Cassette Recording Basics - A Crash (and burn?) Course

[@chriskay116]

Excellent. I'm 60 years old and you've finally explained to me what no-one has been able to since getting my first cassette recorder in 1973. Thank you.

[@theonemodifier]

Best explanation I've ever heard. 50 years later I finally understand. Thank you!

[@totallyfrozen]

Grew up on cassette. Spent the late 80’s through the first half of the 90’s as a radio DJ and no radio engineer every explained all this. Great video!

[@ZHONGHONGZHU]

🤣

[@stillben]

This should have been part of the national curriculum in th 80s

[@CassetteComeback]

Or at least an article in Smash Hits 😀

[@jokingpants]

Totally agree. A single period in my weekly timetable would have stopped me being such an ignoramus. I remember going round my mates house to record a couple of albums from CD / Vinyl on his dad's deck. Neither of us had a clue what the "bias" knob did. Nor did we know the difference between Type II Position tapes and pure chrome. We thought they were all the same. Shameful!

[@kingdhansak]

I reckon I'd have paid attention and achieved a good grade if this were the case.

[@bryede]

Analog hi-fi gear required some skill and knowledge but it was a mystery to most people who didn't keep up with Audio related magazines and such. Even today I see audio related YT videos full of misinformation by people who don't seem to realize there's literally decades of information out there if you just take a little time to read.

[@peterw1213]

My friend from school used to record chrome tapes with normal type selected on his dad's Luxman tape deck because high end sounds better...... Looks like a big mistake...hehe

[@dubkrug8690]

I bought a old Mercedes with the Original Becker Mexiko Cassette Radio since I didn't want to install some new Radio I got into Recording my own Tapes. I watched quite a few videos to set up everything right. I don't understand why your guide doesn't have more views it is the best Cassette basics video! Thank you very much!

[@CassetteComeback]

Not many are in to cassettes...

[@AboveEmAllProduction]

I still remember that day in 1997 where I finally got it and made recordings equal to CD but even better cause of the added warmth

[@cartoonworld1000]

If you have a formula, would you like to share it?

[@bobzmuda3940]

@@cartoonworld1000 tape + alignment, demagnetization, head cleaning, and proper calibration = ready for the radio

[@kanesyt8101]

I've been recording on cassettes for a bit but its always good to learn more about recording to get the best out of my recordings

[@allocatingdesign7884]

Thanks, as someone just getting into cassettes this was really helpful!

[@CassetteComeback]

Glad you found it useful.

[@SirJeff]

As a teen recently getting into cassettes, understanding the factors (like bias, EQ etc) taken into consideration during recording was very difficult and I never fully knew what they were all about. This video really helped clear things up

[@CassetteComeback]

Great. That was the whole point of the video.

[@franciscorompana2985]

After Normal, Chrome, Ferro-Chrome, Metal probably today they would have "Carbon, Nanotubes, Titanium" and all. LOL!

[@VIDSTORAGE]

That is the problem people had in the 70s 80s and 90s ,,most never really understood how to make the best tape unless they had a more expensive unit that hardy any one would buy.

[@CassetteComeback]

I didn't. Bang them in and that was it. If they sounded crap, then it was a crap tape...

[@DaXande135]

I have been in a simlar situation like a year ago or something. I got a 3-Head deck around half a year ago, but I simply dont have enough cassettes for recording on, but new old stock is expensive and i cant really afford them. :(

[@phil3142]

Great video. Very helpful and not patronising. Love the tone and delivery pace.

[@CassetteComeback]

I'm just an ordinary bloke doing this because I enjoy it, glad you appreciate it.

[@parthabhatta1963]

Listening to tapes since last 50 years but learnt SOL & MOL today only. Also learnt the necessity of bias calibration for individual cassettes. Previously, I thought that the individual bias calibration feature given in some high end decks were simply over engineering and sort of gimmick. But now I learnt it in the last 10 minutes of this video. Many Thanks to the uploader of the video. Excellent. 👍👍👍

[@german_dude_]

This has got to be the best video explaining cassette recording! Thank you!

