Rewind: Cassette Tapes Are Back

[cjacek]

Hey guys,

Just passing on a cool little blip about cassette tapes that I've found online. Pretty cool me thinks, even if for a quick fun read.

Rewind: Cassette Tapes Are Back
by Claudine Zap

November 20, 2008 03:41:14 PM

Before MP3 players, DVR, and Blu-Ray. Before live streaming and downloads, there were cassette tapes, an analog magnetic tape system for recording, listening, and mixing together your favorite tracks to share and play in your Walkman or boombox.

Think of it as a tiny reel-to-reel. The iPod of the '80s was last spotted at your neighbor's garage sale, the back of your friend's closet, and the "for sale" table at indie band concerts. Wait, what? That's right, cassette tapes are so out, they're in.

According to Splice Today, for underground bands, cassettes are the new, cool vinyl: "They perfectly suit thrifty DIY labels and musicians trying to maintain a lo-fi aesthetic, as well as the more artistically inclined."

While audio went digital, the lowly cassette was down but not out. In fact, we checked to see the buzz on tapes and found a bump in searches in the last week for "music cassette tapes" (+110%), "blank cassette tapes" (+210%), "books on cassette tapes" (+900%), and the sad but definitely true "cassette tapes problems damage" (+400%).

Say what you will about digital recording, you haven't really proved your love for a good tune until you've spent hours re-spooling a cassette that was eaten by your tape player.

If you already have every version of the iPod that's made, maybe it's time to go back in audio time. Given that it's a very DIY holiday this year, a mixed tape could be the perfect retro gift. You can even decorate the jewel box cover yourself.

We look forward to the re-discovery of the 8 Track.

source: http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92055/?fp=1

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[westgate]

whilst i've gone digital in most ways, i've never given up on the 'lowly' cassette.
i've never stopped aquiring them since '73.
with good recorders/players/tape, they can be quite impressive!

 

[stevieb]

Ah, cassettes. Audio cockroaches. Evolved during pre-historic times (in this case, 1959) from very lowly beginnings (originally as medium for dictation machines) and they won't die.

Gotta love 'em, and their digital cousins, diskettes.

 

[jedblue]

Oh my yes , I've just spent the day mastering off two tunes we recorded direct to 1/4" then making twenty first generation C12 chrome cassingles directly off the master.

True craft they be, limited edition, individually numbered analog-analog-analog masterpieces....

Now all we need to do is find some people kind (ah, stupid?) enough to buy them... Maybe I can market them as the ultimate in cool?

And I've just got my ten dollar eBay Telex cassette copier running like a trooper.

There's a cassetteroach plague going on in my house right now.

Somehow the whole process is a lot more, ah, interactive, than burning CD's.

Jed

 

[SteveM]

Cassettes went out?

They're so much easier dealing with than CDs. So many wasted CDs when working on roughs and having to finalize. BAH!

 

[shedshrine]

YUM!

My current supply for 424 and 238 fun...

 

[sweetbeats]

If anybody thought I had too much time on my hands, this should confirm it...

I've enjoyed this thread...I've taken great advantage of the cassette format in the past prior to the digital boom...Typically had Alpine decks in the car, and my Onkyo TA-2058 has been with me since purchased new in, like, '85? My brother had a really cool Aiwa deck from the late 80's too...wish I could remember the model...something about the way the transport door opened was really cool...lots of memories growing up doing make-believe radio shows and comical drama on "boom boxes" with built-in mics onto cassette.

ANYWAY...memories.

My favorite type IV cassettes were the TDK MA-R cassettes...the ones with the alloy shell. Maxell XL-II's were always my favorite for type II applications or simply as a lower cost option to the type IV cassettes, and in a lot of cases I like the type II sound better anyway. Well, naturally its all type II these days when using the Tascam 424mkII, but I have to assert that I always thought the MA-R's sounded better than other type IV tapes and for some reason I attributed it to the shell...like the greater mass helped it sit more stable or something. I know, I know...pure rot I'm sure, but let me hold on to my little delusion, huh?

So I started thinking "Hm...what about swapping out the tape in an MA-R with the tape in a new SM tape for cassette multitrack work?" This idea was, in my mind anyway, the equivalent of using a six-screw thick-flange reel for open reel work vs. the thin-flange three-screw. I really like the precision reels and use them almost exclusively. The MA-R tapes have polished metal tape guides and the idler rollers spin on polished steel pins vs. plastic...there is also a chromed steel shield over the record/repro head position...not sure what that would do but it would certainly stop any stray fluxivity...and then of course the aforementioned alloy shell with cool plastic record safety tabs that can be flipped to enable record or flipped to prevent record. So its "all that" except its got the wrong tape stock in it. I use TDK SM-60's with my 424mkII. Out to storage I went to look for MA-R tapes and found 5.

