Longer cassette tapes - Are they really THAT bad?

What happens if you ignore all the warnings in your cassette deck's owner's manual and use tapes longer than 90 minutes? Are they really THAT bad? Let's try some of them and find out...
#include #define

[@vetar3372]

VWestlife is probably not aware that playing cassettes longer than 90 minutes can rip the fabric of space and time

[@ChrisSmith-gt6lg]

I was wondering what just happened to me.😳

[@EweToobUsername]

The only problems I foresee are: “Why are so many people investing in Apple?” “Why are beanie babies not selling?” “Why did someone dig up a dump in the middle of New Mexico?” “Why are Americans investing heavily in Chinese manufacturing?”

[@adamkatt]

This is what really happened in Halflife. Mr Freeman used a 120 min tape.

[@andreiradu1945]

Omg the cringe

[@johnb6723]

Lol.

[@figureheaduk]

I find it strange that there were companies like Sony (amongst others) who manufactured not only cassette decks but also the longer-than-C90 tapes that they presumably warned against using in said decks...

[@count69]

It could be that the longer cassettes were intended for institutional use , like Police interviews, or for archivists to record a voice interview, where it is expected to be used to record only once and archived, and only played rarely, being used mainly for archive. Sound quality would also not be an issue in those cases.

[@figureheaduk]

@@count69 maybe, that does make sense

[@VicGChad07]

You could use the C-120s in the decks that allowed them; you just shouldn't repeatedly start and stop the transport due to the thinness of the tape.

[@elephystry]

Probably just a disclaimer

[@gmirwin]

@@elephystryExactly. "If you use a super long tape and it gets eaten and you have to pick it out of the mechanism, don't come crying to us."

[@RiffsAndBeards]

1994 me found this very useful 😂

[@metal571]

The Fluff has arrived

[@galfisk]

1994 me was annoyed for never being able to find a C120 for sale.

[@hudde814]

@Screw Kalergi 1994 me was busy being not born yet, had to wait until 2 years later to be born

[@brentfisher902]

Of course if you wanted a very long mixtape that was still recorded in analog you would use a T-160 VHS tape on a HiFi VCR which sounded awesome in the EP mode. The picture quality gets pretty crappy in the slower speed but the audio quality stays almost as good as a CD, even in SLP/EP mode. You can almost fit four 1200 foot 3-3/4 IPS two direction reel to reel on one tape. Or a little more than 2.25 1800 foot reels.

[@katrinabryce]

2021 me says that a 1TB Micro SD card can store about 6 months of lossless audio.

[@jtmichaelson]

Pencils in the 80s worked fine. They must have been bigger back then, or something. I always used a pencil and never had problems.

[@Rose-ec6he]

Yes. I had no trouble winding up cassettes with a pencil.

[@sird2333]

Crystal Bic pens for me

[@mx2000]

You just have to hold the pencil at an angle.

[@jeffm2787]

Yep they sure did work just fine. I miss the 80's.

[@hjackson.92]

I just use my index finger. . . worked like a charm.

[@AndyBHome]

The playlist: 9:20 First Missouri State Bank 11:09 Keep Idaho Green 13:48 The Eye Institute, of Southern Arizona (Our Focus is You)

[@stragulus]

16:48 Mix 107.3 - the maxell tape

[@xx-mreba-xx4051]

FMSB gets credit for making it sound like Rock The Casbah

[@TheRideGaming]

18:42 Thematic Minute-long Instrumental Bed, which can be used for traffic reports, promos, other station features, and KZbin end screens.

[@MegaMoto85]

i love that catchy tune at the end @@TheRideGaming

[@jhutto1984]

It's always interesting to hear these various radio jingles from different parts of the country, especially such clear recordings of them.

[@natelogos7662]

The lengths you go through to avoid copyright claims - I'm actually impressed.

[@JoeOrber]

C-120 lengths 😂

[@Caseytify]

I rarely went past C90, but that's because 45 minutes was sufficient to record an entire vinyl album. It was a very convenient size for taping full albums.

[@Yoda8945]

Commercial C90 Cassettes actually were quite a bit longer than C90. If the machine ran at the correct speed, the TDK and Maxell tapes were closer to 47minutes on a side. (C94). In my commercial studio, I bought custom wound tapes to C96 so that I was assured of being able to copy an entire commercial C90 brought in by customers.

[@rizzlerazzleuno4733]

Just a note from an active user of cassettes in the 70s-2000. The popularity of boomboxes, other portable cassette players, and the harsh environment of car cassette players, mean that many tapes were not being played in high quality or carefully maintained players. Even the 90 minute tapes would often squeal, and-or get eaten by the player. I learned early on to stick with 60 minute tapes or prerecorded music tapes. Even though I had a very high end double auto reverse cassette player for the home, since most of my mixtapes were made for portable or car use I just stuck with the 60 minute variety.