[@ssnoc]

Never understood any of this back in the 70’s when I recorded my records to cassette - So now I’m 66 and I finally understand how to record my records perfectly thanks to you - only problem is, my hearing makes it almost impossible to hear the improvement :) At least now I get it - Thanks. 🙏

[@JacobFrey]

Totally wonderful and worthwhile video, Tony. Tape lovers everywhere are going to appreciate this.

[@CassetteComeback]

Cheers!

[@damianp564]

Much appreciated info even for an old cassette geezer like me. I've just been winging it since the 80s.

[@CassetteComeback]

Most of us were, and still are 😀

[@sirgiyan]

You shouldn't complain that you are not a graphic designer. You are an amazing presenter!!! And design of your presentation is just that - extremely presentable and brilliant in its simplicity. THANKS A LOT!!!!

[@totallyfrozen]

Grew up on cassette. Spent the late 80’s through the first half of the 90’s as a radio DJ and no radio engineer every explained all this. Great video! Thanks!

[@MSKhan-dh9id]

I have been listening, and recording for a long time but I never learned what those features mean. Thank You for in-depth explanation. I have 4 different decks, 3 Nakamichi and one Harmon Kardon 491. The cassette recorded on Nak Dragon, for example, when played on CD 491, (both 3 head decks) the meters show high peak, crossing into RED zone. Now I understand why. Both decks that I have has manual calibration features. Thank You again.

[@revalid6824]

I have used tapes for a few years now & never understod what the db bias mol/sol statistics where on those tapes. This video changed my entire perspective on how to record my future cassettes. Many tnx for this video Its a gamechanger!

[@steveoszman8746]

Thank you well I am a blue collar guy. Played tape since 60s and you sir both taught me a lot. You reinforced what I learned on the fly. Really excellent info.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

I love these videos! I learnt so much!! Before I didn’t even know there was a type 0 cassette and finally figured out what BIAS is. I did enjoy recording the weekend dance shows from Radio 1 on my Sony deck in the late 1990s and early 2000s with it’s basic TDK, BASF, Maxell and BBC tapes 😀 and played them on a cheap Walkman.

[@CassetteComeback]

Yeah, Pete Tongs essential selection on Friday nights. Compulsory taping.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Yes 😀😀 don’t forget Danny Rampling and Judge Jules!

[@annapascal8652]

I just started recording on cassettes as a hobby to pass the time during the Covid quarantine. I am a little over half way through this video and it is already the most invaluable source I’ve found. I’ll be passing it along to my friends if they decide to get into recording too. Thank you so much.

[@CassetteComeback]

Glad I could help

[@AnonymousCaveman]

Been recording tapes for the last 3 years but needed a refresher on bias. That said I stayed because the amount of tips in the video is incredible! I have been dubbed for a long while now but didn't know this video was a thing. Fantastic and excellent 😁

[@stevendenherder1711]

Thank you for this video. I have been using cassettes as a kid and teenager, but gave up when I grew up. Now I finally understand the basics and I'm ready to start taping again!

[@SDsailor7]

Excellent tutorial on setting up a cassette deck and learning about levels and bias.

[@tushar8133]

You have made a very beautiful video. Unfortunately when I was searching on youtube to understand Bias, this video appeared on my feed after several weeks. You are a gem 💎

[@nunofernandes4501]

I've recorded hundreds of cassettes between 1982 and 2002 and now I finally find someone who can explain clearly what bias is. Thank you very much and I will proceed to buy a 3 head tape deck!

[@nunofernandes4501]

I just bought a 3 head Denon DR-M20 for 20 euros. It plays and sounds well but stops playing by itself. Is it worth to have it professionally overhauled and repaired?

[@NJRoadfan]

Prior to getting a 3-head deck, I didn't even know about the bias and recording sensitivity controls. Real time recording monitoring? Wow what a surprise that was. My old 2-head Technics RS-M14 only had a tape type selection dial (with Type III!) and recording level control. Even without the fine bias tuning it did a decent job. Just having VU meters and recording level control is light years ahead of what I previously recorded with. Also, EDM seems particularly well suited to testing cassette tape recording. Its very challenging having both booming bass and tons of bright highs in one track. Throw in some quiet breakdowns commonly found in trance and you get a good test of tape hiss and noise reduction systems.

