.

Now, all the 'new' 45's are 12" audiophile based rehashes...

I think I prefer the old 7 inchers with the wide holes to the new 'two song' 45's full of wrung out female vocals. Maybe it's time to bring back the 'changer' so Eva Cassidy fans can listen to several in a row without having to perform the LP playing ritual every 9 minutes.

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You have to promise us that you'll post about this in ten years.

Deal! But please remind me.

Received a package from Scotch Tapes today. Five cassettes and three 7-inches, and they are so, so beautiful. Lovely little things. And they play music, too!

Funny: Stereophile and hipsters and cassettes and trends all mashed up in Mediageek.

I'm not a Cassette, but I play one on USB...
...today, from Rhino:

http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/rhino-2-gb-cassette-usb-flash-drive-black?cmpid=RN020310

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Remember when love was as simple as a tape full of slow jams and a six-pack?

Man, I do not remember this. But I would like to bring it back.

after hearing some of these myspace pages...i am fairly convinced that the cassette (piss poor delivery medium) is a perfect means of delivery for this piss-poor indie wanker dreck.

and classical on tape?? no way, no how, not ever. Classical is about two things.

good performance

good sound.

trendy it aint...

but hell, I dont care if some ritalin addicted teen wants to listen to this crap, long may the format prosper. i just aint going anywhere near it.

Yah gots ta be a bit more subtle or circumspect than that, NC.

You basically said that 'to each their own, I've no problem with that, the freaking clueless barstewards.'

As for 'high end' cassette decks, I had a massive preference for their quality and fidelity over that of ANY early CD player. This is when we were getting well into the tweaked CD players and the CD war was turning serious.
Cassette, at the highest levels of quality is amazingly good.

#1 on that list of reasons why , it does not suffer from jitter.

#2, just like a 15khz rolled off stereo tube amp, it runs up into the Megahertz and more, within it's capacity to have perfect inter-channel micro -transient timing agreeance. In that respect, CD may as well be crap on a stick, which it is.

IIRC, The Boss's "Nebraska" is a cassette master.

Los Lobos uses cassette for many parts of their final product, as well.

All part of the fun.

yes, Springsteen recorded nebraska on a teac 4 track.... Iron and Wine, "the creek drank the cradle" was also recorded on a 4 track (both of them are favorite albums of mine...interestingly, these two titles represent the only two albums I can stand by Iron and Boss)

I still listen to my cassettes on occasion. I have a NAD 6340 single tape player from way back I particular prefer the cassettes that have things like the Digilog sticker on them. Also, my loudspeakers are pre cassette so LPs, reel-to reel, cassettes, and CDs makes for a nice balance of media I can play. Plus, I put a factory CD/Cassette player in my 4Runner. Cassettes sound okay there because the factory system sucks.

I have put away my Denon DRM-800 cassette player, but I am not going to ditch it. Btw I used only the best metal tapes around for that particular player, when I purchased them (Denon HD-MS 90)

I hadn't thought of this but it makes sense.

The mono versions are basically indestructable; I used to see them out on the street, wielded by radio reporters who would just *beat* on them.

s.

Hissssssssssssssssss...

Bring it on! I still own a Burwen 1201A dynamic noise filter.

Thanks, but no thanks. Some cassettes did sound pretty good back in the day and they were convenient. I can see playing old cassettes that you don't want to buy on CD or vinyl, but who would use them as a serious modern source ?????

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I can see playing old cassettes that you don't want to buy on CD or vinyl, but who would use them as a serious modern source ?????

I'm looking forward to owning a cassette deck not only to listen to old tapes, but so that I can enjoy albums from those new bands -- interesting, exciting bands, in my opinion -- who choose to release their work on cassette. Does that make it a serious source?

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Hissssssssssssssssss...

Bring it on! I still own a Burwen 1201A dynamic noise filter.

