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It seems pointless to make a video about cassette tapes one week before it turns 2018. But I feel it's worth it to document a bit of history.
If the text is flashing by too fast, you can PAUSE the video.
I got two cassette players this December 2017. They are novelty gadgets that can digitize cassette tapes. They are not high end audiophile approved hifi devices, so don't be thinking of digitizing whole libraries of rare cassettes with these.
These are good for people who want to digitize a couple of old mix tapes or a few tracks on old cassettes. The crackles and artifacts on your tape get recorded into digital too. I think if you use this long enough, it will eventually "eat" your tape. The build quality does not inspire confidence. But they DO work out of the box.
This is a long video, but I've provided timestamps here of the different topics, you can fast forward accordingly.
00:00 Intro
Prices are shown in 11:05.
I try out the two devices from 00:00 to 11:09.
00:51 - The first one, ezcap231 USB Cassette Capture Recorder converts the audio from the cassette tape (in real time, while playing it on the player) to an MP3 file and saves it into a USB flash drive you've plugged into its USB OTG (on the go) port.
You bypass the need for having a computer as a go between for conversion.
The tape I used was Britney Spears's 2001 album Britney.
03:54 - The second one, Reliance/ Reshow Tape to USB Cassette Capture Converter provides a mini USB (type B) to USB Type A cable to plug into your computer.
I've seen the same item branded as "Reshow" on Amazon and other places. But on Lazada it's Reliance.
Using it, you can play the cassette in real time, and your computer's sound card will capture the audio, and input it into any audio software of your choice. Audacity, a free and open source software, is provided on a CD.
The tape I used was Reel Big Fish's 2002 album Cheer Up!.
07:38 to 08:08 - some pros and cons
08:09 to 10:10 - The second device is good for people who don't have a line in port in their computer.
But if you do still have a line-in port in your computer, and you have a working cassette tape player, you won't need the second device. You can just directly link the cassette tape player to your line-in port using an audio cable.
I demonstrate this from 12:54 to 14:05.
If you don't wish to see this part, you can CEASE WATCHING by 11:09. I finish trying out the two cassette tape to mp3 devices by 11:09.
10:10 to 11:09- summary of the two devices, including how the first device splits tracks based on silence detection (but not super reliable). I also would not trust its auto-reverse function, better to flip it yourself.
Also side by side pictures and what comes in the package.
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Bonus features timestamps:
11:12 to 12:32 - I talk about how I used to record mp3s from my computer into cassette.
FYI, I had to dig up an old installation file of Winamp just to do the dramatic re-enactment of how I used to record an MP3 to cassette. I'm surprised I was still able to install it. I think I am the only person to ever play Post Malone in 2017 on Winamp.
If it seems that from 11:18 to 12:21 the video has nothing to do with the audio, you would be right. I had no idea how to make the visual aids for that part, so I just shot some cassette- tape related footage, hopefully informative.
12:11 to 12:21 - pictures of blank tapes of varying recording lengths (30, 60, 90, 120 minutes, all Type I).
12:54 to 14:05 - How to record audio into your PC using a line-in port. In this part, I demonstrate using a cassette tape player, but you can do this for ANY audio device with a line-out/ audio-out port - like a radio (through its headphone/ speaker port), or a turntable (perhaps you may need an amplifier), or a minidisc player, etc.
In my dramatic re-enactment of how I would record a cassette into my computer, I used my Nature's Finest: Naughty by Nature's Greatest Hits 1999 tape.
14:04 to 14:26 - about the write protect tabs of cassettes
If you are wondering why I used a tiny portable player when I had a photo of a proper boombox style tape deck, it's because that deck is super high up a shelf and I could not reach it. So I just took a photo of it for illustration purposes but could not actually demo on it.
14:26 to 16:30 - minidiscs
If you wish to hear more, please comment and I will make a separate video. If you wish to see my old minidisc collection, please look at my Flickr album here- www.flickr.com/photos/hey-gem....
16:31 to 18:07 - two very neat books on music:
1. Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture by Thurston Moore (the man from Sonic Youth)
2. The Boombox Project by Lyle Owerko, with foreword by Spike Lee
background music: Christmas Rap from incompetech.com