[@ArturdeSousaRocha]

This video only proves how bad my audio equipment was back in the day. These cassette recordings sound better than my CDs did on the stereos I could afford, be it speakers or headphones. ** 80s nostalgia intensifies. **

[@MitchellHang]

I’ve suddenly becoming more and more into cassette. Channels like you, Techmoan, Cassette Comeback, and RetroCore AV have really made me dive deep into the hobby. I have a couple of blanks, but no working deck yet.

[@xx-mreba-xx4051]

if you dont want a component deck, the Sony CFD-ZW755 is probably the last good dual cassette boombox sold

[@MarquisDeSang]

Just receive my WeAreRewind tape cassette player from France and I love it, The music is cheap and good on Amazon.

[@johnlovesbridge]

I forgot about the CD tapes. They're practically demanding you to make a tape of your CDs.

[@ajgelado]

Car CD players took a lot to be affordable, and even when they were, they tended to jump and skip a lot. Same goes to portable players. And most of us preferred to buy music on CDs (or on vinyls!). So for most people, recording a CD into a tape was a need for private use, not for pirating it. Even if the tape is cheaper than the CD, there is no point in spending $12 in an object that you intend to carry with you and can get lost or damaged. Spending $15 in a CD and $1 in a domestic copy made much more sense.

[@johnpossum556]

@@ajgelado So true! I bought my first CD when I didn't even own a CD player. At a friend's place I then copied it and played the hell out of it. Then a few years later I found a 5 CD Sony player at a discount scratch n dent store with no manual. $90 was a good deal for it then and I still have both the player and the CD to this day.

[@BilisNegra]

@@ajgelado That's right. In my case, I used to tape the records I bought in the '90s for really cheap (as vinyl was being phased out... for a while, we all know it came back). It would make sense to believe I did that not to wear the records too much, but while that was a plus, I did it mainly so I could listen to them anywhere.

[@Amphy002]

The fact that they came in 74 min versions is a clue.

[@5roundsrapid263]

@@ajgelado My first car had a decent cassette deck, and I copied my favorite CDs to tape for it. A couple years later, someone stole the stereo, and I got a CD player.

[@8_Bit]

I've never actually seen the "pencil trick" in a cassette deck manual like that before! It's true that the Bic is easier to use, but the pencil does work fine if you bend it at a bit of an angle while you turn. Also, I wonder if standard pencil thickness varies somewhat from country to country; it seemed to be a better fit when I was young and our pencils were all made in Canada.

[@whelmy]

I do recall the pen being easier to use then any pencil growing up in Ontario.

[@abucketofelves]

We'd always use pencils to wind them in that way, bit of a myth that nobody used them.

[@mitroakos]

We're all used pencils in Hungary, Europe. ;)

[@2011joser]

As he said pencils don’t work I instantly remembered angling the pencils when ever I did need to manually wind them. I also remember those Bic crystal pens being very brittle , leaky, and not lasting very long in regular use.

[@j2simpso]

The pen is mightier than the pencil 🤣

[@dintyshideaway9505]

I worked at an FM/AM combo radio station in the late 80s early 90s. While all this may seem silly today, at the time every radio stations would get 100s of "Air Check" tapes every week. These were audio resumes of people seeking employment at the station. Most of them were college radio Air Checks. A tape with proper bias, and level adjustment would always sound a lot better, especially on the Tascam equipment we used at the station. Also physically looking at a tape before using it is a lost art. I can remember people screaming while running down the hallways because of broken, mangled, or dirty tapes. We used a very expensive conveyor eraser for all tapes. A dirty tape is one where the last recording can still be heard when played back. Causing this in a radio station was the equivalent of a mid air collision to an Air Traffic Controller. Anyway any tape the did not have some sheen to it, I would never use, because that meant it was worn, or too old to have been coated in modern metals.

[@brentfisher902]

They first started using polished tape on 8 track cartridges in the 1970s, so if you see a cassette tape that is dull like sandpaper, you can be sure it is over 40 years old.

[@JJschannel255]

Ok

[@Rutherford_Inchworm_III]

You worked at a radio station that got HUNDREDS of demo tapes for DJs every week??? You must have worked at an extremely famous station. I worked at a 20,000 watt station in the Midwest USA during the early 90s and we only got a few demo tapes a week and they ALWAYS came with a resume, even if it was just a piece of looseleaf stuffed in the envelope. Because this was when tapes still cost $4 apiece, I remember quite clearly being impressed with somebody who wanted a job bad enough to waste a tape on every application, because we didn't send them back. Makes me wonder what kind of college radio station didn't mind their students dubbing THOUSANDS of airchecks and then just taking the tapes home for free so they could mass-mail them all over the country with no explanation.......

[@FunkatronicDingus]

I see you channeled your inner Project Farm with how comprehensive the testing in this video was. Great video!

