The cassette comeback - it's fun all the way!
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You can comment on this video at YouTube
Thursday April 27, 2023
David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
@hugo-s6b2x: cassette is the cheap reel to reel i hope studio remasters cassette again
@hyderzuern5664: One of the things i regret is not keeping all pf the tapes i made from the radio it just does not sound the way it used to
@66hats: Cassettes have a better sound quality than CDs, they are analog and don't go through the Analog to Digital and Digital to Analog conversion. It doesn't bother me that there is hiss or spools whirring, it still sounds more natural. When we switched over to CD it wasnt because of lack of quality, it was because you could choose what track to play quickly, but even then before the volume wars something about the sound of CDs was off
@TheBlueSnaggletooth: Nostalgia plays a huge role for me. Growing up as a teenager in the 1980s, there's nothing quite like the thrill of popping a cassette tape into a retro boombox. The crackle of the tape, the feel of the buttons, and the sound of those classic tunes instantly transport me back to some of the happiest moments of my youth.
@giuseppelavecchia775: Voglio fare un ragionamento sulla cassetta perchè vedo in tanti video che molta gente non si rende conto o comunque non ha ancora capito la miticità di questo supporto.nonostante la cassetta non sia nata l'altro ieri ma nel 63 quindi esiste da molto tempo,come ho detto esiste molta gente che non ha ancora capito nulla,la philips ha inventato un supporto leggendario,il fatto che nel 2025 c'è ancora,se ne parla ancora e tanta gente continua ad averle e amarle,me per primo,la dice lunga,poi la qualità del suono è impeccabile,posso dimostrarlo a chiunque e non scherzo,a chiunque..
@renaatmoerman173: My music don't get interrupted by publicity, the 100000000 stupid update (because someone didn't do his job) or a telephone call. To have best of both worlds: DAT!
@adamlowe3699: I've been watching your videos and you keep saying things like, "Spotify is clear and perfect sound." It's fascinating because it seems people are trying to hear with science. Compressed formats aren't perfect and digital isn't perfect. Just because there aren't clicks and pops doesn't mean digital Is "perfect"
I recently got back into cassettes because gasp, I discovered they sounded excellent. I didn't remember this when I was a kid. It's not even nostalgia for me—cassettes are a portable analog format—how cool is that?
I'd ask you to buy Neil Young's Unplugged on cassette and listen to it on headphones. Now go over to your perfect digital format and tell me what you notice. I'll tell you what I hear as the major difference. One is like being on stage with Neil Young and the other seems like you're in back of the room. I also describe it as trying the Apple Vision Pro video immersion, which is absolutely mind-blowing (the future), I got the same experience listening to Neil Young Unplugged on cassette. It's not inferior to say the least. Even more so I get why Neil Young was pushing for a much higher quality digital streaming format, because digital is inferior to analog. Test away, but listen.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @adamlowe3699: It would be interesting if you could show me where I said "Spotify is clear and perfect sound" or anything remotely like it. I'd advise you though not to waste your time looking.
@atomlow replies to @adamlowe3699: 1:20 nah my tinnitus was acting up again.
@atomlow replies to @adamlowe3699: I’ll wait for you to pick up Neil Young’s Unplugged on cassette and compare it to any digital format you like. Doing a very scientific study of actually listening to the music.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @adamlowe3699: Sure, clear and perfect to the average user who, hot tip, doesn’t have a Nakamichi. If you can’t see my video as a jovial consideration of the pleasure some people get from cassette then you need to find a different channel to enjoy. Or if you really want to wind yourself up check out another of my cassette videos at https://youtu.be/dlVj8jk4H0A?si=LZqzpq_T3Z3VwU0Q
@atomlow replies to @adamlowe3699: @@AudioMasterclass Ha, you said it man.
