I made the machinery to make cassettes....not record but actually make the cassette, put the tape inside etc. All Tapes at BASF in Manheim were made on my machines...! Supplied these machines to 85% of the world manufacturers. Still have a couple of new machines left....! Not sure where you can get tape from though.... I am happy to answer any questions...
I've got a BASF cassette tape that I recorded the top 40 charts way back in 1977, I played it recently and the sound quality has not degraded over time, Germany made the best cassette tapes in the world.
I had this type of cassette in the past but i can't figure out the benefit of SM, now like in the past, that arms can only scrape the tape and damage it. I ever though that was more an advertising stunt, like SONY's ceramic guide.
Chrome Maxima II was the top tape in their Type 2 category. They also produced a limited version called La Linea. I worked for BASF producing tapes in Bedford Massachusetts USA. Their Chromium Dioxide was superior. Extremely low noise. We conducted the Chrome Challenge nationwide inviting people to a listening test in which they had to tell me if they were listening to tape or CD (with headphones on). I personally gave that test to thousands of people. Many in the business, many so called golden ears. And in the end we had VERY few winners. Last note. I recall one winner. A 9 year old Korean girl with perfect pitch who played piano. She nailed the challenge 10 for 10. I rebiased the machine reset the levels and gave her the challenge again. She won once more 10 for 10.... SHE could hear a difference. Anyway, thanks for the upload.
The BASF did a lot of advertising for their Chrome cassettes. Here in Germany they were really quite successful, in the end more Chrome cassettes than Normal cassettes were sold. Not just by the BASF, but by cassette manufacturers in general.
BASF had a facility on Crosby Drive in Bedford that was built in the 90's, now FujiFilm. Wonder if that's where you worked. Just took a tour of the building and found it really interesting.
I sometimes removed those sm guides and there was no difference in sound. I heard from some friends back then, those sm guides ruined the tape additionally because of the higher friction, especially when the surface presented some irregularities. Portable players like walkman or car systems sometimes had even problems with this sm system because the capstans and reels needed more motor power to overcome the higher traction. I'm convinced it was the reason why in 92/93 Basf gave up this system and why nearly no other brand (TDK Sony Fuji Maxell) ever had an interest adopting the sm
Another fun fact: BASF tapes all had their screws on side 2, right up to the Emtec changeover. BASF/AGFA even had the same looking reels with the tiny rounded clips, same red leader, and same typeface in their logo, making the connection between them seem that much closer. The early ones had differences in the shell halves, where the side with the screw holes had longer plastic "guards" underneath, to keep the tape inside (most tapes have equal guard lengths). The construction and quality control of AGFA tapes leave much to be desired. I once came across a factory sealed one that was spooled in such a way that you can see the tape crossing diagonally through the window!
That security mechanism caused some tapes to snap the leader from the hub ... I can remember it happening to me at least once... but maybe more that was a very long time ago for me ... I looked at the structure and the arm stops the tape at 9 and 3 (15:00) (clock reference) without that it is approximately 10 and 2 (1400) so if the machine was a super fast winder it could snap the leader right off the hub
As mentioned in the video, AGFA did adopt the SM system, as well as some small, lesser known companies. It's correct, the SM caused quite a few problems, and so as soon as the inventor of the SM had left the company, they started to leave it away.
i first came across the cassette back in 1973 it was introduced here in Australia back in 1970 what i been told its a modern way of the reel to reel tapes its a shame theyre not around much anymore but i loved using them they were really part of my every day life BASF was the first blank cassette i ever come across
I loved BASF tapes. I remember the Security Mechanism very well, I think that's why these tapes were so stable. thanks for the video. very interesting.
Thanks for the video. I didn't use too many BASF cassettes (mostly Maxell and TDKs) partly because of price and availability in my area - and I always wondered about their security system and how it works. It was interesting to see how they changed the shell designs over the years. I have found that sometimes cassette tape tends to stick to itself, partly because of the magnetism and partly I think due to static charge build up, especially in the very thin tapes. The worst cassettes I ever had were Memorex. For some insane reason, they used a piece of foam to back the pressure pad, and that was never stable, so the tape would wander all over the head, until the foam disintegrated! They also "sonic welded" the shells together, so getting one apart to repair it was a nightmare. At least BASF stayed with the screws!
clydesight Even MEMOREX manufactured some in the U.S., other models was made in Korea (Sunkyong, the makers of SMAT & SKC) including one model which design is based on the SAMSUNG SQC of that era. The quality improved in that era.
Remember that SQC tape !! The envelope pink color, and cassete itself was translucid. SQC stood for "Samsung Quality Control", The sticker was narrow and white Also said SQC in those VHS tapes (box was black backgrpund with diagonal stripes). That was around 1992
With the SM constantly in contact with the tape would that affect the quality more over time than cassettes that only make contact with the tape heads?
I have two Basf LH with security mechanisms that I've recorded today some songs on it and it actually sounds fantastic for a 1974-76 tape. I've compared it against a BASF Maxima TPIV and other than more noise on the LH, it sounds quite the same! Also the Chrome Super II sound really good too. Thanks for sharing this awesome video.
The Dutch company Philips invented in 1962 the Compact Cassette medium for audio storage, and introducing it on 30 august 1963 at the Berlin Radio Show. In November 1964 introduced in the United States under the Norelco brand, with the trademark name Compact Cassette.