[@SDsailor7]

I was thinking the same thing. I was expecting him to say "we're going to test that!" Ha! Cheers

[@marcberm]

"The preferred writing implement for winding a tape is..." is a statement that must sound like absolute nonsense to anyone who didn't live through the format's heyday. 😂

[@brentfisher902]

Just like Ending Him Rightly by unscrewing the pommel of a sword...The 1980s were like the Middle Ages, but with phonographs...

[@spooner1]

Funny.

[@TechGorilla1987]

I love being a night owl. I LOVED 120's. Best mixes ever.

[@stepheng8779]

Why is this bloke in the North of England going round singing about the First Missouri State Bank? 🤣 Weird looks from my family all day, who also wanna know why do I want to keep Idaho green 🤪

[@judenihal]

I thought those jingles used were annoying and terrible

[@1L6E6VHF]

One match could start a forest fire. That would bake their famous potatoes. Soon, there would be huge shortages of ketchup and butter!

[@vogelvogeltje]

Oi, limey! Sing the song of our people! 😉

[@peteriskrumings8771]

yeah but the music part was spot on, showing full potencial of the tape, I like the audio choice there, rich and full. Unlike majority of other tape reviewers out here that always tend to record some flat sounding - 70'ish kinda pop music with bad dynamic range.

[@idio-syncrasy]

​@@judenihalused so the video cannot get copyright strike.

[@TheSurefireProject]

wtf I Love **First Missouri State Bank** now.

[@jeromewesselman4653]

"Don't let fire fool you, keep Idaho green"

[@niek024]

remember: 'first' means 'more', now.

[@jeromewesselman4653]

@@tarstarkusz I have an irrational obsession with such jingles. Call it JingleMania! Grinning from ear to ear and singing along

[@jeromewesselman4653]

@@tarstarkusz EQ is also a factor. Ads are generally unpleasant nowadays, I think ever since the so-called 'loudness wars' days. As for me, I haven't watched TV since 2006, but ads - older ads in particular - hold some amusement value. The Jingle is a genre unto itself, long out of fashion. Interesting that Menards uses a jingle now, to stand out - they're one of the very few... 🎶"Save big money at Menards"

[@caesarorzell600]

@@jeromewesselman4653 I heard a commercial for Menard's from the mid 90s and the jingle was exactly the same, I swear.

[@windowsuser321]

Three things: 1. I always keep a BIC Crystal pen around for the sole purpose of winding tapes 2. I really like your Denon 3-Head deck! I think 3-head decks are overhyped (although I can't say for sure as I've never had one) but it really looks nice 3. I've used plenty of tapes over C-90, including a few C-100s and C-110s, and rarely, C-120s. I don't avoid C-120s, I just don't come across them that often

[@jtmichaelson]

Hey! Wow! The Panasonic SG-V03 was my one and only main stereo back in the 80s. It was given to me on Christmas of 1984 (I was 16). The V03 had the DJ spindle without the arm. The V33 had the album spindle and arm and the bigger dust cover. Wow! So cool seeing that again. I loved that thing. It lasted me way into the early 90s. I held on to it and then later found it in my closet around 1996 in nearly mint condition, and then gave it to my son's friend who was a tech nerd and wanted it. So cool seeing that again!!!

[@ed10523]

I've used many of the cassette tapes you showed including metal tapes. I haven't had any issues. One issue that i had was always the Foam in the cassette deteriorating which i repaired myself. Love these videos. Take care!

[@michaelszczys8316]

The tape and case last forever, the foam pad, if used , does not unfortunately. Just like 8- tracks, the tape and case last forever but the metallic track changing tape strip that holds the ends of the tape together lose its grip plus if it has rubber idler wheel the rubber breaks down. I've seen some the rubber turns into a tar - like substance and messes the whole thing up. Plus once again the foam pads die. Recording tape lasts a million years. I have old recording tape from early 50s still good shape.

[@Doazic]

Just the video I needed in 1991.

[@DMadHacks]

30 years rounds down to zero in terms of centuries...

[@KanawhaCountyWX]

I've been wondering about this for years. Glad to see my unanswered question is finally answered

[@FyberOptic]

Wow, the manual actually said "longer then."

[@gabest4]

Isn't a good thing when the tape stretches? You can record even more on it!

[@tuggaboy]

🤣

[@debarghyaroy9948]

😂

[@johnb6723]

Lol.

[@atrainradio929]

Where on earth did you collect these PSA/ Commercial songs? Musta all been done by one studio. I promise you those poor studio musicians did not expect this awful PSA song to still be played likely 30 years later.

[@chadvandam7179]

I like them though! All his musicians did a good job! I object to the word awful! Damn straight to sound like I was in the band

[@plan7a]

They were produced by JAM Creative Productions, a professional producer of jingles for radio, television, advertising and more. They've been around for years and still are today.

[@vwestlife]

The commercials are from Tuesday Productions: www.tuesdaypro.com The Digital Mix jingle package is from JAM Creative Productions: www.jingles.com

[@traxonwax]

@@vwestlife I'm a sucker for all those jingles. Hell, I'll tune into WLNG just to hear the jingles.

