Starting with cassettes?

  • Thread starter Thread starter CrowsofFritz
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CrowsofFritz

CrowsofFritz

Flamingo!
Okay, so I've posted on here sometimes before about starting with tape and getting a reel to reel, but I've never done so because I considered it to be too big an investment for something I'm unsure about.


What would you say about starting with cassettes? Would getting a cassette recorder sort of hint at what tape is like? I'm not really aiming for quality right off the bat, I just want to get an idea of tape. I could get a new tape recorder and some blank cassettes for $35 rather than a reel to reel machine and 1/4" tape costing well over $150.


Would you say this is good for getting my feet wet, or will I only be paying for junk?
 
Cassette decks can range wildly in quality. Some at the top end, like a Nakamichi dragon or a TEAC Z-7000 will sound as good or better then many reel to reel decks. But those decks don't sell for $35.00.

Usually, for 35 bucks, you're going to end up with somebody else's problems unless they have no idea what they're selling and are dumping off a genuine quality piece of gear way below market value.

And if you don't really know the difference between a good deck, a great one or a POS one, odds are, you'll just end up with.....someone else's problem.

Cheers! :)
 
The Ghost of FM said:
Cassette decks can range wildly in quality. Some at the top end, like a Nakamichi dragon or a TEAC Z-7000 will sound as good or better then many reel to reel decks. But those decks don't sell for $35.00.

Usually, for 35 bucks, you're going to end up with somebody else's problems unless they have no idea what they're selling and are dumping off a genuine quality piece of gear way below market value.

And if you don't really know the difference between a good deck, a great one or a POS one, odds are, you'll just end up with.....someone else's problem.

Cheers! :)
Click to expand...

+1

In addition, cassette will give you a hint of what tape is like but the experience will still be measurably different from using tape on an average or better reel-to-reel. Different tape speeds and tape width mean different frequency responses and bandwidth limitations, different audible wow and flutter and drop-outs, different inherent noise levels, etc. A mic or preamp I might choose to use with a 1/4" two-track reel-to-reel running at 15 i.p.s. might be inappropriate on my stereo cassette decks even using Type II or metal cassettes. Work flow is also different in many respects: for examples, stringing up a reel is slower than popping in a cassette, and choosing and using noise reduction is a different thought process with cassette versus reel-to-reel. Ultimately if you want to move from cassette recording to reel-to-reel recording it is not a lateral move but will involve a learning curve somewhat like going from digital to analog. I would compare tape to a ball and a bat: Baseball and cricket both use them, but the ball games are completely different beyond that common denominator.
 
Okay. I see.


Hmm.... I don't even know if I want to start this! lol. My dad has tons of old cassettes that I do want to play though (there are chopin tapes and some baroque music!). The only cassette player in my house is the old car. :rolls eyes:


How much of a difference is there between a $35 dollar portable recorder/player and.... say... a decent tascam deck? Is it night and day? I'll be in my college dorm as well. I don't know if I want to lug a cassette deck here, which is why I mention the portable player.
 
Be aware that a failing cassette deck can eat tapes pretty easily.

This can happen with a R2R as well, but in my experience it's a lot rarer and is more difficult anyway since the tape itself is thicker and stronger.
 
I gotchya. I'll have to be aware of that. I just want something to play my dad's cassettes!


Thanks guys
 
CrowsofFritz said:
I gotchya. I'll have to be aware of that. I just want something to play my dad's cassettes!
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. If you do get the cheap one, try it out first on blanks or something that's not valuable.

Also be aware that 120 minute cassettes (like my Dad used to tape the Lord of the Rings series back in the day) are especially fragile.
 
jpmorris said:
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. If you do get the cheap one, try it out first on blanks or something that's not valuable.

Also be aware that 120 minute cassettes (like my Dad used to tape the Lord of the Rings series back in the day) are especially fragile.
Click to expand...

And more expensive, it seems, as well. Damn.


Well, while I'm hear. I keep hearing things about AC and DC bias and how AC is better. How would I know what I'm getting? If I get a cheapie, is it pretty much guaranteed I will have DC bias? Is AC reserved for the high end stuff?
 
go find yourself a Tascam 112 or 122, on eBay. Are you handy at all? Ive bought several of these in the last couple of years, and got every one for less than 50 bucks. Good machines. Look if they have the "balanced" option (XLR input and output)
 
I can be handy to an extent. If it's too technical, I'm not going to fix it.

I'll certainly look at those.
 
Another question to ask yourself is why tape. (Other than playing those tapes of your fathers.) If that is all, then there are decent decks to be had out there if you look. I bought a Denon with rack ears for about $20 or so a while ago, but that was a find in a warehouse where everything (mostly oddball computer stuff) was for sale. BTW, the later generation commercial tapes with Dolby B actually don't sound that bad.

The recommendations above are good, shop carefully, and don't expect a $15 garage sale deal to necessarily be a good one. I've found some good deals through the years, but usually paying a fair price gets a better product.
 
So do you want a multitrack recorder or just a cassette player to play old cassettes? If you just want a decent cassette player, you can get a midrange Sony or Philips player for $30. I got a perfectly working mid-spec Sony dual cassette deck for $10 with two speeds, 3 different NR (switchable) and pitch control.

If you want a 4 track cassette recorder, you could get a decent working one for $50-$100 and they are usually have an inbuilt mixer so are pretty self-contained, decent sounding (with Type II cassettes), very portable and relatively easy to use.

Don't bother getting a handheld or portable 2 track (standard) cassette deck for any sort of recording as you might as well just use the line input on your laptops sound card then.
 
Pretty much a cassette player.


If I were to get a multi-track, I would probably go with a 4 track Tascam, as I've only heard good things.
 
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