[@mdavid1955]

I worked as an electronic technician in consumer repair shop when I was young. I've repaired many a cassette deck. We were an Akai warranty repair provider. They made some excellent cassette decks . Their auto-bias system worked well (only on the more expensive models) and their GX Glass-Ferrite tape heads would last a very long time.

[@GrahamAtDesk]

Fantastic video Tony, it deserves a round of applause. I suspect you and I are a similar age, and I didn't know most of this stuff back then either. I've only recently got my hands on a 3 head deck for the first time, which makes this stuff so much easier!

[@donricoph]

Hello! Can you make a video on how to calibrate a 2-head deck for level and bias using tones from a pc or smartphone?

[@matthewday7565]

The AC erase head generally pops out with the mechanism, it only erases if energised - the modern system being AC bias, AC erase. The permanent magnet erase, of course, had to be kept retracted. The magnetization curve of the tape tends to have a flatter (hysteresis) region at the zero crossing, a relatively linear region above and below, flattening again as it hits overload. The oldest bias method was DC bias, but that only used one half of the curve. AC bias pushes the signal across the flatter region, but excessive bias partially erases the higher frequencies

[@crystallinds8077]

Very Informative and useful. I've been getting into cassettes and It's been difficult for me to get a full explanation on everything that goes into cassette recording especially when there are so many different brands, types of tapes and decks and it's like "Ok I just want to record quality audio to cassette why all the crazy buttons" lmao

[@kallekillerapa]

Excellent video, just what I needed to brush up after my cassette hibernation period, thanks Tony!

[@joemae416]

I’m learning a lot from your video explanations. Thank you for all your time & effort making these awesome videos. I’m learning and absorbing so much information that I wish I knew 40 years ago.

[@TheSwartz]

This is such an excellent video. I feel like I can take all of this and really dig into any other details I want to research now. Thank you very much!

[@JasperAsher-lv1yg]

Thank you so much for this video. After 50 years of recording and playing my cassette deck, this is the first time I learned how to adjust my bias control and my master fader control and the recording level input control. When I changed form tape to source, I always wander why the recording level is different and did not know that it supposed to be the same by adjusting the recording level input control and the master fader control. Thanks again!

[@CassetteComeback]

Glad it was helpful!

[@venturarodriguezvallejo1567]

Excellent explanation on the various subjects one usually forgets and/or erroneously takes for granted. Thanks a lot!.

[@MyspaceNihilist]

I just watched your UD2 video and thought, man, i really hope he did a vid on all this lingo and procedure he's using. Go back to my subscription feed, BAM, there's a spanking new crash course from you. You said you felt like you needed to up production quality, but omniscience? you are an absolute unit of a man

[@Baerchenization]

I recently paid my tape deck a visit in my parents' attic, but did not have the time to connect it. It's been there for 10+ years, but I want it to work again, so I just bought the official repair manual off Ebay and hope it can be freshened up with a new belt or whatever, in case it should need one.

[@CassetteComeback]

If you're mechanically minded, have the right tools and take your time, you'll get it going again.

[@dexta32084]

Sorry for asking for a tape recording tutorial a week ago in another one of your video's comment sections. This answered all my questions, thank you!!

[@seans9885]

Thank you, it is one of the Best if it is not the best mini-lecture I have ever had regarding this subject, awesome, fantastic, with my Warm Regards to you. I wish you had a similar lecture for Reel to Reel, tape Please.

[@RajGupta-mu6tz]

Excellently explained in easy to understand language. VERY helpful!

[@CassetteComeback]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robotron.2084]

Excellent, clear and easy to understand, been a cassette fan for years and i never knew what the level calibration was for until now.

[@Dave64track]

Great video Just bought a Sony 3 head deck with bias adjustment as I have never had a 3head deck before because of the price to be honest it sounds good but I never understood how to set the bias properly. Now I have watch the video I have a better understanding of what i'm doing. Thanks for sharing the knowledge great channel by the way.

[@CassetteComeback]

Thanks, that's why I did the video as I want to help people get the best out of their cassettes.