[@darinb.3273]

@@vwestlife I'm curious if you tried a full fast forward and rewind to see if any of the tapes attempted to start binding, I remember reading on this Radio Shack brand concert tape they HIGHLY recommended that the user only play it (no winding) because it would most likely cause it wind unevenly causing rec/play issues. I have some older TDKs that have winding issues rendering the tape useless I dont know the year of manufacturer, after taking it apart it had the black dimpled paper inside appearing to have an embedded lube. Nothing I did made it any better. At least it didn't cost me anything. A local thrift store tosses those type of tapes because they have no idea what could be recorded on them. Anyway great video.

[@3Cr15w311]

Pencils used to vary in size back in the 70s and early 80s. I had a lot of pencils that were circular instead of hexagonal and a little bigger so you could easily use the wood above the point to stick in and turn the tape.

[@tookeydookey]

I've actually used Maxell 120 cassettes to record FM radio back in the late 2000s until 2011. Still have a couple of them kicking around and they still work fine!😁👌

[@stevensons78]

Me too also... Have a few from the 90s Still play fine.......

[@Madness832]

Funny, I remember the Sony CD-it tapes. There was a 74-minute (later 80, I believe) to allow one to neatly fit a full-length CD onto a tape. But don't think I've ever seen (or would see the need for) a 94-minute version.

[@fhwolthuis]

Well 94 minutes might be a strange format but I remember that some of my CDs neared the 80 minutes mark in stead of the official 74 minute capacity

[@plan7a]

A problem I had with MiniDiscs, they ALMOST fitted a CD on them, or they had space to spare. Not knowing when the end leader was approaching when recording off the radio was another problem.

[@BorliBear-acqua]

in Germany ALL standard cassette tapes of every manufacturer had have a length of 90 minutes (2x 45 Min) ... some actually had a little plus

[@BavarianM]

94 minute is handy for when you put 2 albums on the Cassete on each side

[@BavarianM]

@@plan7a Huh What are you even talking about ? End Leader ? Minidiscs are available in 60,74 and 80 minute variants , It should cover any CD you want to copy over ! Just chose the right blank size for what you're going to record Or just 80 minute discs always and forget Also when you're recording on a MD Walkman or Deck you can see how much time left there is on the disc in real time Sounds like you didn't explore the format much

[@ViperJay5]

Wow, those recordings sounded dang good for cassette tapes. I really wish I had that sort of equipment, especially back in the day when I was young. I used to record a lot of things but it was nothing ever that professional sounding. Seems like when used with the correct equipment and calibration, it can sound just as good as a digital recording.

[@QuadTubeChannel]

In my opinion it sounds even better listened to on the original equipment, as opposed to a digital copy. I recently plugged in an old NAD tape recorder that I used to use to record analaogue radio on (using well-known tape brands such as TDK). The experience was like discovering music again.. The sound feels so warm and inviting :)

[@eupher2]

​@@QuadTubeChannel Yes the original recording always sound better. That's because most digital music is in mp3 format, and mp3 is worst quality of all the formats.

[@JJschannel255]

Ok

[@rdrrr]

​@@eupher2 Depending on the bitrate and compression algorithm MP3s can sound pretty good. Willing to bet the majority of listeners would be unable to distinguish between a losslessly encoded music file and a MP3 file encoded at a variable bitrate averaging ~190kbps. MP3 compression may have been a valid concern back in the aughts where 96kbps or 128kbps constant bitrate encodings were the norm but now? Nah, there's way more important things to worry about.

[@eupher2]

​@@rdrrr Dude I get that most people for some reason love mp3 and don't care about audio quality anymore. But even aac at 256kbps sounds better then mp3 320kbps. If that's what works for you then that's fine. I don't care. Also lossless codecs like FLAC, .Wav and all the others are compressed as well. But they aren't compressed enough to effect the audio quality.

[@chinawheels3558]

Yesterday, cassette comeback reviewed the TDK D! Great minds think alike.

[@stepheng8779]

Yeah but the music wasn't anywhere near as good 🤣👍

[@joeclayton2875]

But did you notice his US superior had Japan and Korea involved rather than Thailand?

[@chinawheels3558]

@@joeclayton2875 Yes, slightly different, I guess

[@chinawheels3558]

@@joeclayton2875 Haha, no comment about that one ;)

[@BilisNegra]

Not just the TDK D but that latest iteration of the D.

[@gotham61]

I had a couple of TDK D180s back in the day. They were so thin it was pretty easy to see through

[@erikziak1249]

I have never seen tapes longer than 120 minutes in shops here in central Europe.

[@vaughntonkin539]

I found one at a Vinnies op shop, it loses 10dB on replay

[@johnb6723]

I have never seen 180 minutes audio cassette tapes in England. Are they an American only thing?

