I totally respect what your doing it’s great to revive cassettes I’m an ex audiophile for 52 years I have owned over 40 cassette decks please do yourself a favour get a Yamaha kx580 se they are relatively cheap and do auto biasing and calibration which in turn gives you better results for your customers. Just trying to help you. These technics decks are not quite up to the mark they will probably need servicing too which hardly anyone does. De magnetise the heads adjust the azimuth clean the pinch rollers etc
Just want to say thanks for your comment. I went through 6 different decks trying to make decent recordings before I found this video and your comment. Just got my kx-580 in the mail and I already am beyond happy with the results.
@@AnthonyToth-t5v i agree with you but there much better decks ,even from Yamaha , i have one that is known to have a master fader next to the place you insert the cassette but a older model with the same function, it´s a very well built deck and even today records with a superior quality, off course i do the maintenace to my cassette decks , having sold some 5 cassette decks ,all nakamichi ,i only have know around 48 cassette decks from which only 8 are working like new and normally i restore them but for now, 8 is more than enought normally belts are the needed change but in a 90´s technics direct drive quartz ,only plays and records well ,with perfectelly built cassettes from 60 to 54 minuts in total, but i have one from 79 that since then as been used as it plays perfect and records with great sound was the third model counting from the top , that as the engine fully working and even more used than the 90´s one, that at the time won a award for the quality and price relation, in what hi-fi if memory dosnt fail me that was the magazine i used to read when it was released, have in the 80´s bought a tdk demagnatiser with the shape of a cassette i still use it, and one can listen to how much were the heads magnatised, every thing else is always done at a cleaning level but some pinch rollers when not available for the model, new is better to not clean them as they are already needing substitution and when cleaned can´t make the enough preassure to rotate the tape in a steady and correct rotation, and i have to say ,is kind of slim but the box is big as a larger and taller amplifier with 120 watts r.m.s. real ones, from early 90´s, also as better display ,keys, lights and doesn´t have bias but no need for it, the Yamaha deck i refer is also same old as the technics but it does work perfect and was ofered to me by a family person in the 80´s has he had bought a new and better,so to speak, deck, people forgetn that in 1980 all brands decreased a lot their quality of building and sound , to make them more afordable they said, but it´s only sad, as we today if having a old receiver or amplifier working without flaws it is noticed the superiority in everything, about Nakamichi everybody is wrong i sold my father´s top models since 74 to 2001 being the first the "1000" and the last the DR-1, but i had some ,the Dragon that i sold cheap in 86 after at the end of 6 monthes, i noticed something wasn´t working perfect and before it sounded with vibrations or even worst i stoped it and sold it also can add that at the same time bought as a second deck the BX-2 in december of 82, and this cheaper deck is still working perfect also have a 700ZXL and a 680ZX, both bought by me and working perfect as i know after all this years how to ,keep them working in perfection without destroying them but in sound quality no nakamichi achieves as an example and i could give a lot more , any top Pionner cassette deck, i can give the example of trying to compare the 79 Pioneer CT-F1250 that was close to the nakamichi´s in age but the 1000ZXL , Dragon, ZX-9 when recording in the same cassettes with the same source , not only Pioneer reveals a better sound as even the cassettes recorded in those nakamichi sound better when played in the Pioneer and later i did it again with a CT-959 and a bit older CT-91a also from Pioneer, this adding the CR-7a and a cassette deck 1(this last if i had to choose one ,would be the better built nakamichi cassette deck, allthough with a minimal look as all the functions as on earlier top end models from nakamichi) the only diference is that the CT-959 as a more evolved recording sound as the heads are from a more modern type, used by several brands in the 80´s and 90´s, if i had to choose which is the best cassette deck ever made i would reply ,without a doubt and from far the 90´s Urushi version from Pioneer CT-93, no other and i know a lot of them comes near , either than this deck only open reel decks or maybe in digital a good DAT deck(digital isn´t bad ,we are only using a format developed in the 70´s, the compact disc which in the first 7 to 8 years were better built , today are cheaply built with much worst material but never was achived in digital the vibration of the chords played in a electric guitar, and several other matters but the most noticeable are the guitars efects of only electrical amplified and with or without distortion from the amplifier, the most noticeable song is bloody well right from crime of the century by supertramp and new turntables till 2.000€ can´t reproduce the sound of a fully automatic, 100€ when new in the 90´s with heavy use till today with a AT stylus that they were sold with , but new from then not this new ones as it were built not like they used to, the same with turntables, Some do say cd is perfect people just don´t have them good cd players with good dac´s ,well that says a lot one sopends 100e in a old turntable and has the total sound of a vinyl recrd and only by spending 50.000€ one would have cd perfect sound ,well not all have that amount to spend on a system of cd player but i also have many said to be perfect cd players and one of them came to me by my father when alive , a CEC or chuodenki belt driven i really never knew is price but i went to the site of the brand this some 5 years ago and for my surprise the cd player was still being sold by 36.000€, so is it bad?not everybody can spare this amount of money on a cd player, some families will never have that amount in their hands or bank acount in all their lifes, i had the luck nothing else and i wouldn´t had bought it not even if i had that amount everyday of the year to spend , this HI-FI hobby is maybe the most expensive in the world ,unless you colect big nuggets of gold or diamonds from a size up after polished, well cars is my other hobby and they can be expensive but i never spent more than 20.000€ and allthougn i have a lot of them, never ever in my life i bought a new car, my daily driver now is a diesel Skoda octavia from late october of 2004 and it´s perfect, with a 2.0 TDi engine from the VW group has 140 h.p. but there is other sold at the same time with the same engine with 170 h.p.before as i have agriculture i drive a lot in dirt roads was using a 96 ford fiesta with two seats as it is a work car with a diesel 1.8 L engine, but normally i buy the last model of the 4x4 toyota hilux pick up, and they never fail , this last model seemed weak compared with older ones but ity´s amazing how good it driveas in the most dificult access parts of my property, where only hunters go there by foot, but i drove there my toyota pick up from 2021 and returned, some say i never did it but i was with 3 more friends who were scared when they saw me driving in that place, sorry for the long coment and off topic but if you have time give it a try.
The only thing that you did differently than I have always done is, you didn't manually fast forward the tape so that the brown for cheapo type 1/black for chrome or metal type 2 and type 4's - otherwise you could accidentally not record the beginning of the first song on either side! Either do that, or after pressing record, wait for 10 to 12 seconds to allow the reels to record up to the brown bit of the tape and by then, you press play on the laptop and it will not miss out on the intro of any song. Also, if you really wanted to, add the old pitch checker sound that used to be on prerecorded tapes and have it at the beginning of each side 5 seconds before the first song starts on each side! Also, make sure the recording db meter is at or below 0db.
why, that happens when the azimutrh is not perfect and they even may sound good just not perfect as the db increase as you rotate the litle screw or azimuth knob, most of the decks do not reveal their best sound at odb´s well when in the 70´s some decks appeared the 0DB was the level to hit ,this in 72 ,73 or maybe one year later on cheaper models, depending also on the type of scale which there are many
crazy how time goes by and looking back at stuff like this
7 месяцев назад+13
Great video, I'll only point out one potential flaw in this process that I ran into myself and that you also might consider for the future. Not sure if you have this issue, but I'd like to warn others in case they run into this, so, please double-check. The best way to go about the source audio is to have it run through an interface in your DAW. Adding a tiny bit of high-shelf EQ also helps in retaining some of the information that could potentially be lost in the recording process, so it's good to enforce some of that back in. I did record a few things through my headphone jack from the laptop, but I did notice that the playback was a bit off, weird stuff happening with the EQ, vocals were muffled as hell, so, doing this through an interface is a much more reliable method. I do appreciate the fact that you do this live opposed to through the duplication machines, that's a bit of a pain in the ass, but a much better solution for the listener.
This is so fascinating- I love physical things like this, making things and the process and all. Love the fact that these are home made and the work you put into making them. Really awesome!
Thanks for the video man. Currently putting together my own run of tapes and would have been much more lost without this video. Also, tunes on the label are dope
nice video, im lately becoming into vintage so im pretty interested in knowing as much as i can about cassettes too, and your dark covers seems pretty nice too
This was really cool to see. Definitely going to have to pick up a few of the cassettes. Nice little collector piece. Might even bust out my old walkman.
Was listening to a massive amount of the playlists you guys put out on halloween. At the end of this video is when i remembered this channel! Good job on all of these vids thanks
Just got custom made/measured tapes for my solo project from Duplication Ca.Will be ordering more stuff from them,thanks for mentioning them,subbed!!📼🤖🗽
I am in my 60s I make music on keyboards and a cassette 4-track recorder yet that I love to death. Years and years ago when they were closing out cassettes at the big box stores or anywhere else I bought packs and packs of them type 2 hi bias tapes unbelievable clearance prices. All the good brand names from back then. It will take me about three lifetimes to run out of them. I can't believe how much these things are now on the internet for just one, talking about the brand names. Even some of these nut jobs on eBay selling things for outrageous prices. Fortunately I bought all this stuff back in the seventies and eighties the equipment I use as well as tape decks more than I'll ever need. But you're doing a pretty good job at what you do. Appreciate the video keep it up😮
Good sound quality is the main thing. A speed knob and a panning knob are also great to have if you don't know how to service them. Trial and error or reviews are the only way to really know how the sound quality will be.