Thanks, but no thanks. Some cassettes did sound pretty good back in the day and they were convenient. I can see playing old cassettes that you don't want to buy on CD or vinyl, but who would use them as a serious modern source ?????

Funny thing, have you ever noticed tape hiss is missing from CDs made from analog sources, but is audible on the vinyl versions.......hmmmmm??? Have we been hoodwinked??

You guys might be interested to hear this. Last Wed. I bought a TEAC V7010 cassette deck. It compares well to my Naks (LX-5 and ZX-7). It's big and heavy (20+ pounds) with a copper plated chassis and in near mint condition.

If nothing else it's nice eye candy.

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yeah, cassette and vinyl are both hissy/noisy... digital is not(comparatively) no hoodwink. thats called progress, Herr DaDa

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yeah, cassette and vinyl are both hissy/noisy... digital is not(comparatively) no hoodwink. thats called progress, Herr DaDa

I'm not sure you understand what I'm referring to. Let me rephrase it: When the original master tape is used to produce both vinyl and CD versions, the tape hiss in the original master tape is audible in the vinyl LP but not the CD. Something's missing! I mean, uh, besides the tape hiss....

And you call that progress??

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When the original master tape is used to produce both vinyl and CD versions, the tape hiss in the original master tape is audible in the vinyl LP but not the CD.

I haven't experienced this.

It may well be that the producer decided that those with LP playback will accept/are accustomed to a bit of noise, those listening to CD playback will object, and therefore used a bit of noise reduction on the CD.

It is easy to remove tape hiss. It is tonal (constant in timbre) and constant in level.

This isn't progress of lack thereof; it is tape hiss.

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When the original master tape is used to produce both vinyl and CD versions, the tape hiss in the original master tape is audible in the vinyl LP but not the CD.

I haven't experienced this.

It may well be that the producer decided that those with LP playback will accept/are accustomed to a bit of noise, those listening to CD playback will object, and therefore used a bit of noise reduction on the CD.

It is easy to remove tape hiss. It is tonal (constant in timbre) and constant in level.

This isn't progress of lack thereof; it is tape hiss.

Uh, Elk, I don't reckon anyone is intentionally removing tape hiss from digital recordings. But I haven't been checking too closely, either. Are you suggesting someone is actually doing that? Have you found some CDs with Dolby Noise Reduction labels on them?

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Uh, Elk, I don't reckon anyone is intentionally removing tape hiss from digital recordings.

It is common, using gates, NR of various types, etc.

(Nothing to do with Dolby, inapplicable to CD.)

it is a conspiracy. the media division of the Bilderberg group paid upper echelon Black Ops Audio Operators to make the hiss disappear...the extended frequency range and lack of background noise---also a sinister conspiracy.

go get them, Herr DaDa. Micheal Moore is looking for ideas for his next project... Dylan Avery would jump on this too, I bet..

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Uh, Elk, I don't reckon anyone is intentionally removing tape hiss from digital recordings.

It is common, using gates, NR of various types, etc.

(Nothing to do with Dolby, inapplicable to CD.)

OK, then riddle me this, batman: if the vinyl LP and CD are produced from the same master tape, why is the tape hiss audible on the vinyl LP but not the CD? Did the engineer decide that the vinyl lovers like to hear tape hiss but that the CD lovers don't? IMO, we still have a problem why tape hiss is much more audible on LPs than CDs that are produced from the same original master tape. As I said previously, Something's Missing - and it's not just the tape hiss!

Where in the frequenzy range does tape hiss lie?

CD's have a limited bandwidth compared to an LP, maybe this explains it?

Return of the Audio Cassette, in The Guardian.

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But just as it is facing extinction, the clunky old cassette has been reborn. Last year, feted indie bands Deerhunter and the Dirty Projectors both took the unusual step of putting out albums on cassette, and Universal made the celebrity poetry album Words for You Britain's first major-label cassette release in six years. The 6 Music DJ Lauren Laverne celebrates old compilations on her regular Memory Tapes feature. In the US, there are hundreds of underground labels that specialise in the format and package it with a degree of artistry never witnessed in the old Woolworths bargain bin. In the era of iPods and bitrates, the cassette has become the fragile repository of a generation's affection for the analogue age.