[@_LYH_]

I remember my AIWA AD-F800 does have a sticker labeled to show the recommended bias pot settings of commercially available tape formulations. But I recall certain tape formulations, no matter what bias adjustments you do can never match the source signal. Also, I guess a better way would be to play a 0dB pure sine tone as a source at low and high frequencies so that the bias and sensitivity can be optimized to squeeze the last drop of quality out of any tape. Cheers

[@Andrew-x7q8c]

I was half way through watching Eastenders when this one popped up, this is much more worthwhile watching!

[@CassetteComeback]

😂

[@Fluteboy]

"YER BOUGHT A TWO HEAD DECK? YER SLAAAAG!"

[@80s_Boombox_Collector]

Agree

[@ChronoTango]

This answered a lot of my questions when I last tried to record onto chrome. Valuable information!

[@markphilpot4981]

I sure could have used this back in the day. I was so naive and you couldn’t tell me jack. Live and learn! For those who don’t know, this is a must for this hobby. If you are going to involve yourself into this, at least you need to care enough to learn how to make a great tape and be satisfied in your own mind that you’ve done all you can to make it well. Good oh, Tony. A refresher doesn’t hurt anyone who really cares about this and I do! Have you got a diskwasher demag? This is a cassette shell with a magnet in it that you place it in and run it fast forward till it stops then run it in rewind till it stops and your tape path is demagnetized. Let me know. The other way with the wand is a real pain!

[@TechGorilla1987]

You earned a sub from me, Mate and I haven't used a tape in years. I find your accent to be excellent to listen to. Sounds like the bloke from Manchester I watch walking all the canals and sleeping in the woods. On top of that. you replied in a minute to a comment of mine on one of your old videos indicating that you appreciate people watching your stuff!

[@CassetteComeback]

Yeah, I'm not far from Manchester. This is a hobby for me so I appreciate people taking the time to watch and comment. I've not disappeared up my own arse...yet 😂

[@TechGorilla1987]

@@CassetteComeback Sheffield perhaps? I am really struggling to learn the various different dialects of England, Scotland and Ireland. I think Patrick is from in and around Sheffield actually. Wonderful history out there and even more beautiful countryside. Love to visit the Ladybower plughole in person!

[@shaun9107]

@@CassetteComeback That is all to common today ..

[@NOWThatsRichy]

@@TechGorilla1987 Patrick's plughole vid was excellent!

[@TechGorilla1987]

@@NOWThatsRichy I quite liked it and it started me on binge-watching his videos. He is what I refer to as a Renaissance Man. Great knowledge and interest in many, many topics. Very entertaining and likeable.

[@renejansen5939]

Great video! I'm many years into audio grown up with cassettes and now I finally know WHY some tapes are sounding great on my decks and which did not! I Had a Dual tape deck back in the days, great machine. But it wasn't TDK what was sounding the best on it. It was the Maxell XL2. You made a recording that sound great (in another video) on a tape that I called trash. But now I know why... I Never had a deck with an adjustable bias!

[@CassetteComeback]

Great. That's what I hoped this video would do.

[@walterulbricht646]

I just subscribed to your channel after I bought a Denon DR M33HX to record manually with a 3 Head Deck. Now I have a pretty good understanding what to do and most importantly why. Thanks for this Video. i had a beocord5500 before and it did all the work for me, but that wasnt much fun...

[@65CJ5]

I worked on A/V and video equipment years ago. Cleaning the tape path will help with preventing the deck from "eating" the tape, but also if the take up spindle has weak torque, or if it's not moving at all that will cause the tape to be "eaten" as well. I saw more machines with weak take-up problems than anything else as far as damaging tapes.

[@ngtaishek]

Brilliant I'd learned alot about cassette tapes in one of yours video than any others, most informative.

[@CassetteComeback]

Glad they helped

[@TBNTX]

I had an Akai GX-7 several years ago, and I paid $385.99 for it. Its estimated value now is $1,225.00. It still works, and I've had to replace its rubber belts a few times, but things like this aren't available any more. I'd like to find an expert business who could properly service it. I agree with the other commenters. This was a well-done video. I consider this a reference piece.

[@thejoojooman6538]

A perfectly informative tutorial, which is easy 2 understand.

[@jram9571]

Good video. First time I had to close my eyes to “watch” youtube video to actually hear the subtle bias!

[@tmiejan25]

Thank you! I haven't recorded in years but bought a Denon deck and plan to. Your primer is absolutely brilliant.