On the note of having a pause at the start of the recordings, if you get an external timer that can turn power on and off you can leave the cassette decks on but without power and hit the record button on all the decks and then when the external timer turns the power on for the decks they all will start recording at the exact same time. Or you could also plug them all into a power strip/surge protector and just flip the surge protector off until youre ready to record and once everything is set to record, turn the power strip on and they will all start recording simultaneously
doesn't work for many of these as they have a digital interface, but there are ways to send a signal to start recording on that variety as well. Def something for the future!
Ghad damn , gotta admit I only been impressed by the quality cool to see how it's all made. Good to hear that you are able to make money off them even after splitting
Thanks - super-helpful, having been pleasantly surprised by the audio quality after idly recording an album onto cassette on a pretty fancy tape deck that I picked up cheap and used a while back. (It's all the fun of my 90s childhood without the kinda terrible sound I would get back then!) Also, yes please to more like this on other aspects of production.
Great video - really enjoyable watch, just wondered where you buy / what to search for to find the right sized J-card printing paper with the perforated edges etc
Thanks for making this video, learned some good tips, really appreciate all the insight and information you shared. I was trying to learn how to this myself as well haha! Big salut from Thunder Bay! 🤘💯🇨🇦
The cable from the PC to the headphone splitter is an Aux cable, so it is stereo. The splitter has Aux outputs, which are also stereo outputs. The cables I use to connect the splitter outputs to the cassette player inputs are 6.3mm Aux to RCA cables, so it does split the signal for connecting to the tape recorders. (Like these: www.amazon.ca/MOSWAG-Quarter-6-35mm-Stereo-Splitter/dp/B09GFC54GZ/ref=sr_1_19?crid=2HROYQF9MTGRD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.r1E77wJ73ZG8Mh8974vIaK3wyeEK8phputnZ2MkHPJC3mTfGNQ0Y733YASR26FWV5uHZk75SNilakJj8QFEMlh-ZjYwzQOH-efwu2JKlLzLXOAuwwQMESk9kG3K2Kko1MrkMZpNzOj65oH87sZOR_Bc-uIrUI609Z4T-aqhOilHLog5nrYgjH_sY3anhMNwALGbxBO8rUjcNLYj-NXdQh7cIFwr8P5KIbjegNnqn-ElrTeC2uLkZqwhScE2X-YMkYFxnSCAbPahTmx1CK6pg6pE9lPfys54pzpEVFBqAPSw.fMA00G4Fd_8Nk4PeR_9SQBnrTQbCxK_dSOSSwfulsP4&dib_tag=se&keywords=6.3mm+aux+to+rca&qid=1708972961&sprefix=6+3mm+aux+to+rca%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-19). Just make sure you get the right cables for the size of the outputs on your headphone mixer (3.5mm or 6.3mm).
Might do an updated one sometime, but as for connecting to a splitter, it is dead simple. You just get a few Aux cables, plug the laptops headphone jack to the "input" jack on the splitter, and then hook aux to RCA cables into each output jack on the splitter to connect them to each cassette recorder. The main thing is to order your splitter (usually called a Headphone Mixer) first so you know what size cables you need, but you'll normally need 1x 1/8" to 1/4" male stereo aux cable, and 4x 1/4" to RCA male aux cables (if using a 4-way splitter).
didn´t really understand but i take all efects from windows and sound software abnd i´ve been recording a lot of cassettes from spotify, with crossfader in 7 seconds from playlists i´ve made and no efect also on spotify to be flat sound, they might not sound the best but already very good also to minidisc
I get mine from duplication.ca, though there are other sources out there if you search "cassette supplies" on google. Which one you use will likely come down to where you live for good shipping rates.
@@illadvisedrecords wasn´t TDK and Sony who kept releasing well built cassettes till the end (more, tdk)or is there a unknown brand who did it too?a question, i only know these two brands ,all others went down to garbage level, i had a deck that if you inserted a cassette and hard on rotation or it demended extra strenght from the deck engine and to do not destroy the perfect new deck in a second a message ERROR flashed in the display
Anything like this will work: www.amazon.ca/Fosi-Audio-Headphone-Amplifier-Ultra-Compact/dp/B08XZL91VT/ref=sr_1_17?crid=6NV8DU5I7IJ7&keywords=headphone+mixer&qid=1673023812&sprefix=headphone+mixe%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-17. Searching for headphone mixer or amp will often bring up better results. Anything that outputs several channels will work.
in the last 7 years i almost record a cassette a day or three in one day and none in the next as i was for several years using only digital recording but when putting new belts in a almost never used CT-959 from Pioneer having a lot of TDK sa-x ,the recordings sounded a lot better than minidisc unless is acoustic sound ,the minidisc can handle it good, but if you ask me what was the best ever home recording i´m not sure but the reels and DAT are perfect
i only have a problem , i don´t writte nothing anywhere and sometimes i look to a group of 50 cassettes or minidisc or DAT cassettes or reels and where to find what i want to hear, what was i using when i recorded it?helps, sometimes i find a cassette that as the same songs i recorded in other cassette or minidisc
Very inspirational video, thank you! Any idea for an European shop where you can buy blank tapes, cases, paper/stickers etc for the best price? We want to start offering cassettes for our dub techno & ambient releases as well :)
No maintenance, though I have cleaned it. I have a cassette head cleaning kit (Vinyl Styl produces them) but I've rarely had to use it. It's important not to clean unless you're having issues, and so far I haven't had any.
@@illadvisedrecords you should clean your heads, capstans, and pinch rollers every 10 hours or so. Qtip and 99% isopropyl alcohol. Not doing so will result in poor recordings...
Great video! Really interesting to see the equipment and the customizing of the cassettes. I do have a question though, you mentioned two sided cassettes, when recording two sided cassettes does that require a special type of cassette or does it not matter much?
Do you have to record, let’s say 30mins first, then flip it to get the rest of the other side? And what type of cable does the splitter go into the tape deck? thank you i love this video it’s been so helpful 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@rytheo4102 Not OP, but I grew up recording onto tapes, so... Yeah, ALL cassettes are just 1/4" wide magnetic tape. And 99% of tape recorders are "4 track", meaning they effectively divide the tape width into 4 tracks -Side A Left and Right, Side B L+R. So on a 60 minute tape the actual tape length is 30 minutes, you just use 2 of the tracks i one direction for side A, and the other two for side B. Side note: On the old school 4 track recorders that are used by bedroom musicians to record their songs all 4 tracks are used in one direction so they can put drums on 1, bass on 2, guitar on 3, vocals on 4, or whatevs. Cables are typically RCA.
@@illadvisedrecords i have doubts of what you´ve just said all though i have records live with many bands and they were recorded till 84 on the cheapest double deck from technics and the cassette was the most used at the time BASF LH-EXTRA I ,sounds better than some fancy live recordings or should i call it puke, EMI is responsable for a lot of those, in the home studio i have since 1970 , all the best was installed there, i know good software but i´m used to the old analogue table to record live sound caught by very good microphones installed where is supposed to and to a open reel deck or in late 80´s and was a struck by lightning feeling the DAT deck, listen to dream syndicate live at the raji´s guitars sound like guitars and drums also sound like drums and voice sounds very good allthough i don´t like the guy, (steve wynn)neither most of his songs but a few are perfect ,he even changed the last album from the band in the early 90´s or late 80´s to his name, now they are together again releasing some new good songs in several albums
For one-off tapes to listen to, not really. Your best bet is finding a label you like which still produces cassettes (like us!) and buying tapes from them (or find some old tapes you like, or someone bootlegging tapes online). If you want custom tapes just to listen to though, you'll have to record them yourself. Most duplicators are set up to produce large batches of tapes, and getting a one-off tape will probably run you $40-50 per tape.
Big cassette noob here. When you record onto the cassettes, did you record on side b as well? do those cassette decks automatically start recording on the other side? or did you just record onto one side of the cassette. Great video btw!
i don´t know how many cassettes i have stored in perfect conditions but maybe some thousands as i started to record more cassettes in 77 when having a Pioneer CT-F1000 at home bought a year early by my father, in 2017 i restarted to record cassettes with compilations in think i already recorded some 167 cassettes, i had them sealed in boxes as they were going to be incinerated in a big warehouse and all i could fit in my car ,only leaving space for me to drive 217 kms ,home ,even opened some boxes to fit all cassettes i could in smaller spaces
There are smaller ones, but size and price don't generally correlate when it comes to these. Your cheapest option is just whatever the cheapest cassette recorder you can find on ebay or in a thrift store is. If it has a record button, it will do the trick.