[@shaun5552]

@@johnb6723 They existed here in Australia but were uncommon to the point only a few proper music stores sold them, they weren't something you'd find in a department store or supermarket or even the average suburban record store but they did exist. By far the most common here were 60 and 90. 120 was definitely less common than 60 or 90 but far more common than 180. Not commonly used but 30 and 46 (46 yes not 45) also existed. Not audio cassettes but we also had 300 minute VHS tapes. They weren't common but they existed.

[@yUm666]

​​​​@@shaun5552 I still use E300 vhs-tapes sometimes as a part of my retro hobby (I own maybe ten). They were rare here in Finland but existed. Never had any problems with them (with my 6 head vcr). I guess it's due the fact that the equipment people used back then were often quite poor consumer products including tape players which caused the problems. Also many car cassette players were infamous of eating tapes. I have also recently used 120 min. SKC tapes in my Panasonic boombox from the 90's and they work just fine and I love them.

[@namon2345]

I never think VWestlife will beyond to far since i subscribe in 2014. In that time,I was a kids that want look decent home audio equipment review. I really love Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2 review & cassingles demo with a ton great 1990s song demo,York CD player with Dolby Surround Demo,Philips DCC Player,etc. Congratulation for KZbin Silver Button. Thank you very much for make great video.

[@Richard-ll2pb]

Great video. That's my Denon deck, bought it in 1988 still going strong, fantastic machine with incredible sound quality, brings out the best of any cassette. All those new tanashin based decks don't come anywhere near machines like this.

[@andreasu.3546]

I feel a strange urge to open an account with First Missouri State Bank now.

[@iariazlee9414]

I like your content has stayed consistent, even after 14 years!

[@Recordology]

Excellent video! I have been using cassettes since the mid 80’s and have never ever had an issue with long thin tapes on any machine.

[@fhwolthuis]

Just what a man needs on blue Monday. Waking up with an excellent VWestlife video! Great job, thanks again Kevin. 👍😊

[@JamesE707]

I once had the TDK D180 back in the 1970s. Can't recall what happened to it - but I do know that I used it alot on an old Sanyo M2000. I have some Maxell UR C120s, generally no problems, but it is important that the transport is good: head height, guides are right, low pinch roller wear, and take-up spool tension is not too high. Nice video upload!

[@mauritsvw]

Still have my TDK D180, probably one exactly like yours. Gave my no problems over the years.

[@Wellibob68]

Great video. From 1983 to about 1996 I spent a great deal of time recording my music to chrome tape and like you did here set levels correctly. Fun times and although I love digital I yearn for a simpler time, although it's actually simpler now. 😅 I almost always used 90 min tapes but I did use 120 to put Jeff Wayne's WOTW to tape and I never found a chrome or metal 120 min cassette tape in the UK. Always normal bias. Never had a snag with them (Sony). My preferred cassette tape was Sony Chrome type II of which I bought many hundreds over the years. Sadly I no longer have any tapes or vinyl records (sold them in the late 90s to fund a house move... Big mistake but hay ho)

[@Godzilla941]

My experience with longer tapes has been mixed. Some decks don't have enough back tension, and I've watched these thinner tapes wander over the edge of the guide roller in the corner of the cassette on the supply side...munch munch munch crinkle. :/ Sometimes they'll let you set levels/bias without any problems. Rewind to the beginning, start recording, and they get mangled as soon as the leader clears that roller. Keeping the capstan(s) super clean makes a difference. Nakamichi Dragon: Works well with C-120s, has only ever eaten only one or two. Owner's manual warns about C-120 tapes and says 'not recommended for high-fidelity recording.' Technics RS-BX707: Ate a couple until overhauling the mechanism and installing a sendust head. Manual says to avoid C-120 or longer tapes. Revox B215: Tries to eat anything that isn't the usual C-60 thickness. :-) Real-time counter has C-120 setting, don't remember anything in the manual about not using longer tapes. Back tension coming from the supply motor is a bit weak...might have some more work to do on this one.

[@oldnytv5911]

My favorite KZbin channel. Thanks for another great, useful video!

[@powpow99]

Thanks for introducing me to the smash hit " Keep Idaho Green"! No seriously, I like the jingles on this video.💚

[@DavidWonn]

Fortunately I was able to rewind this video when I was done watching in order to be kind for the next person. As it was under 20 minutes, it thankfully didn’t break my tablet in the process. ;-)

[@plan7a]

Well done! You were kind as you did rewind.

[@AeroModule]

Remember the places that would charge you if you didn't rewind the tapes? My dad used to ask us if we rewound rental Nintendo games. Of course he was kidding, it was an inside joke.

