Microcassette

[ef37a]

Does anyone here have the facility to dupe one please?

In digging through my wife's effects today (and I DO mean digging!) I came across an Audioline MC 30 cassette in its case. I cannot begin to think what is on it if anything but would like a copy if there is. I am bemused because I have never owned such a machine and only remember them from early 'Robophones".

Dave.

[MarkOne]

Sorry. Can't help I'm afraid.

There seem to be a whole bunch of machines on eBay if that's of any use

In one of those synchronicity things, this is the 2nd mention of microcasettes I've come across this week. I follow Christian Henson (of Spitfire Audio fame) on YouTube and he helps curate a sample sharing platform called pianobook.

One of his top picks this week is the Relic Keyboard Described as: "Experiments with a vintage Yamaha keyboard, using its sampler and microcassette tape......"

Very atmospheric and ambient gritty lo-fi pads.

Check it out: here

[James Perrett]

That's one of the few formats that I can't do otherwise I would have offered to transfer it for you. I did see someone offering a couple of micro cassette transcription machines recently but I can't find them at the moment.

[Martin Walker]

Sorry Dave, I can't help either - I did inherit a microcassette dictation machine many years ago (and its footpedal switch is still doing extra duties for sustain on one of my keyboards), but the machine itself got thrown out.

As an aside to Mark though, I'm also following Christian Henson's blog

Martin

[ef37a]

OK, thanks chaps. Even if there is anything on it it has not been heard this 50 years! The tape might be borked but I doubt it. The cassette has been in its case, in a poly bag, in a box, buried in a cool bedroom so should be ok.

I shall spread my net wider and if, post crimble I get no response look at a cheap player.

Dave.

[Tim Gillett]

As mentioned Dave, easy enough to find one online but will it still work? I have two well made desktop models, Olympus and Pearlcorder. I'm rarely given a micro cassette to digitize so it's not worth keeping my machines in good working condition. I'll repair one if and when someone needs a micro cassette transferred. The perishable rubber belts and pinch rollers in these small decks are tiny and may be non standard dimensions. You might chance on a NOS recorder still sealed well enough in its factory packing that its perishable parts and lubricants are still OK, and it will play a microcassette tape well without damaging it.

[Dan LB]

Dave,

I have a couple of microcassette recorders, only one of which is working IIRC but I’d happily digitize the tape for you if postage to Ireland isn’t too much.
Maybe wait a while to see if anyone more local can help, and in the meantime I’ll have to make sure my other dictaphone is working, but the offer is there if you want.

Dan

[James Perrett]

Did you ever get this sorted Dave? If not, I now have a microcassette machine that seems to be working so I would be happy to transfer it for you.

[Tomás Mulcahy]

What about transferring the tape to a standard cassette shell? The tape is the same width. I imagine you'd have to carefully detach from one micro hub, attach that to the cassette sized hub, wind it back on to it and detach the other end. Fiddly but if it's only one tape, it's doable. Probably easier than doing SMT reworking!

[James Perrett]

The speed of a microcassette is either a half or a quarter of the speed of a standard cassette so I'm not sure how good it would sound played back at cassette speed and then slowed down digitally.

[Tomás Mulcahy]

Ah I did not know that. Years ago I tried transferring 3.25 ips reels with a 7.5 ips machine. Recorded at 96kHz and then forced to play back at 48kHz by changing the file header. You loose a lot of top end. I think the reason is that the 7.5 ips playback would need to extend to double the bandwidth of the original recording machine. Even for a fairly poor recording that would probably need to be 30kHz (I don't know what bandwidth a microcassette can achieve). So it makes more sense just to use a good microcassette machine instead.

[James Perrett]

As an example, one of my machines has a frequency response up to 12kHz and 1.875ips, 16kHz at 3.75ips and 22kHz at 7.5ips so, if you played a 3.75ips tape at 7.5ips and then halved the speed in the digital domain, you would be losing the top 5kHz. Similarly, if you played a 1.875ips tape at 3.75 you would lose the top 4kHz. If you played a 1.875ips tape at 7.5 you would lose 6.5kHz off the top end which more than halves the bandwidth.

[Drew Stephenson]

To be fair, that's not going to trouble Dave's hearing these days!

[Tomás Mulcahy]

[Tim Gillett]

As an example, one of my machines has a frequency response up to 12kHz and 1.875ips, 16kHz at 3.75ips and 22kHz at 7.5ips so, if you played a 3.75ips tape at 7.5ips and then halved the speed in the digital domain, you would be losing the top 5kHz. Similarly, if you played a 1.875ips tape at 3.75 you would lose the top 4kHz. If you played a 1.875ips tape at 7.5 you would lose 6.5kHz off the top end which more than halves the bandwidth.

Given a purpose built setup those figures could probably be improved upon. As far as the tape is concerned, the limiting factor is wavelength, not frequency per se. So if a tape can capture to 12 kHz at 3.75ips, it can capture to 24 kHz at 7.5ips, 48 kHz at 15 ips and so on.

A limitation would likely be the deck's internal EQ, including HPFing. Tape based EQ applied to a particular tape speed. Halving or doubling the digitised recording doesnt account for this, creating EQ errors, even though the speed/pitch is corrected.

[ef37a]

To be fair, that's not going to trouble Dave's hearing these days!

Huh! I might be 20dB down on 100Hz at 2kHz but if the source is also 10dB down THAT DON'T HELP!

Seriously, thanks for all your interest chaps.

James, I shall get back to you in the new year?

[Tomás Mulcahy]

Very interesting. So you could bypass the eq, capture everything at any speed and correct it digitally? What do archivists do?

Kind of moot for me personally since James transferred all of my tapes in 2006 (and did a superb job) and I did my cassettes during lockdown #1.

[Tim Gillett]

Very interesting. So you could bypass the eq, capture everything at any speed and correct it digitally? What do archivists do?

Yes I believe some transfer discs and tapes flat and apply the corrections later especially if they arent sure which is the correct replay curve to apply.

I once transferred a 78 RPM acetate disc at 19.5 RPM and flat, then sped it up
digitally to 78, then I applied the standard EQ. It was a buckled disc and the only way the stylus would stay in the groove was playing the disc very slowly. The flat transfer just made the EQ stage simpler.