Cassette Decks, anyone still use them

[MontyVeda]

Yes, since the deck of my Denon NS1 failed I got a yamaha off gumtree. Play tapes all the time. Sounds good. Vinyl too on the Rega.I also have loads of bootlegs from early 80's, live mostly. The cost to digitise them all would run into 100's of pounds.

Never play cd.

Nah it wouldn't, it'd just cost you some time.

Audacity from Sourceforge is decent enough and free. A jack lead from the headphone on the deck to the mic on a laptop or PC is the only hardware needed. then it's just a simple case of pressing play and record

 

[smutchin]

i really really really wish I'd only used metal tapes back in the day... since the handful that i have sound fine after all these years whilst the standard TDK D90s (or similar) haven't aged so well.

View: https://youtu.be/XEe0qqPAC6E


I freed myself from the tyranny of cassettes some years ago, when I unceremoniously chucked out five bin bags full of the damn things. There were quite a few irreplaceable bootlegs among them but I can't say I've ever really missed them.

 

[raleighnut]

still got the deck and occasionally play a cassette (of which i have hundreds)... but i really really really wish I'd only used metal tapes back in the day... since the handful that i have sound fine after all these years whilst the standard TDK D90s (or similar) haven't aged so well.

I've got a load of old compilations and mixes on cassette... not worth digitising them but nice to listen to on occasion. Memories innit.

Still got a mini-disk deck too, and it still gets used.

Still got a mini-disk too, and a Walkman version of it that works fine still.

My first turntable was the Garrard SP25, everybody seemed to have one.
I then moved on to the Trio KD-1033 a much better turntable.

Anyone remember the Linn Sondek, they cost hundreds way back.

The Linn Sondek (LP12) is still in production, they cost several thousand nowadays.

 

[MontyVeda]

View: https://youtu.be/XEe0qqPAC6E


...

Maxell tapes have faired the worst of all... they've redefined muffled. I wish i'd never bought any of them

 

[raleighnut]

View: https://youtu.be/XEe0qqPAC6E


I freed myself from the tyranny of cassettes some years ago, when I unceremoniously chucked out five bin bags full of the damn things. There were quite a few irreplaceable bootlegs among them but I can't say I've ever really missed them.

View: https://youtu.be/IBem3x7G6bc

 

[smutchin]

Shame their tapes weren't as good as their adverts!

 

[MontyVeda]

I owe a lot to the humble cassette tape... in fact, a whole generation (or two) owes a lot to tapes...

I reckon if it wasn't for cassettes and the little card labels, I'd have never learnt to write neatly. Trying to fit Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun - Pink Floyd into a gap only 50mm wide wasn't easy if one wanted it to be legible... and i'm sure i'm not the only one who tried to woo a lady or two with a carefully crafted mix-tape.

 

[presta]

My music buying phase had been and gone by the time CDs arrived, so all my music is still on vinyl and cassette. The only HiFi system I've ever bought in my life is the 33 year old one in the lounge now, the tape deck is U/S as the clutch on take-up spool is worn out, but the rest is still working. Prior to the Pioneer, I had a Rogers Cadet salvaged from an old radiogram, with a home-made speaker and a Garrard SP25 Mk IV.

 

[swee'pea99]

I owe a lot to the humble cassette tape... in fact, a whole generation (or two) owes a lot to tapes...

I reckon if it wasn't for cassettes and the little card labels, I'd have never learnt to write neatly. Trying to fit Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun - Pink Floyd into a gap only 50mm wide wasn't easy if one wanted it to be legible... and i'm sure i'm not the only one who tried to woo a lady or two with carefully crafted mix-tape.

Mix tapes (and legible handwriting) were one of the major benefits of tapes. The other, of course, was economy. I got to try out a far wider range of music than I would have been able to if I'd had to rely on records (£5 a pop) rather than tapes (a quid apiece - and you could get a whole record on each side!). They said we were killing music, but we never believed them. We thought music would probably survive.

 

[smutchin]

Ah, I'm now reminiscing about Sunday evenings listening to the Top 40 on Radio 1 with finger poised above the record button...

 

[MontyVeda]

Ah, I'm now reminiscing about Sunday evenings listening to the Top 40 on Radio 1 with finger poised above the record button...

...in the days when we had to rely on a condenser mic rather than a lead. Many a top 40 recording was ruined due to the fact my room was next to the bathroom

 

[Bonefish Blues]

I used to have a Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2. The quality of playback and recording on metal tapes was very very good indeed, but I sold it many years ago.

 

[raleighnut]

Shame their tapes weren't as good as their adverts!

The Maxell UD XL11 were one of the best cassettes around, hellish expensive but worth it.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...apes.220890/&usg=AOvVaw3vhz-tctZXouv3H4qO3w68

 

[smutchin]

...in the days when we had to rely on a condenser mic rather than a lead. Many a top 40 recording was ruined due to the fact my room was next to the bathroom

Why does this make me think of 'Last Night A DJ Saved My Life'?

 

[Salar]

In the mid 60's my parents bought me a cheapo reel to reel tape recorder.
The type which came in it's own cardboard cloth carry case, complete with carrying handle, looked more like a ladies suitcase.

I also had an acoustic guitar at the time, couldn't play then, can't now.

Anyway whilst messing around I discovered with a bit of fiddling that by plugging the microphone jack into somewhere it wasn't supposed to go the recorder instantly turned into an amplifier with loads of feedback and other electronic sounds.

Great I thought, taped the microphone inside the guitar and made a right racket with the feedback. Probably lucky I didn't electrocute myself.