[@svenschwingel8632]

Great Video. Thank you so much for taking me back to the late 80's. I used to spend hours reading hifi mags' testing, trying out different tapes and calibrating them back then. It almost made you feel like a scientist reasearching stuff methodically. There is another reason for calibrating your tape deck to the record sensitivity of the tape. If your recording level is off due to tapes deviating from reference input level, it will literally throw the Dolby circuitry off its mark since Dolby works as a combined compressor (during recording) and expander (during playback). Especially the popular Type II two-layer tape formulations like the SA-X and XLII-S showed a strong deviation from the reference level which made them almost unsuitable for usage with Dolby on decks that only allowed Bias calibration at 10 kHz but no level calibration at 315 Hz. That being said, the two-layer tapes offered significant advantages in signal-to-noise ratio due to higher saturation over the whole frequency range because the two layers of magnetic material could be optimized for both low-frequency and high-frequency playback.

[@CassetteComeback]

That's why I don't use Dolby, the hiss doesn't really bother me, especially on type 2 or better.

[@svenschwingel8632]

@@CassetteComeback depends on the music you record. Tape hiss can be very annoying on high-dynamic content like chamber music or acoustic stuff. It doesn't really matter with music that has a constant underlying theme like most electronica, pop or rock. For these kinds of music, I always used my beloved SA-X (the late 80's one with the black shell and the visible white guide pulleys). God I loved that tape's crisp sound. And it was pretty affordable, too. I later switched to the early-90's three-layered SA-XS which I found to be the pinnacle of TDK Type II history.

[@CassetteComeback]

I'll agree with you on the SA-XS, that and the HX-S are the best TDK type 2 got in my book. I don't listen to "quiet" music, so the NR isn't needed.

[@svenschwingel8632]

@@CassetteComeback haha, always going for the power stuff I see :)

[@sesa1076]

Cheers fir doing this. Dig up my old Tascam 424 recently, and a few days ago a friend gave me a really solid Marantz pmd201 field recorder that I hope to somehow use/incorporate into music production, so I needed this.

[@CallumRickard]

Thanks for this. I was a child of the cassette-transitioning-to-CD era, and used cassettes all the time for everyman recordings, with absolutely ZERO knowledge on cheap equipment. As an adult, I'm keen to pursue the analogue hobby again, and armed with this knowledge I wanna make my own mixtapes for fun. Really appreciate your content - I just thought BIAS was volume: and now it all makes sense, and once you KNOW, you're able to make cleaner recordings.

[@CassetteComeback]

That's it. I only found out towards the end of my first journey with cassettes in the late 90s

[@tournaline3448]

Thank you so much for this excellent presentation. It’s extremely helpful and easy to understand.

[@johnmarchington3146]

A terrific video, Tony. You explained everything extremely well. Many thanks. I really wish cassettes would make a real comeback. I wonder if that will ever happen?

[@StackOverflow80]

Drawback of biasing is that biasing signal partly erases the audio signal while being recorded. Similarly like erase head does. But because biasing AC signal is relatively weak, it affects only most sensitive parts of audio signal, the trebles. That's why stronger bias signal causes higher loss of trebles than weaker bias signal. To compensate this treble erasing, the recording amplifier boosts up the trebles, so that at some point of bias level the amount of trebles in recording is correct. Every tape reacts differently on the same amount of biasing signal (or every other magnetic signal), so the erasing of trebles by bias is at every tape different. If we make bias adjustment by comparing low and high test tones, we search the bias point where trebles in recording has the same level as bass. But this doesn't mean that in this point the bias level is ideal for the particular tape. To be absolutely perfect, first step would be to find best bias level and second step to adjust treble boost in recording amplifier. Since tape decks have fixed recording equalization (or at least in general, not sure if the highest-end tape decks), bias level is always compromise. But for most good tapes it is ok.

[@Fluteboy]

Never underestimate the pull of explanatory videos! As much as we may already know, the addition of someone else's travels just adds to it. The only ones who do not benefit are the sods who think they know it all, and that we are "teh n00bs".

[@CassetteComeback]

Good call. I don't like snobbery.

