I was born in 2005, but I had a taste of what using Cassette tapes were like when curiosity struck me ten years ago. Walmart was still selling VCR/DVD combos in 2014, and I got one. I had no idea how it was so easy to get a hold of a VHS VCR in 2014 because I thought VHS was dead in the water, but I recently found out that VHS and Betacam VCRs were shockingly discontinued in 2016 due to the fact parts for VCRs were no longer available. That curiosity ended when my VCR was destroyed by eating a tape. I recently found out that Cassette recorders fail because they require cleaning. So it was my fault. What's your experience with Cassette tapes.
I could write pages on this, but to summarise. My first experience with cassettes wasn't with compact cassettes as in the late 1960s my Father brought home a Grundig International DC cassette recorder, commenting how much cheaper it was than the Philips. Come 1973 my Mother bought a Sanyo Radio Cassette after seeing one a student teacher had received for a 21st birthday present. She mainly used it for her job as a teacher. Much more convenient than the reel to reel equipment the school had. On that subject, in 1978 the school I went to was still using reel to reel for language lessons (which I usually set up for the teacher) and a reel to reel video recorder, which only the school librarian was allowed to touch. In 1976 I got my own cassette recorder. By far the biggest use of cassettes was home taping music. Friends LPs, Songs from the radio, sometimes the whole Top 40 from the radio. That led to the "Home Taping is Killing Music" campaign by the Record Companies. Music had value and cost, even if you were pirating it onto a blank cassette that cost you 80 pence (probably more like £3 adjusted for inflation). Fun facts. Adjusted for inflation Vinyl LPs cost as much in the 1980s as now. A top 40 single cost as much as a gallon of petrol (gas). By the end of the 1980s CDs were taking over and pre recorded cassettes were selling for half the price of CDs. However, I like to point out that until 2008 Ford were selling Cars (the bottom of the the range) with a factory fitted radio cassette. A bonus video if you can watch it. Produced in 2009 three of the kids in it will be older than you. The finding a VHS tape bit is a bit unrealistic. Back in the 1980s Video Rental shops were as common as Vape Stores today. Of course even DVD rental has all but disappeared now with streaming taking over. Even in the early 90s the idea of playing music (other than a tracker / MIDI) track, let alone video on a computer was science fiction. I first got on the Internet using a 14K4 Baud modem i.e. 1/3rd the bandwidth of a low quality MP3. p.s. Fun fact. Ultravox was the first band I ever saw in concert.
Video rental stores may be gone, but you could still borrow DVDs from the library. I remember going to the library when I was younger just to borrow DVDs. I heard that's still a thing, and my uncle is switching back to DVDs after he cancelled Netflix. He recently asked where he could get more movies. "My mom replied, just go to the library." You can still buy DVDs in Walmart and Big Lots. Dollar General as well as Family Dollar added back their DVD section.
Most people and YouTube Historians miss the more important point, the equipment cassettes used was cutting edge cool for over 20 years. No other consumer audio equipment had to keep evolving everyday to keep up with buyers. I watch "documentaries" and they just talk about carrying around a boombox or Walkman and being able to listen on the go. It was more ground-breaking than that, tapes were cheap (and so were recordings ; ) ), you always had a handful of friends that had nice parents willing to throw down $6.99 for a new album that was soon taped and spread around. I remember my own personal Nevermind, License to Ill and Hysteria Tapes were on loan for a long time. What really made tapes cool was the equipment, from basic to NASA inspired high-tech, there was always something more shiny and newer than what you had. Scotch Tapes were four for a buck while Maxell Metals were $17.99, about the cost of two albums! Us kids couldn't connect the dots on how that was sustainable but some people loved bragging about their rigs and the portable equipment they had. My group was always running around, skateboarding, BMX, etc. Music on the go was essential, especially when heading for that secret concrete drainage ditch or the back of 7-11 where the asphalt curved up a few feet and putting a parking block up there just made it more exciting.
