Does anyone here still use cassettes?

[fredblue]

yes, on occasion, as i've a few things i never got
on any other format. due to space (cake) limitations however i don't have a full deck anymore (ahem) so i play tapes back on my trusty old WM-D6C, which i'm amazed is still going tbh but it gets the job done. the value of some tape stuffs seemingly zooming and the pro walkmen are no exception so when hyperinflation kicks in i can survive for a fortnight if i flog the wee beastie

 

[furui_suterioo]

Cassette is actually making a comeback like vinyl, which has me thinking whether I should get some made for the younger population.

Make sure to convert to low bitrate mp3 and compress all dynamic range first, wouldn't want to shock those younger ears.

 

[sperezmore]

I do

Regards,

 

[Mr. Afternoon]

IMO, some things are 'better left in the past!' Cassettes were fun and offered convenience in 'their day,' but why take a backwards step in both fidelity and diluting your incredible 5.1 surround remix by offering lo fi STEREO cassettes! Your release on hybrid SACD 5.1 and BD~A 5.1 was certainly a bold move for an independent production but hey, it's your $$$$$ ...... if you decide to go the cassette route!

If I ever go the cassette route, might as well gimmick to the max and matrix-encode it.

 

[Mr. Afternoon]

Make sure to convert to low bitrate mp3 and compress all dynamic range first, wouldn't want to shock those younger ears.

That is true!
I found out recently that most younger people have the misconception that Spotify is better quality than CD.
WHY? HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

 

[jefe1]

I disagree with the poster above who calls cassettes lo fi. recording from a good source on a good quality tape on a good deck gave great results.
When I made tapes on my three head Yamaha deck and gave them to friends they were amazed by the sound quality. Of course compared to most but not all prerecorded tapes that is hardly surprising.
I found that if I used a green marker and drew a line around the pressure pad area it really improved the fidelity.

 

[jefe1]

I have a friend who no longer buys CDs and just listens to Spotify. Good enough for him.

 

[4-earredwonder]

If I ever go the cassette route, might as well gimmick to the max and matrix-encode it.

And enclose the cassette in a coconut clam shell box

 

[4-earredwonder]

I have a friend who no longer buys CDs and just listens to Spotify. Good enough for him.

Then time to UNFRIEND him on Facebook!

 

[furui_suterioo]

That is true!
I found out recently that most younger people have the misconception that Spotify is better quality than CD.
WHY? HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

Better yet, upload it to streaming(after completing the previous steps)and record it from PC speaker using a pair of cheap headphones as a mic for that truly nostalgiac sound.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I disagree with the poster above who calls cassettes lo fi. recording from a good source on a good quality tape on a good deck gave great results.
When I made tapes on my three head Yamaha deck and gave them to friends they were amazed by the sound quality. Of course compared to most but not all prerecorded tapes that is hardly surprising.
I found that if I used a green marker and drew a line around the pressure pad area it really improved the fidelity.

Jeffie, try playing those HI QUALITY cassettes on high quality separate components and you will hear the difference IMMEDIATELY....Imagine a Hi Quality recording of the Doobies Brothers on cassette compared to Rhino's recent BD~As in 192/24 resolution ..... NO CONTEST.

As I've stated, cassettes were fun in their day but even on metal formulation cassette tape, Dolby C encoded on a Nakamichi DRAGON, pound for pound it still wouldn't cut the mustard with today's technological advancements.

I spent hundreds of hours making high quality cassette tapes for many a party and they sounded fine ...... but then was then and now is NOW!

 

[DoctorO]

I will set myself up as a target here as well and say that I still play old mixtapes occasionally. As others have mentioned, a high quality deck with multiple heads and motors and dual capstan drive, plus high quality blanks and Dolby processing, could yield some pretty good sounds. I still love my old mixtapes of 12 inch singles. Cassettes also offered easy trading of demo and live unofficial recordings and I have clung to some of those. No current deck that I know of produces good sound--the ones I have seen are deplorable in quality. Sadly, most of my tapes have not aged well, and have become murky or easily break.

This thread reminds me that I have two unused high end car cassette decks stored in a cabinet that I never got around to installing in a vehicle because dashboard electronics suddenly became very complex.