[@joeclayton2875]

Good to see a demonstration of manual tape calibration. Only problem I've ever had with a 120 cassette is one that was used in a very nasty cheap portable. It has all the hallmarks of a do not use cassette. Drop outs, print through and stretching. It even twists and plays the b side backwards at one point. Tape artefacts, we love em. Despite this one off experience, I agree there is no reason why a decent long cassette in a decently maintained deck shouldn't be excellent. Surprised how good the 70s one performed

[@kaitlyn__L]

Love the way you edited “…and KZbin end screens” onto the marketing explainer bit at the end. I can imagine the creative director for the company they’d hired, brought onto explain the new stuff for the station, and trying to put it into reasonably simple words.

[@sexytasmin]

Hi Kevin I have just purchased 4 CD Power 110 minutes cassettes that came from your neck of the woods - New Jersey to Worcester UK. Thanks for the great videos.

[@shawn.the.alien423]

I own 3 out of 4 of the 120min tapes you tried (no 40+ year old Sony tape lol), and I've never had any problems. I still make mix tapes using my Sansul D-W11 tape deck from 1989, and I also download and record old radio shows for myself and for my Dad (working on a Lum and Abner mix for my Dad using the 120min Maxell UR), and I've had no problems whatsoever in the process.

[@owenvogelgesang7314]

I had a Sansui D-W11 a few years ago and I gotta say, you must have a lot more patience than I did!

[@phonatic]

Have used C-120 for many years and never had one single defect, even with my cheap portable players.

[@fucksampleclearance2106]

I will say the sounds of the callibration tones, putting the cassete in the deck, the tape cases, all music to my ears, literally. I started out making music with a tape recorder (6x C batteries required) from Goodwill and a 90 to 110 tape. 120 definitely marred my recordings. But flash to today and I favor that old warm, analogue and slightly warped sound. this video was such a great throwback, thanks from a 42 year old musician with almost 30 years in the game.

[@joeblow8593]

Congrats on the 100 K award and thanks for that iconic Maxell commercial

[@bgrimsle]

The manuals that said to not use anything longer than 90 minutes were written when the next size up was 120, which used thinner tape. The 100 and 110 length tapes came out in later years. They used the standard tape thickness and just filled the reels up more thoroughly, so they were as safe to use as 90's. I used them for years with no problem. The problem with 120s and 180s was not recording quality, it was the higher probability of the tape stretching or breaking.

[@JJschannel255]

Ok 👍

[@TheHobbsTV]

Hey Man, thanks for another great video!!! You're the man

[@fisqual]

I don't know where you find all of these high production value jingles but it really added something special to this video. Awesome as usual.

[@nmosfet5797]

Your taste in music is impeccable!

[@stpworld]

I actually got a cassette deck put back in a 2013 car I get loads of comments as its in a car with a touch screen its a long story of how it worked out. I even have bluetooth and an aux port to keep others happy.

[@trippmoore]

I’m so jealous. I’ve been looking for a decent head unit with a tape deck, and at least an aux input. But to have all three (including Bluetooth) would be a dream. I wouldn’t need to bring my walkman and Bluetooth transmitter to listen to tapes in my car!

[@stpworld]

@@trippmoore It doesnt really have bluetooth it was added in the line of hte cd changer input there are ones with bluetooth but there all terrible and only play in mono. I have a switch box the video is on my channel but its before that was added

[@stpworld]

@@trippmoore It had a cd and usb system but that stopped working long story

[@MrDuncl]

The big problem with modern cars is that the audio system is usually fully integrated and shaped into the dash. My wife had a 2005 Ford Ka with a factory fitted Radio Cassette, but it would have been very difficult to fit any other type in there.

[@alliejr]

That Missouri State Bank jingle is pretty poppin!!!

[@warrenmacdonald1372]

Kevin, that PSA for Idaho Fire Prevention is really catchy. It would make a great video, if it hasn't already. Kudos to the ad agency who thought that one up, and I'm sure Idaho appreciates you giving them airtime on KZbin. You nicely summed it up when you said that properluy maintained equipment is MOST important for C-120's to work well. Also, there are people who would never guess that a Q-tip moistened in alcohol is meant for tape path cleaning. The use of high quality TDK, Maxell and SONY ( not KDK and Maxwell and the like ( yes, they are still out there )) tapes is also a prudent lesson you've hopefully planted in the head of the un-suspecting magnetic media newbie. Again, excellent equipment, media, knowledge, and execution. Thank you. P.S. I think your outro sounds good too.

[@vwestlife]

The commercials are from Tuesday Productions: soundcloud.com/tuesdaypro/keepidahogreen

[@soundminedd]

😂😂love the promos you find...such a joy

[@AndyBHome]

I'm so glad I finally found some good music to play on KZbin Music. Thank you! I'll be jamming out to the Eye Institute of Southern Arizona theme if anybody wants to know what I'll be doing for the rest of the week.

[@veilenedream5825]

i love 120 minute tapes :) never have had a poblem

[@5argetech56]

Another quality video filled with useful information... Thank you!

[@gaineyjohnson6628]

Loved the ending ... "and KZbin end screens." I have used the 94 minute Sony cd cassettes 25 years ago. Great sound!