Oh ok, but I'm sure you seen them before. It kinda looks like those early 80s BASF you showed except the sticker is silver, has no screws, the graphite foil covers the entire hub and the case has a unique way of opening. I think they're pretty cool. I have about 6 of them.
Some ranting about the EMTEC CSII: They were indeed made in Europe, Ludwigshafen to be exact. They produced there until 2003 when the cassette division of EMTEC ran insolvent. And this is important: I have a bad experience with the reels in these cassettes, also the FE1, the Chrome Extra II and the later version of this called Chrome Super Quality II. These reels tend to bend making the mechanism so hard to move until it is impossible for the deck to carry on playing. I have a short video about that on my channel. I've experienced that with every single EMTEC with these reels.
I believe the security mechanism was also to make the tape wind onto the reels more evenly, so there's less ridges and it's less likely to jam. I have never had a tape that has that feature get jammed
I heard somewhere online that BASF stopped using the security mechanism on some USA tapes because it had a tendency to jam the tape inside the shell if you did short back and forth fast forwarding or rewinding, especially on relay controlled decks.
I don't like the extra friction and possibly wear caused by those sm arms. Never had a problem with sticking tapes anyway. To me, this is/was a solution to a non-existent problem.
I actually came across a Security Mechanism cassette recently in a huge bag of cassettes in a thrift store dumpster. I live in the United States. Apparently BASF renamed their Security Mechanism system for the US, here it's called "Special Mechanism" even though it's the same exact thing. The tape I found was a 120-minute normal tape.
Correct. Also, they were able to make a gliding foil that also functions as a tape guide (note that the foil in the 1990 cassette is not flat like in the older ones.
I'm not sure, It's all black and has a clear window around the holes for the reels and I think it has a label on top above the reels. I'll have to take a look at it.
Nice video, thank you. I used to use a lot of BASF cassettes and I found them super reliable. Don't think one ever failed or chewed up in the cassette deck.
Did different record companies use different quality tapes? Because when I was little I bought Jagger Little Pill for my Walkman and it had a heavier low end more than anything, an found another tape made my the same company and year and found they both had heavier low end compare to any other tape in my drawer as a kid. I had to turn the NR off just to get some treble.
No other manufacturer adopted SM. I think the mechanism quicker ruined tape structure due to much higher friction and was sometimes too heavy for weaker capstan reel tractions of walkmen or car tape systems. Later, even BASF been giving up SM since 1991 as I remember in Germany and Italy
I did an experiment once. I put a TDK tape inside a BASF cassette shell. It was the best cassette I ever used. I also put a BASF tape inside a TDK cassette shell which also performed well. A little bit of mix and match. Tape transplants in cassette shells.
I fail to see how that plastic arm improves "security." And I've never had a problem with tape winding or unwinding from a cassette, so I can't see what good this would do except get in the way and add additional friction where it's not needed.
Wow... all those tings about the BASF and AGFA Cassettes I learned by using it in those 70ies, 80ies an 1990ies. Super Video. Thank you. AGFA cassettes made problems in "Blaupunkt Car Stereo". Tape was running between capstan and roller with great wow and flutter. BASF not!
@ 6:47 "first series including a Maxima level" - there exists older cassette BASF CR-M II (1985/86?) (where CR stands for Chrome and M for Maxima , I believe)
I have a BASF Cassette that has this same security mechanism inside and it has a clear front window so the mechanism can be seen w/o having to open it up. the sides are black I think I have some music on it along with some other random recordings from that day.
In looking at the side view of the SM arm at 7:35, I wonder if the primary purpose of the Security Mechanism was to help offset the tape from the inside of the case. This could reduce wear and drag. I dont recall any serious issues w/ tape sticking to itself. Unless this was unique to BASFs oxide formula, or Chrome tape in general.
BASF didn't sell off their magnetic tape division straightaway, it was separated off as the EMTEC division (hence it still used the BASF spiral logo) and then sold off a year later, to a Korean textile company, that also manufactured magnetic tape, after it was created. BASF acquired Agfa's tape division in 1991, so their magnetic tape division got a bit too big to be just a part of the company. As to the security teeth, I guess it was a more efficient system, compared to the plastic sheet used by other cassette manufacturers, which was there to guide the tape as it wound. Very likely why BASF didn't have the sheet.
EMTEC took over the BASF spiral logo entirely (The BASF now uses a different logo) and got a temporary right to continue using the BASF name until they got the Emtec brand established. There were ads showing the classic BASF logo changing to Emtec. I don't know who exactly owned Emtec over the years but the last tapes they sold were made in Korea, the 'Sound I' cassettes were the same as the Maxell UR cassettes before they finally disappeared.
I have much of these cassettes. The Agfa superferro also had this mechanism but mine were in severe condition and were thrown away, now I have no more than 2 - 3 of them.
I've taken apart many cassettes in my day, and I've seen a lot of different designs, but these "SM" parts were kind of cool. The definitely helped with getting the tape threaded and held in place when reassembling the shell. They probably helped the improved and secured functionality of all operations (playback, fast winding, etc). Probably. :-P
Casette shown @ 10:00 is not a BASF or Emtec at all. It's SKC casette bearing marking Emtec. Even earlier SKC was an actual manufacturer of BASF casettes (before name change to Emtec - I've got BASF reCorD-II Chrome 100min in my collection and it's SKC, I'm sure)
The Early SM ones were "Special Mechanism" instead of "Security Mechanism". They included a diagram in the label explaining what it was. They were virtually identical tough the window was very very small. Some with the "rounded" window also features the "Special Mechanism" label and diagram....
