Re-stocking Tape Music For Lottie

[esprit350]

er just to add to Dan's point, can you still buy blank cassettes?

[Iain]

Um, don't want to upset the nostalgia trip, but you do have a cassette deck to record tapes of all these suggestions with, don't you?

I wouldn't know where to look for a tape deck these days - being a late 80's upstart , everything on tape and vinyl was steadily ditched in favour of them new shiny disc thingummybobs... the 80's were the digital decade, after all B) The big spinny-round thing and the tape munchers shuffled off to pastures new at least ten years ago when CDR and Minidisc became affordable...

I'll get me coat then, shall I?

er just to add to Dan's point, can you still buy blank cassettes?

Well - like many I've been CDs only for yonks - can't find any of my old tapes - but Ebay seems to be full of them!

Have bought a couple of 80s compilations so far (one NOS) - and am scanning for others...

99p seems to be the going rate - so I'm happy to take a bit of a punt and can prolly build quite a stock for Lottie for not much money :yes

[Dan]

Well - like many I've been CDs only for yonks - can't find any of my old tapes - but Ebay seems to be full of them!

Have bought a couple of 80s compilations so far (one NOS) - and am scanning for others...

99p seems to be the going rate - so I'm happy to take a bit of a punt and can prolly build quite a stock for Lottie for not much money :yes

Ah... I must admit I'd assumed you were going to source your desired tracks/albums as MP3s, convert to WAV files, record to CD, and then copy to tape in a traditional CD/tape stereo unit... although feel free to devise a more convoluted route if you wish TDK D-90 would seem appropriate - but they're a pound a go

Aren't you up against a huge potential quality issue with eBay and 2nd hand magnetic media that's 20+ years old, played umpteen times, and may have lived in who knows what sort of environment? And since floppy disks deteriorate over time even when stored symathetically, don't tapes behave likewise? Huge potential for buying something that looks & feels right but sounds shit, I'm afraid

[Iain]

Well - buying the tapes off Ebay a lot less hassle than the MP3 route - and I've just found a pair of 20 year old tapes in the garage - New Order and Gary Numan...

Both sound fine!

Well, actually, the Numan one sounds a bit weired - but it's the White Noise tour tape and Numan always sounds a bit off key

[Tentenths]

Why not rip all the tracks/albums onto an MP3 player, then use one of those cassette adaptor thingys to play them through the cassette player? That way you won't have dozens of cassettes/boxes cluttering up the car, nor all those long forgotten problems with stretched and snapped tapes.

[Iain]

use one of those cassette adaptor thingys

Erm...

I hate to admit it - but what are these adaptor thingys of which you speak?

Iain wanders off to Google...

Thanks!

UPDATE

Hmmm - search for the thingy success:

MP3 Cassette Player Adaptor...

Cheap too!

Assume that's what you meant?

Now - next admission - means I need to buy an MP3 Player!

Edited July 6, 2007 by Iain

[sandwer]

Now - next admission - means I need to buy an MP3 Player!

Iain,

Heres my set up. OK, I know I haven't got it on the road yet, but it also works in the tape player I have in the garage...

And here it is in action. I have'ng got a cradle for it or anything, but they are available....

In car entertainment got a whole lot easier Except that you seem to spend more time flicking from track to track than you ever did listening to just one tape....

[esprit350]

if you are going to use cassettes in your machine , you need to keep your head and idler wheels clean or you will strech your tape and lose sound quality, I used to use evo stick solvent on a cotton bud in the days when I worked for a sound and light company, we serviced many multiplay cassette machines in pubs and clubs

[Iain]

Thanks Richard,

Looks like I'll have to get me an iPod @ some point!

Thanks Howard,

I'm told you can use Isopropyl Alchohol to clead heads - is that true?

I have a bottle of the stuff - use it for airbrushing Acrylics... :yes

Cheers!

Iain

[sandwer]

Thanks Richard,

Looks like I'll have to get me an iPod @ some point!

Strictly speaking, you don't need an ipod, any mp3 player will do.

I'm sure I saw somewhere a cassette adaptor that just had a slot for an SD card (like a camera) that you loaded a bunch of mp3 tracks on and it just played them according to the order you set on your computer.

Can't find the link, but it was a lot cheaper than an ipod and somehow a bit more 'complete' if you are doing the complete retro thing....

[esprit350]

yes Isopropyl Alchohol should be ok, use a cotton bud and go sparingly

[Backmarker]

Don't forget you can also get your mp3 to talk to your radio by using an unused FM frequency.

No messy wires that way

Just don't use the same frequency used by the Emergency Services. They dislike you listening into there Pizza Hut delivery orders

Graham.

[sandwer]

Strictly speaking, you don't need an ipod, any mp3 player will do.

I'm sure I saw somewhere a cassette adaptor that just had a slot for an SD card (like a camera) that you loaded a bunch of mp3 tracks on and it just played them according to the order you set on your computer.

Here - Cassette MP3 player - I knew I wasn't going mad. It even skips tracks when you press ffwd and rewind.

[Backmarker]

Richard,

That's an interesting piece of kit.

Thought I might get one for the wife who only has a radio/cassette in her 51 plate Fiat.

Then I noticed the price............

[fmxa]

Looks like I'm late to the party on this one, but thought I'd add a few as I've been on a trip down memory lane!

ABC/Ppoision arrow/Look of love

Hair Cut 100/Fantastic day"

Madness, Selector, Specials,

Animotion/Obsession

Berlin/Take My Breath Away

Go-Go's/We Got the Beat

INXS

Psychedelic Furs/Pretty in Pink

Romantics/Talking in Your Sleep

Simply Red/Holding Back the Years (this one reminds me of an old GF!)

Spandau Ballet/True

Icicle Works/Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)

Stray Cats/Rock This Town

M/Pop Muzik

Supertramp/Take the Long Way Home

Twisted Sister/We're Not Gonna Take It

Wang Chung/Dance Hall Days

[shawty_82]

Miami Vice Soundtrack, not the modern crappy one, the original! Stick on Crocketts Theme and cruise the "strip" as the sun goes down B)

(Crocketts Theme - also used in the Natwest advert from the late 80's, anyone else remember it?)

Oh, anything Phil Collins and Genesis-y too.....

Oh, and Supertramp - Breakfast in America, Logical Song

Paul Simon as well, Sledgehammer.

God I'm feeling old!!!!

Edited July 9, 2007 by Tim Shaw

[mangel]

Can't be arsed to go through the whole list but came up with

Terence trent darby!!

and

Miami Vice album!!

[mayevora]

All of above probably now available on 'Now Thats What I Call Music' 927