[@Rompler_Rocco]

Top notch explanation! 👍 So this is 100% unnecessary, but I'd like to throw in my favorite analogy for understanding bias (from a Steve Albini recording workshop): He suggested imagining magnetic tape as a bucket of sand. Recording a music signal onto tape is like pushing your handprint into the sand. Pressing down will leave a faint, shallow handprint. But adding a high frequency bias signal energizes the tape's magnetic particles, which is like shaking and vibrating the bucket of sand, allowing you easily sink your hand deep enough to create a vivid impression. Then once the vibration stops and you lift your hand, the handprint (music) is what remains. That always helped me, at least ;)

[@nicomeier8098]

Back in the 80's I didn't have the money to buy a good 3-head deck. Now I have two of them and I love using cassettes. Again. Also I bought a fully serviced very good record player with a good cart and excellent stylus. Lovely stuff, enjoying music like never before,

[@CassetteComeback]

Snap. Boomboxes and midi hi-fi for me until the mid 90s

[@suasponte6230]

This is over the top. Well done sir.

[@life5161]

I'm not sure what's weirder, the fact there's a channel all about cassette tapes, or the fact that I watch it. Fantastic..........

[@briancooper3067]

I’ve been searching for an explanation like this forever it seems! It was explained to me by a guy who sold me my Nakamichi deck a couple years back, but this explanation definitely made it clearer for me! For that I am appreciative! Subscribed! Love your videos. Thanks for your contribution to keeping cassettes alive! Any opinions on some deck’s built in “Auto-bias” features? Are they generally accurate? My Kenwood deck (2-head) has that feature. Also it can be adjusted manually. Just curious. Edit- I see you answered my question at the end of the video and I jumped the gun!

[@CassetteComeback]

Glad it helped. Yeah, if you have to get a 2 header, those with some auto cal features are a good call and the ones I have a pretty good. The thing I didn't mention in the video where a 3 deck is also good is when using used cassettes. You can hear if they are shot whilst recording and any drop outs too.

[@peterw1213]

Good explanation & demo on the Bias topic, It's one topic I have no experience with as I only played around with boomboxes in my youth days. Recently got an mid 80's tape deck & started to play my old tapes.

[@salimrajah5571]

Cassettes must comeback

[@fedepede04]

Super video, i had been wondering what exactly bias did. Thanks 👍

[@trevekneebone369]

Brilliant - wish I known this back in the 80's!

[@CassetteComeback]

Snap

[@shaun9107]

Same here

[@BABYGODZILLA2009]

Great video mate, I've been doing recording on tapes since the early 90's back in the school days. I used to record tapes and sell them to my school mates to earn a buck. I've always loved the physical media, its 2020 now and I still record TV programs in VHS Hi-Fi VCRs. About an year ago I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Sony TC-WR770 double cassette deck in pristine condition for a really good price. For the first time in my life I saw something labeled BIAS (Deck B). I had no idea what that was. I played around with it (since that's what I do mostly when I come across a new toy) and I've got an idea this is to do with the bass and treble ratio. But your video really helped me to understand the amazing technology used in physical media and when I do the recording on this deck, it sounded better than CD for my ears. Thank you so much for this video and you've explained it so good. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing.

[@CassetteComeback]

Great. That's what I did this video for 😀

[@paulyd8291]

Phenomenal video for someone JUST (a few years too late lol) into recording on tape decks. Thanks!

[@Siri_Sathdamma_Sewhela]

Very informative video 😍😍👍🏻!! Nicely explained 🙏👍🏻👍🏻 I think this will help so many people how to do a good recording on any cassette deck you got. 😃😃👍🏻 Keep up the good work ya 🙏🙏👍🏻!! Also beginner tip: If you are using type 01 cassettes for your tape recordings then pls use 90’s TDK D, Sony HF or Maxwell UR ones. Do not use rubbish type 0s they won’t sound good in any deck😜😜

[@sinewaymusic]

This was very educational, thank you for taking the time!

[@vinylcity1599]

I recorded cassettes for years in the 80s and 90s, and I learned something new here! I need to buy a deck!

[@Uberhood]

Epic summary! Thanks a lot for going through this trouble of explaining it all.

[@CassetteComeback]

My pleasure

[@VintageStereoCollectorChannel]

Thank you for such an EXCELLENT presentation!