For 13:44 this residue is "famous" on many AGFA-Tapes even R2R are suffering from that. But some old BASF (red case) have these problems. It´s the glue that comes out from between the tape foils.... But both AGFA and BASF had two complete seperate tape lines. One for the consumer marked, and one for pro-users. BASF produced some very good quality SM tapes, for R2R it had been the SM900, SM911, LGR50. For cassettes it had been the SM900 tape (normal pos.)and the CrM-II tape (high.pos) in the multitrack cassettes The same is for AGFA R2R was PER 528 made according to broadcast specs. The same had been in the mormal pos. tapes called UltraLowNoise for comercial use. The best housing for cassettes ever was BASF´s MAXIMA-II with the two X-X layout. Ok they had been glued together, so re-opening without damage is possible, but i never had problems even if the tapes had been runned daily in my car stereo are working just fine after all these years. And you can´t bend them in anyway. All other manufacturer had these problems, but not the Cr-M-II with the X-X layout.
Of all the brands of cassettes that I used throughout the years, 2 brands stood out as problematic. Those 2 were BASF and Memorex. The ones that worked best were TDK, Maxell, SONY and FUJI. The tapes out of Japan were superior.
I had always noticed that BASF had 6 seconds instead of 5 blank seconds at beginning/end of the tape. There were also versions where the blank part was also a cleaning part for the recorder heads. But the latest trend of the one-second-blank part had only Fuji in the mid 90s. BASF was not much into Metal tape
The BASF open reel tapes unfortunately tend to loose some of their oxide if they haven't been used for a long time. I usually clean them before use. AGFA tape is a bit better. When it comes to cassettes I primarily use the TDK SA chrome tape. I used normal tapes (Sony HF) for some time because they were cheaper. Big mistake. I'm currently in the process of throwing all those out. After a few years, the sound quality is just terrible. Metal tape is hard to find, and not much better than chrome.
you´ve forgotten the best basf tape (and in my eyes (/Ears ;) )the best chrome tape EVER produced): The Reference Maxima TPII (there was also a TPIV version with metal tape inside, but the chrome tape is soooo good! i couldnt hear a difference between it and metal tape anymore)
A friend of mine worked for a international secretly firm he was based in west Germany . And staff working for BASF were taking items over the border into East Germany
I bought a lot of BASF Chrome cassettes. And you didn't show the BASF Chromodioxid Maxima II. And then Metal Cassettes. And my final tapes were TDK SA. And in 1997 I quit cassettes to turn myself to CDrs. No more analog recordings. But cassette was my favourite sound recorder.
you've answerd alot of my questions about how 90s cassettes seem to lower their qualities. even store bought albums on cassettes in the 70s and 80s seem to have had that same Security Mechanism that the BASF blank tapes had. but when the removed them the quality of cassetees seemed to have gone downhill. when i bought brand new cassettes in the 90s they would snag, get "eat up" have muffled sound. the cassettes in the 70s and 80s (up until 1989 it seemed when the quality started to go down) were top quality. it was almost as it they were eazing the cassette out to make way for the new digital age.
It always amazes me, whenever i slip in a 15 year old VHS cassette or a audio copy of "stayin alive" into a player. The quality is actually quite decent! Even running a VHS on a Full HD tv! Walkman, out of the drawer. Stream the entire library onto cassettes, this is the way i want it!
Just letting you know that the SM "teeth" were referred to as "tusks" by BASF advertising (in Australia anyway).....There was also a cassette (hybrid) formulation released by BASF, called the "Ferrochrome".... I was given one to try, and the lower frequencies were enhanced by the (iron oxide {ferro})/chromium mix, which was the reason for this tape being produced, however after sitting around for over 10 years, the tape degenerated to a sticky mess....evidently because of a long term chemical reaction/degeneration....Sadly I threw the tape out many years ago.....
From what I've read, Ferrochrome (Type III) tapes were *meant* to combine the benefits of ferric and chrome, but ended up requiring compromise equalisation settings. There wasn't an obvious enough improvement over chrome to drive its adoption by equipment manufacturers before Metal (Type IV)- with its much greater improvement- rendered Ferrochrome irrelevant. That's why no-one's ever heard of the mysterious "Type III" cassette, apparently. Google "The Type III Ferrichrome / Ferro-chrome Audio Cassette" (with quotes) for a very informative article.
I still use LH 120min tapes today & the SM seems to cause vibrations on some of my recordings probably due to the guides warping over the years. Just something to note for anyone having a simmilar issues.
I think at top of the line was Chrome Maxima. Put I preffered Chrome Extra or Super, Maxima was good if you have a bias calibration when recording and even cut off some of the higher tones as result of the better signal-noise ratio. Good memories of the CompactCassette, especially Basf.
BASF is a chemical company as it was in ww2 . But they did make good quality cassette tapes . better tham some of the other tapes out there too . I don't have to tell you there involvement in the war of ww2 back then they where three companies then But like all companies made money and that's what war is all about too . But a very good company nowadays
I have an 'LH Extra I' tape that was made here in NZ. They weren't very cheap, it still has the $nz4.95 price tag on it, which would be $nz10+ now (about $us7)
Are old BASF cassettes known to break after all these years? Because 95% of the cassettes I have with broken tapes are BASF. Some of them are BASF AV's or LH but the majority are those old C90's which came in those weird grey plastic book thingy.