The piece includes comments from Al Bjornaa of Scotch Tapes. Al tells me the article has resulted in hits to his website coming from all over the world. Pretty cool.

Cassette Tapes Are the New Vinyl, in Creative Loafing. With comments from Gerard Cosley, audiophile, and president of Matador Records.

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Beyond the commercial viability, cassettes offer their own cachet. At a time when over-saturation has devalued music, cassettes give listeners a way to stand apart from digital malaise and to have fun with the ritual of listening to music again.

This Is Not a Mixtape, in Pitchfork.

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Tapes never fell completely out of favor among experimental and noise musicians, but their broader underground resurgence appears to reflect a confluence of cultural trends. Instant access to almost any recording has left some of us over-stimulated, endlessly consuming without really digesting what we hear. Many children of the 1980s first owned their music on cassette, so for them the format represents a nostalgia for simpler times; younger kids probably never owned cassettes in the first place, so for them tapes don't have any negative associations. The spread of Internet-enabled smart phones and 24/7 social networking has made work and pleasure increasingly intertwined in our digital existences. Like records, cassettes offer listeners a tangible experience at a time when our jobs, our social lives, and our popular culture are becoming more and more ephemeral.

The process of transferring music from vinyl and cd to tape was always cool. It provided a real connection to music that mattered. It was fun comparing different Dolby schemes on peaky sources, then usually defaulting to none to get the best treble extension. It was fun programming each side to max out the tape length. It was fun monitoring the recording and checking the heads for oxide build-up. It was fun being able to play my music in my cassette-only stereo in the car or give something to my girlfriend that she heard and liked. It was fun and neurotically necessary filling out the song lists on the little card inserts. It was the journey- not the destination (hoary cliche apology here)- and it's supposed to be fun, isn't it?.

Add to the list of cassette only releases: shoppers - 'you shot me and i woke up in my next life'

Here's the link: http://www.druggedconscience.com/

While I have trouble reconciling the hardcore but kinda melodic music therein (think Sonic Youth very early) with the lovely lead singer whose diaper I used to change, it is nonetheless worth hearing.

(Assuming of course that you are ok with hardcore and noise. Kids these days...)

s.

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Add to the list of cassette only releases: shoppers - 'you shot me and i woke up in my next life'

Here's the link: http://www.druggedconscience.com/

Cool. I've bookmarked it. Thanks.

It WAS fun! I loved recording because it was an active sport. Many times friends or roommates of all different kinds were fooled into thinking they were listening to a cd. Using Bias and DNR correctly does a lot to getting rid of cassette's shortcomings.

Hey- the most important and simple fact is there are tons of well-recorded cassettes that a LOT of us still have, and wanting a good cassette deck is VALID.

What about the Replacements "Shit Hits the Fan" cassette from a long time ago..? Classic!

Don't think this was already noted.

An article on cassettes:

in praise of tapes

s.

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in praise of tapes

Very cool. Some interesting stuff in there, and I didn't know Cold Cave had a new tape out. Crap, now I gotta go visit Hospital Productions -- always dangerous: I go in for one tape and wind up spending a hundred dollars.

Thanks!

I just "tape-dropped" a recording of a musical from the early 60'es "Teenager Love" onto a CD.

I still have a 3 head Denon DRM-800 cassette player with a very dusty lid, but it still works like a dream. Truth is I don't use it much, but considering the (lousy) amount of money it would be worth, I am sticking to it forever.

Outside of the noise floor of cassettes, the sound quality is probably at least the equal of MP3 at 128. Probably better, but you can add what you think.