[@jamalmoss9543]

Nice explanation! It never made much sense to me before. Thanks for breaking it down in laymen's terms.

[@CassetteComeback]

Glad you liked it, that was the whole point of the video.

[@petr8068]

Hello, my answer please: about MOL and SOL....understand I correctly, when I´m recording, then all types of cassettes (Normal, CrO2...) must match the level of the recording source signal, but will be the result in a different hiss level by playback(with regard to the different recording level by cassette type)?

[@HelmutWFanck]

Many thank's for this real great video👍 That's why I'm use my Tascam 122MKIII since the last 5 years. I wish you a verry happy new year🍾🎹🍻

[@richardhudson3014]

Yet another great video this was educational and informational and learned even more about cassette recording than I knew before awesome video and please keep up the excellent work!!!

[@CassetteComeback]

Cheers. I'll keep on keeping on 😀

[@Rijeka82]

On my deck Technics RS-B705 there is not rec sensitivity, only bias adjust, so i cannot match tape recording volume to be set same as source signal.

[@mistsmogguru8378]

I'm catching up....! Loving this channel. Just getting back into my tapes, something I took for granted in my youth. Mid life crisis, but it's fun and better than a crap backbreaking 2 seater sports car . Spending my savings.

[@laggyluke5700]

And that is the video I was looking for. Thanks!

[@ThePierre61]

did you mismatch MOL with Sensitivity? Maximum output level (MOL) is usually specified at 315 (MOL315) or 400 (MOL400) Hz, and its value marks the point when the third harmohic coefficient reaches 3% (wikipedia) Sensitivity is the out-in gain (referred to IEC reference)

[@Musicradio77Network]

Interesting. I have a cassette deck which is my Technics RS-B11W dual cassette deck and it works great and it has an ABS (Automatic Bias System) feature where you can record Type 1 (Normal/Ferric), Type 2 (High/Chrome) and Type 4 (Metal) cassettes. This deck was from 1985. I also have my Audiotronics Classette cassette recorder 148B from about 1983 and it still works and it has an Automatic Level Control and a Manual Level Control and it can record Type 1 cassettes only, and it will not record Type 2 and Type 4 cassettes, and it does not have any recording sensitivity and bias levels, but it does have a built-in Dolby noise reduction which was a decoder can decode the source. But they don’t do that anymore, because Dolby stopped making noise reduction on cassette decks. The Audiotronics Classette was a cassette recorder which was used in schools and in libraries where children can listen to these read-along book and cassettes with an Audiotronics 148B.

[@dexta1969]

I have just returned to cassette tapes and found the video very informative. I have the Aiwa AD-F 850 which is a very similar machine so it's as good as a manual (which I don't have) for me. It cost me £20 plus £11 for new belts and sounds great

[@CassetteComeback]

Aiwa of this vintage are great decks, easy to work on and very underrated.

[@dexta1969]

@@CassetteComeback it was much easier than I thought it would be. I want to make some video of all my vintage hifi stuff, think I'll have to find some music that won't fall foul of KZbin's copyright rules first though

[@joestradamus75]

back when I was a kid, I didn't really know any of this. So I just cranked everything up to the max. LOL! I got a little better at it toward the end of the 90's. I remember having fond memories making dubs and best of's from either a record or a CD.

[@EarJuice]

Muh new tape deck turns cassette into mp3 or records to tape but doesn't seem to have any level adjustments. Like I twisted knobs even turned it down to 0 volume yet made no difference to recording. However the recording mp3 sounded great. I wad quite surprised. Couldn't even tell it was recorded from a cassette. Still I would prefer some control. Going to try playing soft sounds into it and other experiments and see what I get. Really I want tape noises and wobbles for lofi samples while having the best sound for converting dem ole Breezeblock shows from tape to MP3.

[@pfft9363]

really good info here for someone just getting into tape decks. Thanks a lot

[@adrielrowley]

Great video, so much information and detail. Thank you. 😀 16:34 Oh? So could this be a way to record a cassette with too quiet volume (a relative four generations ago being interviewed by my grandmother) on another and add to the volume? 🤔 There is also a lot of noise that isn't helping matters.

