Dos_Box Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 C'mon Aldi, seriously? - https://www.aldi.co.uk/maxtek-boombox/p/077020143129300 Those of us of an age to remember and use cassettes really thank the gods we have moved on! I really doubt that any audio tapes lurking in attics would survive these days.
Dos_Box Posted June 2, 2017 Author Posted June 2, 2017 Oh, and this is not a boombox: This is a boombox: Yours is a garage radio. 3
difinity Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 My neighbour likes his tapes. I've got his 20 year old Sony currently on my workbench for a new flat belt.
caffrey Posted June 3, 2017 Posted June 3, 2017 Maybe one for the MFL department, ours only gave up tapes a year or two ago....
spacebar Posted June 4, 2017 Posted June 4, 2017 I like it, I like retro tech. I have collected a betamax machine and also a VHS, Laserdisc, I plan to obtain a video 2000 player some day. There is just something authentic about retro tech, you don't get with modern stuff. Perhaps in 20 years we will.
LeMarchand Posted June 4, 2017 Posted June 4, 2017 C'mon Aldi, seriously? - https://www.aldi.co.uk/maxtek-boombox/p/077020143129300 Those of us of an age to remember and use cassettes really thank the gods we have moved on! I really doubt that any audio tapes lurking in attics would survive these days. They are ahead of the curve. With the inexplicable new-found popularity of vinyl (just why?) it's only a matter of time before cassettes have a resurgence. 2
elsiegee40 Posted June 4, 2017 Posted June 4, 2017 They are ahead of the curve. With the inexplicable new-found popularity of vinyl (just why?) it's only a matter of time before cassettes have a resurgence. I agree about vinyl. Those of us of a certain age remember scratches and warping and the inevitability of damage when you dropped one. It's a bit like platform shoes: Been there, did it first time round, had the sprained ankle, won't bother again! 2
Arthur Posted June 4, 2017 Posted June 4, 2017 it's only a matter of time before cassettes have a resurgence. It's already happening (albeit at a slower rate). www.theverge.com/2017/1/23/14360162/cassette-tape-sales-increase-physical-music-2016 I am ashamed to admit it, but I bought a limited edition EP on tape last year - more for its collectors value than actually wanting play it since I don't have anything I can play it on. I much prefer lossless tracks (ripped CDs & FLACs) than anything analog.
hardtailstar Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 I still have cassettes and would love to play them again!
LeMarchand Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 It's already happening (albeit at a slower rate). www.theverge.com/2017/1/23/14360162/cassette-tape-sales-increase-physical-music-2016 Often times, cassettes and vinyl act as an outlet for a band’s aesthetic tastes and product design prowess, giving consumers something physical to cherish at a time when unique album art and liner notes have been relegated to nonessential status. Surely all 3 of these apply to CD? Plus even downloaded music has album art. Some labels do do some nice booklets too - Hollywood Records did a lovely pdf for Galavant Season 2. I am ashamed to admit it, but I bought a limited edition EP on tape last year - more for its collectors value than actually wanting play it since I don't have anything I can play it on. I much prefer lossless tracks (ripped CDs & FLACs) than anything analog. This I can understand. There are a few rarities by certain artists that I'd be tempted by. As for buying "new" vinyl or tape: both are bulky and easy to damage and (unless you're a fan of hiss and crackle) don't sound better.
Patrick Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 It's just a retro fashion thing, don't be surprised if you see people carrying these around on there shoulders this summer!
witch Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 Just for info - part of the reason for the resurgence of vinyl is musical. Digital CDs are cold and perfect - but music isn't like that, and analogue records have a much warmer feel to them -the music sounds better. If you listen carefully, you can hear the difference. But cassettes - nope, can't see any reason for that
LeMarchand Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 Just for info - part of the reason for the resurgence of vinyl is musical. Digital CDs are cold and perfect - but music isn't like that, and analogue records have a much warmer feel to them -the music sounds better. If you listen carefully, you can hear the difference. But cassettes - nope, can't see any reason for that Maybe it's the music I listen to, but I have never been able to hear this perceived "warmth" of vinyl, though I do have a number of film soundtracks (proper orchestral ones, not "greatest hits" song packages) which surely should sound better. Might have to dig out one I have on both vinyl (from back in the day, not new!) and digital to confirm that some time this week. Maybe in your case it's your musical background but I suspect that for many people it's a load of old audiophile **** along the lines of being able to tell the difference between cables plugged into speakers in the direction that they were extruded in the factory.
