Help Please ?

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ROCKFUQ

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I have an old Clarion - X5 Studio (XD55oof ) 4 -Channel muti-track recorder/mixer .

I have a whole bunch of stuff on tapes I recorded on this muti-tracker .
It takes your basic cassette tapes but for better quality I had the pitch/speed or whatever turned up when I recorded and now I have no way to play these tapes so I can transfer or at least listen to these old recordings I have .

The muti-tracker powers on but when I play a tape it just clicks a few times and stops .

What I need to know since I how no idea how to fix this thing .
Is what other multi-tracker has where you can change the speed so I can hear these tapes I have ?
VERY CHEAP OR even used one !

Please help !
 
First of all, Welcome to the board ROCKFUQ... :)

Well, it's been realy long time since I dumped my old Fostex 4 tracks. But if my memory serves me right, then you can play those cassete in similiar 4 tracks machine as long as they have about same speed. I used to exchange my idea with my friend who had Tascam 4 tracks, and it works. Better option will be to find friends of yours who has similiar machine, and transfer the songs as soon as possible. Or you can find similiar kind of used machine in e-bay...

;)
Jaymz
 
Welcome to the site, ROCKFUQ

I would suggest the same thing, J. A.

Let us know if this solved your problem.

However, if it doesn't solve your problem, there is another solution, although it is VERY, VERY time consuming. :eek:

spin
 
Yeah , I'm having trouble finding a cheap 4 track with a speed control thingie on it to be able to play the tapes at the right speed .

What is that another solution that is VERY, VERY time consuming ?

THanks for your help guys :)
 
ROCKFUQ said:
I have an old Clarion - X5 Studio (XD55oof ) 4 -Channel muti-track recorder/mixer .

I have a whole bunch of stuff on tapes I recorded on this muti-tracker .
It takes your basic cassette tapes but for better quality I had the pitch/speed or whatever turned up when I recorded and now I have no way to play these tapes so I can transfer or at least listen to these old recordings I have .

The muti-tracker powers on but when I play a tape it just clicks a few times and stops .

What I need to know since I how no idea how to fix this thing .
Is what other multi-tracker has where you can change the speed so I can hear these tapes I have ?
VERY CHEAP OR even used one !

Please help !
Click to expand...


There are quite a few old 4-track tape recorders that have vari-speed control. Look on Ebay and you may find one really cheap.

Do you have a computer?
If you do you might be able to get these tapes into an audible format.

You'll need a multi-track editing program like Cakewalk or Cubase, some kind of pitch shift plug-in and a regular tape deck.

First, record the entire first side of the tape from beginning to end into your computer. Second, flip the tape over to the second side and record that in it's entirety. Third, take the two recordings (or four if you recorded the left and right channel as two mono tracks) and put them in the editing program. Fourth, reverse the tracks that are playing backwards (you might need another program to do this). Fifth, apply the pitch shifter to all the tracks and pitch them up or down until it sounds normal. Sixth, mixdown the tracs to one stereo track and viola!
 
That MAY solve pitch issues, but I seriously doubt it. Expect some nasty artifacts from that approach.

Tempo is a whole other ball-o-wax.
 
c7sus said:
That MAY solve pitch issues, but I seriously doubt it. Expect some nasty artifacts from that approach.

Tempo is a whole other ball-o-wax.
Click to expand...

Applying pitch shifting shouldn't cause any problems because if it's already pitched down on the cassette tape, then increasing the pitch in the DAW will have the same effect as speeding the tape up. Also, I don't think you'd have to be especially concerned with "nasty artifacts" if you're dumping cassette 4-track stuff into a computer.

I did forget one step in my process. Once you reverse the backwards tracks and pitch everything to where it sounds normal, you will need to *gasp* manually sync the tracks together with one another!
 
Hey Rockfuq, I have a similar dilemmea, I spent like a year, ten years ago redording on a 8 track cassette recorder then >sold it If the works are real important, just get another 4 trk with pitch control. Wish I could help more, I'm a newbie at the computer stuff.
 
If ANYBODY has an old junk 4 track with a speed control thingie they want to sell me PLEASE LET ME KNOW !

Thanks for all the help !
 
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