I've got a question. What would be the most appropriate way to print label designs onto the blank C-0 shells? I would prefer not to use stick-on labels. Can you use something like waterslide decals for label designs with both texts and small graphics?
Hard to say, as I don't do any of that myself. Usually, this is done with laser-etching, or pad printing, though that requires specialized equipment. Water transfers should work, but you'll need something that is the right size/format for a cassette, and they can be tricky to apply (I wouldn't recommend it for a large batch). You also need to be careful any time you are putting water near a cassette, as getting any on the tape itself can demagnetize it and wipe the audio. A more accessible option may be a stencil and airbrush.
i knew a guy who wrotte each word with letters of those that glue with water and had to be aligned and he did it for hours to each of his cassettes than he sold them to me which i used the other side to do not hear wham or modern talking but a good friend, we are in our 80´s and we met with 4 years old, sometimes people think we are having a terminal discussion but that´s old friendship , we say all we can find to dimish eachother but he started it , also other discussion
@@yipengli1072 i think so if it´s put in a place that stays flat to put it there hard without curving, sorry but my english in details isn´t very good, normally they never come out after being dry if is this you want me to tell you , as i´m portuguese
@@illadvisedrecords Thanks! I just ordered a Technics RS B-555, the specs look good for recording. Those Tascam 302s look awesome. Is the recording quality superior to the RS-B12?
This is super informative, thank you! The amount of work you put into these is wild, but nothing beats an album crafted with love. Hopefully this isn't a dumb question, but how do you deal with extra tape length? I know you can order preloaded tapes with a huge range of lengths available, but I know the time is generally split evenly on both sides. Can you custom-order tapes reeled with different lengths for each side, for example, if your Side A is 20 minutes long & Side B is 18? Or would you just need to get tapes closest to the full length & physically reel/balance each side out by hand?
Your line-in ports might just not work. You can try the mic inputs on the front instead, they will work the same (but will require RCA to aux adaptors if you are using RCA cables).
& see the cassette recorders that you have dose it run out of storage if uno what I mean so would I have to keep on buying more recorders or just buy one & use it forever
If I wanted to get into selling my own tapes how would I get the art work for the tape & make my own designs for it to stick on the tape also how would I record a large multiple number of tapes?
They are all on Duplication.ca's website in the template section (for their J-Cards). Diff suppliers will have their own templates. Adobe Reader or Acrobat is the best software for printing (set page scaling to full size).
So I just got a Technics rsb-14. I just have the one recorder, if I just have the one do all I need is just a aux to rca cord and plug it into the input?
+3 is the highest I will go. Anywhere from 0 to +3 is good. You can record hot on tape decks and it sounds nice, gives it a nice punchy saturation. You can go lower than 0, but the lower you go, the more noise you will hear. Amp doesn't matter, as long as you aren't clipping. Best practice is keep amp levels as low as you can, and watch the levels on the recording deck to get them where you want.
@@illadvisedrecords read the deck manual and there says where to not go over ,too many scales to simplify it like that, you don´t use the deck settings you loose, upper or lower than what is suposed to
Pretty much anything works! I prefer laser printers since they have a nice finish to them and cost less for large volumes, but if you are starting out and unsure of your volume I would start with a good ink tank printer. I use a Xerox C505 personally, but I wouldn't start with one unless you are sure this is going to be something that will make you some money.
Nope, just standard settings. You can get a better sound for some records with Dolby NR (not always), but it requires the customer to also have a device with Dolby NR mode in order to play the tape back correctly, so I would avoid any Dolby settings if you plan to distribute the tapes. If the customer doesn't have Dolby NR and they play back a Dolby NR tape on a normal deck, it will sound muffled and muddy.
@@illadvisedrecords Disagree with your last sentence., Dolby B and then S encoding has been an industry standard in all pre-recorded cassettes. A cassette encoded in Dolby B sounds clearer and does not necessarily need to be decoded; it can be played on any device without decoding even in a cheap boombox. On the other hand, if it is encoded in Dolby B and it is decoded (or played) with Dolby B, the signal to noise ratio is improved. The azimuth of the playhead must be perfect for the encoding-decoding process to work well without treble loss.
There's no master, they are all recording from an aux input (coming from a laptop). Tab in/out doesn't really matter much, I generally use whatever my supplier has in stock at the time.
I just got a boombox deluxe and I’ve been trying to record newer songs onto some brand new cassette tapes from maxwell and the quality is just terrible on these, I’ve tried using Bluetooth and an aux cord but they seem to really struggle picking up bass on songs. I’m new to cassettes so I don’t know if that’s just something they are incapable of picking up or not, but if there is any tips out there please let me know, I have no idea what I’m doing
It could be a number of things really. Cassettes do not have as good of a low-end, and you might need higher quality tapes (type 2, or 3) to really get clean low-end. For now, I would try recording at different volumes. Sometimes you want to stay under 0 DB to get more hiss but a wider frequency range, sometimes you want to go to +3DB to "squash" the sound and get a really loud, saturated mix. Experiment a bit, and always try some other tapes to see if maybe yours just aren't good. Also, not all recorders are made equal, and a boom-box will rarely record as well as something like a dedicated recording model like in the vid. Even among units like these, I've had some with great sound and some that I just threw away because recording on them wasn't worth it.
boomboxes don´t record well i have a few from good brands and two look like mini systems or have the same features as a assembled system ,only tinier, and not separated like a old compact system
I would like to record audio from my computer to my high-spec Aiwa tape deck. However, I can’t feed the audio from the PC to the deck. I’ve connected my sound card to the DAC using a Toslink, and I connected my DAC to the deck with an RCA. Could you give me advice on connections and how I can feed the audio to the tape deck?
While there should be no issue with a DAC, the best way is to just use your PC's AUX-out (headphone jack). Use an AUX-to-RCA cable to directly connect the PC to the cassette recorder. To figure out what your exact problem is though, you'll need to test at each potential point of failure. Connect headphones/speakers to your DAC and ensure you're getting an audio signal. Connect something else directly to your cassette recorder to ensure that it can receive signal from other devices. Something along your chain is likely either not working or not set up properly. Using AUX directly into your deck is the easiest way to remove points of failure. Also, double check that you are plugging into the correct RCA ports (in, not out). They are generally next to each other and look the same, aside from some small text markings.
@@illadvisedrecords Thank you very much for your reply. I've already got in touch with the manufacturer of my DAC. They told me that I had two DACs connected together. The best way to feed sound to the tape deck is to send the computer audio directly to the DAC via USB and set the Speaker output to DAC. I've got one more question. Do I need to connect the DAC to an amplifier? What would the sound be like with and without an amplifier?
@@yipengli1072 it improves the digital inputs in yiour amplifier if it as a type monitor but digital or to conect a digital sound processor, would be a better way to conect it by optical or coaxial cable, USB is not the best for digital sound as it was made to send digital files not only digital music files
I have a Xerox C505, but it really doesn't matter. You can get good results from any new inkjet or laser printer. I find laser looks better, and the price will work out low in the long term, but it has a steeper upfront cost for the printer and toner.
I can't find the Technics RS-B12 locally, but I do find other Technics RS-B models, like Technics RS-B10 for example, RS-B16 and even a black RS-B18, but the one in the best condition seems to be the Technics RS-B10. I'm not sure what the difference between them is, to be honest. Any idea if this one will also perform well for recording?
Honestly, It's all about trial and error. While 2 models might have some desirable sound traits, no 2 will sound the same. My setup was cobbled together of whatever sounded the best out of the models I managed to find, so I would say pick up what is cheap and give them a go. I would think the Technics RS-B10 should be just fine. I have personally moved away from all of these units (though not due to audio quality), so it isn't a "must-have" sort of thing.
You can buy adapters for those for cheap on Amazon etc. (1/4 inch male to 1/8 inch female). It never hurts to have a random box of adaptors for such occasions!
Bruh........talk about a bootstrap operation (meant with all due respect). Back in the day, my mom had a tape ministry and bought blanks by the 100. After finalization, you actually want to pop those little tabs out to prevent recording over your intended content. I followed pretty much all of the same steps. Respect. Blessings.
I have a question, and sorry not knowing this, but when it comes time to record on side b do you have to rewind the tape before flipping it over or do you just flip it over after side a is finished recording?
Just flip. Draw 4 arrows on a piece of paper with the top one and the third one down pointing right, the second and 4th facing left. That's a "4 track" tape. Two tracks (L+R) on 2 sides (A+B).
I’ve never fully understood how templates work, and how to line up art so it prints right where you want it. Can anyone recommend any videos or tutorials that’d help me understand?
The easiest way is to save your file as a PDF and open it with Adobe Reader (free) to print. In the print options for Adobe Reader, you can check a box that says "actual size" which will line your template up to the page 1:1.
