1987 Talking Notepad with a creepy recording on it

A Maverick Talking Notepad from 1987 containing a Bandai micro endless loop tape cartridge with a rather creepy message from the past on it.
Time flow:
0:00 Introduction
2:04 Unboxing & first test
4:08 Creepy recording
5:23 Bandai micro cartridges
7:09 Recording problem
8:27 A look inside
10:13 Databits video
#cassette #RetroTech #vaporwave

[@probnotstech]

The next time I donate some sort of recording device, I need to remember to record a creepy message.

[@Nik-lf4rw]

fart in the mic

[@methaChiba]

8h ago? how?

[@madmodder123]

@@methaChiba he probably uploaded it as unlisted and gave it to members/patreons to watch it. then the general public gets it when he changes from unlisted to public

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

​@@madmodder123That happens.

[@tra-viskaiser8737]

Some jibberish about where the gold is buried... and leave gps numbers backwards that takes you to some giant graveyard. Lol

[@yanks1fan09]

I wonder if Johnny finished his homework before watching TV.

[@applescruff1969]

Of course he didn't. No kids ever did that!

[@Retep4565]

And now Johnny is a homeless meth addict.

[@hedgehog3180]

Johnny looked like he was starring in a sitcom.

[@kitvar2685]

But MOOOOOOOM!

[@plan7a]

No, Johnny decided to watch The Twilight Zone instead and accidentally hit the record button while watching it; hence the creepy recording! LOL.

[@grabasandwich]

"Lasts over 1 year" or until the batteries leak 😂

[@MIchaelArlowe]

Yeah, you’re lucky if batteries last up to a year before the expiration date anymore.

[@gamingballsgaming]

​@MIchaelArlowe ikr, theres some old Panasonic cell in my calculator thats from the year 2000 and still works, yet the new pack of energizers not even a year old are starting to leak in the pack

[@plan7a]

Or the pencil lead breaks! Or you run out of paper! LOL.

[@jayuno3009]

In the mid-90s, my family bought a phone w/ an answering machine, it came with a blank micro-cassette in the machine. We guessed the phone was returned to the store because there was a message on it from a lonely, elderly man who likely had dementia, he was trying to reach his daughter. It was both eerie and sad, but I remember he said her name over and over again started crying. It got to the point where he was wailing and then the tape ran out.

[@shortybeck6901]

That's heartbreaking! I imagine it **was** extremely unsettling to hear. I hope that gentleman was able to get in touch with his daughter.

[@jmc042]

then you put the tape in your VHS and it was Mario's face but hyperrealistic

[@TwisterTornado]

​@@jmc042 Oh, shut up. 🙄

[@TwisterTornado]

​@@jmc042 Zoomy brained t r a s h

[@hardlyworking_]

best prank ever lol

[@JacGoudsmit]

"Sorry Mr Teacher, I didn't do my homework. My dad left a garbled message on the fridge to watch TV channel 18 at 8pm or something".

[@uncled39]

Ha!

[@dant5464]

The people who brought one of these are the same people sending voice notes now instead of typing it out (shifting the inconvenience to the recipient).

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

You can see the evolution.

[@zangl2955]

Don’t call me out like that

[@No-mq5lw]

At least modern transcription technology has gotten semi decent where you kind of can do this

[@herzbeton]

doing voice messages are simply easier for disabled people. I can see how a product like this would be useful for someone who cannot write.

[@user-yv6xw7ns3o]

​​@@herzbeton Very true. I'm pretty sure OP was referring to people more generally, though.

[@Ale.K7]

"The family will love it!" - I don't know, Johnny doesn't look too amused...

[@jasonschubert6828]

I was thinking that exact thing! 😂

[@plan7a]

Johnny thought it was spying on him, perhaps? Because his Mother somehow knew he wasn't doing his homework?

[@Sampler19]

Johnny's had enough of Ghost 1888s shenanigans.

[@apparentlyretrograde]

Number 8...*burp* Number 8...*burp* ...

[@F40PH-2CAT]

They found me on the men's room floor.

[@renakunisaki]

Barney forever! Wiggum never!

[@user-me6td1up1m]

Now people will stop intentionally ramming our car.

[@plan7a]

Beatles demo tape? Number 9... Number 9... LOL.