We have bought and watched all five series of "The Crown" on DVD. The DVDs were typically released about six months after that season became available on Netflix. However when the DVD only costs about the same as two months Netflix buying them saved us money. Regarding libraries in the 1990s the local one would lend out CDs. A colleague kept borrowing them then taping them to play on his Walkman. Something else that doesn't get mentioned in the age of streaming was how widely available physical media was. The local Supermarket used to sell cheap vinyl. Not the latest releases but Music For Pleasure re-issues of then "has been" bands like The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Just about every Petrol/Gas station would have a selection of Cassettes for sale, often "best of " compilations. Two which I bought and really enjoyed were Christopher Cross and two Susan Vega albums on one cassette. Cassettes were sometimes given away as promotions, e.g collect the coupons from four packs of biscuits and send off for a cassette of the last years hits. A key thing about cassettes was.that skipping tracks was difficult, so once playing you tended to listen to all the tracks on a cassette.
My uncle didn't unsubscribe from Netflix because it costs too much. He unsubscribed from Netflix because he doesn't want to support them anymore because he doesn't like what they stand for. In other words, moral reasons. We are not subscribed to Netflix anymore for the same reasons. Netflix has been down the pot for years, and now they hit rock bottom. Most new movies nowadays are trash so it isn't difficult to build up a DVD collection. We use other streaming services alongside DVDs.
Longman, speaking of Cassettes. I asked for the ONN CD/Cassette boombox for my birthday. However, I'm starting to have second thoughts about getting it after seeing bad reviews. I hope it's not too late to change my parents mind about it because they already bought me a CD boombox with no brand name on it whatsoever for Christmas. My parents don't do their research on this stuff like I do so sometimes I end up with cheap crap that fails in less than 2 years. With the exception of a official Sony DVD player I asked for that failed in 2 years. Sony stuff is crap nowadays, but now I have a Panasonic DVD player with 1080p upscaling that I use regularly.
Mix Tapes were magical. It’s how my friends and I discovered and shared new music. When I had a new friend, I would make them a mixtape with non-mainstream music (labeled as alternative back in the day - Indie today?). Or if I met someone “special”, I’d always do a mixtape with songs that spoke of love or relationships. Also loved making mixtapes for the killer aftermarket audio system in my Mercury Topaz. We would routinely pass around CD’s to make mix tapes. I worked in a high-end audio shop as a young adult and spend endless hours recording from CD to cassette in between customers. Harman Kardon was our high-end line and I’d record on 3-head HK tape decks. Sitting here listening to a mixtape as I write this
As of right now, I'm having a blast with my portable CD player with Bluetooth I got for Christmas. It may not be the Fiio dm15 I wanted, but for a budget player. It sounds great, and works beautifully. It's by Kilm.
There’s a cheaper, easier way that will give you MUCH higher quality recordings. Buy a good used single cassette deck and connect your laptop to the line in on the deck. Fire up your favorite music app and record. Super high quality recordings. Make sure the cassette deck has a headphone jack so you can monitor as you record. Best way to make recordings for personal use. Type II tapes will give you better fidelity than type I.
I think I remember seeing that too. Type II has better dynamic range, especially treble. Type I tapes for music recording always sound a little flat…at least to my ears.
Jam_On_It My dad says he's going to buy me another CD to add to my collection as well as a new Vinyl release for my birthday.
Jam_On_It Our only CD player with a AM Radio has been carelessly broken by my brother. My dad is going to be ticked. Rip
My experience (1980 onwards)... cassette was a flawed format (never originally designed for hifi reproduction or even stereo), but they were all we had to copy music, so we put up with the problems, such as how easy it was to damage the sound on a cassette, head alignment, tape path cleaning, etc. As an 80s kid, music was expensive, so I had 100s of tapes, & eventually a decent hifi deck to record them on & a top-of-the-line walkman to listen to them. When CD-R came along, I bought one of these as soon as I could afford it & happily waved goodbye to cassettes: In defence of the cassette, I used TDK Chrome tapes as much as possible, & they've lasted well, most still play fine now.
I abandoned cassettes in the early 90’s in favor of CD’s. At the time CD’s seemed so futuristic and the sound quality was SO much better than cassettes. In the past year or so I’ve fallen in love with cassettes again. They’re just so tactile and the physical interaction is so pleasing. I love making custom J-cards and cassette labels - each one is a miniature art project. I find that listening to tapes makes me slow down and the entire process feels thoughtful and deliberate. I have to carefully choose 3 tapes to take to the coffee shop. Once there, I find that I listen to the entire cassette because FF takes a long time. It makes me focus more on the songs and I feel that I appreciate the music more. Streaming feels like a slog at times. I stream to discover new music, once on cassette I can slow down and enjoy.