Cassettes aren’t just fun fun fun. They can actually be a pain. I’m just calling out things that aren’t true in audio. “Oh cute, the cassette is making a comeback because of nostalgia” don’t try to find that quote, I wrote it… Don’t worry I’m going to carry on and not waste my time watching such content, but information like this is sort of entertaining 😂
I wasn’t listening on a high end deck. It was a Sony Walkman WM FX-123 ($40) and Grado SR125 headphones. Compared to the digital source, Apple Music through an iPhone with Grado headphones. Cheers
@johnnorman7044: i drive a classic car from the early 90's with a cassete radio with dolby, Chrome and metal tapes play back a bit over kill all that as you have all the other car noise to deal with it works real well, so i still use it works fine and all the storage inthe car is for cassetts so it works well and no CD jumping that is so anoying
@SpacedOdyssey: Cassettes have never gone away for me, I have around 400 albums on 90 minute tapes, with one album per side, I also still have my 30 year old HiFi separates system and a radio cassette player in my car
@stighenningjohansen: Casettes are cool as hell, and they have been so for a long time, since 1969.. :) I still use them and the sound can be icredible. I will never let go of them
One thing people never understood was how good the Philips cassette recorders were, a million miles beyond the Japanese competitors, and I still have cassettes that you could put in a professional system, press Play and nobody would notice anything but great sound quality. Panasonic or Sony was way behind.
@stighenningjohansen replies to @stighenningjohansen: The Philips cassette recorders used a computer assisted board layout, electronic speed control, lots of transistors, 11 in mine, and no small signal audio transformers.. Lightyears ahead of the competition.
@80sGuy.: Love your videos and how you narrate them. It's fun!
@AhmetDjahitUstad: I love Cassettes i like to listen music from Cassettes i have very big Cassettes collection more than 10 000 also i have a big records and CDs collection i recorded many of my records on Cassettes , because i have no space many of my Cassettes records CDs in Tesco bags wish i have a big space.
@GaryH-pw9cm: I play music on my cassette deck every day. Ok so it is not high tech, but it works so why not?
I have a library of tapes from over the years plus I record music off the internet to cassette. I think it is fun and reminds me of the old days before passwords and antivirus software. 😊
@markmarkofkane8167: Ever since I was a kid, I thought cassettes were cool. Unlike reel to reel or open reel, you didn't have to thread the player Just pop them in, record and play . I didn't use them for music back then. It was for voice, and sounds. I never thought cassettes were that good for music. They're half the speed of 8 track tapes. However, the sound can be made pretty decent with tape formulations and Dolby. I used cassettes to record my favorite songs off of the radio later .
@HercKantarelis: Select Tape, insert Press Play- that's it , but for the rest of us that had high end decks with built in tape bias setting programs, HX Pro , the clicks and clacks when a high end deck would record 20 seconds of test tones, then rewind, play them back to set bias and other tape parameters, that, was engineering . I did an A/B test with my High end Yamaha with a CD and a bunch of mates, after 3 swap's they couldn't tell the difference
@norcatch: The only reason I listen to vinyl is fun and memories.
@MrSlipstreem: Low fidelity is a relative term. I have two hi-fi cassette decks sitting here right now that have a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz within 1dB with 'crappy' TDK FE cassettes, a signal-to-noise ratio approaching 80dB with Dolby C, and wow & flutter figures below 0.045% WRMS. Neither would have cost much more than a typical week's wages when they were manufactured.
Nakamichis are an enormous waste of money as they were caught up with and overtaken by many other major manufacturers by the late 80s in every way that actually matters.
Of course, pre-recorded cassettes are universally awful, and playing back other people's recordings will always be hit-and-miss.
@andiman45: did you mention the automobile? Cassettes replaced 8 tracks...now those were fun...NO THEY WERENT. Dreadful. My toyota tacoma had a oem cassette player in the early 2000's. Go figure. The sound was not so bad in a small confined space.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @andiman45: If in-car cassette ever makes a mass comeback I'll eat a whole reel of gaffer tape on camera.
@TheMediaDirectory: Oh, please!!! CD's and their booklets were PLENTY of FUN!
@crodoc69: I grew up with cassettes and find them not fun at all. Rather pain in a..!
@MichaelButler-r5g: TDK and Maxell especially from the 1980's were the business 😊
@johnorourke1636: An ambitious young band could get some of their material on a cassette and send it to John Peel at the BBC. That must have been fun 😊
@AudioMasterclass replies to @johnorourke1636: Cassette was an excellent medium back in the day for bedroom production, demos, and small-scale release. As for John Peel, his radio career was notable but, according to Wikipedia, allegedly, he was something less than a choirboy.
