Random thoughts about cassettes, and vinyl...

[cheeseboy]

Now there may be other things going on that cause listeners to prefer vinyl, but it isn't 'resolution'

It's usually the distortion caused by the analoguenessnessness of it which makes people refer to the "warm" sound of vinyl.

Funny how the first thing studio engineers did when they moved to digital was to re-create the distortion caused by the old analogue mixing desks as everybody though that the sounds of bare digital recording was too harsh and clean. Something most people still do today in fact in recording stuff.

 

[andyjm]

Now there may be other things going on that cause listeners to prefer vinyl, but it isn't 'resolution'

It's usually the distortion caused by the analoguenessnessness of it which makes people refer to the "warm" sound of vinyl.

Funny how the first thing studio engineers did when they moved to digital was to re-create the distortion caused by the old analogue mixing desks as everybody though that the sounds of bare digital recording was too harsh and clean. Something most people still do today in fact in recording stuff.

On the grounds that anything that is good enough for George Martin is good enough for me, there is:

http://www.airstudios.com/airvinyl/

An app (from AIR studios no less) to make digital recordings sound like they came from a LP.

 

[BigH]

Never did like cassettes, SQ not so good and hiss or turn Dolby on and cuts too much of the high notes and clarity. Rather have cds. As for vinyl got fed up with scratched warped records and always taking them back in late 70s and early 80s so stopped buying them, early 70s vinyl was so much better.

 

[MajorFubar]

Never did like cassettes, SQ not so good and hiss or turn Dolby on and cuts too much of the high notes and clarity.

That should not happen on your own recordings with a properly-calibrated machine.

As for it happening with pre-recorded tapes, too many of them were rubbish, there's no denying. NAD tried to tackle this, on some of their decks the HF EQ could be fine-tuned ahead of the NR circuit to prevent Dolby mistracking on muffled recordings.

Some of the best-sounding pre-recorded cassettes I ever owned were hits of the 60s 70s and 80s in a pack of three tapes my mum bought by sending-away cut-out coupons from Brook Bond Tea! Played on good HiFi decks, the SQ from them is a near-match to CDs/LPs of the same tracks. No idea what they were duped on nor who did it, but big record labels like EMI could certainly have learned a lot about tape-duping from them.

 

[tomlinscote]

You're not talking about the (in)famous K-Tel compliations are you? They were rife in the 70's and 80's

Have to agree with you about home recorded stuff, I've owned various decks and still have a Yamaha KX-690 and with Dolby S the playback is excellent, I still play 'tapes' in the car and the sound is ace, even stuff recorded in the 80's.

Tommo

 

[MajorFubar]

No, definitely wasn't K-Tel. I never bought a K-Tel cassette, the quality of their records was enough to put me off.

 

[trj007]

Best memories were opening both doors of my Datsun Violet 1600SSS parked in the pub car park and playing (on tape) Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Two Tribes. And my graphic equaliser in the glove box is legendary

Ah, the Datsun 1600: a great-handling car.