Dictaphones for Music Production - A Buyer's Guide

Here it is, the much-requested overview on tape dictaphones. Let me know if there some that I have not covered but you found interesting or useful.
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[@DivKid]

"it feels like a memory" that's a potent point for me. Definitely get that vibe.

[@markjasonwalker4660]

absolutely

[@DaNocool2011]

I always feel happy when I hear that "Good to have you back!". It's so personal and lovely

[@Hainbach]

Honestly, its heart felt.

[@staticfluxforever]

Yes, I concur. The videos have almost an ASMR quality to them....you’re kind of like a Bob Ross of electronic music. Sometimes I’ll watch just to unwind or put myself in a better mood.

[@droses1600]

There's an old joke in English (and a little bit naughty) which I hope you and your followers will understand and enjoy: Q: Do you use your Dictaphone? A: No, I always use my finger to dial the number!! Boom-boom!!!!

[@bearmadden1776]

When I was a kid a had this thing called Deluxe Talkboy. I spent hours upon hours upon hours slowing down different voices I made. The best effect was when I burped into the mic and slowed it down. It sounded like Satan.

[@zachariahpoltergeist4516]

You can also use it to make reservations at fancy hotels in New York.

[@chadhendrix2231]

@@zachariahpoltergeist4516 Credit Card? Youuu gottt it

[@MyManDan]

Totally used to slow burps down with one of these, i always thought it sounded like a lion growling

[@matatias]

oh, I used to do the same with my nephews

[@djhaloeight]

I had one of those! 😂😂 “Hiii kids we’re home early!” 🤣

[@thamitri13]

Many tubers make me want to buy expensive stuff. You made me want to buy an old dictaphone. Very LoFi and a great addition to my eurorack. On the tape there was a vague conversation which sounds great through the KOMA field kit fx pitch shift, delay and spring tank. Very inspiring. Thank you 🙏🏽 !

[@amuletsmusic]

so good! I'm afraid to even show my giant, hoarder like collection...

[@Hainbach]

There is more off-screen, five more Sanjos alone 😋. I would love to see your collection!

[@HitmanJenkins1]

From what I've seen I'm envious of the amount of stuff you have! I used the B side of your New World Translation tape as part of an improv set recently.

[@RoboticusMusic]

Record the same thing to all of them and play them all at once, pan hard left/right, or record them in a room. Put a different track on each one and play them in a reverberant room, don't ask how to sync them cause that's gonna be hard.

[@esaeelljae]

these used to be my ambient/noise staple... :1 ...what i wouldn't give to be sitting on my bed in the mid-90s with my cats & rats & tape players & heaps of effects & cords borrowed from my power electronics-leaning roommate...

[@esaeelljae]

i was mainly panasonic with some sony...

[@suddengaps2320]

Tape ... how special it is

[@BinauralSpace]

Captain to the crew: “We’re leaving the Belt in 10, 9, 8...” Hainbach: “Probably the belts... are... leaving us here...”

[@Hainbach]

Ahahahahah, nice!

[@kjell159]

9:23 Where did the glass of water come from? 😳

[@HitmanJenkins1]

Dictaphones are really good, I have two Sony's a TCM-450DV and a 20DV, I'm using the latter a lot more for live shows now to generate noise at the end of sets by playing it through the magnetic pickup of my guitar with a fuzz and delay pedal on. I'm also used one of them to record a chord organ and then slow it down which has created a really nice, mellow sound, I'm tempted to mess about more with it in that setting and resampling the notes later so I have more functionality.

[@Hainbach]

Love the Sony. Very good built quality. Interesting use through the guitar!

[@carstenvalentina]

If you press the play button and the fast forward button down at the same time (not the whole way down) - then you can play in high speed :-)

[@RetroPlus]

I found one in a skip in 2008, now I use it to produce Cassettes in 2019!