[@AleLGB]

My Technics M222 have a Tape Monitor button but is a 2 heads deck, what's its purpose if with one record/play head we can only record or play?

[@ciberiada01]

Very good point! As far as I know, on the 2 heads systems you don't have an *erase* head. Instead, the *record* head is made in such a way that when it records, it fully erases the previous recording. Of course, if it's a deck and the heads are at the bottom side, the *play* head is always at the center, and the *record* head is always at its left.

[@AleLGB]

@@ciberiada01 I'm talking about decks, so it's exactly like the pictures in this video. I didn't know about this record/erase head, but still it didn't answered the question.

[@veedub95]

Ale LGB good point

[@ciberiada01]

@@AleLGB I'm trying to say that at [1:21] he is wrong. The left head is not just an erase head, it's a record/erase head. And the central one is playback only.

[@AleLGB]

​@@ciberiada01 No this is totally nonsense... If the erase head can even record as you say, what's the point of having 3 heads decks then? Play head can work like record head, but the erase head can only erase.

[@shaun9107]

If the capstan has gone brown , not shiny . its over for the capstan ? It is chewing tapes up and jerking down speed , the pinch roller has gone shiny after cleaning . I just bought one from the second hand shop . Technics RS TR373 . I took my chance

[@kallekillerapa]

Most likely just need a clean, ear buds and isopropyl alcohol and some elbow grease.

[@shaun9107]

@@CassetteComeback on to it now mate . There is oil in the works , some one has oiled the gearing thats affected the side 2 pulley on the deck. I have just had a £30 refund and then payed £5 to get it back as side 2 of deck 2 is a problem .

[@shaun9107]

@@CassetteComeback A spot of WD40 has removed the rust from the capstan & clean all after . Pinch roller , I removed the shine with wet & dry paper . The oil issue did not affect the pulley . The shop would of binned it , I fixed it . Thanks for the reply and your Channel .

[@shaun9107]

@@kallekillerapa All done The pinch roller just pules out on this deck . The flywheel belt will not be so easy to maintain later. but worth it

[@randypullman1155]

Bravo! I must confess I was schooled. I do still have a couple hurdles left. JVC and other branded deck have additional settings and my TDK Type 2 90s need to be lubed. 1st mission I plan to undertake is to hit the limit of the SOL on a fresh TDK MA 110. Cheers

[@CassetteComeback]

Ride than MA hot!

[@marcinwilk5718]

My Nakamichi BX 300 E deck does not have the Record Sensitivy knob despite being a 3 head deck. The manual that I got with the deck states that with Type I and Type II cassettes I should make sure that "the rec level indicators ( apporoximately +5 db ) light up occasionally on signal peaks".

[@CassetteComeback]

It all depends on the deck. All I would do is start recording, go to monitoring, go to a loud part of the song and adjust the master volume so that it's hitting what you want the tape to be recorded at. I do it that way when I rebid l record on my DR-10

[@marcinwilk5718]

@@CassetteComeback Your videos are awesome as always. Thanks for that. The Nakamichi BX 300 E does not even have a master record knob / meter. It only has a record level knob / meter. I always switch back between source and tape through my headphones and would see that it sounds just about the same. Then it usually sounds fine. It might not be the most proficient method but it works fine for me.

[@dirkhoppe5892]

Great Video! Can you make a tutorial how to record on Dual Layer Tapes (Sa-X ,older XL2-S etc.) on Decks with 2 tone callibration? I think this would very interesting for begginners and „retuners“ to show the problems with the mids.

[@CassetteComeback]

I'm not sure what you mean? I calibrate dual (and even triple in the case of SA-XS) layer basically the same way.

[@dirkhoppe5892]

I meant Decks with 2 testtones ( Bias 10khz and Level 400 hz) produce the „presence Valley/drop “ on dual or more layered tapes. A Deck with 3 Testtones (Bias ,Level,EQ) can eleminate this frequency hole. In most cases it is better to use single layered tapes for taperecorders with „normal“ calibration.

[@NickoMcPheers]

Why in the 80’s we didn't have videos like this? 😭 Thank you so much for the video!

[@mevw1962]

didn't have the internet and You Tube in the 80s :)

[@FSM_Reviews]

@@mevw1962 But VHS existed. And.....Betamax, for those who....you know.