[@jhornbaker311]

Not gonna lie, the music was the best part of this video, lol

[@vwestlife]

The Eye Institute does LASIK eye surgery.

[@Rich_123]

@@vwestlife Possibly the only LASIK eye surgery jingle with an extended guitar riff in the middle.

[@saxman112]

@@Rich_123 And I'm guessing that was quiet there so that they could insert whatever VO they wanted to

[@topher6_9]

I got a dozen of the 90 minute ones in a “smokey” case for about 50 cents a tape.

[@blankdrunkrose]

finally video about cassettes! love it

[@ralphreinhardt6020]

Another well done and entertaining video there VW. I enjoyed it v/much. 👍👍

[@juliancrun]

Beautiful singles. Congratulations on 100,000 subscribers. From A Coruña, Galicia, Spain.

[@tomhoehler3284]

I've used 120 minute tapes for years, since the mid 80's. I recorded them on a Hitachi two motor, 3 head deck. I would record NPR's Car Talk on one side and This American Life on the other. Then I would listen to them during the week in the car while I was making calls for my business. Had Ford decks and Chrysler decks. Never had any problems. I used Maxell and TDK tape. I think the problem with 120 tapes arises when you start fast forwarding and rewinding within the one hour side, attempting to find a specific place on the tape. The tape mechanisms are not as kind to thin tape in the fast wind modes especially car decks. As long as you pop the tape in, and play or record it in its entirety, the tapes perform superbly.

[@adgarza]

I used to buy 100 minute Metal Bias TDK, Sony and alike cassettes back in 90s, and very few, really few of them gave me problems. Most of them worked really great.

[@markhesse2928]

This is a fun and informative video. Especially liked the picture on the TDK D90 tape showing a pair of headphones plugged into a Walkman that looked exactly like a compact cassette. Also the cassette that was 2/3 the size of a car dashboard!

[@qmto]

That grey TDK tape from the late 90s immediately brought back memories. That was the kind I used as a kid.

[@dotdotdotr]

I agree with this to a degree. I used to buy albums and record them to cassette to play in my car because I felt that was the best sound to be had by cassette. I used nothing but alpine head units in my car, and Yamaha cassette decks in my home, which I considered some of the better equipment back in the day. I used the music search a lot, and have had more long play tapes fail/break than the shorter play. 90min seemed to be the sweet spot. I keep the decks serviced as in heads and pinch rollers cleaned and demagnetized. I used to own/run a pioneer authorized repair center so yes I knew how to properly take care of my equipment. As far as sound quality, I really could not hear any difference between the 120's & the 90"s. Just my two cents...Maxell UD/XL II 90's are the best tapes, with TDK SA 90's a very close second.

[@mal2ksc]

90 was the sweet spot for a long time -- but by the time TDK started putting out SA variants in 100 and 110 minutes, they had things figured out. Those worked just great, provided you had a deck that could handle Type II tape.

[@richardbates2367]

Most of the tapes I use are Maxwell and tdk some as filler, when I couldn't find the Sony one's and I still have a good mix of new in package of all three lol..

[@mandmguy196989]

Oh yeah, TDK and maxwell both are the best. Maxwell is top first one. I used to have XL II. Sounded better than tge maxwell ur one

[@hugoromeyn4582]

Longer tapes than C-90 were almost not available here in the Netherlands during the 80's and 90's. I Have hundreds of cassettes, and just one BASF C-120 (type 1) from the mid 1970's. On your Denon deck, they sound really good! (I Prefer the recording quality with Dolby B at the Maxell UR-120, it also sounds like that tape is running more stable than the other tapes). Nice test!

[@organfairy]

It was the same in Denmark - you practically never saw them in stores.

[@ferretman6790]

Wonderful video, as always!

[@jezt42]

Found that really interesting, thanks for the upload! Love the jingles too. 👍

[@IsraelQuezada999]

I've always used tapes longer than 90 minutes since the 80s and I've never had any problem with them.

[@DanielLopez-up6os]

These Jingles Give a Nostalgia that i never Experienced.

[@douglasallen9428]

Wow, the very first mix tape I ever made (which contained mostly 1960s music) was on a Maxell UR 120!!!! Thank you so much for the video, VWestlife.... keep up the great work!!!

[@olddisneylandtickets]

Fantastic presentation, I’ve had similar results as well. Awesome source material, those were some neat commercials. Thank you!

[@undefined879]

Has pencil ever really worked? I don't remember, I think I mostly used "crystal" pen.

[@SeanBZA]

Depends on the pencil, though the go to item was the Bic disposable pen, with the yello/orange housing with the 6 flat sides, which always fitted. You always could make it work with the Faber Castel brand pencils, as they were also the same dimensions, but not the cheap pencils.

[@nowthatsjustducky]

@@SeanBZA I just used my little finger.

[@CODMarioWarfare]

I remember my preschool teachers using skinny Crayola markers. That junky boombox ate tapes all the time.