synaesthesia Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 People often find ways to like imperfection. It is what makes us human. Personally I can't stand it, whether it's the scratch of a vinyl record, guitar fret noises or pretty much any modern music where the singing is done more by a computer than a real person. The latter is of course ironic, as the attempt to sound better just makes it sound worse. However there's very little to like about cassette tapes surely. Sound quality was acceptable but when the majority of their content was recorded from FM Radio hoping to catch Judge Jules or Carl Cox club anthems you couldn't tell anyway.
pcstru Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 People often find ways to like imperfection. It is what makes us human. Personally I can't stand it, whether it's the scratch of a vinyl record, guitar fret noises or pretty much any modern music where the singing is done more by a computer than a real person. The latter is of course ironic, as the attempt to sound better just makes it sound worse. However there's very little to like about cassette tapes surely. Sound quality was acceptable but when the majority of their content was recorded from FM Radio hoping to catch Judge Jules or Carl Cox club anthems you couldn't tell anyway. Mmmm. Good tape on a decent deck could be very very good; not surprising as tape was the media to master on, albeit 1/4 in or more running rather faster than cassette. But as with ALL recording and playback schemes, the input will be distorted and that distortion can help the music to feel more together (less like it was a bunch of people playing one at a time, perhaps using many takes and splicing their efforts together for a final mix and more like a bunch of people just playing together). A family member of mine spent some time hunting down a particular 1in tape machine for a greatest hits album because it's RW heads were wound in a particular way and the master tapes were recorded with that head. What I find fascinating about claims for vinyl's "warmth" etc is that the distortion on a record varies as it plays (the constraints of the medium are different at the outside of a record than on the innermost track). People claim to be able to hear the "warmth" or whatever, but I've not heard anyone complain that it varies over the course of a record.
synaesthesia Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 There was quite a difference with those old mastering tapes though wasn't there? Certainly compared to the old Maxell or Goldstar 5-for-a-quid things we recorded on Unfortunately I'm slightly too young to remember 8-track and the likes. Although one of my favourite anecdotes was always about how Bohemian Rhapsody was overdubbed so many times getting it all right that it wore the tape right down.
jthompson Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 Presumably, the resurgence of vinyl is to be followed by a resurgence in mixtapes. A whole new generation can learn the art of fitting songs onto a side without too much empty tape before the end.
synaesthesia Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 Wonder how much of it has to do with a certain pair of films and the resulting Awesome Mix vol 1 and vol 2
LeMarchand Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 A whole new generation can learn the art of fitting songs onto a side without too much empty tape before the end. Cheat: https://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Seedling/MixTape/ 1
Dos_Box Posted June 5, 2017 Author Posted June 5, 2017 Wonder how much of it has to do with a certain pair of films and the resulting Awesome Mix vol 1 and vol 2 Well, if the last film is anything to go by then the price of these will shoot up on Ebay: 1
pcstru Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 There was quite a difference with those old mastering tapes though wasn't there? Certainly compared to the old Maxell or Goldstar 5-for-a-quid things we recorded on The really big difference was in the recording and playback equipment. The tape itself was generally wider and ran a lot faster - which helped improve dynamic range. However, if you took high end tape, cut it down and spooled it onto a casette, it would not magically improve the performance of a domestic cassette player - much (and not beyond buying a good quality tape in the first place), the equipment is generally the biggest factor when it comes to quality, IMO.
synaesthesia Posted June 5, 2017 Posted June 5, 2017 Fair enough To be fair most of my mixes (including the first mixtape I made for the girl I was attempting to woo at the time) were on crap cassettes that were bought from the corner shop containing a random Commodore or Atari game with the write tab taped over
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now