[@Wonjunglee8844]

Be careful!!!! Tape machime does not matter, and it is not important. Rest of his equipment are actually matter

[@Hainbach]

I would say that my skills as an artist are the most important here and not the gear, but you do you 😄

[@geephlips]

i finally managed to find a couple working dictaphones (Memorex and GE) today. Both have half and fast speed. And the results? Blew me away on several levels. Each unit has its own sound character. More transformative than any effects pedal I have. The sound of the motors is a much bigger part of the sound than I was expecting, and as Hainbach would say, they CRUSH the incoming signal. I tested them out with the Reface CP’s pianos (toy, electric, acoustic) clavinet, Grandmother, and acoustic guitar, sending the results through the Field Kit FX and a few pedals. Really remarkable that the “dry” sound was just as wet as the Field Kit’s delay and frequency shifter. That hasn’t happened before. I couldn’t help thinking a pedal or plugin emulating a dictaphone would probably cost about $300 and yet two of the real thing cost me a total of $12. Lots of experiments to come.

[@ThinkerThunker]

You're soooo Hainbach. Thanks!

[@NihilQuest]

IMO one thing to look out for when buying a dictophone is the external mic input. It seems like most of microcassettes don't have it. Also tape counter is a nice feature.

[@russiangoose7053]

I was going to suggest this also, it seems handy not only for external mics to avoid motor noise but also for running certain instruments or a mixer directly into them. You could also replace the tape head with a 1/4 inch jack perhaps to use it as a fuzz in some situations for various instruments!

[@RogerWarszawa]

So here I was this morning watching this video, getting really interested, and then immediately searching online for secondhand dictaphones for sale here in Warsaw (no luck yet) so I could try to make some music even 10% as good as I heard in this video. Then, after this video, KZbin suggested a video for me, a look at Portishead's Glory Box track, and in it was this quote by Geoff Barrow of Portishead: “Ambient music has never particularly appealed to me; Push ‘Go’ on a synthesizer, make some noise, put some delay on it and put a couple of sheep noises on it”. Funny. Now I know what to do; if I find a dictaphone I must also try to find some sheep to record. Maybe even a goat. Sorry/not sorry, Geoff.

[@ChrisLodyMusic]

Thanks for the recommendations. I have a couple and I’m looking for more. I’ve bought ones with tapes still in with other people’s recordings on and got some great sample fodder that way. Great use of all the machines at the end too :)

[@Hainbach]

Oh yes, finding recordings is awesome!

[@sski]

Thanks for the trip. That was an excellent performance.

[@peamarte]

Video beautiful and very useful (as always). I can ask if you record the sources with their built-in microphones (like some kind of reamping) or exit the sound card / mixer and go back to the MIC / IN inputs on the dictaphones (if any) and then re-enter on DAW or digital domain using the AUX output of cassette recorders. I bought a SONY TCM 200 that also has pitch control, but I noticed that when you record an audio source from Ableton (-14db) through its MIC input the saturation becomes softer but the noise is too obvious. you can suggest an alternative solution to record in the cassettes / mixers in the best possible way. Thanks in advance, Grazie ancora, Emi

[@KG-ss7kp]

Did you ever find a solution?

[@adde65]

It makes me sad that I once had so many of these creative tools, and didn't really value them fully, because they were replaced by supposedly "better technology". Looking back, the 4-track cassette I bought in the mid-80s was one of the most useful and inspiring pieces of gear I've owned. I've also lost a couple of these microcassette dictaphones along the way.

[@zsombor_99]

06:49 Hey, I have one of that Panasonic dictaphone! 😊 I used a lot for collecting sounds outside onto a 60 minute TDK cassette (in about three years). It's okay, but I don't like the pause switch because sometimes the tape won't 100% stop when activated. But it's an okay "low-fi" dictaphone...

[@masonmirek7533]

Very useful! I want to know more about using tape and mixing/ mastering without a computer I have been making music with a drum machine for a long time and get frustrated with abelton and DAWs

[@yfrontsguy]

What a gorgeous piece of music! I love analogue sounds. They will never be surpassed.

[@kernelpaniiic]

Do you only use the internal microphone to record, or do you also use the line input (provided that the dictaphone has one, of course) ?

[@jonpatchmodular]

I have little money but I can easily afford a dictaphone, and I think it will open up many possibilities. Thanks, you're probably the only "gear channel" that features these dozen a dime marvels...

