Mastering multitrack cassette to normal cassette

[Kevin5keeley]

So I've finished recording my album on my Yamaha multitrack cassette recorder and now I want to duplicate the tapes to be played on just a normal cassette Walkman/player. I know since multitrack cassettes record at different speeds they can't be played on a Walkman, how can I master the multitrack cassette to be played on a Walkman? Any help is appreciated

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Mixing is the part of the process where you create stereo audio tracks from the multitrack, which generally includes adding eq and effects to tracks. Mastering is the part where you put a collection of mixed songs together onto a master that you use for duplication and release.

You could mix and master in one step, but there are advantages to making them separate steps.

To mix and master at the same time you will need to mix them to a stereo deck, getting the sequence, levels and eq correct. Then you will need another deck to make copies of the master for distribution. You don't really want to wear out your master by playing it casually.

A second option is to mix down to a stereo deck, then master the mixes to another stereo deck, sequencing the tracks, setting levels and eq etc. Then use that master for duplication. But if these are all cassette decks you're going to start losing quality with this many generations of transfer.

A third option, which I recommend, is to mix down to your computer through a decent interface and master digitally. Then you can use that digital master to make your distribution copies on a stereo deck by playing back out the interface. You would also be able to post mixed and mastered tracks online. For this purpose one of the simple Behringer interfaces with RCA connection would probably be effective.

 

[Kevin5keeley]

Thanks for the reply! I think I'll go for the third option, but what will I play the digital files on my computer into? Just a regular cassette Walkman with a record function? And repeat the process to create more tapes?

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Thanks for the reply! I think I'll go for the third option, but what will I play the digital files on my computer into? Just a regular cassette Walkman with a record function? And repeat the process to create more tapes?

If that's the only stereo cassette deck you have, the I guess so. Ideally you would have one good stereo deck for making your cassette dupes. Then you could use a normal Walkman type player.

Even in the days when cassette multitrackers were the norm you needed at least one good deck to mix to and perhaps a second one for mastering and duplication purposes. Portable devices were for casual listening, not for production work. (Well, if you needed to record to stereo at remote locations you might have one of the pro Walkmans, but they were expensive compared to home units of similar sound quality. I had a Sony WM-D6C.)

Maybe just skip the portable cassette part of the equation and put the tracks on your phone, and/or post them online so you can stream them to any device.

 

[mr_analog_1976]

bouldersoundguy is absolutely right.

If you are mixing to a pc I would recommend downloading and installing Audacity.

If you are going this route I would suggest the best quality cable you can buy.

Try this option. Record track 1 & 2 into Audacity (via 3.5mm jack) as a "stereo pair" and save either in its own format (.aup) or export as a .wav. Do likewise with 3 & 4.

Then drag and drop wav 1 & 2 into Audacity and do likewise with 3 & 4, so you have two stereo tracks.

Sync (align) them via the move tool. Syncing takes a little practice, but it is possible. When finally happy use the "split stereo track" option for both stereo tracks, and hence achieve 4 individual tracks.

Using Audacity's built-in mixer, place each track as desired in the stereo picture. Also each track can have its own EQ.

Tip: Balance output of each track on the tape deck so loudest part reads 0db on vu meter. Do likewise In Audacity and keep loudest part of the track to to -6db via the recording level slider.

When happy, save work in Audacitys own format (.aup) to archive and preserve the mult-track. Then export all tracks as a stereo wav file.

Keep the exported wav as a master and use for all subsequent recordings to cassette.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Um, I'd have to disagree. Analog tape decks, especially cheap 4-track cassette machines, are liable to drift a bit. You might get lucky, or it might be a pain to sync things up. If you've only got stereo input, mix the four tracks down to stereo from the 4-tracker into the computer.

Maybe the the 1/8" (3.5mm) input built into a computer's sound card will be adequate, but of those Behringer UCA series interfaces would be preferable.

Mixing in the computer would be great, but transfer all four tracks at once using a 4-channel interface. That way they're in perfect sync, any drift will apply to all tracks equally. If you're going that route get Reaper. Audacity is great for certain things, not so much for multitrack work.

 

[garww]

Quick and dirty is a dual well, high-speed dubbing deck. I happen to have a pic of one already loaded.

 

[gecko zzed]

I used to have a Yamaha 4 track cassette recorder on which I did multi-tracking. It was a Yamaha MT3X. Once I had got everything recorded, I would do a mixdown onto a separate cassette deck. It was a Rotel of some sort, but I can't recall exactly now. To make a heap of cassettes means copying this mixdown, and garww above has posted a picture of a nice dual cassette.

Doing it this way keeps the whole thing in the analog realm, and thus you avoid the complexities of getting into computers. But it does require the hardware, i.e. cassette decks.

If you do decide to go with computers, rather than doing the mix in the computer and loading up the four tracks in two pairs and running speed drifting issues as bouldersound guy noted, you could more simply mix the four tracks two a stereo track which you then record as a stereo track into your computer. There are many programs that will do this. You can then do some processing on the mix.

To get it onto cassette, you can go back the other way, i.e. playing from the computer, recording onto cassette on your four-track (recording to just tracks 1 & 2). However, that depends on whether the four-track can do the standard 4.76 cm/s speed. (My MT3X was switchable between 4.76 and 9.5.)

 

[garww]

Ya' can't beat the computer for editing and possibly making a whole different sounding album. Even doing this, the cassette stage can be quite tedious. On the dubbing deck, press one button and the 30-minute cassette is done in 15-minute.

This one in the photo would be "good enough". I know some have wide-range pitch control and auto-calibrate, for example

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Using the computer method, you could run off a cassette master to use for duplication on a high speed dubbing deck. Or get these:

Telex Cassette Duplicator - musical instruments - by owner - sale

 

[garww]

Using the computer method, you could run off a cassette master to use for duplication on a high speed dubbing deck. Or get these:

Telex Cassette Duplicator - musical instruments - by owner - sale

There's is usually a bunch of used hi-speed duplicators on eBait. I'm just not that brave ! hahah

It is possible to beg, borrow, or, steal a good deck for the master. That alone would be a big improvement for the average dual well, because, often, the play side can do pretty well

 

[ashcat_lt]

I recorded both sides of a split for these two bands on my DAW rig at the studio. Mixed and mastered and sent them the files from Google drive. They made their cassette dupes by playing those files back on WMP though a guitar amp with a pair of those cassette recorders with the mic built in sitting in front of it. :/

 

[gecko zzed]

Clearly they were aiming for lofi