Cassette tape questions.

[michaelq]

Hey all,

I just needed a little bit of clarification on cassette tape types. I recently acquired a Yamaha MTX 8 deck, and had questions regarding chrome tape. Is all high bias type II tape "chrome" tape, or is chrome high bias type II tape slightly different? According to the manual with this particular deck I need to be using chrome tape. I know the question is like the great square/rectangle debate, but if anyone has had any use with these machines there input would be greatly appreciated. I'm used to running a tascam 424 mkIII and at times use normal, regular high bias, and type II casettes but "chrome" has never been called for, so its left me a little cloudy. Any tips, links, antying would be great. Thanks.

 

[cjacek]

Type II / high-bias / chromium oxide / chrome / CrO2, means basically the same thing. You need to be using "type II" for those cassette decks, as that's what they're setup for.

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[michaelq]

thanks cjacek

 

[jjones1700]

Type I for everyday use
Type II for most studio type recorders
Type III if you really want to tear up some record/playback heads.

Okay, I'm done being a smartass.

 

[analogkid]

Actually(said in dramatic fashion) Type III tape is what used to be called Ferrichrome, predates Type IV metal tape and likely will have less head wear than Type IV tape. Honestly I haven't seen ANY Type III tape since the 1970s, I always assumed it was phased out in favor of the far more popular Type II and Type IV varieties.

AK

 

[lo.fi.love]

Type I for everyday use

I disagree. Type I tape is a terrible choice for anything other than spoken word recordings. It'll certainly work for music, and in fact it might sound kind of good depending on the aesthetic your're going for, but you're always much better off with type II.

And don't get me started on my Type IV rant. Metal tape is incredible and I'm really upset that it's not commercially available any more. I use it for live recordings if I'm going to use my Marantz PMD-430. SO good!

 

[cjacek]

I remember a buddy of mine, over 10 years ago, recording a live theatre play with his portable [higher end] cassette recorder, mini condenser mic and a metal type IV tape. I still recall how incredible, lifelike it sounded on playback!

 

[Tim Gillett]

I disagree. Type I tape is a terrible choice for anything other than spoken word recordings.

Actually, spoken word recordings could be a tough test for any tape. In the silences between sentences you heard every bit of print through and hiss.

Many recordists hated it but Dolby or dbx, used properly, could make a Type I tape sound quieter than a Type IV.

 

[RRuskin]

I disagree. Type I tape is a terrible choice for anything other than spoken word recordings. It'll certainly work for music, and in fact it might sound kind of good depending on the aesthetic your're going for, but you're always much better off with type II.

Always? In the late 70's early 80's TDGK made an extended range type I cassette that sounded far better than any type II on the market - with or without noise reductin.

 

[Tim Gillett]

Always? In the late 70's early 80's TDGK made an extended range type I cassette that sounded far better than any type II on the market - with or without noise reductin.

Do you mean the TDK AD and AD-X? TDK claimed it to "rival chrome and metal tapes in certain specifications". They didnt claim it rivalled chrome and metal overall.


NR made a big difference to tape and playback preamp noise levels, no matter which tape was used. The downside was the need to maintain machines and record/playback alignment more tightly than without NR.

NR made all tape recordings quieter but especially made narrow track, slow speed recordings sound quieter because they were more noisy to begin with.

 

[RRuskin]

Do you mean the TDK AD and AD-X? TDK claimed it to "rival chrome and metal tapes in certain specifications". They didnt claim it rivalled chrome and metal overall.


NR made a big difference to tape and playback preamp noise levels, no matter which tape was used. The downside was the need to maintain machines and record/playback alignment more tightly than without NR.

NR made all tape recordings quieter but especially made narrow track, slow speed recordings sound quieter because they were more noisy to begin with.

TDK -= yes. (the "G" was a typo)

I don't care what they claimed. It sounded much better than any Type II I auditioned.

You don't need to sell me on the benefits of NR. I routinely used it on all analog formats save for 1" 8 & 2" 16 and 24 track.

 

[Tim Gillett]

I've just looked up a later TDK brochure with details of their AR and AR-X. These were even better performers than the older AD and AD-X.

But again, TDK only claimed the AR and AR-X rivalled their current Metal tapes "in some quarters" such as 315hz MOL. At 10khz, Metal still creamed the other types.

The AR tapes with their dual layer - one of which was Avilyn- were the most sophisticated and best performing Type 1 tape available but TDK saw their Metal tape range as superior overall to the rest of their range.

BTW you should care what TDK said. They were far greater experts on tapes than you or I will ever be.

Tim

 

[stevieb]

Ah, cassette tapes- audio cockroaches.

(I feel compelled to say that in any thread about cassette tapes...)

 

[jjones1700]

I'll just stick with the 'ol reliable Type II Maxell XL-II. 20 years of recording various things onto them and NEVER had one defect or hiccup, unless it was my fault for not cleaning the deck transport often enough. The first of those tapes still sounds awesome today.

 

[RRuskin]

Ah, cassette tapes- audio cockroaches.

(I feel compelled to say that in any thread about cassette tapes...)

True enough. The cassette was an awful way to treat good music. Glad they're pretty much gone.

 

[Tim Gillett]

Well cassette wasnt designed in 1964 for high fidelity but cheapness and convenience. But with improved machines, NR and tape formulations it could have quite respectable fidelity, so long as the recordist knew what they were doing.

Cassettes were the first self recording format available for the masses and were an overwhelming, even staggering success.

Cassettes may not be used much these days for new material but there is an enormous amount of original audio captured to cassette worldwide, probably in the millions of hours. If it hadnt been for the cassette, probably most of the material would never have been recorded.

Same for videocassettes. Both are going to be with us for a very long time as carriers of irreplaceable audio and video material. The challenge will be to try and preserve them so their contents dont die with them.

 

[TinNedd]

If your machine say's chrome then that is what you are meant to put in to get the best performance out of the machine. But there is nothing realy saying that you can't put any other tape in your machine acept you won't get the best audio peformance. Iv got good results by using the cheap type one tapes. Its more about what type of sound your after than the best ideal playback performance. Evan old, worn and used tape can sound quite interesting. Don't forget you can clean up the tape when you put it back into the computer.

 

[Bobby Darko]

Originally Posted by stevieb
Ah, cassette tapes- audio cockroaches.

(I feel compelled to say that in any thread about cassette tapes...)

So you regularly check if there's any threads about cassette and type that sentence? Pretty sad! This is homerecording.com my friend, and many of us use cassette. In fact my studio is going rather well and i use cassette tape only (so yeah, I felt hurt by your remark)

No, but seriously, cassette can sound quite good for a lot of stuff, not all stuff, but a lot...

ps. I would really try to get type II for your porta, the rest won't sound as good at all!! Don't put metal tapes in your tascam..and keep away from type I if you can

 

[cjacek]

With regard to the "cassette tapes- audio cockroaches" remark.. I'm no mind - reader but what I think the poster meant, judging from his prior posts, was that cassette tapes are like cockroaches in that they refuse to die.. a positive comment, I think.

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[sweetbeats]

+1 to what Daniel (cjacek) sed...beat me to it......go easy on stevieb...its an analogy of the cassette to the 'roach...hard to get rid of and curiously designed to withstand surprising conditions. The humble cockroach is scorned and yet is an amazing and capable creature, like the Philips cassette.