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Blank Cassette Tapes

Highly unlikely but thought I'd ask, does anybody still use tapes ? Having a clear out & came across a pack of 5 TDK SA90s still in cellophane wrappers. If anyone would like them just drop me your address & I'll post them off to you. 
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  • Oh you took me back to my schooldays there bob. I used to get through stacks of tapes, sharing albums with mates. We all had extensive music collections that we'd have never managed without a bit of piracy (of course, it was never called that until much later).

    I still have a tape player but I've no idea how many years it would be since I actually played anything on it.
  • Bob could I have them please. 
  • Stig said:
    Oh you took me back to my schooldays there bob. I used to get through stacks of tapes, sharing albums with mates. We all had extensive music collections that we'd have never managed without a bit of piracy (of course, it was never called that until much later).

    I still have a tape player but I've no idea how many years it would be since I actually played anything on it.
    Think everyone's the same, but re the piracy, how many albums and groups did you get into once you had a copy of the album, I suspect a lot of sales were done on hearing your taped copy.
  • I still have a tape player, but it rarely gets used. I chucked a load of prerecorded tapes out as they were all muffled, seems that chrome/metal tapes seem to retain good sound quality, but the others are a bit crap. Amazing that some artistes are still releasing on tape.
  • Stig said:
    Oh you took me back to my schooldays there bob. I used to get through stacks of tapes, sharing albums with mates. We all had extensive music collections that we'd have never managed without a bit of piracy (of course, it was never called that until much later).

    I still have a tape player but I've no idea how many years it would be since I actually played anything on it.
    Think everyone's the same, but re the piracy, how many albums and groups did you get into once you had a copy of the album, I suspect a lot of sales were done on hearing your taped copy.
    Interesting perspective and would certainly reflect my buying behaviour. 
  • edited February 2021
    tajaddick said:
    Bob could I have them please. 
    Of course, they're yours.  :D I'm happy somebody wants them rather than going in the bin.
  • edited February 2021
    I still have a tape player, but it rarely gets used. I chucked a load of prerecorded tapes out as they were all muffled, seems that chrome/metal tapes seem to retain good sound quality, but the others are a bit crap. Amazing that some artistes are still releasing on tape.
    They are ????? FFS that's unreal
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  • A much simpler time, I got into some amazing bands I'd never have heard of had some more adventurous friends not introduced me to them via the medium of a taped album. 

    Who didn't have a taped copy of Chronic by Dre 

    Also Kevin Bloody Wilson

    There was also the top 40 of about November 1994 where I only managed one slip up which was as a Celine dion song was breaching the seal so not the end of the world 
  • Stig said:
    Oh you took me back to my schooldays there bob. I used to get through stacks of tapes, sharing albums with mates. We all had extensive music collections that we'd have never managed without a bit of piracy (of course, it was never called that until much later).

    I still have a tape player but I've no idea how many years it would be since I actually played anything on it.
    hOmE tApInG iS kIlLiNg MuSiC

    Simpler times.,..
    And it’s illegal 
  • Stig said:
    Oh you took me back to my schooldays there bob. I used to get through stacks of tapes, sharing albums with mates. We all had extensive music collections that we'd have never managed without a bit of piracy (of course, it was never called that until much later).

    I still have a tape player but I've no idea how many years it would be since I actually played anything on it.
    hOmE tApInG iS kIlLiNg MuSiC

    Simpler times.,..
    And it’s illegal 
    So is smoking crack but what the hell.
  • There's a huge revival in cassette currently.
    Not only as a viable way to distribute music, but also as a creative tool in the production: and reproduction of specific musical techniques.
    Here's an example of how it can be utilised: (apologies it's very geeky!)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11BP4Pe8iYk
  • That's pretty cool. I remember donkey's years ago I used to reverse the tapes in my Tascam 234 to add pre-reverb and pre-echo to selected tracks. It wasn't my idea, I read it somewhere - I think from Bill Nelson. I could get some pretty neat effects doing that.
  • Back in the depths of time I used to by the album and record it for the car. Sometimes, in my youth, I would record a bit o I think most people with a car used to do this. I never really thought of it as piracy, even though it was.
    No matter what the quality of the tape or the equipment, the sound was never as good as a turntable, but they were cheap and okish.
  • I don't remember the word 'piracy' being used until 'video piracy' became a thing with the popularity of home vcr's in the early '80s. Back in the '70s it was just a thing that everyone did. The other big drawback with cassettes was that even with autofind, it wasn't always easy to find the song you wanted. Especially if you liked certain concept albums with no gaps.
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  • The Nakamichi Dragon 505 as featured in that Kim Basinger film was always something to aspire to. As was Kim Basinger, I could afford neither. 
  • edited March 2021
    Back in the depths of time I used to by the album and record it for the car. Sometimes, in my youth, I would record a bit o I think most people with a car used to do this. I never really thought of it as piracy, even though it was.
    No matter what the quality of the tape or the equipment, the sound was never as good as a turntable, but they were cheap and okish.
    Indeed they will never be the same purely because they are two completely different mediums, but that's the thing, both offer different aspects.
    It also will depend on how the original you've taken it from is mastered, wether it was ever intended to sound good on cassette.