@@illadvisedrecords ah okay , cause I just put in an order of tapes/ labels & J cards , so now I just wait for it to get here and I print it myself? Not bad I was freaking out cause it sent me a email to upload files and artwork so I got confused but I saw it’s only for the extra charge where they do it
Have you tried any companies besides dupe ca? Wondering how these blanks sound. Ive most likely already heard one from a tape I own, but just curious before I drop hundys
@@illadvisedrecords hmm. Well, another idea would be to just connect them to a power strip that has an on/off switch, set them all to record w/ the pause engaged, turn the power strip off, unpause, then turn the power strip on. Synchronization achieved! You can hand wind the tapes to the leaders by hand to the same position, so any "pops" from the decks turning on aren't recorded.
Dir ,cassette tap is my time ,And i believe that you miss a major part ,I recorded many cassette tapes in my life , I used a TASCAM 122 , WICH HAS BIOS AND HIGHE calibration option ,before recording or copying you have to calibrate the bios and high for each new brand of cassette tape .
Nope. If something is an hour long tape, I do 30 per side, if its 30 mins, I record it all on side A. having blank space at the end of a side isn't a big deal as long as there isn't tons, and it doesn't matter how much there is if the tape is over.
You'll get more sound degradation that way, but it will save money. I'd say if you're passing through more than one or two units, to just split the signal once.
Professional quality tapes use HX Pro tape decks and metal bias tapes type IV. Also bias adjust its necessary to set high frequency response quality by monitoring tape while recording so also need tape/source monitor capability. why would a buy a tape when its just recorded from a digital source that I can download for free? profesional recordings are recorded from vinyl, your ears can tell the difference and if played on a good system the low quality tape setup your using would not sound good. Vinyl is recorded from a digital master but the DACS there using are high quality. Type 4 bias allows recordings of up to about 5dB over 0dB. there is no comparison in quality of Dynamic bias compared to Type IV bias.
While the quality is certainly better, type 4 metal tapes are kind of irrelevant when it comes to commercial releases of music (especially indie). The cost of type 4 blanks is extremely high, and many major cassette suppliers don't sell them at all (mine included). Just a type 2 cassette can nearly double the production cost. They are great for home recordings or expensive limited releases, but that's about it. Recording from a vinyl master vs. digital will certainly offer a different sound, but not a higher fidelity one. Vinyl is lossy, whereas digital is not, so you will always technically have a lower quality master if you record from vinyl. While vinyl was used as a master once upon a time, that had more to do with it being superior to tape masters before lossless digital audio was a thing. CD masters replaced vinyl masters over time, and direct digital is now superior to CD (though there is not a big difference, and many professional duplicators still use CD masters). As for why someone would buy a tape when there is higher quality digital downloads available: it comes down to a few things. One being the artistry/collectability of it. It is no different from collecting vinyl in the sense that there is a superior digital version freely available, but people like to have a physical object even if it has lower quality audio. There is a sort of "ritual" to playing it, and it has a more creative presentation. The other reason is the unique character of cassette saturation and recording artifacts. Lofi music in particular utilizes these elements to add character to the music, and even the digital masters include effects which intentionally degrade audio quality, add warping effects, and apply heavy saturation. Recording them to actual cassette gives even more of this effect, and it can improve/alter the sound, making for a unique listening experience vs digital. You can even get a higher fidelity recording on cassette than the digital version by removing digital effects meant to emulate analogue recording artefacts, and instead record to cassette to get the real effect.
Quality cost money. Your wasting money, not saving by degrading the supposdly pristine quality of your digital recording, rendering it inferior on a less quality medium of tape. Once you buy the quality tapes, they will last for 15 years before you have to re-record them. Save your pennies and dimes and get some quality equipment.You will spend less money over time than having to keep spending money on cheap quality that fails. low quality stuff always breaks down and fails. The quality stuff is worth the wait. i only buy quality stuff, because it lasts a very long time. Especially a turntable. They last for years.
@@kevinhamming4514 Unfortunately, that doesn't apply when selling cassettes commercially. If I were recording for personal use, I would consider higher-end tapes, but in order to sell at a price point that people will pay, higher end cassettes are off the table. A blank type 3 or 4 tape goes for more than the final sale price of our cassettes after all printing and packaging. We would have to more than double our sale prices, and selling tapes is hard enough as it is. This tutorial is mostly aimed as indie bands and producers looking to sell tapes, like we do.
@@illadvisedrecords Go ahead and sell the tapes, people will buy anything, even dog crap! I dont buy commercial cassettes but have in the past. I prefer high quality sound, not everyone cares, mostly they care if its loud enough. But only vinyl is good enough to my ears. The week link to recording high quality is the transistors in the tape deck, I dont link the sound of transistors, And i cant afford the expense of of high quality DACS, but I prefer the sound of analog recordings. Nothing sounds as good to me. A record costs $ 30.00 which is more expensive than the tapes, but if taken care of, wont be degraded after 100 plays, but only a undetectabe amount. turntables are more reliable than any tape deck and wont destroy or eat tapes. I can afford 30 bucks for a record and I get so much more, especially album posters and inserts. Vinyl is the solution to a lot of problems, turntables last longer than any tape deck will. There is no equal. I wont buy what i cant stand to listen to and wont buy dog crap either. Low quality tapes sound like crap to me compare to vinyl. Also I have the signal going from my turntable through an all tube setup.The difference can be heard because tapes need tape decks with transistors in them. Thats the main reason I dont like tapes. But I have two relatively good quality tape decks, which in my opinion doesnt come close enough to really be labled as good a quality as vinyl.
0:00 intro
1:50 overview
4:24 recording audio onto the tapes
10:23 cassettes
11:15 stickers
13:01 J-Cards (album art inserts)
14:46 download code cards
16:24 other ideas for packaging/additional goodies
17:00 wrap up
what model tape player?
Do you take in requests?
The old technics gear is so symbolic to the genre
You’re my hero…
I don’t understand how you do all this by yourself in between being such a prolific producer. Hella inspiring.
I totally respect what your doing it’s great to revive cassettes I’m an ex audiophile for 52 years I have owned over 40 cassette decks please do yourself a favour get a Yamaha kx580 se they are relatively cheap and do auto biasing and calibration which in turn gives you better results for your customers. Just trying to help you. These technics decks are not quite up to the mark they will probably need servicing too which hardly anyone does. De magnetise the heads adjust the azimuth clean the pinch rollers etc
Just want to say thanks for your comment. I went through 6 different decks trying to make decent recordings before I found this video and your comment. Just got my kx-580 in the mail and I already am beyond happy with the results.
@@anewsledspace no worries if you need any advice I’m here the Yamaha kx580 SE
IS A SPECIAL deck for the money a real sleeper
@@AnthonyToth-t5v What's a good deal on a kx580SE? I'm seeing them on eBay for USD$300+.. What's a good range for this unit in your opinion?
Ex PEDOPHILE!????