Hmm, that's strange. AV was never available in Germany, as far as I know. Maybe your tapes were all produced in a factory outside of Germany. Because all the BASF tapes I have work perfectly fine, over the years only 2 or 3 died on me, out of several hundreds!
I really like those 70's era Chrome BASF cassettes, although you have to be conservative with the input volume as they saturate easily. Of course this tape is so quiet, it really does not need high volume. I like them better than the typical high bias cassettes which is actually a cobalt/chrome combo.
OK, I think I know wich one you mean. Not sure if I have one, but I have seen them before. The cassette you mean was featured in the video about cassette cases I recently uploaded.
What do you think of BASF tapes from the mid to late 90's, I'm talking 1995 onwards? I remember using some of them in 1995 and maybe 1996 onwards, and I didn't think they were very good to be honest, I thought they were a bit cheap and generally not great, but maybe I just had bad tapes.
Here in Brazil BASF LH tapes with orange and black labels used to "drop" a lot of ferric oxide tape dust on the tape deck head. And Scotch tapes used to "get glued" when you let them whitout use for some months and Scotch tapes used to have a smell like swimming pool water or something. A really nasty stuff with both of them.
Interesting, could this be because of the climate in Brazil that tends to be hot and humid? I can imagine very well that high air humidity could have a very bad effect on magnetic tape.
@@DrCassette I believe that the problems with orange BASF tapes was caused from heat indeed, but when I was a child I heard about some Scotch 3M's chemical engeneer that was fired at that time, but I'm not sure if was just an old fake news build to give an interesting closure for that case or if it happened for real.
The chrome tapes in the 1990 style housing remained good all the way until the end. The normal position ferro tapes were junk, just like the ones others made.
These cassettes were not just sold on the German market, they were sold internationally. Also, for marketing reasons a lot of labeling also on Audio/Video equipment is in English, even if it was built especially for the German market. Marketing people think it looks better.
Wasn't it initially marketed as Special Mechanics / Spezial Mechanik mechanism? See 1971-1972 model range - vintagecassettes.com/basf/basf_files/ubasf71.htm .
It depends... BASF tape does not perform very well on Japanese decks while German decks don't like Japanese tapes all that much. European and Japanese industry used different reference tapes back in the days.
I made the machinery to make cassettes....not record but actually make the cassette, put the tape inside etc. All Tapes at BASF in Manheim were made on my machines...!
Supplied these machines to 85% of the world manufacturers. Still have a couple of new machines left....! Not sure where you can get tape from though....
I am happy to answer any questions...
+David Hill :-) that is very interesting :-) :-)
Where do I buy one so I can make mor
+Cringe Worthiness
Still have 1 or 2 new ones if you are interested....
David Hill Does it include with the supplies
+Cringe Worthiness
No sorry...
I've got a BASF cassette tape that I recorded the top 40 charts way back in 1977, I played it recently and the sound quality has not degraded over time, Germany made the best cassette tapes in the world.
1972 that's a long time ago
I had this type of cassette in the past but i can't figure out the benefit of SM, now like in the past, that arms can only scrape the tape and damage it. I ever though that was more an advertising stunt, like SONY's ceramic guide.
Chrome Maxima II was the top tape in their Type 2 category. They also produced a limited version called La Linea. I worked for BASF producing tapes in Bedford Massachusetts USA. Their Chromium Dioxide was superior. Extremely low noise. We conducted the Chrome Challenge nationwide inviting people to a listening test in which they had to tell me if they were listening to tape or CD (with headphones on). I personally gave that test to thousands of people. Many in the business, many so called golden ears. And in the end we had VERY few winners. Last note. I recall one winner. A 9 year old Korean girl with perfect pitch who played piano. She nailed the challenge 10 for 10. I rebiased the machine reset the levels and gave her the challenge again. She won once more 10 for 10.... SHE could hear a difference. Anyway, thanks for the upload.
The BASF did a lot of advertising for their Chrome cassettes. Here in Germany they were really quite successful, in the end more Chrome cassettes than Normal cassettes were sold. Not just by the BASF, but by cassette manufacturers in general.
Watch later would you mind map trong game avatar
BASF had a facility on Crosby Drive in Bedford that was built in the 90's, now FujiFilm. Wonder if that's where you worked. Just took a tour of the building and found it really interesting.
thats because young people have a wider frequency range,i think main reason is this
I sometimes removed those sm guides and there was no difference in sound. I heard from some friends back then, those sm guides ruined the tape additionally because of the higher friction, especially when the surface presented some irregularities. Portable players like walkman or car systems sometimes had even problems with this sm system because the capstans and reels needed more motor power to overcome the higher traction. I'm convinced it was the reason why in 92/93 Basf gave up this system and why nearly no other brand (TDK Sony Fuji Maxell) ever had an interest adopting the sm
Calogero Di Sciacca I considered the mechanism arms as tape scrapers and reason to avoid BASF.
Зубья SM касаются поверхности ленты! Будет трение, будет износ.
