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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCassette Tapes Make Comeback as Consumers Yearn for Antique Sounds
I still listen to tapes. I have an original Walkman (i.e., the first model Sony sold), which was given to me at a yard sale. I have at least two other Sonys and a Panasonic Walkman clone. I'd listen to them more, but there's a too much ambient noise on the bus for portable music devices to work well during a commute.
Cassette Tapes Make Comeback as Consumers Yearn for Antique Sounds
Tom Breihan | October 5, 2015 - 9:22 am
@tombreihan
Compared to the vinyl revival, the cassette revival is a mere blip on the radar: A bunch of underground bands putting out small-run EPs on tapes that only a few of their fans have the equipment to listen to anymore. But the revival is still strange enough that NBC Nightly News devoted a segment to it last night, focusing on a Springfield, Missouri-based tape manufacturer that calls itself the National Audio Company. NBC reports that the company sold more than 20 million of cassette tapes, the most in its history. That seems both crazy and unlikely. But even if that claim leaves me scratching my head, its still fun to watch the report, with all these small-company types talking about how they bought up all the old tape-manufacturing machinery when every other pressing plant gave up on them. Company president Steve Stepp says his company owes its success to stubbornness and stupidity but also the warmth and presence in an analog recording, and we get to see a whole bunch of Pepto Bismol-pink Diet Cig tapes being run through the machine. Watch the segment below.
{I can't embed it here.}
Old-School Cassettes Make Comeback as Consumers Yearn for the Antique
by Kevin Tibbles and Matthew Vann
They're a thing of the past for many people, but in this iTunes-driven age, there's a longing for the antique sounds of analog found on cassette tapes.
That demand is literally music to the ears of those at National Audio Co., which is seeing a surge in requests for classic hits on cassette.
"We attribute our success, as I say often, to stubbornness and stupidity," said Steve Stepp, the company's president.
....
Using relatively old equipment from the 1970s to produce all of its cassettes, National Audio, which opened in 1969, produced 10 million tapes in 2014, according to a Bloomberg report.
Lee-Lee
(6,324 posts)Archae
(46,345 posts)I transfer tapes to .mp3 format and then burn CD's off them.
Just made one for my Mom, the Cincinatti Pops doing Old West songs.
Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)1970s and 1980s?
Archae
(46,345 posts)The tape I just made a CD from is fairly new.
Just found it at Amazon, 2012.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WMZTCI?keywords=cincinatti%20pops%20round%20up&qid=1444168894&ref_=sr_1_sc_1&sr=8-1-spell
Warpy
(111,339 posts)but I don't bother converting the tapes. First of all, the quality is so poor since most of them are tapes I recorded off either vinyl or broadcast, double the "sssssss" in the background and second, CDs have their days numbered, too. I recently replaced my portable player and had a little trouble finding a new one, they're not as common as they used to be.
So I'll enjoy my hissy tapes just as they are until they wear out completely, then they'll go to my memories where they likely belong, anyway. My taste has changed since my 30s.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)Besides a turntable, I've got a couple Nakamichi cassette decks, an AKAI 4-track cassette home studio recorder, and an AKAI stereo reel to reel. A friend of mine has a vintage wire recorder, like a R2R but an iron wire instead of tape. I want to tinker and get it working for her, but she won't let me Too bad, she's a folk/country singer-songwriter and I think it would be cool to record her in a vintage sound.
Dr Hobbitstein
(6,568 posts)I have a 1/4" 2-track R2R and a 1" 8-track R2R. Once I get the calibration tape I need ($350-500 for the tape), I can finally start using the 1" to track my band.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,607 posts)Both my Nakamichi decks have what is widely known as "the Nakamichi idler wheel problem." One of these days, I'll do something about that.
Google "nakamichi idler repair."
As for Akai, I've read at a few places that they were considered quite good machines. Someone I used to hang out on Usenet worked his way through engineering school as an audio technician. He thought they had fewer problems than many other machines.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)I've got a digital 24-track recorder that's had constant issues, and is a pita to use. For live sound I use one of my analog boards... Have an 8, 12, and 16 channel. Dead reliable, easy to use and set up. And if the 16 isn't enough, I'll sub-mix in one of the other boards and send it to the 16...handy when I'm miking entire drum kit.
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)Someone has spiked their $10 can of PBR with some nasty stuff.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)they're nuts. They're $4 here in Minneapolis.
Also, magnetic tapes wear out. Go with LPs for lasting satisfaction.
underpants
(182,879 posts)The hipsters have just been out hipped by a middle aged man
That's how I used to listen to tapes in my first car
Liberal Veteran
(22,239 posts)"I see a little..." click, whirr, click of switching...."....silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?"
Thunderbolt andlightningVeryveryfrighteningmeGalileo (massive speedup of lyrics then stop)...eject button and suddenly a magic trick of tape being pulled out from the deck.
Vinca
(50,303 posts)If cassettes are antiques, I'm a freaking dinosaur. But, instead, I opted to correct the use of the word "antique." An item described as "antique" should be a minimum of 100 years old. Cassettes might be called "vintage," but it'll be a few more decades until they're antiques. (FYI - I'm an antique/vintage/collectibles dealer.)
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)I hated cassettes even back in the day, even though I listened to them. Try finding the start of a song you want to hear. Oops -- rewound too far. Fast forward. Oops, too far! Rewind again. Oops, too far! etc. etc. etc.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Go Vols
(5,902 posts)Pioneer super tuner III,its what I went to after 8-tracks.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)And it would go right to where it started, if I remember correctly.