@@AnthonyToth-t5v i agree with you but there much better decks ,even from Yamaha , i have one that is known to have a master fader next to the place you insert the cassette but a older model with the same function, it´s a very well built deck and even today records with a superior quality, off course i do the maintenace to my cassette decks , having sold some 5 cassette decks ,all nakamichi ,i only have know around 48 cassette decks from which only 8 are working like new and normally i restore them but for now, 8 is more than enought normally belts are the needed change but in a 90´s technics direct drive quartz ,only plays and records well ,with perfectelly built cassettes from 60 to 54 minuts in total, but i have one from 79 that since then as been used as it plays perfect and records with great sound was the third model counting from the top , that as the engine fully working and even more used than the 90´s one, that at the time won a award for the quality and price relation, in what hi-fi if memory dosnt fail me that was the magazine i used to read when it was released, have in the 80´s bought a tdk demagnatiser with the shape of a cassette i still use it, and one can listen to how much were the heads magnatised, every thing else is always done at a cleaning level but some pinch rollers when not available for the model, new is better to not clean them as they are already needing substitution and when cleaned can´t make the enough preassure to rotate the tape in a steady and correct rotation, and i have to say ,is kind of slim but the box is big as a larger and taller amplifier with 120 watts r.m.s. real ones, from early 90´s, also as better display ,keys, lights and doesn´t have bias but no need for it, the Yamaha deck i refer is also same old as the technics but it does work perfect and was ofered to me by a family person in the 80´s has he had bought a new and better,so to speak, deck, people forgetn that in 1980 all brands decreased a lot their quality of building and sound , to make them more afordable they said, but it´s only sad, as we today if having a old receiver or amplifier working without flaws it is noticed the superiority in everything, about Nakamichi everybody is wrong i sold my father´s top models since 74 to 2001 being the first the "1000" and the last the DR-1, but i had some ,the Dragon that i sold cheap in 86 after at the end of 6 monthes, i noticed something wasn´t working perfect and before it sounded with vibrations or even worst i stoped it and sold it also can add that at the same time bought as a second deck the BX-2 in december of 82, and this cheaper deck is still working perfect also have a 700ZXL and a 680ZX, both bought by me and working perfect as i know after all this years how to ,keep them working in perfection without destroying them but in sound quality no nakamichi achieves as an example and i could give a lot more , any top Pionner cassette deck, i can give the example of trying to compare the 79 Pioneer CT-F1250 that was close to the nakamichi´s in age but the 1000ZXL , Dragon, ZX-9 when recording in the same cassettes with the same source , not only Pioneer reveals a better sound as even the cassettes recorded in those nakamichi sound better when played in the Pioneer and later i did it again with a CT-959 and a bit older CT-91a also from Pioneer, this adding the CR-7a and a cassette deck 1(this last if i had to choose one ,would be the better built nakamichi cassette deck, allthough with a minimal look as all the functions as on earlier top end models from nakamichi) the only diference is that the CT-959 as a more evolved recording sound as the heads are from a more modern type, used by several brands in the 80´s and 90´s, if i had to choose which is the best cassette deck ever made i would reply ,without a doubt and from far the 90´s Urushi version from Pioneer CT-93, no other and i know a lot of them comes near , either than this deck only open reel decks or maybe in digital a good DAT deck(digital isn´t bad ,we are only using a format developed in the 70´s, the compact disc which in the first 7 to 8 years were better built , today are cheaply built with much worst material but never was achived in digital the vibration of the chords played in a electric guitar, and several other matters but the most noticeable are the guitars efects of only electrical amplified and with or without distortion from the amplifier, the most noticeable song is bloody well right from crime of the century by supertramp and new turntables till 2.000€ can´t reproduce the sound of a fully automatic, 100€ when new in the 90´s with heavy use till today with a AT stylus that they were sold with , but new from then not this new ones as it were built not like they used to, the same with turntables, Some do say cd is perfect people just don´t have them good cd players with good dac´s ,well that says a lot one sopends 100e in a old turntable and has the total sound of a vinyl recrd and only by spending 50.000€ one would have cd perfect sound ,well not all have that amount to spend on a system of cd player but i also have many said to be perfect cd players and one of them came to me by my father when alive , a CEC or chuodenki belt driven i really never knew is price but i went to the site of the brand this some 5 years ago and for my surprise the cd player was still being sold by 36.000€, so is it bad?not everybody can spare this amount of money on a cd player, some families will never have that amount in their hands or bank acount in all their lifes, i had the luck nothing else and i wouldn´t had bought it not even if i had that amount everyday of the year to spend , this HI-FI hobby is maybe the most expensive in the world ,unless you colect big nuggets of gold or diamonds from a size up after polished, well cars is my other hobby and they can be expensive but i never spent more than 20.000€ and allthougn i have a lot of them, never ever in my life i bought a new car, my daily driver now is a diesel Skoda octavia from late october of 2004 and it´s perfect, with a 2.0 TDi engine from the VW group has 140 h.p. but there is other sold at the same time with the same engine with 170 h.p.before as i have agriculture i drive a lot in dirt roads was using a 96 ford fiesta with two seats as it is a work car with a diesel 1.8 L engine, but normally i buy the last model of the 4x4 toyota hilux pick up, and they never fail , this last model seemed weak compared with older ones but ity´s amazing how good it driveas in the most dificult access parts of my property, where only hunters go there by foot, but i drove there my toyota pick up from 2021 and returned, some say i never did it but i was with 3 more friends who were scared when they saw me driving in that place, sorry for the long coment and off topic but if you have time give it a try.
The only thing that you did differently than I have always done is, you didn't manually fast forward the tape so that the brown for cheapo type 1/black for chrome or metal type 2 and type 4's - otherwise you could accidentally not record the beginning of the first song on either side! Either do that, or after pressing record, wait for 10 to 12 seconds to allow the reels to record up to the brown bit of the tape and by then, you press play on the laptop and it will not miss out on the intro of any song. Also, if you really wanted to, add the old pitch checker sound that used to be on prerecorded tapes and have it at the beginning of each side 5 seconds before the first song starts on each side! Also, make sure the recording db meter is at or below 0db.
why, that happens when the azimutrh is not perfect and they even may sound good just not perfect as the db increase as you rotate the litle screw or azimuth knob, most of the decks do not reveal their best sound at odb´s well when in the 70´s some decks appeared the 0DB was the level to hit ,this in 72 ,73 or maybe one year later on cheaper models, depending also on the type of scale which there are many
crazy how time goes by and looking back at stuff like this
Great video, I'll only point out one potential flaw in this process that I ran into myself and that you also might consider for the future. Not sure if you have this issue, but I'd like to warn others in case they run into this, so, please double-check.
The best way to go about the source audio is to have it run through an interface in your DAW. Adding a tiny bit of high-shelf EQ also helps in retaining some of the information that could potentially be lost in the recording process, so it's good to enforce some of that back in.
I did record a few things through my headphone jack from the laptop, but I did notice that the playback was a bit off, weird stuff happening with the EQ, vocals were muffled as hell, so, doing this through an interface is a much more reliable method.
I do appreciate the fact that you do this live opposed to through the duplication machines, that's a bit of a pain in the ass, but a much better solution for the listener.
This is so fascinating- I love physical things like this, making things and the process and all. Love the fact that these are home made and the work you put into making them. Really awesome!
Thanks for the video man. Currently putting together my own run of tapes and would have been much more lost without this video.
Also, tunes on the label are dope
Glad it helped!
This was fun to watch. I love old tech so much and it really fits the music so well
nice video, im lately becoming into vintage so im pretty interested in knowing as much as i can about cassettes too, and your dark covers seems pretty nice too
This was really cool to see. Definitely going to have to pick up a few of the cassettes. Nice little collector piece. Might even bust out my old walkman.
Was listening to a massive amount of the playlists you guys put out on halloween. At the end of this video is when i remembered this channel! Good job on all of these vids thanks
Dude, this video saved my life. Thank you so much. Greetings from Mexico.
Didn’t even know you sell cassette tapes, that’s so cute. Classic UwU
And also, was rly entertaining to watch!
I love cassettes! Because it was on cassettes that I recorded the "Trance Mutation" radioshows, which shaped my musical taste!🥰
Just got custom made/measured tapes for my solo project from Duplication Ca.Will be ordering more stuff from them,thanks for mentioning them,subbed!!📼🤖🗽
great work keep it up, i like these behind the scenes videos pls do more! i love your music👌💕
I am in my 60s I make music on keyboards and a cassette 4-track recorder yet that I love to death. Years and years ago when they were closing out cassettes at the big box stores or anywhere else I bought packs and packs of them type 2 hi bias tapes unbelievable clearance prices. All the good brand names from back then. It will take me about three lifetimes to run out of them. I can't believe how much these things are now on the internet for just one, talking about the brand names. Even some of these nut jobs on eBay selling things for outrageous prices. Fortunately I bought all this stuff back in the seventies and eighties the equipment I use as well as tape decks more than I'll ever need. But you're doing a pretty good job at what you do. Appreciate the video keep it up😮
Any tips on what to look for in a tape deck would be appreciated
Good sound quality is the main thing. A speed knob and a panning knob are also great to have if you don't know how to service them. Trial and error or reviews are the only way to really know how the sound quality will be.
On the note of having a pause at the start of the recordings, if you get an external timer that can turn power on and off you can leave the cassette decks on but without power and hit the record button on all the decks and then when the external timer turns the power on for the decks they all will start recording at the exact same time. Or you could also plug them all into a power strip/surge protector and just flip the surge protector off until youre ready to record and once everything is set to record, turn the power strip on and they will all start recording simultaneously
doesn't work for many of these as they have a digital interface, but there are ways to send a signal to start recording on that variety as well. Def something for the future!
Ghad damn , gotta admit I only been impressed by the quality cool to see how it's all made.
Good to hear that you are able to make money off them even after splitting
Thanks - super-helpful, having been pleasantly surprised by the audio quality after idly recording an album onto cassette on a pretty fancy tape deck that I picked up cheap and used a while back. (It's all the fun of my 90s childhood without the kinda terrible sound I would get back then!)
Also, yes please to more like this on other aspects of production.
I’m glad I came across your video. It took me back to when I duplicated my own CD’s. Do you mind sharing what printer you use?
Omg.glad I found this channell
Really great video, can’t thank you enough
Great video - really enjoyable watch, just wondered where you buy / what to search for to find the right sized J-card printing paper with the perforated edges etc
www.duplication.ca/blank-j-cards/
@@illadvisedrecords thank you :)
Thanks for making this video, learned some good tips, really appreciate all the insight and information you shared. I was trying to learn how to this myself as well haha! Big salut from Thunder Bay! 🤘💯🇨🇦
THANK YOU for including download codes.
Won't that one cable only make the signal mono onto those recordings on the cassettes tho ? Don't you need a L/R splitter or some sort ?