[@Dekutard]

microcassette 1:38 sanyo talkbook 2:34 newer sanyo talkbook 3:18 sony m-650V 3:59 panasonic rn-202 4:36 sony m-100mc 5:45 full size cassette 6:08 sanyo talkbook (bigger) 6:48 panasonic rql 3-1 7:56 sony tcm-450 8:42 GE fastrac 11:00 showcase 16:09 review 17:07 bonus track

[@rasta8612]

It sounds like something from “everywhere at the end of time” by the caretaker.

[@forestioso]

The bonus track was a nice touch! 👌

[@magicspiral3323]

I found one with a tape still in it where a young homosexual guy facing opposition (particularly from a disapproving stepmother) was professing to the tape like it a diary. It’s a fascinating ghost. Wonder how he’s doing now.

[@yumienmichelcorria7372]

Hey Hainbach, great piece. I have a question. How do you got this mix so full and loud? Would be great to have some information about the processing of the recording / mix. Thank you for the great content you provide!

[@CmdrMic]

Great video. I am perhaps slightly surprised your wonderful collection does not include the Panasonic RR-830. Perhaps you are unfamiliar? This was a very popular, quite ruggedly built business desktop dictaphone transcription machine which came with an interesting foot pedal - so the typist could back up the tape and such during transcription. It also has several controls, pitch, speed, vsc, etc. which should be rather useful in low-fi experimentation and creation. You can find them nearly new on eBay, often in their original boxes and below 50 Euro. Cheers.

[@wisteela]

One of the ones I have is that first black Talk Book. I bought it secondhand over 20 years ago, and it still works great.

[@trike79]

Baby Monitors. We have a Tomy Baby link. I walked past it with some metal tools the other day, forgot it was on. I couldn’t work out who was in my room playing the theremin 🤣🤣🤣

[@russiangoose7053]

Have you ever tried replacing the tape head with a 1/4 inch jack or some other kind of jack? I've seen this done on walkman type devices to use them as fuzz pedals haha

[@rooneye]

What about the AWESOME Home Alone voice recorder thingy? I had one as a kid lol

[@tiouip]

The motor being so close to the microphone, it ruins the live sound. They’re awfull, unless you enjoy the hum, the buzz, the hiss... the noise.😉 I do however love these little wonders, but... meh.

[@kevinsturges6957]

So glad I found you. You have the most interesting places on KZbin, and you have the most relaxing voice. Your channel should be used for people who need to meditate.

[@alexspareone3872]

Can anyone give me links to anything about a Binatone micro cassette recorder made in 1978 that was an exact copy of an Olympus Pearlcorder. I had one of these and i loved it. Sad how I lost it.

[@charliidunn839]

What’s the best dictaphone to buy to record live acoustic guitar and vocals with

[@bm_videa]

I am really glad I have found your channel. The variety of means how to produce sound, and the understanding and love of sound and music, combined with the playfull style is amazing.

[@Hainbach]

Yeah, all metasonix is like that, because as the tubes age the range will get wider

[@Hainbach]

Oops that was for a comment below ☺️

[@ilar_xyz]

i cant remember what videos i used to watch before you came into my life HAINBACH. I also dont understand how you know as much as you do about all this gear. Thank you. I hope to see you in person one day, so i can be like "Hi I'm Christian" and you can say "Hi I'm HAINBACH".

[@DeathMayBeYourSantaClausz]

"Do you use a dictaphone?" "No I just use my finger."

[@tom.konxompax]

I bought 2 recently and both stopped working within minutes. Does anyone know a place in berlin that could fix them?

[@worminator15]

i cant belive that it actually never crossed my mind to use a real tape deck instead of cassette emulating plugins. thank you so much for opening up my mind for new possibilities! I'm really looking forward to play around with tape decks and especially dictaphones

[@David-yj8em]

Mark E Smith used dictaphones for a bit

[@tmitz73]

Amazing!!! Really groovy experiencing your piece!!! Starts off novel and then becomes art. Thanks for the great videos!!

[@gucdude]

So cool... on the lookout now for one to play around with! Wonder what chorus guitar would sound like at low speed...

