Cassette 4 track, too hi-fi.

[Arpangel]

I've got the 4 track set-up as my main recorder, a Tascam 414 MK11, its surprisingly "too good" I was expecting a bit more wow and flutter and a more restricted bandwidth, but no, I think it's going to be too clean! And, I'm using a 20yo casssette! I'm having fun with the Dolby though, that's nicely weird if you switch it in on playback, not record.
Also, this thing overloads really well, it sort of barks at you at extremes, and it's fabulous on bass sounds.
I'm going to persevere with it, but I'm having to run everything in mono, it's the only way I can fit everything in.

[James Perrett]

How about deliberately using the wrong type of tape? A ferric tape (aka Type 1) should give less top end as it will be over biased.

[MOF]

I'm having to run everything in mono, it's the only way I can fit everything in.

Can’t you send stereo tracks from your DAW and record the delayed playback from the repro’ head then adjust the timing of the offset audio in your DAW?

[MOF]

it's fabulous on bass sounds

I’m surprised that bass is working well, the narrow track width was always a limiting factor in bass reproduction.

[Arpangel]

I'm having to run everything in mono, it's the only way I can fit everything in.

Can’t you send stereo tracks from your DAW and record the delayed playback from the repro’ head then adjust the timing of the offset audio in your DAW?

I'm not too worried, my most used synth is mono anyway!
I'm finding bass sounds are very full, they have a bloom to them, not deep fundamentals, but nice anyway.
It's strange, when I had a 4 track when it was all there was, I was obsessed about getting the best quallity possible, now it's the opposite!

[MOF]

I’m not certain what your objective is, first you say you can’t use stereo sources then you say the synth you use mostly is mono.
Are you deliberately avoiding using lots of tracks, are you bouncing down, like the Sgt Pepper album, and is it all cassette based or is it in conjunction with a DAW?

[Dan LB]

It's strange, when I had a 4 track when it was all there was, I was obsessed about getting the best quallity possible, now it's the opposite!

I'm on a similar buzz at the moment. I love the sound of broken (or abused) tape machines.

However, I'm currently calibrating a Sony TC-399 to use for tape loops and what not and It will probably end up sounding pretty good when I'm done

Have you tried using micro cassette dictaphones? They sound sh1t!!!!

Also check out the Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water. I got one recently and it's a lovely pedal for mangling up sounds.

[CS70]

If it's wow and flutter you're looking for, there's as myriad plugins that replicate the effect - also tape emulators, often you can disable the tape sim you get just that.

Otherwise flange by hand

[Stratman57]

My Tascam 244 always gave good quality sounds, I was particularly impressed when I digitised the cassettes over 20 years later. No discernable wow or flutter. Bass was good too, I put that down to the double tape speed and Dolby noise reduction.

Regards, Simon.

[Arpangel]

It's strange, when I had a 4 track when it was all there was, I was obsessed about getting the best quallity possible, now it's the opposite!

I'm on a similar buzz at the moment. I love the sound of broken (or abused) tape machines.

However, I'm currently calibrating a Sony TC-399 to use for tape loops and what not and It will probably end up sounding pretty good when I'm done

Have you tried using micro cassette dictaphones? They sound sh1t!!!!

Also check out the Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water. I got one recently and it's a lovely pedal for mangling up sounds.

I used to have a Sony TC377, a couple of RevoxB77's, and a Tascam 32, all gone now.
I miss them for speed effects, digital just doesn't sound right in this respect, analogue tape is like a solid wall of sound if you slow it right down, not so with digital.
I'm having great fun with this 4 track, it's like an effects box in its own right.
Thanks for pointing out the Shallow Water, I'm sold on that, amazing, very musical, unlike the Lo-Fi Junky, which is way too extreme. It looks like the Shallow Water uses a random waveform for modulation which is why it sounds so good, you just CANNOT use a sine wave, it doesn't work.
MOF, I'm not it to overdub, I'm recording on single tracks and then playing it on to the computer to ad to other things. I can record stereo sources if Inwant to, but I'm finding it's not really necessary right now.

[ManFromGlass]

I’ve been playing with the Tensor pedal which bills itself as a digital tape recorder that does some very cool tricks. It Is cool but it wouldn’t replace a real tape recorder if you’ve ever used one. One of my faves was to run a 1/4 tape loop around the room supported by mic stands to get the mother of all delays! Great fun.

As for mono - 95% of my recording is in mono and I find it easier to build a mix from mono using stereo delays and verbs etc to tie the tracks together. I’m a big fan of extreme panning and one has to work harder to get the pan of a stereo track to sit right, or at least I do. I am far from a gifted mixer. Back in the day I had the Fostex 4 track. I learned a ton of things from that unit!

[MOF]

MOF, I'm not it to overdub, I'm recording on single tracks and then playing it on to the computer to ad to other things. I can record stereo sources if Inwant to, but I'm finding it's not really necessary right now.

OK, enjoy. I use Steven Slate and UAD plugins for analogue tape artefacts these days.

[Arpangel]

I've just been recording on the lowest varispeed, then playing back again on the lowest setting, amazing, ad a bit of Big Sky through the stereo inputs and I'm in heaven!

[Tim Gillett]

My Tascam 244 always gave good quality sounds, I was particularly impressed when I digitised the cassettes over 20 years later. No discernable wow or flutter. Bass was good too, I put that down to the double tape speed and Dolby noise reduction.

Regards, Simon.

Actually the 244 used DBX rather than Dolby. Higher density Chrome or Type II tape also made a difference, probably as much as the double speed. Type II tape was also harder to erase, making for longer lasting fidelity.

The Type I tapes that I mostly recorded with, and sounded OK at the time, tended to lose their highs after multiple playings. Type I tapes recorded originally in Dolby or DBX often mistrack on playback and there seems no objective way to get them to track accurately. I now wish I'd recorded more with Type II tapes back in the day.

[Stratman57]

You're right, re. DBX, my 244 is in storage at the moment, so I couldn't check.

I'll have to see how much top end I got from it when I digitised some of my old recordings.

Regards, Simon.

[Arpangel]

I'm using any old tapes, unbranded ferrics, new chrome tapes, anything.
The self noise of these old machines is high compared to modern gear, ad you have to readjust your expectations, actually, the noise becomes part of the whole vibe, and just adds atmosphere.
I'm definitely getting what I wanted now, but I have to keep the vari-speed as low as possible, then you get maximum wow and flutter.

[Dr Huge Longjohns]

How about this new plugin to do the job....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yB_6DQzGBE

[Dr Huge Longjohns]

In fact, just bought it! What a laugh, I fear I'll be using this far more often than I thought. Only £17!

[Dan LB]

In fact, just bought it!

Me too! Thanks

[Dr Huge Longjohns]

It's fab isn't it! Worth it for the fun of the interface alone. Mangled a few tracks nicely on a project I'm working on at the moment.

[Arpangel]

How about this new plugin to do the job....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yB_6DQzGBE

Thanks for that, but I'd rather stick with hardware, I used to use this, my favourite...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VuXIOFE9xTk

But I'm fed up with updates and platform changes making things redundant, that's why Ive still got piles of hardware, once you've got it, you've got it!

Sketch Cassette looks good, at least it's got a random wave for the wow and flutter.