YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

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m00npie
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YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by m00npie »

Title: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes
Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 19:15:55 +0000
Link: http://podcast.robohara.com/?p=530

Description: Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! On the first You Don’t Know Flack of 2015 I talk about my history with cassette tapes. C’mon, it’s not as boring as yet another 24 hour Christmas Story marathon. [Links] Link: MakeyMakey.com Link: Rusted Metal Podcast Link: Holiday Special Podast Link: 2-XL Robot Link: […]
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AArdvark
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by AArdvark »

Thanks for another very relatable episode! Did you ever spend any time rewinding a tape with a pencil? Or transplanting the spools into a non broken tape case?

While I was never into collecting music I did spend a large amount of time recording myself doing silly stuff. Gad, those recordings still exist and are more embarrassing than ever.

It's funny how everyone taped the Dr. Demento show on Sunday nights. Somewhere around here I have a tape of the funny 25 for 1980. The commercials are actually more interesting than the songs now.

THE
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Flack
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by Flack »

Oh yeah, I think everyone had to use the pencil trick now and then.

I feel the same way about those tapes I recorded off the radio. The songs are pretty much meaningless (I can get them all in CD quality now) but the commercials and even more so the disc jockey banter makes them worth listening to. It's the same thing with VHS tapes. I rarely care about the old programs I recorded but the commercials are great to go through.
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fergojisan
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by fergojisan »

I have precious few radio tapes, but I have a lot of stuff that I taped off of MTV video tapes that I made in the mid 90s. Songs on the radio and MTV sound a bit different because they are compressed so the volume is normalized across the whole track. I had no idea why songs sometimes sounded less punchy when you bought them after hearing them on the radio, until the 2000s and I started getting into audio software.

Another awesome episode Rob! I can totally relate to trying to lay off FB, I am definitely going to do that this year. I am shitty at promoting my show anyway, I don't think I will miss much. Here's to more YDKF episodes this year, as well as Sprite Castle!
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Flack
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by Flack »

Cool, thanks man.

If you didn't see it, I added a link in the show notes to several of the cassettes I have converted to mp3. I need to check download numbers. I don't think a lot of people downloaded them.

Whenever I post a new blog entry or podcast they get automatically reposted on FB so my accounts tend to have activity even when I don't check in. I wish I could figure out a way to post those Vintage Videogame Ads without logging in to FB. It only takes a minute or two to post them but then I tend to get distracted and spend more time there than I should.

I wish I could come up with a better format for Sprite Castle. I wish I could come up with a more logical way to work through the games. I'm also starting to think maybe that should could benefit from a co-host.
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Felix
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by Felix »

This one hit home. I had and listened to cassettes well beyond their prime. I am not able to describe what it was that attracted me to them. Part of it was being able to record things. I cannot tell you how many times I listened to "Weird" Al on family car trips.

I also recorded the Dr. Demento show. I would make mix tapes of all the songs which tickled my fancy. In the middle 90's, I was over joyed to find 110 minute tapes. His show was 2 hours so I'd have to cut 10 minutes. I tried to make sure that was all commercials. Unfortunately, his show was 10-12 on Sunday night. Staying up until 12 was not an option. Sometimes I'd just take out as much as I could, flip the tape and hope the funny five was things I had already heard. Later, I found 120 minute tapes. It was amazing.
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obliterator918
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by obliterator918 »

I grew up in a college town with a college radio station. They would play some pretty obscure stuff. I recorded off the radio but the deck was mono and my parents couldn't afford to buy me much media, so diskettes and cassette tapes were always re-used. A shame I have none of those college radio recordings left. I would just stare are the spools winding while listening to them...
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Flack
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by Flack »

I like these kinds of episodes, the ones that a lot of people can relate to and share their experiences back with me. I'm trying to come up with more ideas like this one.
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AArdvark
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by AArdvark »

The only topic I was hoping to hear was the relative differences between normal, metal and CrO2 tape. My deck had this switch that went from standard to metal depending on what kind of cassettes were being played. Thing was it didn't sound any different with the switch in either position. The metal and CrO2 tapes were more expensive so I hardly ever used those.



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Flack
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by Flack »

I honestly never knew what the difference was. I would always press the "metal" button on mine when listening to Ozzy or Motley Crue just because I thought I was funny.
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obliterator918
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by obliterator918 »

I was one of those guys who always noticed the difference. Chrome/metal tapes were better but you had to have decks that could properly support the right bias levels for it to work, and we didn't have money anyway, so I always got the regular ones.

Like Dolby NR, the playback would apply a different EQ that was better suited to the specific kind of tape to reduce perceptible noise and hiss.
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obliterator918
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by obliterator918 »

Well I guess it was a little more complex than an EQ adjustment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Cassette

One problem I had was some people who had really bad cassette decks would ruin my tapes when I loaned them out. I remember loaning out a tape and getting it back and there was an "echo" across the whole thing, as if their deck was just barely recording on some kind of feedback loop while it was playing.
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KeroroGunso
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Re: YDKF Episode 155: Cassettes

Post by KeroroGunso »

After hearing the feedback about cassettes, a few things came back to me. I used to record tv shows on cassette. We did not get a VCR until 83-84, so I had no way to video tape anything. I used to sit in front of the TV and one of those long hand held tape recorders up to the speaker. I remember taping a lot of Doctor Who. I think I tried taping 2001: A Space Odyssey. I'm pretty sure I gave up on trying to record that movie. With commercials it was 3 hours and it would have been nothing more than a recording of ape grunts, heavy breathing and electronic buzzing.

I also tried doing a few audio 'plays.' I'd pull out my Marvel comics adaption of Star Wars and try to imitate all of the voices, sound effects and dialog. I must have been 8 or 9 when I did that. I remember doing a lot of foley work for that production. Clicking my tongue to replicate footsteps and heavy breathing to capture the essence of Darth Vader. I bet if I had sent that, instead of hair metal mixed tapes, to girls I liked, I would have gotten a lot more response.

Oh yeah, I had a bunch of cassettes of old radio shows. Green Hornet, the Lone Ranger and I think some reporting on the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Now I wish I had kept my rack unit and my Pioneer Supertuner 3. How much do those go for on Ebay...
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