[@deerfish3000]

"I'll have a plum floating in perfume, served in a man's hat."

[@FranklyPeetoons]

The initial presentation of the box copy "typical message" via 2005-era voice synth is a precious KZbin moment.

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

@FranklyPeetoons We had much better voice synths on our ham radio repeater controllers in the late '80s. You're off by at least 20 years...

[@jbmcb]

My middle school daughter heard it and said "Short Circuit." It's the voice synth used for the server robots in the party scene in Short Circuit. She nailed it. If I'm not totally mistaken, it's the female voice for Macintalk.

[@macktheinterloper]

It's one of those spy number stations!

[@plan7a]

Instead of 'This message will self destruct in 30 seconds' perhaps it's a case of 'These batteries will self destruct in 30 seconds'? Just a thought.

[@jamesbennettmusic]

Maybe "August 18, 88" ? The chip is made by Samsung!

[@thekidfromiowa]

8/18/88? I'm a week old now!

[@Kr-nv5fo]

Ghost... 1888...

[@pr9334]

Yeah I heard 88 as well.

[@FoxerTails]

August is kinda hard to hear, but that could very well be the original message.

[@jamesbennettmusic]

@@FoxerTails I think the "aug" is cut off

[@Steve_R]

I think the message is saying "Marty, if we get this thing up to 88, your going to see some serious $hit"

[@netheritecraftondrugs5126]

Maybe it said 1988

[@MyNameIsUnavailable]

1.21 Jigawatts later...

[@L0rdOfThePies]

all i hear is “1888”

[@vine00]

List 18, '88.

[@TayWoode]

@@MyNameIsUnavailablewhat the hell is a Jigawatt?

[@scotshabalam2432]

This is like a industrial tech class's first project. The teacher assigns you to make a improved notepad as if you were bringing it to market.

[@SlyPearTree]

I can't remember which but I think I've seen something similar as a class assignement on at least two tv shows, one might have been Family Ties.

[@44CT232]

That creepy message on the tape gives me mystery shortwave signal vibes 🙂

[@madmax2069]

Indeed

[@TiberianFiend]

"You'll never need a pencil and pad of paper to leave a note again! In fact, a pencil and pad of paper are so worthless now, we'll include them for free!"

[@bcostin]

Makes your to-do list sound like the final transmission from a lost Soyuz capsule.

[@BilisNegra]

Is it me or the message has not just voice but creepy incidental music sounding like a reed organ or harmonium?

[@Tadfafty]

Some people here are saying it sounds like something from a movie.

[@haweater1555]

When I first saw the cassettes, I thought they might have been the "pocket rockers" tapes.

[@LapisandHamtarolover]

Techmoan six years ago video.

[@CptJistuce]

It is weird to me that people remember Pocket Rockers. I didn't know anyone with them when I was a kid, but apparently the line was fairly popular.

[@danieldaniels7571]

I was looking for this comment, as I collect Pocket Rockers, and that’s what they look like to me.

[@Eyetrauma]

5:22 lol that expression. “You guys seein’ this?”

[@Takepowers]

The recording sounds like came from a weird old horror movie, and the way you edited it on 4:55 sounds like a weird Boards Of Canada interlude. 😂

[@madmax2069]

That's what I was thinking, some kind of old movie or OTR.

[@uxwbill]

Wouldn't it be something if the person who made that recording found this video? The circuitry looks beyond crude, like it was made as cheaply as possible. That Samsung IC is an audio amplifier and probably the most expensive part!

[@onlyJann]

I'm a 90s baby I used to take things like this apart my parents old 80s gadgets lol they all looked similar inside and never properly worked complete junk and thrift stores were filled with it

[@richdaley9982]

I'm sleeping with the lights on tonight after hearing that recording. 😂

[@thephoenixhasflown]

To me it just sounds like a small part of a worn radio broadcast but yeah I can see how people who aren't used to it would get seriously creeped out by that.

[@someguy303-hz5yz]

that recording you discovered slipped through an alternate dimension, i have encountered this on old tapes, and i think i stumbled on the same recording when i was hacking 1800 numbers from a payphone

[@michaeldeloatch7461]

The market for unused, unchewed, vintage 1987 number two Husky pencils is super hot right now. You have found a gold mine! Risk 1988. That's when my oldest was born so I agree with that speaker's assessment. Recorded in a funeral parlor I think. Nothing creepy.