Another fun fact: BASF tapes all had their screws on side 2, right up to the Emtec changeover. BASF/AGFA even had the same looking reels with the tiny rounded clips, same red leader, and same typeface in their logo, making the connection between them seem that much closer. The early ones had differences in the shell halves, where the side with the screw holes had longer plastic "guards" underneath, to keep the tape inside (most tapes have equal guard lengths). The construction and quality control of AGFA tapes leave much to be desired. I once came across a factory sealed one that was spooled in such a way that you can see the tape crossing diagonally through the window!
I had a lot of those yellow LH extra's in the early 80's.
That security mechanism caused some tapes to snap the leader from the hub ... I can remember it happening to me at least once... but maybe more that was a very long time ago for me ... I looked at the structure and the arm stops the tape at 9 and 3 (15:00) (clock reference) without that it is approximately 10 and 2 (1400) so if the machine was a super fast winder it could snap the leader right off the hub
I grow up with these cassettes. Recording songs from the radio.
Thanks for that video! As a child I liked to open up casettes and I always wondered what these white plastic things were for.
Great over view on these old 80's cassettes
Doesn't it put more wear on the tape having something else drag on it like that?
As mentioned in the video, AGFA did adopt the SM system, as well as some small, lesser known companies. It's correct, the SM caused quite a few problems, and so as soon as the inventor of the SM had left the company, they started to leave it away.
DrCassette Even some BASF tapes are French made, but mostly was German made.
The basfg chtodioxid-II were my all-time favorite, great design and quality. In the 90's my favs were Sony UX Chrome series.
i first came across the cassette back in 1973 it was introduced here in Australia back in 1970 what i been told its a modern way of the reel to reel tapes its a shame theyre not around much anymore but i loved using them they were really part of my every day life BASF was the first blank cassette i ever come across
Picked up a few of these BASFs, great tapes
I loved BASF tapes. I remember the Security Mechanism very well, I think that's why these tapes were so stable. thanks for the video. very interesting.
Thanks for the video. I didn't use too many BASF cassettes (mostly Maxell and TDKs) partly because of price and availability in my area - and I always wondered about their security system and how it works. It was interesting to see how they changed the shell designs over the years. I have found that sometimes cassette tape tends to stick to itself, partly because of the magnetism and partly I think due to static charge build up, especially in the very thin tapes. The worst cassettes I ever had were Memorex. For some insane reason, they used a piece of foam to back the pressure pad, and that was never stable, so the tape would wander all over the head, until the foam disintegrated! They also "sonic welded" the shells together, so getting one apart to repair it was a nightmare. At least BASF stayed with the screws!
clydesight Even MEMOREX manufactured some in the U.S., other models was made in Korea (Sunkyong, the makers of SMAT & SKC) including one model which design is based on the SAMSUNG SQC of that era. The quality improved in that era.
Remember that SQC tape !! The envelope pink color, and cassete itself was translucid. SQC stood for "Samsung Quality Control", The sticker was narrow and white
Also said SQC in those VHS tapes (box was black backgrpund with diagonal stripes).
That was around 1992
Very interesting. BASF did make quality tapes. I have some from the early 1980's that still sound great. Thanks for posting!
metalmoto I like your kitty, reminds me of my cat who insired my picture. Mine had pink racing stripes from eyes to ears.
With the SM constantly in contact with the tape would that affect the quality more over time than cassettes that only make contact with the tape heads?
It depends. If there are only those 2 guides at the side that don't touch the magnetic layer I don't think so.
It comes in contact with the magnetic layer ,on the spool side, with the back of the guide
@@vidtech2630 Only with the big peace on the top side. The 2 small teeth are only touching the bottom tape layer.
I used to use those BASF Chrome cassettes back in the late 70s all the time.
(I think I still have them...)
I have two Basf LH with security mechanisms that I've recorded today some songs on it and it actually sounds fantastic for a 1974-76 tape. I've compared it against a BASF Maxima TPIV and other than more noise on the LH, it sounds quite the same! Also the Chrome Super II sound really good too. Thanks for sharing this awesome video.
The Dutch company Philips invented in 1962 the Compact Cassette medium for audio storage, and introducing it on 30 august 1963 at the Berlin Radio Show. In November 1964 introduced in the United States under the Norelco brand, with the trademark name Compact Cassette.
+iTube nl.g
Good job copying this from Wikipedia ;)
Oh ok, but I'm sure you seen them before. It kinda looks like those early 80s BASF you showed except the sticker is silver, has no screws, the graphite foil covers the entire hub and the case has a unique way of opening. I think they're pretty cool. I have about 6 of them.
Some ranting about the EMTEC CSII:
They were indeed made in Europe, Ludwigshafen to be exact. They produced there until 2003 when the cassette division of EMTEC ran insolvent.
And this is important:
I have a bad experience with the reels in these cassettes, also the FE1, the Chrome Extra II and the later version of this called Chrome Super Quality II.
These reels tend to bend making the mechanism so hard to move until it is impossible for the deck to carry on playing. I have a short video about that on my channel. I've experienced that with every single EMTEC with these reels.
I think the tape shown at 10.00 is made by SKC (South Korea).
I believe the security mechanism was also to make the tape wind onto the reels more evenly, so there's less ridges and it's less likely to jam. I have never had a tape that has that feature get jammed
I heard somewhere online that BASF stopped using the security mechanism on some USA tapes because it had a tendency to jam the tape inside the shell if you did short back and forth fast forwarding or rewinding, especially on relay controlled decks.
