Tape Trail Reel to reel, cassette and other analogue tape formats.

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RE: Nakamichi Reference Recording Series Pre-Recorded Cassettes

Posted by Marantzguy (P) on May 26, 2010 at 12:10:01

In Reply to: Nakamichi Reference Recording Series Pre-Recorded Cassettes posted by kingseiko on May 25, 2010 at 18:49:56:

Hi, Mike:

There is something one should keep in mind when considering even the best merits of cassette-based recording:

No two decks can play at identical speeds.

There is also the issue of modulation noise in tape-based recordings of solo piano music.

This is why I considered it something of a blessing when I switched over to capturing live music not on analog cassettes, but to other media, such as DATs and now hard-drive-based decks.

If you use the right microphones, in the right halls with excellent placement before stunning performers and use the RIGHT mic pre and capture device, you can do very nice work, indeed.

I hate to tell you this, but for many years I actually used a modified Ampex MX-10 all tube 4-channel x 2 mixer in my classical location work. I still have the mixer and I am sure that it would probably stand up well against even my favorite mic pre, the Aphex 1100, which is a tube hybrid 2-channel device. It has served me very nicely. Maybe I should throw in a cassette machine one of these days, just for kicks!

And, I have to admit that even though some cassette masters I made in the mid eighties with Nak decks as "backup" to my ReVoxes, the results were very satisfying. Those tapes still play well on the decks which authored them in the mid eighties.

Incidentally, I have never run across any of the aforementioned custom 1:1 duplicated cassette tapes mentioned in that interview.

Isn't it amazing that the humble cassette ever was elevated to such high status in the first place?

Ever pick up a Nak 1000 deck? HEAVY STUFF!
And, even though the thing had rack handles, it was NOT a rack-sized deck.

Now, that is really stupid!

Richard Links
Berkeley, CA

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