[@AmigaA-or2hj]

I’m still using 120min tapes for recording “You And Yours” and “The Archers.”

[@MrDuncl]

That will completely confuse anyone outside the U.K. It is annoying that so few DAB radios have had a record feature. The Pure Bug and Evoke 3 could record to SD card and could even display an EPG, which doesn't seem to be broadcast any longer, on which you could set recordings like a PVR. What dates them is that they are limited to 2GByte cards as SDHC didn't even exist when they were launched.

[@manoflego123]

I recently found a sealed 2 pack of Maxell 120 minute tapes at my local thrift store and thought of this video. Thanks for making it!

[@BessieBopOrBach]

YES. This is the content I need right now.

[@haroldalexis4200]

Very good demo on all these brands of audio cassette tapes. I remember The MAXELL brands & commercials those memories. I have most of the tapes you sampled & have no problems including the 120 minutes. However I noticed with later designed TDK tapes when I copied them from an earlier source (mostly other TDK'S) the 90 minutes was actually shorter than the original & had many early cutoffs on the newer TDK tapes. Ithe oldest one I have today I received in 1977 still worked very well. Some of my Sony tapes squeal on ocassions which is annoying, that was their CHF series not bad otherwise now over 30 years old. The newer cassette decks will probably digitize I hate to say it the older cheap cheap cassettes 😱. That I wouldn't use the naked eye can spot them as you showed how dry flat some are more thin than the manufacturers on all these brands don't mention. I found that surprise the cheap/ inferior tapes wasn't the 90 minute or the 120 minutes etc. it was the 60 minutes! 😵 I discontinued use of those when I upgraded in the 1980's it murdered my older built in table and shelf models from the 1970's. This was my experience, I would like to get those tapes you demonstrated they're worth recording from. This is an excellent video keeping this interest & hobby alive I thank you for presenting & sharing this. 👏👏👏👏🙂👍.

[@DanafoxyVixen]

These tests sorta miss the problem i remember having of the longer thin tapes and that's of stretching. For example, if the tape had a song you re-winded it heaps to hear again that section of tape would stretch a little over time. most tape decks don't have soft tape transport movement when rewinding or fast forwarding and the abrupt starting/change of direction eventually takes a toll on the pre-recorded material. mind you ive never seen C100/110 tapes, only 120 in the large sizes

[@plan7a]

Totally agree with the stretching problems, this is a problem I often had when growing up as a radio and lover. I only ever had a limited amount of tapes and would reuse them many times, rewinding and quickly recording again when a favourite song of the week/broadcast came on. Tape stretching until it stuck sometimes, as the tapes could get very tight or loose on the cheap decks I had at the time. (I was a only a young child at the time, so I didn't have anything very expensive). That might have helped.

[@brentpodshow]

Love your videos keep them coming

[@keithjones7810]

Thanks for this . I finally understand how to use a tone generator for my recordings. Brilliant.

[@jmmbos]

A Lot of 3 head decks have playback losses , listening to off monitor recording is often a big pitfall , especially with older ferric tapes . I had the Denon DR-M24 HR , virtually the same . It had huge playback losses with all ferric tapes AND I found that the level rec cal was fake . It's just mini recording level , it doesn't actually change the recording sensitivity of the recording amp ... Nice video btw 👏 , user manuals are often based on much more earlier stuff and sometimes manufacturers just used it to cover up their own flaws ... 🤫

[@leepshin]

Never had a problem with TDK 120 cassettes. No sound loss at all after 30 plus years and still using them today.

[@summer20105707]

18:46 Sir you have a great sense of humour. Seriously great job on the video. Enjoyable and informative.

[@megakek4457]

Thanks for the "unmute" indicators, much appreciated.

[@JJSideshowBob]

I feel oddly compelled to open an account with the First Missouri State Bank, where first means more

[@randytorboli]

I've always used a big phillips screwdriver to take up the slack

[@fl0atpvnk]

That is one catchy bank commercial. They went all out with those old jingles.

[@scothohl4586]

I have used TDK 120 tapes when I was recording my crossfade music tapes, never had an issue. Great stuff VWestlife!

[@deathmetalmachine]

most of my cassette decks didn't come with a manual so I never knew this and I always use longer tapes

[@indenturedLemon]

same here, all my cassette decks are hand me down stuff from my family.

[@josephmullen3254]

I used 120 min ones sony

[@8_Bit]

Congrats on getting your silver play button. My son (who is on the spectrum) checks my numbers every day and reports back to me, unprompted. "Hi Dad, you just hit 31,000 subscribers. You still have 69,000 subscribers to go" was today's report.

[@malakov5]

I was just about to ask for a tutorial on calibrating your deck and look at the present we just got. Thank you!

[@Narayan_1996]

Man, I LOVE YOU for all your efforts on every single video! Even more when you post this kind of content that I love so much ♥ ♥ ♥ P.S: Still having CC ^^ :3 ♥