[@jeffkaczmarek3577]

I found an Energizer AAA that still had the push to test strip on the side from the 90's in a flashlight the other day and couldn't belive that it didn't leak.

[@renakunisaki]

Why did they stop making those?

[@vadnegru]

​@@renakunisaki Hazardous/too expensive/not dense/...

[@thetechconspiracy2]

@@renakunisaki They actually haven't, you can still get them. Duracell calls it "Power Check", though they do seem a bit hard to find

[@digitalpicker]

I recently found some Duracell AAs that had a similar feature, and they also hadn’t leaked. Actually, I believe there’s an extra outer seal that holds the battery tester onto the outside of the battery, and any leakage is held in under that layer.

[@subliminalvibes]

That garbled message sounded like the first translation in the movie Mars Attacks! _"All green of skin... 800 centuries ago, their bodily fluids..."_ 😆

[@jouniko]

My boombox had a crackling problem for a long time, I accidentally fixed it by just pushing the record key down. On other news (olds): Once I bought an answering machine and it had a sad message with someone sobbing, so I was the creepy one for listening to those messages.

[@Recordology]

That kids face! 😂😂😂😂

[@PooopBro420]

He really thought he was gonna be watching TV before doing his homework

[@SM64BLJ]

Not expecting you here 👀👀 @Recordology

[@MrJ0mmy]

i love that you continue to make these fascinating and informative videos for all these years

[@nynexman4464]

OK I had a good laugh at the segment around 4:55 Post 1888?

[@nikelquint]

Sounds like he says Christmas 1988

[@wmalden]

This reminded me of the Maverick memo minder I bought 15 years ago or so to remind my mother with dementia to take her medications while I was at work. That device did not use tapes. You could set various reminder recordings to play at specific times during the day. All digital.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

3:00 Hooray for Mercury!

[@crazywarp36]

They prob removed it from batteries so if it leaked you had to repair or get a new one

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@crazywarp36 I'm sure. Also I was being jokingly sarcastic. This is coming from someone who has asbestos tiles in the basement for 50 years, yet I'm still here.

[@crazywarp36]

@@ChristopherSobieniak yeah my house has asbestos tape on the air vents

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@crazywarp36 Perhaps what worked for us was using our heads.

[@No-mq5lw]

​@@ChristopherSobieniak Asbestos is harmful only if disturbed allowing the fibers to go airborne. Application of water while working with the material also prevents the mineral fibers from going airborne, though it is advisable not to dispose of it in household drains. Many sources, including the WHO, don't recognize asbestos as a drinking water contaminant, but the US EPA does.

[@blapty]

Oof that message was something straight out of a horror or scifi show. Especially with that reverb 😆

[@electronixTech]

Yeah, it reminded me of EVP.

[@robbie4242]

In the mid-80s I had a Casio alarm clock with a similar tape to record your own alarm.

[@danieldaniels7571]

The tape looks identical to a Pocket Rocker

[@thekidfromiowa]

The address on the box is now DureX, which is in their words "a full service, privately held and operated, ISO 9001:2015 Certified Contract Metal Fabrication facility"

[@jonathaneastwood2927]

In the UK Durex is a brand of condoms.

[@jonathaneastwood2927]

In the UK Durex is brand of condoms..

[@zipjay]

It sounded like it was saying "list 1888" in the creepy recording

[@maltadevnull]

Love your videos, man❤

[@JustPlainLuckyTV]

analog horror in the most literal sense.

[@voidfilan5055]

Never heard of this product but I grew up in Union New Jersey 😻👍

[@keithkneeland6849]

I was waiting for the pocket rockers comparison….and I was rewarded 😁

[@alexriesenbeck]

Great video and what an awesome creepy sample from that tape! Thanks for your videos Amazing to see those Bandai tapes in something other than a toy!

[@albear972]

Ha! I was going to leave a snarky comment, "it needs new capacitors" Well, I guess the joke's on me. The IC chip shows the very old Samsung logo.

[@vadnegru]

Yes, it's literally Sam Sung, or 3 stars.