I don't like the extra friction and possibly wear caused by those sm arms. Never had a problem with sticking tapes anyway. To me, this is/was a solution to a non-existent problem.
I actually came across a Security Mechanism cassette recently in a huge bag of cassettes in a thrift store dumpster. I live in the United States. Apparently BASF renamed their Security Mechanism system for the US, here it's called "Special Mechanism" even though it's the same exact thing. The tape I found was a 120-minute normal tape.
Correct. Also, they were able to make a gliding foil that also functions as a tape guide (note that the foil in the 1990 cassette is not flat like in the older ones.
This wasn't meant to be rude at all. If you want to make a comment, feel free to do so, but I'd much prefer to read it along with a video that fits ;)
I'm not sure, It's all black and has a clear window around the holes for the reels and I think it has a label on top above the reels. I'll have to take a look at it.
I have some AGFA chrome tapes from the 80s which I got because they were actualy cheaper the top brands like TDKs normal tapes and still OK play today
Nice video, thank you. I used to use a lot of BASF cassettes and I found them super reliable. Don't think one ever failed or chewed up in the cassette deck.
Did different record companies use different quality tapes? Because when I was little I bought Jagger Little Pill for my Walkman and it had a heavier low end more than anything, an found another tape made my the same company and year and found they both had heavier low end compare to any other tape in my drawer as a kid. I had to turn the NR off just to get some treble.
No other manufacturer adopted SM. I think the mechanism quicker ruined tape structure due to much higher friction and was sometimes too heavy for weaker capstan reel tractions of walkmen or car tape systems. Later, even BASF been giving up SM since 1991 as I remember in Germany and Italy
It seems as AGFA in general had problems with tape dust coming off. Many of their reel tapes had the same problem.
Those BASF tapes are awesome. Do you have any of those 1970s Memorex tapes with the wide window?
I did an experiment once. I put a TDK tape inside a BASF cassette shell. It was the best cassette I ever used. I also put a BASF tape inside a TDK cassette shell which also performed well. A little bit of mix and match. Tape transplants in cassette shells.
I fail to see how that plastic arm improves "security." And I've never had a problem with tape winding or unwinding from a cassette, so I can't see what good this would do except get in the way and add additional friction where it's not needed.
Shermanbay it does not improve security, it ensures that the tape remains flat against the spool as the tape feeds into the spool.
Wow... all those tings about the BASF and AGFA Cassettes I learned by using it in those 70ies, 80ies an 1990ies. Super Video. Thank you. AGFA cassettes made problems in "Blaupunkt Car Stereo". Tape was running between capstan and roller with great wow and flutter. BASF not!
I still have a BASF I got in the 80's
@ 6:47 "first series including a Maxima level" - there exists older cassette BASF CR-M II (1985/86?) (where CR stands for Chrome and M for Maxima , I believe)
Peças unicas e com muito estilo! Eu tenho e dou preferencia a esta marca,BASF,pela qualidade.
Very nice video.
Looking for more of the these.
first thing i did back in the day is to remove SM....the wear on the tape is horrible!
The thing I noticed is that the real Chrome tapes don't loose the treble frequencies over time as quickly as the chrome substitute tapes.
Thanks so much for the informative video. I figure I'll spend quite some time on your channel :)
I have a BASF Cassette that has this same security mechanism inside and it has a clear front window so the mechanism can be seen w/o having to open it up. the sides are black I think I have some music on it along with some other random recordings from that day.
How quaint, something held together with screws!
Nice video, I think I still have a Ronco tape splicing kit somewhere in the back of a cupboard!
That's the one. The ones I have are normal bias only, but still awesome tapes.
Great video! Would love to know why BASF dropped the security mechanism in their later cassette. I'm assuming cost outweight the benefits.
In looking at the side view of the SM arm at 7:35, I wonder if the primary purpose of the Security Mechanism was to help offset the tape from the inside of the case. This could reduce wear and drag. I dont recall any serious issues w/ tape sticking to itself. Unless this was unique to BASFs oxide formula, or Chrome tape in general.
Nice video! Thanks for the history lesson and the nostalgia :)
Very nice video, thanx for sharing!!
Great video. I never used a BASF tape. I don't think we had them as readily available in the USA. I was a Maxel XL-II guy.
Much better choice :)
xl2 and xl2 s are fantastic tapes....but those Basf have some different character....
@@DrCassette That coming from you? Couldn´t disagree more.
BASF didn't sell off their magnetic tape division straightaway, it was separated off as the EMTEC division (hence it still used the BASF spiral logo) and then sold off a year later, to a Korean textile company, that also manufactured magnetic tape, after it was created. BASF acquired Agfa's tape division in 1991, so their magnetic tape division got a bit too big to be just a part of the company.
As to the security teeth, I guess it was a more efficient system, compared to the plastic sheet used by other cassette manufacturers, which was there to guide the tape as it wound. Very likely why BASF didn't have the sheet.
EMTEC took over the BASF spiral logo entirely (The BASF now uses a different logo) and got a temporary right to continue using the BASF name until they got the Emtec brand established. There were ads showing the classic BASF logo changing to Emtec. I don't know who exactly owned Emtec over the years but the last tapes they sold were made in Korea, the 'Sound I' cassettes were the same as the Maxell UR cassettes before they finally disappeared.