    On the subject of piracy, PRS are adapting Shazam (music recognition app) to work as a way of recognising music played in venues, they will have a piece of hardware with the software installed that itself gets installed in venues, the idea being the music gets played through it and automatically logs the tracks played and relays it back to PRS who collate the data for collection of royalties.

    @Stig I heard that either Pink Floyd or Queen (cant remember which) pioneered tape delay by situating two 2" tape machines at the appropriate distance apart so the first machine would record the sound then the second played it back a predetermined amount of time after.
    The delay time was determined by the distance of the two machines apart, the problem was the length they wanted meant the tape would sag in the space in the middle!
    This was solved by placing a chair in between with a broom handle attached, the tape then went round the broom handle which supported the tape on the way to the second machine! Genius!
  • Not saying it wasn't Queen @EugenesAxe, but it does sound very Pink Floyd. I believe they were early pioneers of the WEM tape echo that had (13?) different heads and tape going all over the place.

  • Yes I have a feeling it was Pink Floyd
  • Useless fact of the day.  The old Neal twin deck machines used by the plod for interviews (and ubiquitous in crime dramas of course) used all four tracks of the cassettes at the same time. So the tapes were not reversible.  Two tracks were used to record an automatic time count down.  Thus precluding the plod from any inappropriate "editing" of the evidence. 
  • Back in the depths of time I used to by the album and record it for the car. Sometimes, in my youth, I would record a bit o I think most people with a car used to do this. I never really thought of it as piracy, even though it was.
    No matter what the quality of the tape or the equipment, the sound was never as good as a turntable, but they were cheap and okish.
    Indeed they will never be the same purely because they are two completely different mediums, but that's the thing, both offer different aspects.
    It also will depend on how the original you've taken it from is mastered, wether it was ever intended to sound good on cassette.

    On the subject of piracy, PRS are adapting Shazam (music recognition app) to work as a way of recognising music played in venues, they will have a piece of hardware with the software installed that itself gets installed in venues, the idea being the music gets played through it and automatically logs the tracks played and relays it back to PRS who collate the data for collection of royalties.

    Stig I heard that either Pink Floyd or Queen (cant remember which) pioneered tape delay by situating two 2" tape machines at the appropriate distance apart so the first machine would record the sound then the second played it back a predetermined amount of time after.
    The delay time was determined by the distance of the two machines apart, the problem was the length they wanted meant the tape would sag in the space in the middle!
    This was solved by placing a chair in between with a broom handle attached, the tape then went round the broom handle which supported the tape on the way to the second machine! Genius!
    Blimey, I used to stick a tape in the machine press play & record & be happy I'd timed it right so I got the start of the records I was recording  :D
  • Back in the depths of time I used to by the album and record it for the car. Sometimes, in my youth, I would record a bit o I think most people with a car used to do this. I never really thought of it as piracy, even though it was.
    No matter what the quality of the tape or the equipment, the sound was never as good as a turntable, but they were cheap and okish.
    I thought I seemed to remember back in the dim and distant past - that the copyright laws permitted you to make one copy of an album for back up purposed - as long as you personally owned that original album? I might be talking cobblers though....haha.
  • Stig said:
    That's pretty cool. I remember donkey's years ago I used to reverse the tapes in my Tascam 234 to add pre-reverb and pre-echo to selected tracks. It wasn't my idea, I read it somewhere - I think from Bill Nelson. I could get some pretty neat effects doing that.
    It was definitely Bill Nelson. He would regularly include reverse play taped guitar effects on his solo work 
  • @cafcfan Funny you should say that, have a big pile of these in a drawer: don't know why...


  • @cafcfan Funny you should say that, have a big pile of these in a drawer: don't know why...


    Brought back memories! At least they are still sealed. lol Fifteen pairs of those I used in my longest interview - with breaks it took three days to complete. Up in deepest Scotland somewhere.
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