@johnorourke1636: I used cassette years ago to make tapes for my car. In my teens it was a great way to get access to more music on a limited budget. Friends could make copies of their albums for you and vice versa. It was useful but to me it was more of a medium to be tolerated rather than enjoyed. I don’t see the point of it now though.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @johnorourke1636: Cassettes had their place in hi-fi before CD. Today, some find them fun. Other than a few old tapes that I need to archive, I don’t expect to use them again myself.
@hifiphilly9637: Thank you very refreshing video ... Cassette tapes were and are a fun and quality way to enjoy your music...
@johanlovstedt832: I swapped most of my DAW work for a 4-track portastudio as the centerpiece of my own musical workflow, and it’s so much more fun to work with tape. I really hope to be able to afford an 8 track reel to reel at some point in my life. Great video, and you’re so right: cassettes are all about the fun!
@AudioMasterclass replies to @johanlovstedt832: I have some archive cassettes from my old Tascam 244. I have a plan to revive some of them. I'll need to get another 244 but I'm sure I'll be making a video when I do.
@johanlovstedt832 replies to @johanlovstedt832: @@AudioMasterclass Maybe the tapes work with other machines. Recordings I made on a Tascam 414 play nicely on my current Yamaha MT50
@AudioMasterclass replies to @johanlovstedt832: I could consider a different Tascam machine but I think I'd enjoy the nostalgia of revisiting 1982 (or was it 83?). It may however be wiser to choose the most recent compatible Tascam. My plans are not fully fleshed out yet and the thought of having to search through my extremely cluttered loft for the cassettes fills me with dread.
@onmyowntv: Building your own speaker is the most fun
@DutchNostalgia: I was suprised when getting a newer cassette deck with Dolby B NR on it.
Those cassettes that were recorded for it sound soooo extremely good, almost as quiet as a cd
@slowpawstevet3676: I had a lot of fun taping cassettes, making up tapes to send to penpals, recording borrowed albums from friends and libraries - FUN!
@georgedoolittle7574: Never could stand the plastic case you had to put your invaluable tape you made for your friends in.
@BjoernLewin: I bought ALL the Queen albums on tape ❤❤❤
@angellazarus: In an era of instant gratification, what makes cassette tapes/vinyl records fun, is the feeling of anticipation.
@amalayum: It's funny to see you come a long way when 3 years ago you roasted people for buying cassettes and walkmans, and in turn got wholly roasted back. Here you are singing a totally different tune. In any case, many of us are glad to see you standing on this side of the fence.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @amalayum: If you were paying attention you’d have noticed I’m talking about how other people feel about cassettes. Each to their own but I haven’t changed my mind.
@kurtiunlisted8589: I think it is healthy to challenge the idea that absolutely everything has to be optimized for cost, convenience - or even quality. If it's about the enjoyment, the "surrounding aspects" can play a more important role.
@ADSCoachSupportB2112: Paying for subscriptions for material that you don’t own. They are cheap and mostly durable and you can record your colour vinyl swaps with mates
@michaelgreene5703: i thought you did a video saying why cassettes are wrong? make a stance and commit
@AudioMasterclass replies to @michaelgreene5703: I think you’ll find if you’re paying attention that here I’m talking about other people’s experiences.
@amalayum replies to @michaelgreene5703: @@AudioMasterclass No he absolutely has a point. You got absolutely battered in the comments of your 3 year old video and your dislike ratio is 50-50 for good reason. Anyone going through your channel history can see that you change your stance to fit whatever is happening at the moment. Take a stance and show genuinity instead of just following trends like a grifter. You could start by not thinking that we were all born yesterday.
@shazmanbound1496: I hate cassettes and prefer Vinyl records way more. But I recently obtained a boombox and well Im kind of getting interested in cassettes for some reason 😅
@stvlu733: I own other formats as well. I have a unique MP3 player that will only work if you have an SD card in it so I made a bunch of tiny labels to adhere to them so they look like tiny 8track tapes and ripped some of my best sounding tapes to these. I get the same enjoyment but pocket-sized. I programmed the physical folder button to act like the tracks and will start to play at each like the tape but not in sequence like the original tape.