The cable from the PC to the headphone splitter is an Aux cable, so it is stereo. The splitter has Aux outputs, which are also stereo outputs. The cables I use to connect the splitter outputs to the cassette player inputs are 6.3mm Aux to RCA cables, so it does split the signal for connecting to the tape recorders. (Like these: www.amazon.ca/MOSWAG-Quarter-6-35mm-Stereo-Splitter/dp/B09GFC54GZ/ref=sr_1_19?crid=2HROYQF9MTGRD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.r1E77wJ73ZG8Mh8974vIaK3wyeEK8phputnZ2MkHPJC3mTfGNQ0Y733YASR26FWV5uHZk75SNilakJj8QFEMlh-ZjYwzQOH-efwu2JKlLzLXOAuwwQMESk9kG3K2Kko1MrkMZpNzOj65oH87sZOR_Bc-uIrUI609Z4T-aqhOilHLog5nrYgjH_sY3anhMNwALGbxBO8rUjcNLYj-NXdQh7cIFwr8P5KIbjegNnqn-ElrTeC2uLkZqwhScE2X-YMkYFxnSCAbPahTmx1CK6pg6pE9lPfys54pzpEVFBqAPSw.fMA00G4Fd_8Nk4PeR_9SQBnrTQbCxK_dSOSSwfulsP4&dib_tag=se&keywords=6.3mm+aux+to+rca&qid=1708972961&sprefix=6+3mm+aux+to+rca%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-19). Just make sure you get the right cables for the size of the outputs on your headphone mixer (3.5mm or 6.3mm).
@@illadvisedrecordsthanks !
i love it your video... i love cassette tape ... love from India
I wanna see a video from y'all on how to connect the laptop to a cassette splitter to record off the laptop!!!
Might do an updated one sometime, but as for connecting to a splitter, it is dead simple. You just get a few Aux cables, plug the laptops headphone jack to the "input" jack on the splitter, and then hook aux to RCA cables into each output jack on the splitter to connect them to each cassette recorder. The main thing is to order your splitter (usually called a Headphone Mixer) first so you know what size cables you need, but you'll normally need 1x 1/8" to 1/4" male stereo aux cable, and 4x 1/4" to RCA male aux cables (if using a 4-way splitter).
didn´t really understand but i take all efects from windows and sound software abnd i´ve been recording a lot of cassettes from spotify, with crossfader in 7 seconds from playlists i´ve made and no efect also on spotify to be flat sound, they might not sound the best but already very good also to minidisc
Omg he's the voice in the weather channel. Hahaha Isn't he? From the 24/7 dark lofi.
Yes indeed!
Hi, where did you bought J-Cards pre-cutted paper and which is the thickness of it? Thanks in advance, nice tutorial BTW.
I get mine from duplication.ca, though there are other sources out there if you search "cassette supplies" on google. Which one you use will likely come down to where you live for good shipping rates.
Hey do you have any printer recommendations for CD/Cassette inserts. I saw that you used a Xerox C505, any other really good ones to look at? Thanks
Can buy blank cassettes from duplication if I don't have the intention to sell cassettes but i do plan to buy alot for myself.
Yup, there are no requirements to buy them
@@illadvisedrecords no?
@@illadvisedrecords wasn´t TDK and Sony who kept releasing well built cassettes till the end (more, tdk)or is there a unknown brand who did it too?a question, i only know these two brands ,all others went down to garbage level, i had a deck that if you inserted a cassette and hard on rotation or it demended extra strenght from the deck engine and to do not destroy the perfect new deck in a second a message ERROR flashed in the display
That is awesome.....I LIKE!!!
Great video mate. I've paid for duplication in the past but looking to start my own duplication. For small runs it makes sense to go DIY.
what is the headphone splitter called, i end up getting results for splitter cable. Or is there a model number or brand that i can google for.
Anything like this will work: www.amazon.ca/Fosi-Audio-Headphone-Amplifier-Ultra-Compact/dp/B08XZL91VT/ref=sr_1_17?crid=6NV8DU5I7IJ7&keywords=headphone+mixer&qid=1673023812&sprefix=headphone+mixe%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-17. Searching for headphone mixer or amp will often bring up better results. Anything that outputs several channels will work.
@@illadvisedrecords thank you so much, cheers!
This was really informative. Thank you!!
in the last 7 years i almost record a cassette a day or three in one day and none in the next as i was for several years using only digital recording but when putting new belts in a almost never used CT-959 from Pioneer having a lot of TDK sa-x ,the recordings sounded a lot better than minidisc unless is acoustic sound ,the minidisc can handle it good, but if you ask me what was the best ever home recording i´m not sure but the reels and DAT are perfect
i only have a problem , i don´t writte nothing anywhere and sometimes i look to a group of 50 cassettes or minidisc or DAT cassettes or reels and where to find what i want to hear, what was i using when i recorded it?helps, sometimes i find a cassette that as the same songs i recorded in other cassette or minidisc
Very inspirational video, thank you! Any idea for an European shop where you can buy blank tapes, cases, paper/stickers etc for the best price? We want to start offering cassettes for our dub techno & ambient releases as well :)
“Hey you” “you know what kinda train this is?”
I recently got my first deck, Technics RS-B18. I like it so far. Have you done any maintenance on yours? Any tips on cleaning or fixing it?
No maintenance, though I have cleaned it. I have a cassette head cleaning kit (Vinyl Styl produces them) but I've rarely had to use it. It's important not to clean unless you're having issues, and so far I haven't had any.
@@illadvisedrecords you should clean your heads, capstans, and pinch rollers every 10 hours or so. Qtip and 99% isopropyl alcohol. Not doing so will result in poor recordings...
Thank you so much this video help me a lot
Nice gear!
Great video! Really interesting to see the equipment and the customizing of the cassettes. I do have a question though, you mentioned two sided cassettes, when recording two sided cassettes does that require a special type of cassette or does it not matter much?
Nope, same cassette. All cassettes have two sides that can be recorded on, so just flip it and you're good.
Do you have to record, let’s say 30mins first, then flip it to get the rest of the other side? And what type of cable does the splitter go into the tape deck?
thank you i love this video it’s been so helpful 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@rytheo4102 Not OP, but I grew up recording onto tapes, so... Yeah, ALL cassettes are just 1/4" wide magnetic tape. And 99% of tape recorders are "4 track", meaning they effectively divide the tape width into 4 tracks -Side A Left and Right, Side B L+R. So on a 60 minute tape the actual tape length is 30 minutes, you just use 2 of the tracks i one direction for side A, and the other two for side B.
Side note: On the old school 4 track recorders that are used by bedroom musicians to record their songs all 4 tracks are used in one direction so they can put drums on 1, bass on 2, guitar on 3, vocals on 4, or whatevs.
Cables are typically RCA.
Amazing work 👍🏻
Which Technics Deck model are you using?
These ones are Technics RS-B12, which did a great job. I've since upgraded to all double-recording decks (Tascam 302's and Denon 770R's)
@@illadvisedrecords i have doubts of what you´ve just said all though i have records live with many bands and they were recorded till 84 on the cheapest double deck from technics and the cassette was the most used at the time BASF LH-EXTRA I ,sounds better than some fancy live recordings or should i call it puke, EMI is responsable for a lot of those, in the home studio i have since 1970 , all the best was installed there, i know good software but i´m used to the old analogue table to record live sound caught by very good microphones installed where is supposed to and to a open reel deck or in late 80´s and was a struck by lightning feeling the DAT deck, listen to dream syndicate live at the raji´s guitars sound like guitars and drums also sound like drums and voice sounds very good allthough i don´t like the guy, (steve wynn)neither most of his songs but a few are perfect ,he even changed the last album from the band in the early 90´s or late 80´s to his name, now they are together again releasing some new good songs in several albums
Where did you find the template for de J-cards ?
www.duplication.com/printspecs/cassette-cover-templates.htm
Does it ship it to the US as well
Yup!
@@illadvisedrecords that’s good 👍🏽
I’m not a gear head. I don’t like “things” but my old truck only takes cassettes… any recommendations on a company that does it for you?
For one-off tapes to listen to, not really. Your best bet is finding a label you like which still produces cassettes (like us!) and buying tapes from them (or find some old tapes you like, or someone bootlegging tapes online). If you want custom tapes just to listen to though, you'll have to record them yourself. Most duplicators are set up to produce large batches of tapes, and getting a one-off tape will probably run you $40-50 per tape.
I’ll try to contact the label. The cassettes are typically listed as out of stock. Thanks for the tip.
Big cassette noob here. When you record onto the cassettes, did you record on side b as well? do those cassette decks automatically start recording on the other side? or did you just record onto one side of the cassette. Great video btw!
I flip them manually, and have the audio sorted into side A and B files
How can I go about collaborating with Dated
You can shoot a proposal/some music to us over here: illadvisedrecords.com/submit-1, and see what happens!
i don´t know how many cassettes i have stored in perfect conditions but maybe some thousands as i started to record more cassettes in 77 when having a Pioneer CT-F1000 at home bought a year early by my father, in 2017 i restarted to record cassettes with compilations in think i already recorded some 167 cassettes, i had them sealed in boxes as they were going to be incinerated in a big warehouse and all i could fit in my car ,only leaving space for me to drive 217 kms ,home ,even opened some boxes to fit all cassettes i could in smaller spaces
What's the cheapest way to record stereo onto cassette, are there smaller recorders that will do that?