[@ultra4e]

This was a fun video! Thanks for sharing

[@eric_d]

I haven't been to Unique since the beginning of Covid. They closed the one nearest to me, but I heard they're opening a new one soon. I used to stop by the Union (or is it Springfield?) store 2-3 days a week after work. We've probably bumped into each other there, and wouldn't have even known it lol. Once I get my money situation in order I need to start going there again. I probably have several things that I bought from there that you'd be interested in making videos on.

[@techmaster-ch5yd]

This could have been a topic for Techmoan (as he loves magnetic tape gadgets), but Vwestlife was quicker.

[@igorperuchi2114]

I love these oddities!

[@Miss_Argent]

Ah, simple tape loops. Takes me back to a malfunctioning vacant number announcement Evan Doorbell hit on one of his phone trips back in...Eh, the '70s? Kept looping the "I'm sorry, the number you have dialed..." without ever moving on to the next part of the recording.

[@alphonsesynrem28]

I think recording bias oscillator related parts may restore it to the full recording quality.. It sounds like low bias current to the head.

[@Recordology]

The editing 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@dr.charlesedwardflorendobr3952]

Wow! that cassette looks so cool. I hope that the cassette format's history be discussed more in detail. One of the channels that does this is Technomoan.

[@christoffermedc]

Lol industrial music sampling material XD

[@ShawnStafford-1978]

Skinny Puppy

[@Crabby303]

Nice to see your arty side coming out lol; but seriously, I'd love to do something with that snippet of the recording :D

[@Duck7n8]

5:58 that's gonna leave a mark 😢

[@crazyrobotlady3391]

Wow! Very interesting piece of old tech.

[@F40PH-2CAT]

Sounds like g..g..g..ghosts! Me and Scooby are outta here!

[@GothGuy885]

ZOIKS!! 😵‍💫

[@happytorrentt4500]

totally expected rob zombie to start singing over the creepy recording at 4:53

[@Spider_Rico]

Good to hear that you didn't lose an eye.

[@retrofriends]

I await the ASMR video where you play the creepy message for 10 hours lol.

[@CARLiCON]

1888 was a Seventh-day Adventist historical event, considered very significant

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

That's different qnd kinda neat... that message though One of the worst cases of leaky batteries I've seen in awhile

[@sanadcanmahmoud]

Wow that is really cool!

[@lunarmodule6419]

We all clicked for the creepy voice lol. Not disappointed at all!

[@SlumberBear2k]

it's weird because that amount of time of that looped has looped a finite number of times between when it was first recorded and now like sands through an hourglass, just accumulating over the decades. If my math is correct it would have looped over 58 million times if it could be left to play since the moment it was recorded about 37 years ago.

[@user-mr1ln4jx2j]

this is just as creepy as a late 80s corvette speedometer/tachometer display or a guy could leave "by the time i get to phoenix" song message lol

[@Tomattoism]

Johnny about to execute some mischievous plans before TV

[@FuneralPotatoes35]

I love the Steven Hawking in Family Guy, Text-to-speech voices.

[@juanignacioaschura9437]

Those sample recordings reminded me of "Fitter Happier" by Radiohead...

[@Thrakus]

I love it, makes everything sound like your in the Red Room fromTwin Peak.

[@kitvar2685]

1888 was the year of the Jack The Ripper's infamous Whitechapel murders. Maybe the recording is a soundbite from a horror movie about Jack the Ripper or its trailer?

[@solinus7131]

interesting idea I feel like it could've been recorded off the TV by some mischevious kid to mess with their parents

[@GothGuy885]

I have something similar, but a newer version, built into a light switch plate. it uses chip technology, instead of tape. it stopped working several years ago. even with new batteries .no biggie tho, I just haven't made time to replace it with a regular face plate yet, so there it sits, Out of Order, unused, but not forgotten.

[@13jorino]

I thought the batteries weren't included. RETURNED!

[@GarretClaridgeMeerkat]

oh my 😸

[@danny-li6io]

WAY back when families lived together and actually communicated with each other.

[@johnstone7697]

In the late 80's? Not really. It's why that contraption was made. No two people were in the room at the same time, so they had to leave messages for each other. They may live in the same house, but I'd hardly call that "together".

[@danny-li6io]

@@johnstone7697 Im sorry you missed out on that culture 💔

[@danny-li6io]

@@johnstone7697 I should have said SOME families

[@straightpipediesel]

Personally, my favorite part is the mechanical drum indicator on the power switch.