@stvlu733: 8tracks can be fun if you have a good player and are able to service tge taoes. Some think the sound is harsh, but not all tapes are like that. Some are decent and sound good.
@PaulAxe: Everything is fun! You just have to love music and enjoying listening.
@daytonbrooks: I love this take on cassettes! I will say that when I hold a tape in my hands I don't worry about beating it up like a vinyl, and that removes a lot of stress, thus opening the door to fun !!
@JerryWCarman: Cassettes and CDs are a lot of fun to listen to. Vinyl records have got too expensive.
@scanman84: For some reason all I hear with vinyl is snap crackle and pops. Even with good records and players with good carts. I just don't really hear the hiss with cassttes. When I do, it sounds normal. Its all good. I like physical media and the gear that plays them.
@joistein: Sad to say that there no good cassette players out to buy now a days.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @joistein: And none with Dolby.
@_____.__: Yes, the cassettes are fun as a nostalgic memory and the process to play with, but if we speak about the ultimate sound quality and practicality, the HiRes digital is the way to go 😉
@ArloClyne: I love cassettes! I don’t want to live my life on shuffle anymore.
Screen time is scream time. I want to rest my eyes and open my ears.
Cassettes may be a little crap, but they are also low-cost, small and very fun.
@chuckmaddison2924: Years ago we did find them fun.
Throw a reel out the window and drive . Philips didn't expect that either.
@larryhazelwood1962: A 3 head cassette deck with dbx noise reduction can sound just as good as a cd.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @larryhazelwood1962: dbx arghh! https://youtu.be/saem1UDdgQE
@hippydippy: Can't believe you missed the main point... "MIX TAPES!" I have boxes & boxes of memories on them. I only bought the highest grade tapes "usually Maxell's best" & used 3 head cassette decks. I wouldn't trade them for anything.
@agegroot5666: Listen to tapes regularly, most are old ones from the 90s and 80s and almost all sound very well on my Pioneer from 1997. Expect them to sound even better on a Nakamichi.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @agegroot5666: Better on Nakamichi is an interesting question. They may indeed sound better or they may reveal the limitations of the original recorder.
@diegosilang4823: I have on Sony boombox in late 80's and it comes with Automatic Music Search, while playing, you can press rewind or fastforward and seek a silent part of thr tape for at least 4 seconds and automatically resume playing. It potentially wearing out your tape and tape heads, but it is the closest thing to a digital player skip button.
@iFromBelgium: It’s fun because you could record the radio with it with your favourite song. Even my parents have these memories. The noise, the touch. The not skip or fast forward are also fun. It’s a more mindful way of enjoying music. I also found many recordings of me playing guitar. Huge nostalgia factor. Creating a mix tape is also nice
@sxxx73: I love cassettes..I have a lot, and at least 7 tape decks..Like you said, Nostalgia and it is a kinda time travel without time machine...Thanx for your video..
@LisaWagner-wy5li: Japan had the most cassette sales in 2023 ! Cassettes are still selling strong in the USA also. CDs will make a huge comeback in the future.
@msingh1932: More phun than cassettes...! How about some hanky panky with your ex-girlfriend with whom you parted amicably...as the cassette plays in the background.
@david_aria: Not sure who this guy is trying to convince with the "I'm already right, didn't you know?" attitude but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Lofi is a legitimate genre for a reason. There are absolutely sounds you can only get with cassettes. While audio quality is objective, there is a character and tone to different types of cassettes that is desirable in the exact same way different microphones are desirable—frequency response. Imagine saying "those nutty SM-57 users with their low mid roll-off and 6Khz notches." Yet how many timeless classic Bowie records used those mics?
Seeing as how affordable cassettes are compared to buying & maintaining a reel-to-reel, tape reels... it's absolutely no wonder why they are sought after. There are MANY creative workarounds with cassettes that are undeniably brilliant. Cheap analog or a mixture of analog and digital recording is a beautiful thing. The curse of too many options lifts when you limit yourself to a simpler method. For someone with OCD, tape is an enormous relief, and cassettes are affordable tapes; it's a no-brainer.
