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Anyone complaining about vinyl being a hipster thing can now focus their attention on cassettes, which have no redeeming value outside of camp and irony. Bad s

by ssharp 12y ago

Anyone complaining about vinyl being a hipster thing can now focus their attention on cassettes, which have no redeeming value outside of camp and irony. Bad sound quality, no easy way to move between songs, tape degrades, mechanics of players can destroy the tape, etc. etc. I have fond memories of cassettes -- traveling around with a portable recorder, recording songs off the radio, making mixes -- but they don't have much practical value these days.

MrJagil 12y ago
"...which have no redeeming value outside of camp and irony" NO! Wrong! Sound quality: Cassettes can certainly sound amazing! Here's how to do a proper transfer: http://www.technofileonline.com/texts/howtotape.htm http://www.technofileonline.com/texts/howtotape.htm Further, the highs and lows get certain artefacts introduced through the format (tape compression, saturation) which can actually enhance the mix (smoothing out the highs, for instance). But even more importantly, certain music is made for the format. Entire sub genres revolve around the low-fi aesthetic that tapes make available. Check out http://fangsandarrows.com http://fangsandarrows.com And here's another fact: They are CHEAP to make and FUN to own; thusly, if you run a small label or is independent, it is the perfect merchandise. Some people love the artwork (which inspires creativity through it's constraints), some people love the sound (compared to CDs for instance), some people like the quirkiness of having it on their window sill and other people just want to support the artist and don't have 20-40$ for an LP. And practically, when you play a small gig, you can just throw 10-20 tapes in your bag, and you're ready to go (unlike with vinyl). Please buy more cassettes! (I do recognise all the problems associated with the format, but it has many positives in 2014 as well, as i hopefully made clear. This was all blood straight from my heart as i run a small cassette label: http://scalatapes.bandcamp.com http://scalatapes.bandcamp.com (though the tapes themselves are still being printed as we speak))
- ssharp 12y ago
  Thanks for your perspective on tapes. I do have a '98 truck that has a tape player and I hate the tape-to-aux adapter, so maybe I should pick up a few tapes from you for when I dust off the truck for camping :)
  - MrJagil 12y ago
    Haha, that would be an honour! Bandcamp in general is a good source of tapes, lot's of lovely music that needs more exposure! And again, http://fangsandarrows.com/ http://fangsandarrows.com/ is great if you're curious about sub-communities like these.

by ssharp 12y ago

MrJagil 12y ago

"...which have no redeeming value outside of camp and irony" NO! Wrong! Sound quality: Cassettes can certainly sound amazing! Here's how to do a proper transfer: http://www.technofileonline.com/texts/howtotape.htm http://www.technofileonline.com/texts/howtotape.htm Further, the highs and lows get certain artefacts introduced through the format (tape compression, saturation) which can actually enhance the mix (smoothing out the highs, for instance). But even more importantly, certain music is made for the format. Entire sub genres revolve around the low-fi aesthetic that tapes make available. Check out http://fangsandarrows.com http://fangsandarrows.com And here's another fact: They are CHEAP to make and FUN to own; thusly, if you run a small label or is independent, it is the perfect merchandise. Some people love the artwork (which inspires creativity through it's constraints), some people love the sound (compared to CDs for instance), some people like the quirkiness of having it on their window sill and other people just want to support the artist and don't have 20-40$ for an LP. And practically, when you play a small gig, you can just throw 10-20 tapes in your bag, and you're ready to go (unlike with vinyl). Please buy more cassettes! (I do recognise all the problems associated with the format, but it has many positives in 2014 as well, as i hopefully made clear. This was all blood straight from my heart as i run a small cassette label: http://scalatapes.bandcamp.com http://scalatapes.bandcamp.com (though the tapes themselves are still being printed as we speak))

ssharp 12y ago
Thanks for your perspective on tapes. I do have a '98 truck that has a tape player and I hate the tape-to-aux adapter, so maybe I should pick up a few tapes from you for when I dust off the truck for camping :)
- MrJagil 12y ago
  Haha, that would be an honour! Bandcamp in general is a good source of tapes, lot's of lovely music that needs more exposure! And again, http://fangsandarrows.com/ http://fangsandarrows.com/ is great if you're curious about sub-communities like these.