Recording and Bouncing at the Same Time (with a Cassette Portastudio)

[@tomblaze2]

These videos are coming out amazing

[@tomblaze2]

I feel like you are the successor to the 424 recording channel

[@JordanSeal]

I'd be thrilled if these videos are ~half~ as good as his. What an incredible resource. I wonder if he'll ever return to the Tube?

[@Fezzler61]

Dig it.

[@sololimo]

95%!! Cheers!

[@MisterMoccasin]

Really great work! Can't wait to hear the ep, it sounds like a good one

[@ezeriamoore]

Good job, Jordan! Looks like another comment beat me to the answer for your pitch issues. A standard bit of housekeeping with tape recording is running a calibration tone at the start of each song on the reel. 1kHz is the standard tone, which you can make your computer (or phone) generate. Then the idea is that you can play that back into a meter or against a standard tone and mess with the pitch knob until it is the same (like tuning guitar strings). Printing tone at the head of each track also lets you know where the start point of the song is. But, yeah, same approach as the other comment, except for the frequency, which doesn't matter as long as you know what it is. 1kHz is the same tone used by tape duplication houses to calibrate their machines so that's the story behind that frequency. It's also the standard frequency for film and video.

[@JordanSeal]

This is great advice. Thank you!

[@robwebb9413]

I always appreciate these mad scientist videos. Because you could just show the final product but it doesn't really bring any value without seeing the challenges and solutions. That kind of honesty and transparency is not only instructional but it normalizes the process to where people don't think it's just them that struggle. Also, playing the drums live, bring such a vibe and dynamic range. Excellent!

[@JordanSeal]

Thanks man. I really hope people see them for what they are: my attempt to relate to other musicians by sharing how I make the sausage. The process is messy and frustrating... but it's also fun and rewarding. And IMO, you can't have one without the other.

[@yzhkkhzy]

really like the song at the end of this video

[@JordanSeal]

Thanks! It's coming along!

[@RandyKeelingJr]

I have heard that some folks (in a FAWM group) will keep their pitch wheel as fast as they can. My understanding is that 1) it moves more tape over the heads and thus improves quality/reduces noise. And 2) that with the pitch control maxed, it is more consistent. The thinking is that there is no 'wiggle' room for it to be slightly off; it is maxed or it isn't. I bring this up because I too have had the problem of a nudged pitch control wheel on my 424 MK II. I am not as strong as you and just re-recorded the previous takes. Admittedly, I haven't tried this yet. But I may the next time I break the ol' boy out. For checking tuning on a tape that I don't trust the speed on, I try to put in 'tuning' notes at the beginning of the track. Something obvious (tuned open guitar strings or 440 A). Just a few seconds at the start so when I come back to the tape (or someone else gets it during a collaboration and their machine is slightly different), there is a reference.

[@JordanSeal]

Awesome advice, that I'll be working into the next project :)

[@sololimo]

Use the bouncy castle bounce technique!

[@JordanSeal]

Ooooh this looks cool. I love the idea of recording samples with the iPhone and then building something. I may dig into that. Thanks for the rec!