I always bought cassette tapes (Metal only) at $10 a piece for the machine and it sounds really good. Compared to mp3 128 bits, the Denon sounds much better.

I have always gotten very acceptable results with the TDK-SA and the Maxell UDXL-II tapes there were about $3-4 each. I was always afraid of the metals tapes and storage over time. I do think they can capture more HF though. Of course I might have also been afraid of the dark...I can't remember. lol

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I have always gotten very acceptable results with the TDK-SA and the Maxell UDXL-II tapes there were about $3-4 each. I was always afraid of the metals tapes and storage over time. I do think they can capture more HF though. Of course I might have also been afraid of the dark...I can't remember. lol

These 2 brands of tape have always given me good results...but then, again, I only listen to the finished product via the tape deck in my old pick-up truck.
I record CDs onto my Luxman 3 head cassette recorder and, when I play them back through my house system the difference between them and the CD is practically undetectable. But these are an old man's ears listening.

I'm certain that both roadsters and rubber ducks are "in" these days, no matter the age

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I'm certain that both roadsters and rubber ducks are "in" these days, no matter the age

A rubber duck on the dash of my roadster may look odd but for comradery sake I'll velcro one in place.

Revival?, I never quit using them, during the last few years I've been picking up type two, blank-unopened cassettes for $1 each at my local G'will and St Vinnies, although my Nak CR-7A will reproduce 20-20k on type one tape I find so many 2's that I just leave the lesser on the shelf, I am 51 now so I've been through the 8 track, R2R and vinyl/cassette phases.

I still buy DVD Audio and SACD's when I find them to go with my vinyl collection but I spend a few bucks a month on prerecorded cassettes also, you can pick them up for as low as 10 cents and there are a lot of well done recordings out there, I picked up two Blue Note recordings by Stanley Jordan last week and I've bought many XDR recordings over the years that are quite good, just inspect the tape for problems before purchase (surface impurities/damage-etc..)
the better Naks have tape pad lifters so if the pads gone it makes no difference.

I have been very lucky to find exceptional three head decks for lunch money, I paid $25 for my Nak Dragon at a moving sale in perfect working condition and I paid $40 for my mint one owner Nak CR-7A with remote, the tire was flat so I bought two CR-1A's and used the parts to upgrade the 7A to gear drive, total cost so far is $80.

I have not bought into the world of mp3 yet and probably won't, I have heard the Ayre usb dac on a highend system and was impressed but in the meantime I can make a recording on the 7A that imho in my system sounds much better than a 128 digital and most every CD I own or have ever heard, and I have well over 4 hundred blank/unopened type 2 and metal tapes sitting on the shelf.

It's all good.

...and yet another article, this time from the L.A. Times.

Cassette tapes are back in the mix

s.

Just picked up a working Nak 582 three head at goodwill for $12, it has a few light issues as a non working vu meter but for twelve bucks what the heck, they are still out there to be found.

Just stay away from the Dragon's. They are said to be pure hell to repair

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Just stay away from the Dragon's. They are said to be pure hell to repair

Yes, they are but I have a tame Nakamichi technician in hand ( A rare and almost extinct breed!). However, my Dragon has functioned faultlessly for decades and still runs to original spec. It also sounds amazing on Darklab's Crome II tape, so much so I can hear the difference between a copy made off standard CD's and higher resolution digital files. That's not supposed to happen but it does.

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Just stay away from the Dragon's. They are said to be pure hell to repair

I sold my Dragon to my best buddy for $400 so it and it's replacement the CR-7A were basically free, and I still have visitation rights.

Today I felt like listening to some of my old tapes from the mid 80'es, so I set up my Denon DRM-800 from the same period. Besides, it's a shame to have it standing underneath my bed, collecting dust, don't you think?

It sounds better than I remember and I have a lot of Metal tapes of superior quality, all with music I've almost forgotten

You are "The Escence of Cool"!

An article I missed from earlier this year:

this is not a mixtape

s.