Awesome mix tape volume 1.

[jomari]

Wrote this in the happy thoughts thread, but knew that some of us dont visit certain threads... so, just thought id share a smile...

reminisced earlier about how we were growing up back then listening to the radio.

at home id stay up at night, just trying to listen to certain songs on a particular radio station, and once the dj is done talking, id press the pause button (the record button is at the ready)... trying to make my mix tape.

I also remembered how id be carrying my 'awesome mix tape' and play it at friends gatherings etc... always making sure I broke off the tabs on the top of it so no one would record on top of it when playing.

to rewind id use my bic blue pen, pop it in the hole and start spinning it around... the cap was prestine, not like my friends who'd have it either gnawed on or bent like a J.

you can never 'remake' a mix tape, until later in the future where you can record tape to tape. some were good quality cassettes, others well... TDK was my go to, and mostly made of metal (MADE IN JAPAN). :happy-smileygiantred:

good times, good times.

the funny part is, you'd have to rewind the WHOLE tape to listen to the SIDE A tracks. :happy-smileygiantred:

 

[Botch]

I've still got my full collection of TDK "SA" cassettes, containing stolen music (including all of Flint's tracks), from college.
The good stuff I've purchased on CD; the bad stuff, not (sorry, Styx).

 

[heeman]

The TDK SA 90's were my favorite tape, still have many of them, but nothing set up to play them on............wait the JVC Boom Box in the garage still plays cassettes!!

:music-rockout: :music-rockout:

 

[Wardsweb]

My favorite cassettes were the Teac made to look like little reel to reels. I still have some of these and both of the pieces of Pioneer gear in this picture. The gear was the last two pieces my Dad bought before he died back in '84.

 

[jomari]

we used this in our sisters room to listening, and another model that allowed to record it.... primarily in the Philippines we use car tape decks attached to a power converter of some sort...

We also had a nice one in the living room unit, man, it looked a bit like wardswebs...

I also clearly remember 'cleaning' the tape deck before any big 'function' or party... remember that part? the old alcohol dipped q-tip...

 

[heeman]

^ Yes and make sure it was 90% Isoproply!

 

[Botch]

That brought a huge smile to my face; one roommate in college (we were friends since 1st grade, and I taught him to ski a few years ago) had that exact tape deck, and a similar Pioneer receiver. He loved his large Cerwin-Vega speakers, hopefully the loudest speakers I'll ever be subjected to. :scared-eek:

 

[Zing]

I'm more than a little surprised there hasn't been any love for Maxell cassette tapes in this thread.

 

[Wardsweb]

Tapes tapes tape. As long as your favorite tunes are on it, it's all good.

 

[Flint]

Maxell and Sony made the best cassette tapes. Sony's metal tape formulation was the bomb, and I used it in my recording studio right up to the day I shut down in 1993. Maxell, however, made the best Type1 and Type II tape formulations mostly because their lubricant worked the best.

Good stuff.

I purchased a top end Studer/Revox cassette deck from a pawn shop for #100 because they thought it was a broken receiver... ah... the days before the internet!

I loved the Teac and Tascam decks the best - never liked Nakamichi. But that Studer deck was the bomb. I still own a top end Tascam deck.

 

[jomari]

i also remembered a couple of things about tapes that kinda wanted me to ask yall but a bit ashamed to...

- does the metal cases DO make a differences, and why?
- we also considered the recording 'type' i always tried to use the Standard play version (i think it was similar to VHS)
- "the darker the tape, the better the quality".... true?

the cat is officially out of the bag...

 

[Flint]

i also remembered a couple of things about tapes that kinda wanted me to ask yall but a bit ashamed to...

- does the metal cases DO make a differences, and why?
- we also considered the recording 'type' i always tried to use the Standard play version (i think it was similar to VHS)
- "the darker the tape, the better the quality".... true?

the cat is officially out of the bag...

1) What do you mean by metal cases? I don't remember any cassettes with metal cases.
2) The tape "type" was the formulation of the magnetic material used. By choosing different types on the recorder the EQ and recording BIAS was altered to get different performance. Type II tapes had better high frequency responses and less noise. the Type IV, or Metal, tape formulation has better S/N and frequency range.
3) I never hear that "darker" tapes meant anything. I think that was a myth someone came up with.

 

[jomari]

At one point I loved my older maxells or tdk's or even basf, but it changed when my perception was of course, the more expensive the better ...

when I had the option, I chose buying these...

 

[Yesfan70]

Most of my cassettes are gone. I may have a few mix tapes somewhere. I remember one I had of a lot of tracks I recorded from the radio. I'd like to find it, see what songs I had, then make that a playlist on my squeezebox.



Memory lane................

 

[Zing]

Jomari - The term "metal" was NOT referencing the case (which was always plastic) but rather the tape itself. Metal tape used actual metal particles whereas other tape used oxides.

 

[Yesfan70]

I want that on a shirt................

 

[Deleted member 133]

I've owned many brands of cassette decks over the years (including my current Nak) and the best (and my favourite by far) was my Akai GXC-325D (picture below). I loved its ability to mix line and mic inputs, and in first year university set up my dorm room as a sort-of recording studio for floor-mates with musical talent, using that Akai to capture them (using Shure mics).

I probably bought it in 1977 and it was not cheap at the time.

I think I still have dozens of tapes that I made with it - mostly album dubs.

Unless he's thrown it out, I think my brother may still have it in his possession. Reminder to self: find out!

Jeff

 

[Botch]

I've owned many brands of cassette decks over the years (including my current Nak) and the best (and my favourite by far) was my Akai GXC-325D (picture below). I loved its ability to mix line and mic inputs, and in first year university set up my dorm room as a sort-of recording studio for floor-mates with musical talent, using that Akai to capture them (using Shure mics).

I probably bought it in 1977 and it was not cheap at the time.
Jeff

My first cassette deck was also an Akai, (purchased 1979) and it too was used to record line and mic inputs in my dorm room (I had a couple of Marantz mics, which I sadly let battery acid destroy). Sold it when it started slowing down just a bit; I have perfect pitch and it drove me crazy. Replaced it with a Yamaha TC-520, which I still have.

 

[Flint]

My favorite Cassette Walkman was an Akai. It was cleaner sounding than all the others I had prior. That said, I never liked their own audio gear compared to similarly priced stuff from Technics, Sansui, Pioneer, or Sony.

 

[jomari]

Jomari - The term "metal" was NOT referencing the case (which was always plastic) but rather the tape itself. Metal tape used actual metal particles whereas other tape used oxides.

hehehe... I guess that's what was the confusing part,

I was referring to the picture above, and below NOT what I was talking about...

sorry about the confusion. I should've said encasement. so the science behind this...

Metal tape used actual metal particles whereas other tape used oxides

is the reel itself?

but why is the encasement metal then, is that another part that makes em better, or just durable?