[@Hainbach]

It sounds fantastic!

[@fletzyproductions1190]

4:37 i have found this exact one, along with a proffesional dv camcorder all under 100 dollars!!

[@theopao100]

I know im late but which one would you guys recommend for lofi recordings of electric guitar/drums?

[@dwayneyule1987]

H,always fun to watch and listen to! Nice result,in my head I'm expecting some big string section and orchestra swell to take it stratospheric!! The textural differences would rock! Very cool, thanks!

[@AwakeFM]

Great stuff man. Just discovered your channel. Subscribed.

[@AgustinDavidF]

Thank you for your enthusiasm and sharing it with us, I really enjoy your videos. Best

[@paulleftwick7782]

sony with pitch control glue a knob on it and the half speed acted like a clutch but i broke four of them and they dont sell anymore but better than technics to mix and a lot of worn out tapes

[@var_guitar]

Just bought a tape dictaphone from eBay… here goes…

[@Caspiankhw]

Thank you so much for showing me these very intimate techniques. You are amazing creator, please make more :)

[@dezb1]

I have the Sanyo talkbook like the first one in this video - great wee lofi machine. I also own and recommend the Sony TCM-3 if you want more clean recordings my favourite field recording device.

[@Hainbach]

Absolute workhorse

[@setadriftonfishandchips]

You should buy a talkboy like Kevin had in Home Alone 2

[@dreamspeeddsp-musik932]

Diktaphone. Holger czukay. Rip

[@Nexttastic]

how would you bring the recording into your daw?

[@aleksandrivanov1958]

I love your "Oi-Oi-Oi" aftee being surprised

[@ruxiwang9571]

when I record I can output the audio at the same time. is the audio generated by the read head?

[@carlocerato]

this is really useful! thanks a lot! but where can you record on the dictaphones with a line in?

[@jonaseggen2230]

So the cake is not a lie? Love the demos at the end

[@Hainbach]

That is a question for the ages ☺️

[@emptyvesselnz]

so inspiring as always, I guess I'm going shopping for dictaphones now. I need this level of wobbliness :)

[@UnderSeaShadow]

wish I kept all my tape players & dictaphones from years past. I'm thinking of revisiting the world of tape looping ^^. Thank you, you have a new fan!

[@Hainbach]

Yeah, I have a few things that I thought would be old that I wish I had kept.

[@robst247]

The last section from 15:46 had a quality that reminded me of parts of Brian Eno's Apollo: Atmosphere's & Soundtracks

[@untrust2033]

I saw a VST effect plug - in in a music magazine, it was designed to mimic the sounds of old cheap tape to tape machines, and it was actually modelled from a cheap dictaphone found in a flea market in japan.

[@Wax100beats]

Audio thing - Reels (very nice plug in indeed...audio thing also do a free plug in based on different sounds of tape cassette, very cool too, and not just cool but very useful)

[@wickeddubz]

Great demo, thank you for sharing. Looks like your daughter created a ghost effect on tape, and with such textures it shounds organic, it’s like recall from the past when you find yourself in place that you didn’t visit for ages. Very cool atmoscape, what can say. Bravo, as always

[@Hainbach]

Thank you very much! I must remember "Ghost Effect" and your description, fits very well.

[@Lets-Drone-With-Bone]

Brilliant, the demonstration you do really reminds me of the sounds from the movie Sinister, really atmospheric.love it :-)

[@TheGerfalkon]

very inspiring, thank you

[@Tiger.Arcade]

I know this is an older video now but what cable or adapter do you need to plug in to one of these? My dictaphone has a mic and ear input output. I assume I treat them like I put and output? I just need to figure out what cable I will need since 3.5mm does not fit. Needs even smaller.

[@markus_knoedel]

Great insight, as always. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

[@eduugr]

Hi Hainbach! On other tape recorder video you talked about devices that will use the whole tape width and I wes wondering how would this apply to dic te phones. Right now I'm deciding between buying an old Tascam tape recorder or a dicta phone to play with. What is your impression on the old tascam? Thestes so much !!