However, I do agree that consuming music via tape is not always ideal for many reasons, not the least of which is because type i tapes are lesser and not as interesting as type ii or iv, which aren't generally sold for distribution. I mostly consume music digitally out of necessity, though I don't mind listening to cassettes. Of COURSE a great tape machine and thick tape reels are the ideal for analog, but come on, cassettes are so accessible and absolutely have their place in recording.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @david_aria: I'm the guy and I'm not trying to convince anyone, merely presenting my own thoughts.
@alien2306abc: I just like cassettes and the decks.
@Gamez4eveR: Turns out, the compact disc is also fun.
Turns out, physical media is quite simply fun, as tangibility with the medium is ever so slightly more engaging than clicking through a glorified file picker
Online distribution is fundamentally soulless.
@georgelewis3047: Well this was no fun at all
@IloveHamberger: I got into cassettes because i did not like the station the radio was on at work, and my local music store had 100's of tapes for 50 cents to a 3 dollars, so i could get a massive amount of cheap music that sounded good enough. Now i mostly use a Sony NW-A45 with CDs ripped as FLAC files, but i still use my walkman as a bit of fun every now and then.
@TheHSIHP: I got a Nakamichi for 50 bucks
@TheHSIHP: I think cassettes are fun. I love the sound of popping a tape in and watching the reels turn.
@TheHSIHP: I love cassettes, CDs, and records. Physical media for the win!
@csabakereszturi945: I never stopped listening and recording onto cassettes, so this way comeback is not the right word. Although never recorded from LP records onto cassettes. Would never like to hear creaking sounds when listening to cassettes, hiss is enough or Dolby takes care of them. Although like to listen to records and that way I don’t care about creaks.
@neilosullivan8216: Your knowledge of cassettes is on par with your knowledge of microphone placement 😄....but interesting nonetheless!
@hoggboyy: Cassettes are the most fun because they irritate pretentious audiophiles.
@gil_L: Cassettes are not that fun, I hated the occasional drop outs and the inconsistencies from deck to deck. That’s why I still think cd was the best format. You could take it anywhere and it would sound great and the quality was superior to iTunes or spotify. What’s more important to me is the titles that are on cassette and only available on cassette like dj mixes from the 80s, demo recordings, odd compilations.
@teknokont: Cassette makes the whole listening process a lot slower compared to CDs. That's why I love cassettes. And the sound is reminiscent of old radio days of my childhood, I love that. I listen to lots of classical music on cassettes. I still have thousands of CDs, I love the sound. For me the biggest thing about CD technology was, I was able to listen to the same track just with a click of a button. That was a fascinating thing for me back in the day, and still it is. Cause sometimes I love to listen to the same track too many times.
@IndigoDavei: Every time I find myself wishing that cassettes would just go away (and I often do), I have to remind myself what a great aid they were to songwriting. You could just sit in front of your (paper) notepad and cassette recorder (all the better once you got one with a built-in condenser mic), strum away and wail away, pausing occasionally to scribble down words and chords. Yes, you can do that with your phone now, but it's small and fiddly, and playback is too quiet (on the phone's speaker). Indeed, songwriting is a lot less 'fun' now.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @IndigoDavei: You're so right that phones, and other digital devices for that matter, are fiddly. I liked my cassette dictation machine for writing in the past. Record, play, wind, rewind. All you need really. I speak as a person with a Casio four-function calculator ever-present on my desk.
@AdmiringGoBoard-jw8cz: You dont need a nakamichi to get good cassette sound.a bottom of the line pioneer ,tecnics and others sound virtually indistiguishable from a high end deck for all practical purposes.1 or 2db signal to noise improvement or 15,000 kz To17000kz improvement from low end to high end deck is not going to be very noticeable if at all.tape quality makes a more significant difference.a deck can only sound as good as the tape will allow
@atoptip6193: There is clearly “zero” reason for a cassette revival in today’s world. None. But…if you have cassettes AND a cassette changer (Denon or Philips), it may be the most fun you will ever have with stereophilia (there, I used an or invented a new word) and music. These genius machines, playing your 30+ year old party tapes for hours…with occasionsl mechanical noises. So much fun, you will not know what to do with it!