It was quite common on car stereos.
Higher end tape players had it also.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)Trying to smooth it out so it didn't go through the little plastic thingees in a twist.
Good times, good times.
Cal Carpenter
(4,959 posts)in the boombox or walkman.
HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts)Horrible medium. I tried recently listening to one of my old cassettes just for shits and giggles. Awful sound, a few of the songs sounded like a high-school projector.
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)Yikes! No thanks.
Go Vols
(5,902 posts)would last a few months to fix a break.
lindysalsagal
(20,730 posts)and when the tape got caught in the machine and you had to rip it out...
Not to mention the bouncing skips in the car...
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)an irretrievable mess of brown spaghetti at the first chance."
Sorry, analog-philes. I practically **** the first time I put headphones on and listened to Dark Side of the Moon on a CD.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)of the best analog recording ever, so it's really not fair to use that as an example.
Front to back, Dark Side of the Moon is the most amazing all around recorded musical work ever produced.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)I vividly remember sitting there listening to "any colour you like" when it zips from left to right and back, etc and going "haha!"
It was the first time i caught a whole ton of stuff in that album.
Anyway, i guess i can sort of see the point with old school LPs, but cassette tapes just sound like shit IMHO. And not good shit, just plain shit.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)I just sent off my high-speed dual cassette dubber off to Goodwill. Oh well, I wasn't going to use it anyway. Maybe some newly-minted aficionado will get his or her hands on it and make a fortune. Or at least have a lot of fun.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)Now THATS insane.
reddread
(6,896 posts)hey now I resemble that.
nice as new Sharp 8track recording deck in the entertainment center.
Vintage Otari 4 track just in case. 1020LH Pioneer for looks.
Few boxes of 8 tracks.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,607 posts)The last update seems to have been in 2013.
I found some 8-tracks thrown out in the trash last spring. I can't get everything, so I grabbed Dark Side of the Moon and a few others and left the rest. There's one version of DSOTM on 8-track that's worth something, but that's not the one that I found.
Pink Floyds Dark Side Of The Moon quadraphonic eight-track sells for $676
The one I got was the Capitol two-track, which is worth pretty much nothing.
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,168 posts)So, people can still listen to their stuff in the car. Otherwise, i'm with you 100%
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)I had an unlabeled promo tape of Nirvana's Bleach given by a friends cousin at SubPop that I'll never see again because my high school gf never returned.
underpants
(182,879 posts)I stood there mouth agape and the time ran out on the vacuum
I hear that it might finally be re-released soon. On CD.
KG
(28,752 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)melman
(7,681 posts)iTunes is old fashioned. Spotify is the thing now.
DJ13
(23,671 posts)Last edited Tue Oct 6, 2015, 07:48 PM - Edit history (1)
TDK metal framed, Metal tapes
DBX noise reduction, and my trusty auto reverse JVC home cassette deck.
Crap, I'm dating myself!
kimbutgar
(21,188 posts)He likes how the old music sounds on them.
MineralMan
(146,331 posts)"sound system." I never used it, but remember all the magnetic tape that littered the roadsides in the 80s and 90s. People threw their trashed cassette tapes oh the window in frustration.
KentuckyWoman
(6,692 posts)Most of which is not even available on CD or digital. Still played on a bright yellow Panasonic Take N Tape bought in 1972.
YabaDabaNoDinoNo
(460 posts)I am all for high fidelity and yes analog does sound richer then digital too but the fact is most people's speakers and amps don't even produce all of the sound spectrem it is clipped on the high and low end by most home amps and speakers.
Another thing to consider is most folks don't even know what good speakers sound like or what music should sound like and if one has bass boost or the bass turned all the way up one is distorting the music themselves.
another thing to consider is the QUALITY of the recording if the quality is bad and many recordings today are of poor quality, way too much compression of the digital signals in the media coupled with the quality of your average amp and speakers makes it sound even worse.
Me I hate the f-ing hiss and yes I am one of those weird people who hear nosies on recordings that most people do not and I will complain about it.
olddots
(10,237 posts)if you don't hear the difference you don't want a difference .
edhopper
(33,615 posts)Guardians of the Galaxy has to do with the recent demand.
A mixed tape of 70s hits plays a big roll in the movie.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)cherished friend and I loved receiving the same thoughtful consideration. MP3 mixes just aren't the same for me. I also loved recording the radio. I miss my old Dr. Demento tapes.
edhopper
(33,615 posts)we are old.
raouldukelives
(5,178 posts)Over time they kinda pile up. People see them and laugh for the most part but they bring back my childhood.
Nothing sends me back like Subhumans or Talking Heads on cassette. The familiar clicks and whirs, the lights, the grainy sound. If you grew up with it, I definitely get it.
olddots
(10,237 posts)what draws us to it is a need for involvement with dynamic range . ( sorry that sounded
ike some bullshit from Audiophile Magazine )
Liberal Veteran
(22,239 posts)And tape.
Tape being the worst of the bunch. Too many things go wrong.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Me and a bunch of other live music "enthusiasts".
I dont know why apple discontinued the ipod classic.
tishaLA
(14,176 posts)After all, there is no replacement for Ella.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)But there were handy for ripping copies of your LPs onto a portable medium. And it was important to always have a pencil handy
LeftinOH
(5,358 posts)during the transition from vinyl to CDs.