ideal tape lenght

[L0WC0$T_]

do you think there is an ideal lenght ? 20-30min ? 60min ?

[nobdy]

read below

[Danswift]

Shorter length tapes are the best option as cassettes with tape lengths of longer than 90 minutes are especially prone to print-through, stretching, and breaking as the tape is thinner than shorter length tapes. This type of tape is especially susceptible to damage from playback as it may jam in the playback deck and be "eaten," which can cause crimping and breaking during playback. Internal tape machine elements like pads and rollers are susceptible to damage too. Cassette housings can be repaired and replaced in the event of damage though.

Also, the lifespan of a cassette is dependent upon numerous factors: the quality of the original tape, the amount of times it's been re-recorded over, the type and condition of the machine on which it is played, the amount of care the tapes are given, how often they are played, and how they are stored. Environmental conditions--especially heat, dust, and humidity--will also affect cassettes.

Obviously like vinyl, frequent playback wears on the tape and degrades the sound quality with each playback.

In my experience metal and chrome tapes will always work best for better sounding recordings if you can get hold of them...I've got a load of 70's Dub Reggae albums on a bunch of good quality metal tapes which were recorded back in the day ( not by me though, hehe ) from the original source lp's through decent equipment and which still sound excellent even now after years of multiple playbacks.

[bathtime]

Also, the lifespan of a cassette is dependent upon numerous factors: the quality of the original tape, the amount of times it's been re-recorded over, the type and condition of the machine on which it is played, the amount of care the tapes are given, how often they are played, and how they are stored. Environmental conditions--especially heat, dust, and humidity--will also affect cassettes.

so i'm noid af so every time i want to rerecord over a tape, i'll record over the entire tape with nothing in the audio in so that it becomes blank before i rerecord over it. do you think this will make a difference in the quality of the audio? or am i wasting time with my OCD ass self

[Danswift]

so i'm noid af so every time i want to rerecord over a tape, i'll record over the entire tape with nothing in the audio in so that it becomes blank before i rerecord over it. do you think this will make a difference in the quality of the audio? or am i wasting time with my OCD ass self

Yeah, even with no audio signal in the chain your tapes will still deteriorate unfortunately when you record over them to make them into blanks..it won't be as noticeable as if you re-record an audio signal on there but it will still cause deterioration nonetheless.

I just want to add that I know a lot of heads like the sound of tape when it's slightly fucked up and stuff by the way and I'm not trying to tell people how they should use tapes for recording purposes but if you're gonna make masters on them especially, they're gonna deteriorate over time anyway so why not get the best quality recordings out of them as fresh as you can, is my advice.

The trick with recording onto cassette or reel to reel is to try and get as clean a recording as possible within a couple of takes on fresh tape which admittedly can be tricky..what I like to do personally if I'm struggling to get things down properly onto tape is to just record everything as a finished track into a Sony mini disc recorder and then transfer the results over to my old school Yamaha tape machine and then utilize the tape machines VU meters to add that extra warmth you'll only ever find with well recorded cassettes.

I'm strictly hardware myself so I've found I definitely get much better results doing things that way.

[bathtime]

Yeah, even with no audio signal in the chain your tapes will still deteriorate unfortunately when you record over them to make them into blanks..it won't be as noticeable as if you re-record an audio signal on there but it will still cause deterioration nonetheless.

oh nah nah nah bro i'm not asking about deteriorating the tape; i'm wondering if the quality of the recording will be better if you record onto a blank tape versus recording over previously recorded audio?

[Danswift]

oh nah nah nah bro i'm not asking about deteriorating the tape; i'm wondering if the quality of the recording will be better if you record onto a blank tape versus recording over previously recorded audio?

Ah,right.

Yes it will be considerably better recording onto a blank tape as opposed to one with previously recorded audio.

[YUBA]

@LOWCO$T u got hookups on cheap chinese tapes now?
i never find short length cassette. i would have to order from mainland distib.
i wondered if china had a expanded market lol i assume they have it all for dat lowlow price\cost

[L0WC0$T_]

bro, no old stuffs here... you can find some things on taobao but it's often overpriced

the real deals are in Cambodia (and Vietnam): in this country you have those Sakura thrift stores with only old things from Japan: p a r a d i s e
And there are A lot of japanese cassettes and everything

I should try to find a good place in Beijing next time i go there.