@tbrown6559: Here’s a pisser… I bought music via iTunes in US, moved to Canada, and guess what, I can’t listen to it unless I go back to the hard drive and sync it, which then erases my Canadian purchases! Records and tapes don’t have this issue!
@seacampal1425: My love for this format started very young, around 7 or 8 years old. My father had a top-loading Technics tape recorder and I loved playing with it so much that my father challenged me and explained to me how to record: He was very surprised a few days later because I had discovered how 'Dolby NR' worked which he didn't know and when I explained it to him and made him hear how it worked he said to me: "Hey! Well! You've made a great discovery!" I have always loved cassettes and always will!
@pjisonline: I just rediscovered cassettes. It's fun, I have a good 3 head deck and it sounds great. And yes, the fact that you actually listen to a complete tape instead of skipping songs on a streaming service is a win.
@FinnishSuperSomebody: Dang, when I was watching this had to put my cassette player playing music on background. :D
@electroimpyo: Records
@jokubrik6597: I’ve begun cassette taping old John Peel Shows from YouTube and enjoying playing them back just as I used to back in the late 70s!! Fun doesn’t even begin to describe it. So very satisfyingly fun and warmly nostalgic.
@jsenear: I am 82, still listen to cassettes, and love them. Back in the day, my cassettes were recorded on a State of the Art three head deck either with Dolby C or Dolby S. Now years later they still sound good even though my three-head deck is long gone and I only have a Panasonic Walkman (like new) and a Onkya two well deck with Dolby B and C. I have around 150 cassettes, most 40+ years old and they still play well. To my knowledge, I have not had one of those cassettes give up the ghost because of age. There is a warmth you get from a well-recorded cassette you don't get from digital music, CDs, or streaming venues. Yes, they are fun and there are hundreds of thousands of music fans that still love them.
@xfoolsgoldx: If you enjoy it. Do it?
@AnthonyToth-t5v: I like cassette deck’s because I grew up with them there mechanical and I like to see the spools turning and the vu meters no adverts no updates just plug and play adjust bias and calibration job done
I personally love tape decks I don’t own them now but moving to a wiim amp now and an rel sub and mission speakers it’s not the same as I’m constantly swiping my phone trying to enjoy the songs but never truly engaging
Yes there’s millions of songs it’s good in some aspects but I do really miss my michel gyros deck and nakamichi zx9
@AnthonyToth-t5v: On another note
Cassette tapes or decks or vinyl don’t have adverts or updates just plug and play and listen not to get side tracked you were engaged with the format which made you listen to an album in its full entirety not skipping tracks constantly like a phone
@jinglesbluecat: Cassette was the only affordable option for me grabbing audio from FM radio and dubbing loaned LPs from friends. Like most people at the time I couldn't afford to buy all the music that I wanted to hear. I had a 3-head Sony, closed loop, dual capstan deck - one down from a Nakamichi but the Sony was prettier - recording onto TDK SA tape with no Dolby gave plenty of headroom and crispness, but as soon as digital audio became available on a home PC via Cool Edit Pro I transferred all my cassettes to 44.1kHz .wav audio files and have never looked back - the problem with cassette for me wasn't the audio quality it was the fragility of the physical tape.
@AlexBaldwinFTW: I like cassettes because they are rubbish. They're cheap and nice to collect, and fun to have playing. Digital music isn't going anywhere, my cassettes and vinyl are supplemental and a different experience. I love how lofi they are and getting random indie or old obscure tapes.
@benkrake3678: Cassettes were the first format for music that I ever used, as we didn’t get our first CD player until 1992. I recently got back into using cassettes a few years ago, and have acquired a few high end 3 head cassette decks. I have a Luxman K-250, an AIWA AD 3800 and I also have a Harman/Kardon CD 191 2 head deck as well. It wasn’t until I got decks like this that I discovered how good tapes can sound. Still not sonically accurate as far as sound quality goes, but it’s not very far off. Cassettes like vinyl (which I also use) have a sound that no other music formats can replicate. They have a warm and engaging sound and also adds nostalgia from a simpler time. One thing I also love about cassettes is that they are the most complex music format. Compared to CD’s where you just put the disc in and press play, with cassettes you have to make sure you have the deck set to the right bias (ferric, chrome, ferric-chrome and metal) which is even more important for recording, and you also have to make sure that the Dolby NR is on or off depending on if it was recorded with it or not. If these settings for the tape aren’t correct, then the tape isn’t going to sound right. I also find it really fun to make mixtapes from different eras, and I believe that this is a lost art. There is a bit of skill required to get the best sound out of a cassette. Not all cassettes can take the same amount of record level so you have to make sure you don’t push the levels too hard, but at the same time get as much signal onto the tape without over saturation.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @benkrake3678: Like an old fashioned film camera without autofocus and without even auto exposure, there can be pleasure in operating something that requires human skills. I draw the line though at a vintage car with a crash gearbox and manual advance and retard.