So here we go.

Here are the two patients, and the cordless drill with the 1/4" square socket bit was for any winding I had to do. The square drive bit fits just right into the reel:

Here they are opened up...obviously the MA-R can be disassembled by removing screws, whereas the SM cassette had to be broken open (I glued it back together...it actually came apart quite easily and a little super-glue made it right again ).

You can see the pressure pad from the MA-R in the foreground. It had a little buildup on it which came of really easily with a swab and iso alcohol. You can also see the aforementioned shield sitting on the table in between the shell and the face and reels for the MA-R cassette...also the little green reusable record prevention tabs:

The completed transfer of the SM tape to the MA-R shell. Wow...it...looks...the same.

I'm probably stoopid for messing with them...look at this eBay listing...look at the current price with bids on it!

 

[cjacek]

WOW! Nice going Cory. Looks cool. I think those shells do make a [performance] difference.

Makes me think if I stocked up on these MA-R tapes, back in the day and I mean really stocked up, then I'd probably have a nice supplementary income selling these off today, with a nice handful to keep for myself.

...but yeah, I think cassettes are indeed like a poor man's vinyl pressing.

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[cjacek]

BTW, speaking of these high end cassettes, one would think TDK and MAXELL would take a hint, from eBay closing prices and start manufacturing again. This also includes the open reel tapes from MAXELL, the UD line, which are going for crazy money as NOS, much higher amounts than originally priced. I wonder if these companies are paying attention or not..

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[A Reel Person]

Yeah,...

Cory's Mr-Takeitapartnfixit.

I have 'bout 1200 brand new Type II cassettes of various name brands in storage totes. I call that "future proofing" of my Portastudio collection.

Not to mention at least 1200 or more used cassettes that have some sort of music on them, both home made jam tapes and other commercial bits. I used to tape every practice session and performance when I was in a band, plus I used to record concerts off FM radio like a fiend. Remember when people listened to FM and they actually broadcast live special events? It seems like a long time ago. Wait. That's 20 years ago! Never mind!

 

[sweetbeats]

BTW, speaking of these high end cassettes, one would think TDK and MAXELL would take a hint, from eBay closing prices and start manufacturing again. This also includes the open reel tapes from MAXELL, the UD line, which are going for crazy money as NOS, much higher amounts than originally priced. I wonder if these companies are paying attention or not..

My hunch is that with the startup costs of reintroducing the lines, in spite of the inflated niche market, it is not worth the venture according to corporate bean-counters. Digital is where the volume is, and big companies like volume. Same deal with the lack of attention from Quantegy on the idea of reintroducing of the +3 and +6 lines of open reel tape...not enough volume to make it pan out on paper for them is my guess.

We analog-o-philes live in a niche world.

I have 'bout 1200 brand new Type II cassettes of various name brands in storage totes. I call that "future proofing" of my Portastudio collection.

The cases also work good as ice-scrapers...you could build a small but pleasantly eclectic out-building out of them too...Dave, have you thought of contacting Guinness World Records?

Remember when people listened to FM and they actually broadcast live special events?

Ahhhh...NPR was always (still is) good for catching something cool during the night...many times I can recall flipping to that with my brother and finding something that elicited a "No way! Cool!" comment.

 

[A Reel Person]

Stop making sense!

Stop making sense!

 

[A Reel Person]

Not to mention,...

I was the kind of LP audiophile, that I'd buy an album and tape it on it's first play, then listen to the tape and shelve the album. I was fanatical like that. Still am.

 

[jedblue]

My hunch is that with the startup costs of reintroducing the lines, in spite of the inflated niche market, it is not worth the venture according to corporate bean-counters. Digital is where the volume is, and big companies like volume. Same deal with the lack of attention from Quantegy on the idea of reintroducing of the +3 and +6 lines of open reel tape...not enough volume to make it pan out on paper for them is my guess.QUOTE]

Just up the road from me is a business who still rewinds cassettes from bulk tape. I have no idea where they get the bulk reel from but I can still get C12's, C30's, C46's, C60's or C90's in type I master or copy grade and C12's, C60's and C90's in chrome. With or without cases. And all the labels and insert cards.

I buy them in bulk, usually a hundred at a time.

Somewhere out there there is still a market for them.

C12's and C60's are for me.

Jed

 

[sweetbeats]

And fortunately the smaller companies are around to cater to the niche markets. We're here, and so are they, yes?

Daniel, jed, your point is absolutely correct. Regardless of market share, there is a market.

I think you can still get the bulk cassettes from Full Compass as well, but I don't recall seeing them in type II.

Can you put up some contact info for that company you are talking about, and what do you pay for a 100pc. case of type II cassettes?