[@josha254]

"List 18 A8 3" May be a cataloguing number.

[@erwinvb70]

Wow that’s one lucky find, that’s exactly the stuff I hope to find at thrift store, but rarely do. Enjoy 😊

[@themadsamplist]

4:55 VWestlife going full Hainbach with a tape loop 😂

[@buddyboy6783]

Old, found audio is the coolest thing on Earth.

[@michaelcox436]

Okay, that's completely creepy.

Christmas 1988

[@vwestlife]

Listen to the real version, not my remixed version where the echo of S in List makes it sound like another syllable ending in S.

[@JoeOrber]

That is a fascinating, creepy message indeed! Their sample message is also creepy and weird, it sounds like it was recorded by a cyborg woman from the future; now we’re just missing the message from the army of the twelve monkeys for the prophecy to be fulfilled 😂

[@thephoenixhasflown]

I know right it sounded like a female version of Junior from the Macintosh computers but not quite princess either. The decently creepy message actually sounded like it was from some low budget radio horror series something along the lines of the show midnight.

[@twocvbloke]

I remember that video from Mr. Moan, and I think he referred to that cassette as the world's smallest audio cassette, which I kind of loosely disputed (in a tongue-in-cheek manner cos it wasn't serious!) that the Sinclair MicroDrive cassettes were very likely smaller, with the caveat that I knew full well they were never used for audio, plus they were kind of junk anyway, prone to stretching and losing data on every use, because Sinclair... :P

[@tiobetio9501]

Remember the recording from the radio broadcast in Lost?

[@plan7a]

With this item you get may an electronic notepad but you also end up with a bonus back up! Something more failsafe and guaranteed to work: some paper and a pencil. (No need to worry about leaky batteries or strange garbled messages with this! The paper and pencil are used for a backup, in case the tape, battery or recording fails! So long as the pencil doesn't need sharpening and your writing is legible you are totally covered for almost all messages! LOL.😄

[@applescruff1969]

I bet many a horrified parents ended up throwing these out after one of their kids recorded a creepy message and turned it on while they were sleeping. Lol.

[@MoreThanWYSIWYG]

Trippy. I love it

[@gazzaka]

Nice weird sequence you made ! 🙂

[@ocsrc]

I used a micro cassette recorder to do this. I used to carry it in my front pocket of my shirt and talked into it all day long and played it back at home

[@TheOriginalCollectorA1303]

This one simple accessory turns any fridge into a smart fridge! A must have for today’s busy modern life, circa 1987. I guess it might have been easier to use instead of just a notepad, interesting product!

[@davisneil]

i think the echo on that creepy recording is caused by the layers of tape transferring their magnetic signals to each other. I believe its known as 'print-through'.

[@vwestlife]

I added the echo effect.

[@Bob-1802]

Amazing that it could erase and record with one head. I guess it is a strong DC bias with the audio modulated below that bias so previous audio is completely wiped out. An AC bias would leave most of the previous audio.

[@TechGorilla1987]

@1:22 - I was trying to come up with a quip about you managing to find a lot of products made in Jersey, but you beat me too it. I do think it's cool that so many products represent Jersey and my surrounding area of PA too. I really wish our thrift stores were better stocked. The last time I walked in to my local thrift store, some gentleman with a man-bun under a ballcap was whistling loudly to no one in particular and there were no less than 3 screaming babies. I 'noped' right back out the door.

[@fuzzspanden]

its a thrift store, not a high-class exclusive italian fashion store...

[@yeninja]

the text to speech sounded like the catering robot from Short Circuit.

[@Lachlant1984]

I thought I once saw a video like this but the unit in question had a full logic compact cassette recorder in it, maybe I'm dreaming. You talk about Bandai, is that the same Bandai who made the Tamagochi and video games?

[@FVC1988sp]

i really like this one, WestLife👍

[@ingenfestbrems]

This thing would totally win the LoFi top 10.

[@bonemar66]

Magnetic tape in a device with magnets strong enough to stay on a refrigerator?

[@MadScientist267]

"As Seen On TV" before it became a phrase no doubt

[@AMDRADEONRUBY]

Nice a gadget video this one looks very nice this notepad looks neat

[@garp32]

Great.. that voice and creepy music is going to be fuel for nightmares tonight. 💀