Question about cassette compression

P

p90

New member
Hey out there!
Once in a while I find that running a digital recording through analog imparts kind of a dusty, older feeling to the sound that I like. I know that might sound really superficial haha, but I like how analog sounds so much, but am too lazy to give up digital editing. Anyways, my question - the way that I run these recordings through analog is by connecting the mic input on a cassette recorder to the headphone output of my laptop by means of a standard 3.5mm jack. I get the analog tonal goodness, but the problem is that the sound is EXTREMELY compressed so the dynamic range is destroyed, and the signal reaches distortion levels incredibly easily. Any ideas on how to correct this? Thanks a million
 
You have an impedance and nominal level mismatch there.

What tape deck are you using? You should be using the line input on the tape deck and not the mic input.
 
Ah, total revelation! Thanks a lot. I'm using a regular old portable cassette player.. but if I repeat this process with a quality tape deck instead with a dedicated line in, that would fix my problem?
 
Probably not. If you are using the headphone out on your laptop, that would imply that you are using the laptop's soundcard, which isn't ideal.
 
Maybe you should let us know what your recording chain is. Ideally you would use an interface then take a stereo track into the line input of a GOOD deck for the analog flavor. Then out of the deck back into your daw.
Or you could go straight into the deck via a mixer, take the stereo out of the tape deck, the into the line in of a two channel interface.
 
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Sure thing, I use a mixer that has mic inputs and 1/4" instrument inputs to actually record my sounds, and that travels into a Behringer UCA-202 USB interface going into my laptop. I'm very pleased with my digital quality, but it always feel like it's lacking that analog soul. The USB interface does indeed have stereo RCA outputs, so I can definitely transfer the sound through that to a tape deck! Thanks a lot for the help man
 
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