[@Hainbach]

Does not matter, this is lofi anyway.

[@orangelambo5324]

where can i find the music at 0:47?

[@prod.xx808xx]

Jesus Loves you. John 3:16

[@gio-the-MEX]

13:45 when you defeat the endear dragon in minecraft

[@clappedoutmotor]

Fantastic video, thank you for the great effort and inspiration! A question, have you had any experience with recording external sound into the mini-jack microphone terminal? I'm hoping to run entire mixdowns/channels through the dictaphone I just bought :) Thanks again

[@adhidassler]

Exactly the same question that i have! Hope he'll give us answers :)

[@clappedoutmotor]

I've just got a few dictaphone, one of them has a mini jack mic input, so I'll let you know what I find!

[@adhidassler]

@@clappedoutmotor that'd be great!

[@millydouglas1850]

Would any of these be suitable for a portable tape delay? IE can they playback what is being recorded?

[@Hainbach]

None, you need a three head machine.

[@remmivein]

mmmm, cake... thanks for the overview!

[@RCAvhstape]

I have an RCA RP3538A which I bought brand new about 10-12 years ago. I kept it by my bedside and when I would have weird dreams I would wake up and immediately record a description of the dream into the recorder, since you tend to forget dreams a few minutes after you wake. For years I never played that tape back. When I finally did, I thought I might need to see a shrink, lots of weird shit goes on inside my head that I don't even know about.

[@Hainbach]

You should record an album around these tapes

[@RCAvhstape]

@@HainbachI want to use them for something like that, but I do hate the sound of my own voice, so it'll require a fair amount of mangling lol.

[@CareyMedia]

Awesome job!

[@MattDiamondMDE]

Come back to Prague !

[@paucosmos9050]

Please God of the people all of over make this man extremely rich. Let the pop of the future be all weirdo exp electronic and so on

[@Hainbach]

Yes, listen to this! 😃

[@hakank3841]

I loved and realy get excited for what you doing. what is this instruments? for exemple that one which is writing 120 and that mixer did you build yourself?

[@philtonlive]

have you ever heard about the dictaphone GRUNDIG STENORETTE 2200 that was made in the 80ś in Germany? just found an old one in my basement where i keep all the old electronics from my father

[@janhenckell4178]

q from james bond could not have presented their gadgets better than hainbach did.

[@Hainbach]

I love Q

[@音姫soundprincess]

Very cool and informative! I have a similar panasonic that i have modded: removed the internal microphone and speaker and added line in and out, very fun!

[@conormaloney126]

How did you add line in?

[@anantamadhava6826]

tape has their own true

[@Brokeninc]

I try to find ones that have an external mic option so I can record with a better mic. Right now I'm in the hunt for a good Mini Tape player/recorder. :) Preferably one that is reasonable in price. lol

[@tapeexperiments]

It's highly likely that Hainbach is responsible for the (large) amount of "tape dictaphones" that I now own.😋

[@dominikhehemalas8846]

Awesome stuff!!

[@biankabaranova3922]

You inspired me so much! Now I want to buy a dictaphone and the only available ones are Sony M-560v and Olympus S723. Can anybody help me in choosing please?

[@nsputnik]

Check out Bibio's Fi, Hand Cranked, and Vignetting the Compost albums if you like this. There are only a few piano tunes, it is mostly acoustic guitar.

[@deallyboysyldadeal5938]

This seems so fun

[@pongtrometer]

LOVE THE OVERLAY OF CHORDS ...A SYMPHONIC UNIVERSE TAPE KEYS

[@rocanrolafx2179]

Hahaha ... I have little Sanyo and I modified it to be a miniamp and play and record with my guitar and my oscillators, it's fantastic to record ideas and then listen to them! Lo / fi total! ✨💖

[@bachelorgamer8001]

I have no idea what going on you just showed us some old stuff. But didn't show us how to set up and then you played sounds. Im so lost

[@Hainbach]

Here is all you need: Tape Techniques - Loops, Reel to reel, Cassette, Dictaphone: kzbin.info/aero/PLg8dbAM-RNj9wBRVMuHzSIcPyM4GMLov4