@Acoustic_Theory: There is a benefit to recording audio on a tape, and that is linear recording and linear playback. The tape cassette is enclosed, so editing the recording takes a lot of physical involvement. If you want to record a public proceeding for purposes of documentation, the cassette tape will preserve every event, including silences, bloopers, and more - totally faithfully because that's all it can do. With a digital recording, editing is easy, for better or worse.
@gaeuman: Yes cassettes are fun. I love them and with the right tools they sound very good. (Sony WM-d6C + old tapes of good quality for recording and Playback, your favorite pair of headphones and a good source of music to record from.)
@AudioMasterclass replies to @gaeuman: I used to have one. They now sell for anything up to £700 on eBay.
@groovechampion1462: They were´nt all that bad! If you have a good tape deck with a good quality tape, you wont be able to tell the difference from a CD
@bichela: I used to enjoy making mix tapes that I could play on my portable cassette recorder
@AudioMasterclass replies to @bichela: It was a hobby enjoyed by many.
@sunilmahbubani4589: I really like this post. There's nothing like a nakamichi tape deck which has stood the test of time and is beyond cool. Music is to be enjoyed where it emotionally moves you and is not analyzed. I have always felt the industry always pushed vinyl sales because they are still manufacturing everything from turn tables, cartridges, phono amps etc so there's big bucks involved in all this.
No one makes a deck so there's no money for the industry.
I will never forget the first time I heard the nakamichi deck in my teens at their showroom. There's a warmness and spaciousness which truly moves you and that's what music is all about. It's clear and simple.❤
@TheTapePlayerBlog: May cassettes never die!
@giuseppelavecchia775 replies to @TheTapePlayerBlog: Te lo dico io fidati le cassette non moriranno mai!,idem le videocassette VHS
@rendezvous009: Not very fun when you have mold growing on them.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @rendezvous009: It's just a different way of enjoying them.
@Synthematix: Yea and TAPELINE are making crap loads of cash out of 60 year old recording technology, that said, minidisc will always be my favourite physical media format
@salmorreale7900: Its all fun!
@giuseppelentini9140: Most people in this comment section don't know that the reason tapes were bought, was because of being less espensive that records/cds, and easily duplicated. No quality considerations were ever involved. No lo-fi lovers back then, maybe because for most it wasn't a desirable option for "additional noise seekers", but a tolerable necessity.
@tryptix: Great video. Cassettes were fun because you were given this blank slate to record mix tapes, then take markers/pens and do your own artwork & labeling across the blank inserts & stickers. Eventually you had these racks of colorful cassette cases, the art perhaps influenced by the images that came to mind from the music. It created a very personal connection to your collection.
@andrewdupuis1151: i still have Sony 7 inch reel to reel i was playing it yes day it still works. back then made things last long time
@salmorreale7900: Are cassette tapes subject to sticky shed? Tape is fun! Fostex E2, Optimus SCT-86. Thank you for posting.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @salmorreale7900: That's an interesting question. I have never encountered it myself in cassettes but have most definitely suffered on reel-to-reel.
@miketerbrake7358: Believe me! Cassette’s are really good, I got a Akai GXC-46D cassettedeck with GX heads! (1973) Great machine, and I got a GXC-710D (1976). My recordings sound the same like the source from my laptop or CD! Definitely HI-FI!. Most people think cassette’s are bad but most people had cheap decks sOo the sound quality is bad with cheap decks (P’s I am 23 years old)
@crodoc69: I always hated cassettes.
@dennisdemark8151: YES! Fun indeed.