There are smaller ones, but size and price don't generally correlate when it comes to these. Your cheapest option is just whatever the cheapest cassette recorder you can find on ebay or in a thrift store is. If it has a record button, it will do the trick.
I've got a question. What would be the most appropriate way to print label designs onto the blank C-0 shells? I would prefer not to use stick-on labels.
Can you use something like waterslide decals for label designs with both texts and small graphics?
Hard to say, as I don't do any of that myself. Usually, this is done with laser-etching, or pad printing, though that requires specialized equipment. Water transfers should work, but you'll need something that is the right size/format for a cassette, and they can be tricky to apply (I wouldn't recommend it for a large batch). You also need to be careful any time you are putting water near a cassette, as getting any on the tape itself can demagnetize it and wipe the audio.
A more accessible option may be a stencil and airbrush.
i knew a guy who wrotte each word with letters of those that glue with water and had to be aligned and he did it for hours to each of his cassettes than he sold them to me which i used the other side to do not hear wham or modern talking but a good friend, we are in our 80´s and we met with 4 years old, sometimes people think we are having a terminal discussion but that´s old friendship , we say all we can find to dimish eachother but he started it , also other discussion
@@RUfromthe40s Can you print label designs to rub-on transfer paper? You press the label design onto the plastic of the C-0 shell.
@@yipengli1072 i think so if it´s put in a place that stays flat to put it there hard without curving, sorry but my english in details isn´t very good, normally they never come out after being dry if is this you want me to tell you , as i´m portuguese
What is the exact model of your cassette deck? Thanks for the tutorial!
These are Technics RS-B12s, though I've since replaced them with Tascam 302s
@@illadvisedrecords Thanks! I just ordered a Technics RS B-555, the specs look good for recording. Those Tascam 302s look awesome. Is the recording quality superior to the RS-B12?
Hello
Can you make jewel case inserts for DAT tapes?
And the self sticking stickers that go on the top and side of the DAT cassette ?
Thank you
This is super informative, thank you!
The amount of work you put into these is wild, but nothing beats an album crafted with love.
Hopefully this isn't a dumb question, but how do you deal with extra tape length?
I know you can order preloaded tapes with a huge range of lengths available, but I know the time is generally split evenly on both sides.
Can you custom-order tapes reeled with different lengths for each side, for example, if your Side A is 20 minutes long & Side B is 18? Or would you just need to get tapes closest to the full length & physically reel/balance each side out by hand?
I just leave it! Haha. I try to keep the dead space to the end, but needing to rewind/FF isn't the biggest deal.
Ive recently bought an rsb18 like the one on the bottom in the video but i can get the line in to work at all
Your line-in ports might just not work. You can try the mic inputs on the front instead, they will work the same (but will require RCA to aux adaptors if you are using RCA cables).
When you buy a used cassette recorder do you need to clean it somehow to make good quality recordings ?
Not necessarily, but having some rubbing alcohol and Q-tips around to keep the tapehead clean is always a good practice.
@@illadvisedrecords for sure it is
& see the cassette recorders that you have dose it run out of storage if uno what I mean so would I have to keep on buying more recorders or just buy one & use it forever
If I wanted to get into selling my own tapes how would I get the art work for the tape & make my own designs for it to stick on the tape also how would I record a large multiple number of tapes?
Is there a software template you would use that properly positions the image for the J card ?
They are all on Duplication.ca's website in the template section (for their J-Cards). Diff suppliers will have their own templates. Adobe Reader or Acrobat is the best software for printing (set page scaling to full size).
freeware, just look for it, label cassette or label cd
Hi, here I can find the pre cut label for the tapes please?
www.duplication.ca
So I just got a Technics rsb-14. I just have the one recorder, if I just have the one do all I need is just a aux to rca cord and plug it into the input?
Yup, that's it!
How carefully do you set the record levels on those three machines?
How much gain do you give the headphone amp channels?
+3 is the highest I will go. Anywhere from 0 to +3 is good. You can record hot on tape decks and it sounds nice, gives it a nice punchy saturation. You can go lower than 0, but the lower you go, the more noise you will hear.
Amp doesn't matter, as long as you aren't clipping. Best practice is keep amp levels as low as you can, and watch the levels on the recording deck to get them where you want.
@@illadvisedrecords read the deck manual and there says where to not go over ,too many scales to simplify it like that, you don´t use the deck settings you loose, upper or lower than what is suposed to
Great video!! Thanks for the info 🫡 What printer do you suggest using for the labels? Or which one do you guys use?
Pretty much anything works! I prefer laser printers since they have a nice finish to them and cost less for large volumes, but if you are starting out and unsure of your volume I would start with a good ink tank printer. I use a Xerox C505 personally, but I wouldn't start with one unless you are sure this is going to be something that will make you some money.
& how would I get the digital download code for the digital side of things & etc
Do you record them with Dolby B NR?
Nope, just standard settings. You can get a better sound for some records with Dolby NR (not always), but it requires the customer to also have a device with Dolby NR mode in order to play the tape back correctly, so I would avoid any Dolby settings if you plan to distribute the tapes. If the customer doesn't have Dolby NR and they play back a Dolby NR tape on a normal deck, it will sound muffled and muddy.
@@illadvisedrecords Disagree with your last sentence., Dolby B and then S encoding has been an industry standard in all pre-recorded cassettes. A cassette encoded in Dolby B sounds clearer and does not necessarily need to be decoded; it can be played on any device without decoding even in a cheap boombox. On the other hand, if it is encoded in Dolby B and it is decoded (or played) with Dolby B, the signal to noise ratio is improved. The azimuth of the playhead must be perfect for the encoding-decoding process to work well without treble loss.
never i recorded cassettes with dolby ,the hiss comes from something wrong with the deck ,normally magnatised
Are you using a tab in tape for the master and then for duplication of the master, using tab out? Thanks!
There's no master, they are all recording from an aux input (coming from a laptop). Tab in/out doesn't really matter much, I generally use whatever my supplier has in stock at the time.
I just got a boombox deluxe and I’ve been trying to record newer songs onto some brand new cassette tapes from maxwell and the quality is just terrible on these, I’ve tried using Bluetooth and an aux cord but they seem to really struggle picking up bass on songs. I’m new to cassettes so I don’t know if that’s just something they are incapable of picking up or not, but if there is any tips out there please let me know, I have no idea what I’m doing
It could be a number of things really. Cassettes do not have as good of a low-end, and you might need higher quality tapes (type 2, or 3) to really get clean low-end. For now, I would try recording at different volumes. Sometimes you want to stay under 0 DB to get more hiss but a wider frequency range, sometimes you want to go to +3DB to "squash" the sound and get a really loud, saturated mix. Experiment a bit, and always try some other tapes to see if maybe yours just aren't good. Also, not all recorders are made equal, and a boom-box will rarely record as well as something like a dedicated recording model like in the vid. Even among units like these, I've had some with great sound and some that I just threw away because recording on them wasn't worth it.
boomboxes don´t record well i have a few from good brands and two look like mini systems or have the same features as a assembled system ,only tinier, and not separated like a old compact system
any special configurations for bias, record level or dolby NR?
I would like to record audio from my computer to my high-spec Aiwa tape deck. However, I can’t feed the audio from the PC to the deck. I’ve connected my sound card to the DAC using a Toslink, and I connected my DAC to the deck with an RCA.
Could you give me advice on connections and how I can feed the audio to the tape deck?
While there should be no issue with a DAC, the best way is to just use your PC's AUX-out (headphone jack). Use an AUX-to-RCA cable to directly connect the PC to the cassette recorder.
To figure out what your exact problem is though, you'll need to test at each potential point of failure. Connect headphones/speakers to your DAC and ensure you're getting an audio signal. Connect something else directly to your cassette recorder to ensure that it can receive signal from other devices. Something along your chain is likely either not working or not set up properly.
Using AUX directly into your deck is the easiest way to remove points of failure.
Also, double check that you are plugging into the correct RCA ports (in, not out). They are generally next to each other and look the same, aside from some small text markings.
@@illadvisedrecords Thank you very much for your reply.
I've already got in touch with the manufacturer of my DAC. They told me that I had two DACs connected together. The best way to feed sound to the tape deck is to send the computer audio directly to the DAC via USB and set the Speaker output to DAC.
I've got one more question.
Do I need to connect the DAC to an amplifier? What would the sound be like with and without an amplifier?
@@yipengli1072 it improves the digital inputs in yiour amplifier if it as a type monitor but digital or to conect a digital sound processor, would be a better way to conect it by optical or coaxial cable, USB is not the best for digital sound as it was made to send digital files not only digital music files
@ I’ve found out how to do it. I’d connect the USB to a DAC, and then it would route the audio to my tape deck via RCA cables.
what printer do you use to print the j-cards and labels?
I have a Xerox C505, but it really doesn't matter. You can get good results from any new inkjet or laser printer. I find laser looks better, and the price will work out low in the long term, but it has a steeper upfront cost for the printer and toner.