DrCassette Even one model of BASF in the 90's is made by arrangement with SAMSUNG in Korea. This model is based on the most famous SAMSUNG SQC tape.
I have much of these cassettes. The Agfa superferro also had this mechanism but mine were in severe condition and were thrown away, now I have no more than 2 - 3 of them.
I've taken apart many cassettes in my day, and I've seen a lot of different designs, but these "SM" parts were kind of cool. The definitely helped with getting the tape threaded and held in place when reassembling the shell. They probably helped the improved and secured functionality of all operations (playback, fast winding, etc). Probably. :-P
thank you very much, have a lot of respect for you and making this video
Casette shown @ 10:00 is not a BASF or Emtec at all. It's SKC casette bearing marking Emtec. Even earlier SKC was an actual manufacturer of BASF casettes (before name change to Emtec - I've got BASF reCorD-II Chrome 100min in my collection and it's SKC, I'm sure)
The Early SM ones were "Special Mechanism" instead of "Security Mechanism". They included a diagram in the label explaining what it was. They were virtually identical tough the window was very very small. Some with the "rounded" window also features the "Special Mechanism" label and diagram....
I have a lot BASF tapes myself too. Does yours have the paper label that surround the window or the later version?
Thanks for the additional informations!
For 13:44 this residue is "famous" on many AGFA-Tapes even R2R are suffering from that. But some old BASF (red case) have these problems. It´s the glue that comes out from between the tape foils....
But both AGFA and BASF had two complete seperate tape lines. One for the consumer marked, and one for pro-users.
BASF produced some very good quality SM tapes, for R2R it had been the SM900, SM911, LGR50.
For cassettes it had been the SM900 tape (normal pos.)and the CrM-II tape (high.pos) in the multitrack cassettes
The same is for AGFA R2R was PER 528 made according to broadcast specs. The same had been in the mormal pos. tapes called UltraLowNoise for comercial use.
The best housing for cassettes ever was BASF´s MAXIMA-II with the two X-X layout. Ok they had been glued together, so re-opening without damage is possible, but i never had problems even if the tapes had been runned daily in my car stereo are working just fine after all these years. And you can´t bend them in anyway. All other manufacturer had these problems, but not the Cr-M-II with the X-X layout.
Of all the brands of cassettes that I used throughout the years, 2 brands stood out as problematic. Those 2 were BASF and Memorex. The ones that worked best were TDK, Maxell, SONY and FUJI. The tapes out of Japan were superior.
100% agree. BASF plays an important role in the audio cassette history, but their cassette products were not the best, I'm afraid to say.
You showed a chrome version of the that with a blue shell one of your videos.
I had always noticed that BASF had 6 seconds instead of 5 blank seconds at beginning/end of the tape. There were also versions where the blank part was also a cleaning part for the recorder heads. But the latest trend of the one-second-blank part had only Fuji in the mid 90s. BASF was not much into Metal tape
The BASF open reel tapes unfortunately tend to loose some of their oxide if they haven't been used for a long time. I usually clean them before use. AGFA tape is a bit better.
When it comes to cassettes I primarily use the TDK SA chrome tape. I used normal tapes (Sony HF) for some time because they were cheaper. Big mistake. I'm currently in the process of throwing all those out. After a few years, the sound quality is just terrible. Metal tape is hard to find, and not much better than chrome.
Thanks for your information! like i said your videos are very informative and make a somewhat dry subject very entertaining.
you´ve forgotten the best basf tape (and in my eyes (/Ears ;) )the best chrome tape EVER produced): The Reference Maxima TPII (there was also a TPIV version with metal tape inside, but the chrome tape is soooo good! i couldnt hear a difference between it and metal tape anymore)
The reference maxima does not have the security mechanism.
I would think the safety arm would scratch the face of the side that play's, would it not?...I mean it lays against it for a full revolution,
I recall "SM" to mean "Special Mechanism", but my memory may be fooling me. I need to check my original BASF tapes I have - c1975. (Edited)
Yeah. The earlier ones were called "special mechanism". They changed to "security mechanism" later on.
A friend of mine worked for a international secretly firm he was based in west Germany . And staff working for BASF were taking items over the border into East Germany
I bought a lot of BASF Chrome cassettes. And you didn't show the BASF Chromodioxid Maxima II. And then Metal Cassettes. And my final tapes were TDK SA. And in 1997 I quit cassettes to turn myself to CDrs. No more analog recordings. But cassette was my favourite sound recorder.
The SM mechanism came into its own on BASF C-120 cassettes, as it reduced the chances of tangling.
I have one of these from the late 70s and it says under the SM logo 'patents pending'
you've answerd alot of my questions about how 90s cassettes seem to lower their qualities. even store bought albums on cassettes in the 70s and 80s seem to have had that same Security Mechanism that the BASF blank tapes had. but when the removed them the quality of cassetees seemed to have gone downhill. when i bought brand new cassettes in the 90s they would snag, get "eat up" have muffled sound. the cassettes in the 70s and 80s (up until 1989 it seemed when the quality started to go down) were top quality. it was almost as it they were eazing the cassette out to make way for the new digital age.
It always amazes me, whenever i slip in a 15 year old VHS cassette or a audio copy of "stayin alive" into a player. The quality is actually quite decent! Even running a VHS on a Full HD tv!