 

[Owen Smith]

I have only touched my small collection of cassettes once in the last 20 years. That was to digitise my off air BBC Radio FM recording of the Status Quo and Queen sets at Live Aid, recorded with a high quality Sony FM receiver feeding a 3 head Sony cassette deck from the late 1970s onto BASF Chromdioxid II tape. Receiving from Holme Moss transmitter about 10 miles away so excellent FM stereo reception. Yes you can get this on Blu Ray, but it has been overdubbed and messed with and bears only a passing resemblance to the audio that was broadcast live on the day. My tapes appear to have cleaned up better than anything else online Queen collectors can find.

However I do still have two each unused of TDK MA 90 and TDK MA-XG 90 tapes, and one of each of those is still in the cellophane wrappers. I bought the MA-XG tapes because I just had to have them, to see what they are like. Magnesium alloy cassettes, they weigh a ton compared to other tapes even the MA-90s.

Sadly my dad's Sony FM receiver and 3 head cassette deck died two decades ago and were scrapped. My cassette deck is so crap I got another Queen collector to digitise my Live Aid tapes, he did a great job. No drop outs, but then the tapes have only been played about 4 times since I recorded them onto brand new tapes.

 

[jefe1]

Wow you had a Dragon I accept your results. As Nak Dragons seem to still command high prices there must be cassette demand out there....

 

[jefe1]

I bought two of those TDK MA-XG cassettes too. Only used one of them heavy suckers. God knows what they sell for now.

 

[quadsearcher]

With the proliferation of bottom-of-the-line "Crosley" type record players, cassettes recorded from Spotify could be a step up.

I had a Harmon Kardon deck that made tapes that sounded great for the car or instead of playing the record.

 

[Owen Smith]

Wow you had a Dragon I accept your results. As Nak Dragons seem to still command high prices there must be cassette demand out there....

The problems for any cassette revival are twofold:

1) no new Chrome or Metal tape is being manufactured due to the toxic chemicals required, and new old stock is exhausted. With only Ferric tape available new, results will always be poor.

2) Dolby stopped licencing any noise reduction for cassette machines years ago. I know some people don't like it, but if you have an existing tape that was recorded in some version of Dolby you're stuck if you can't play it back properly.

So if you want decent sound quality (which cassette was capable of just about), the only options are old tape decks, and old second hand tapes. This limits how long this revival will last.

Contrast that with LP. You can press on 180 gram virgin vinyl, and play it on brand new state of the art turntables with excellent new cartridges and new phono pre-amps. It can sound as good as it ever did.

Dolby are being corporate idiots here. They should make all their noise reduction systems for cassette licence free, rather than refusing to licence them. It would cost them absolutely nothing, and gain them some good will in the market. But since they have turned into a rapacious corporate licencing entity that does no R&D themselves, they probably don't care. Ray Dolby hated the company it had turned into by the time he died.

 

[cbmmm3]

And how long before 8 track cartridges, bell bottoms and platform shoes make a comeback?

Stay Tuned!

edit: and how 'bout DAT Tape ......16/44.1? I still have 2 of those delightful machines plus a portable SONY DAT recorder...and about a dozen pre~recorded DAT tapes!

And DAT is DAT!

And DATs da facts Jack !!!!

 

[jefe1]

Owen

During a visit to Japan within the last 5 years I was able to buy a new type II TDK cassette at a store. Its new manufacture the label and design are different than the old ones. So some new chrome tapes are/ were being made. But its probably goodbye for metal tapes.
Quality Type I Ferric oxide could give good results too. I agree about Dolby. I never got to hear type S. It should be free. But you can turn down the treble at least for B and C to compensate.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Wow you had a Dragon I accept your results. As Nak Dragons seem to still command high prices there must be cassette demand out there....

I bought two of those TDK MA-XG cassettes too. Only used one of them heavy suckers. God knows what they sell for now.

No, Jeffie, I never had a NAK Dragon ... could NEVER justifty the price since I was heavily into Open Reel at the time [Still have 3 Open Reel Decks, one a REVOX A77 with Dolby b] but the fact still remains even Open Reel operating @ 7 1/2/15 ips had a decisive advantage over cassettes.

And I likewise have a few of those 'heavy metal' TDK MA~XG cassettes and they were, admittedly, things of beauty.

And get a load of the current price on ebay for a TDK MA~XG 46 minute blank tape 'NEW'

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3535995089...1291&msclkid=659aa282c09e17f5fe15c3339bc92d40