I can't find the Technics RS-B12 locally, but I do find other Technics RS-B models, like Technics RS-B10 for example, RS-B16 and even a black RS-B18, but the one in the best condition seems to be the Technics RS-B10. I'm not sure what the difference between them is, to be honest. Any idea if this one will also perform well for recording?
Honestly, It's all about trial and error. While 2 models might have some desirable sound traits, no 2 will sound the same. My setup was cobbled together of whatever sounded the best out of the models I managed to find, so I would say pick up what is cheap and give them a go. I would think the Technics RS-B10 should be just fine. I have personally moved away from all of these units (though not due to audio quality), so it isn't a "must-have" sort of thing.
i dont really understand how to make the cassete tape. is there another in depth video?
Hey so what about when your cassette recorder only has a bigger headphone jack than an actual headphone’s cord?
You can buy adapters for those for cheap on Amazon etc. (1/4 inch male to 1/8 inch female). It never hurts to have a random box of adaptors for such occasions!
Bruh........talk about a bootstrap operation (meant with all due respect). Back in the day, my mom had a tape ministry and bought blanks by the 100. After finalization, you actually want to pop those little tabs out to prevent recording over your intended content. I followed pretty much all of the same steps. Respect. Blessings.
Bro what is this background music, it sounds like my body is made of electronics and im dying from touching water
I have a question, and sorry not knowing this, but when it comes time to record on side b do you have to rewind the tape before flipping it over or do you just flip it over after side a is finished recording?
Just flip. Draw 4 arrows on a piece of paper with the top one and the third one down pointing right, the second and 4th facing left. That's a "4 track" tape. Two tracks (L+R) on 2 sides (A+B).
@@davidroos6275 thank you so much!
@@davidroos6275 what isn´t just easier to start from the start and when the tape arrives to the head the sound changes and hit pause or rec.
I’ve never fully understood how templates work, and how to line up art so it prints right where you want it. Can anyone recommend any videos or tutorials that’d help me understand?
The easiest way is to save your file as a PDF and open it with Adobe Reader (free) to print. In the print options for Adobe Reader, you can check a box that says "actual size" which will line your template up to the page 1:1.
@@illadvisedrecords Oh okay sweet I’ll try that! thanks a ton for the reply
This makes me wanna put out a tape of my music.
Do it!
Nice 👍
I have a question tho, do we have to print the papers ourselves ? Or do they print it out for us?
You print them yourself (any printer will do). You can pay to have cassettes made and thing sprinted for you of course, but that costs a lot more.
@@illadvisedrecords ah okay , cause I just put in an order of tapes/ labels & J cards , so now I just wait for it to get here and I print it myself? Not bad I was freaking out cause it sent me a email to upload files and artwork so I got confused but I saw it’s only for the extra charge where they do it
What cassette deck is that?
Do you find using a DAC as a computer output vs. using the headphone output being worth the trouble?
For something like this, there won't be much of a difference.
do u do mix tape?
What model are those recorders?
Have you tried any companies besides dupe ca? Wondering how these blanks sound. Ive most likely already heard one from a tape I own, but just curious before I drop hundys
use to play metal cassette tape recorded from CD s.
yes, they do sound better than cds
@RUfromthe40s
is really sound better than CD even downloaded from CD.
If those cassette recorders have a remote connector on the back, you could actually have them all be controlled at the same time.
They don't all have one unfortunately, I believe only the Tascam ones do
@@illadvisedrecords hmm.
Well, another idea would be to just connect them to a power strip that has an on/off switch, set them all to record w/ the pause engaged, turn the power strip off, unpause, then turn the power strip on. Synchronization achieved!
You can hand wind the tapes to the leaders by hand to the same position, so any "pops" from the decks turning on aren't recorded.
Best deck ever , CT-93 from Pioneer all pioneers are flat recorders, nakamichi what?they wish, as i had all top end models from this brand since 74
Dir ,cassette tap is my time ,And i believe that you miss a major part ,I recorded many cassette tapes in my life , I used a TASCAM 122 , WICH HAS BIOS AND HIGHE calibration option ,before recording or copying you have to calibrate the bios and high for each new brand of cassette tape .
Question: how do you deal with the length of the tapes? All 100 tapes are the same length ? Do you cut them to the right length?
Nope. If something is an hour long tape, I do 30 per side, if its 30 mins, I record it all on side A. having blank space at the end of a side isn't a big deal as long as there isn't tons, and it doesn't matter how much there is if the tape is over.
Nexpo sticker
best
You don’t need that splitter 😅 rca in to top deck and out rca to the middle deck rca in, and repeat 👍 30 dollars 💵 save
You'll get more sound degradation that way, but it will save money. I'd say if you're passing through more than one or two units, to just split the signal once.
Now if only I can gain some fans...
Professional quality tapes use HX Pro tape decks and metal bias tapes type IV. Also bias adjust its necessary to set high frequency response quality by monitoring tape while recording so also need tape/source monitor capability. why would a buy a tape when its just recorded from a digital source that I can download for free? profesional recordings are recorded from vinyl, your ears can tell the difference and if played on a good system the low quality tape setup your using would not sound good. Vinyl is recorded from a digital master but the DACS there using are high quality. Type 4 bias allows recordings of up to about 5dB over 0dB. there is no comparison in quality of Dynamic bias compared to Type IV bias.
While the quality is certainly better, type 4 metal tapes are kind of irrelevant when it comes to commercial releases of music (especially indie). The cost of type 4 blanks is extremely high, and many major cassette suppliers don't sell them at all (mine included). Just a type 2 cassette can nearly double the production cost. They are great for home recordings or expensive limited releases, but that's about it.
Recording from a vinyl master vs. digital will certainly offer a different sound, but not a higher fidelity one. Vinyl is lossy, whereas digital is not, so you will always technically have a lower quality master if you record from vinyl. While vinyl was used as a master once upon a time, that had more to do with it being superior to tape masters before lossless digital audio was a thing. CD masters replaced vinyl masters over time, and direct digital is now superior to CD (though there is not a big difference, and many professional duplicators still use CD masters).
As for why someone would buy a tape when there is higher quality digital downloads available: it comes down to a few things. One being the artistry/collectability of it. It is no different from collecting vinyl in the sense that there is a superior digital version freely available, but people like to have a physical object even if it has lower quality audio. There is a sort of "ritual" to playing it, and it has a more creative presentation.
The other reason is the unique character of cassette saturation and recording artifacts. Lofi music in particular utilizes these elements to add character to the music, and even the digital masters include effects which intentionally degrade audio quality, add warping effects, and apply heavy saturation. Recording them to actual cassette gives even more of this effect, and it can improve/alter the sound, making for a unique listening experience vs digital. You can even get a higher fidelity recording on cassette than the digital version by removing digital effects meant to emulate analogue recording artefacts, and instead record to cassette to get the real effect.
Quality cost money. Your wasting money, not saving by degrading the supposdly pristine quality of your digital recording, rendering it inferior on a less quality medium of tape. Once you buy the quality tapes, they will last for 15 years before you have to re-record them. Save your pennies and dimes and get some quality equipment.You will spend less money over time than having to keep spending money on cheap quality that fails. low quality stuff always breaks down and fails. The quality stuff is worth the wait. i only buy quality stuff, because it lasts a very long time. Especially a turntable. They last for years.
@@kevinhamming4514 Unfortunately, that doesn't apply when selling cassettes commercially. If I were recording for personal use, I would consider higher-end tapes, but in order to sell at a price point that people will pay, higher end cassettes are off the table. A blank type 3 or 4 tape goes for more than the final sale price of our cassettes after all printing and packaging. We would have to more than double our sale prices, and selling tapes is hard enough as it is. This tutorial is mostly aimed as indie bands and producers looking to sell tapes, like we do.
@@illadvisedrecords low standard quality tapes don't work for me, they sound inferior because they are.
@@illadvisedrecords Go ahead and sell the tapes, people will buy anything, even dog crap! I dont buy commercial cassettes but have in the past. I prefer high quality sound, not everyone cares, mostly they care if its loud enough. But only vinyl is good enough to my ears. The week link to recording high quality is the transistors in the tape deck, I dont link the sound of transistors, And i cant afford the expense of of high quality DACS, but I prefer the sound of analog recordings. Nothing sounds as good to me. A record costs $ 30.00 which is more expensive than the tapes, but if taken care of, wont be degraded after 100 plays, but only a undetectabe amount. turntables are more reliable than any tape deck and wont destroy or eat tapes. I can afford 30 bucks for a record and I get so much more, especially album posters and inserts. Vinyl is the solution to a lot of problems, turntables last longer than any tape deck will. There is no equal. I wont buy what i cant stand to listen to and wont buy dog crap either. Low quality tapes sound like crap to me compare to vinyl. Also I have the signal going from my turntable through an all tube setup.The difference can be heard because tapes need tape decks with transistors in them. Thats the main reason I dont like tapes. But I have two relatively good quality tape decks, which in my opinion doesnt come close enough to really be labled as good a quality as vinyl.