Walkman, out of the drawer. Stream the entire library onto cassettes, this is the way i want it!
Just letting you know that the SM "teeth" were referred to as "tusks" by BASF advertising (in Australia anyway).....There was also a cassette (hybrid) formulation released by BASF, called the "Ferrochrome".... I was given one to try, and the lower frequencies were enhanced by the (iron oxide {ferro})/chromium mix, which was the reason for this tape being produced, however after sitting around for over 10 years, the tape degenerated to a sticky mess....evidently because of a long term chemical reaction/degeneration....Sadly I threw the tape out many years ago.....
From what I've read, Ferrochrome (Type III) tapes were *meant* to combine the benefits of ferric and chrome, but ended up requiring compromise equalisation settings. There wasn't an obvious enough improvement over chrome to drive its adoption by equipment manufacturers before Metal (Type IV)- with its much greater improvement- rendered Ferrochrome irrelevant.
That's why no-one's ever heard of the mysterious "Type III" cassette, apparently.
Google "The Type III Ferrichrome / Ferro-chrome Audio Cassette" (with quotes) for a very informative article.
I still use LH 120min tapes today & the SM seems to cause vibrations on some of my recordings probably due to the guides warping over the years. Just something to note for anyone having a simmilar issues.
I think at top of the line was Chrome Maxima. Put I preffered Chrome Extra or Super, Maxima was good if you have a bias calibration when recording and even cut off some of the higher tones as result of the better signal-noise ratio. Good memories of the CompactCassette, especially Basf.
mysonywalkman1978 Totally awesome.
i bought tons of emtecs in greece...
BASF is a chemical company as it was in ww2 . But they did make good quality cassette tapes . better tham some of the other tapes out there too . I don't have to tell you there involvement in the war of ww2 back then they where three companies then But like all companies made money and that's what war is all about too . But a very good company nowadays
I have an 'LH Extra I' tape that was made here in NZ. They weren't very cheap, it still has the $nz4.95 price tag on it, which would be $nz10+ now (about $us7)
Are old BASF cassettes known to break after all these years? Because 95% of the cassettes I have with broken tapes are BASF. Some of them are BASF AV's or LH but the majority are those old C90's which came in those weird grey plastic book thingy.
Hmm, that's strange. AV was never available in Germany, as far as I know. Maybe your tapes were all produced in a factory outside of Germany. Because all the BASF tapes I have work perfectly fine, over the years only 2 or 3 died on me, out of several hundreds!
Wrong again. The recording media section of the BASF was turned into an independent company and renamed to Emtec.
Dr Cassette, what´s the purpose of that tiny holes on the reel of each cassete around mid-end of 90´s?
Sony type 1 tape had them too.
10:17
Where there are holes, there is no material (plastic). It makes the cassettes cheaper.
I was thinking it was to make them lighter. The lighter, the less motor power needed to spool the tape.
I really like those 70's era Chrome BASF cassettes, although you have to be conservative with the input volume as they saturate easily. Of course this tape is so quiet, it really does not need high volume. I like them better than the typical high bias cassettes which is actually a cobalt/chrome combo.
OK, I think I know wich one you mean. Not sure if I have one, but I have seen them before. The cassette you mean was featured in the video about cassette cases I recently uploaded.
you my friend are a BASF cassette god.
Thanks for great video. BASF were kind of heavy duty and rugged. Pure German engineering!
What do you think of BASF tapes from the mid to late 90's, I'm talking 1995 onwards? I remember using some of them in 1995 and maybe 1996 onwards, and I didn't think they were very good to be honest, I thought they were a bit cheap and generally not great, but maybe I just had bad tapes.
Lachlant1984 Even the quality improved.
Here in Brazil BASF LH tapes with orange and black labels used to "drop" a lot of ferric oxide tape dust on the tape deck head. And Scotch tapes used to "get glued" when you let them whitout use for some months and Scotch tapes used to have a smell like swimming pool water or something. A really nasty stuff with both of them.
Interesting, could this be because of the climate in Brazil that tends to be hot and humid? I can imagine very well that high air humidity could have a very bad effect on magnetic tape.
@@DrCassette I believe that the problems with orange BASF tapes was caused from heat indeed, but when I was a child I heard about some Scotch 3M's chemical engeneer that was fired at that time, but I'm not sure if was just an old fake news build to give an interesting closure for that case or if it happened for real.
The funny thing is, on the first BASF cassettes was written: 'Special Mechanism'.
The chrome tapes in the 1990 style housing remained good all the way until the end. The normal position ferro tapes were junk, just like the ones others made.
DrCassette Even with Schlager music recorded, sounds wunderbar.
Good info. Why were cassettes sold in Germany with English writing?
These cassettes were not just sold on the German market, they were sold internationally. Also, for marketing reasons a lot of labeling also on Audio/Video equipment is in English, even if it was built especially for the German market. Marketing people think it looks better.
I think that security mechanism doesn't help much on C120 tapes. They still tangled up except for long continuous playback.
Wasn't it initially marketed as Special Mechanics / Spezial Mechanik mechanism? See 1971-1972 model range - vintagecassettes.com/basf/basf_files/ubasf71.htm .
Why ask a question when you already know the answer? :P
It depends... BASF tape does not perform very well on Japanese decks while German decks don't like Japanese tapes all that much. European and Japanese industry used different reference tapes back in the days.