#104

completely bizarre Chinese language learning tape player/recorder/dictaphone, with built in lofi digital loop sampler w. stepped speed-pitch control! It can sample from the internal mic or from the actual tape in which case you can trick it into sampling pause-button slowdown dropouts too :slight_smile:

Got two of these in a group by on some harsh noise forum years ago, so much fun.

4 Likes
#105

These kind of DC motor speed controller module things are dirt cheap on ebay china / aliexpress and a lot of fun for wonky speed control analog vaporwave: get some cheap walkman/tapedeck, adjust any internal speed adjustment trimmer pot inside it to as fast as it goes (so you can speed tapes up a tiny bit as well as mostly slowing down) then clip the leads to the motor and screw into the terminals of this:

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15 Likes
#106

I’m looking into playing with microcassette recorders, and was wondering if anybody knows of a source of loop tapes for them?

I’m unlikely to make my own (especially micro!) but I’ve seen something elsewhere about microcassette loops made for outgoing messages on answering machines. The one I can find on eBay are all regular size cassette tape though.

#107

My experience with microcassettes hasn’t been too positive! I love the format, as my dad had a dictaphone when I was a kid that my sister and I would record rubbish onto and giggle like crazy listening back, so many fond memories. I got a similar dictaphone thinking of incorporating it into my ambient gigs, but it’s really temperamental! I’ve no idea if it’s the tapes I’ve tried using or the dictaphone but sometimes they just randomly stop and click off. I was also looking forward to recording things live at one speed, then playing them back at half speed, which a lot of these dictaphones offer, but the noise floor is really distracting for “normal” use. In contrast I’ve had nothing but relived-youth joy from full size cassettes, loops, and players.

2 Likes
#108

I guess I’ll see how it goes… at least it’ll be a cheap experiment :slight_smile:

I can see getting a regular cassette recorder too and playing with loops, cassette adapters, etc.

#109

picked up a Nagra III recently…beautiful machine but its very sensitive and temperamental, still figuring out how to integrate into my studio as best I can.

today I experimented with running material through all the tape gear I have…this one with piano and Juno-6 recorded onto cassette via a Marantz PMD machine, then into Morphagene, then fed to the Nagra, then into a Roland RE-501 tape delay. The result was quite nice but I’m going to have to revisit the signal chain and clean things up a bit for the final recording- noise was definitely an issue.

18 Likes
#110

yeah, I might have let that play through a few dozen times…

1 Like
#111

I’m recording a proper long version for an album release coming up in just a few weeks or so! :relaxed:

4 Likes
#112

I feel like i can fall asleep on this comfortable pad.

#113

I found a Tandberg 6000x for cheap… does anyone have experience with these?

#114

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I just found this wonderful device :smile: And it works!
Only a bit wobbly. Probably need to replace a belt.

Does anybody have some experience with this type of machine?

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#115

Not personally but a friend that works predominantly with 1/4" tape advised me against Tandbergs as he invested in a couple with his bandmate and they were apparently a maintenance headache.

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#116

Thanks for the heads up!

#117

Been experimenting with making tape loops on the Nagra and it’s too much fun, but I can’t get them to be smooth. I know nothing about proper loop assembly technique and all my loops have a noticable little bit of silence in them, properly due to the splice. Any tips? I’m not taping on the magnetic side, and I’m very carefully making sure the two ends of the loop are joined with no visible gap but also such that they aren’t overlapping. My first guess is that the tape im using is a bit too strong and stiff and maybe warping the tape enough such that it isn’t making good contact with the write head.

#118

Are you recording on to the loops after you have assembled the tape loop?
If you are, the slice of silence is probably due to the distance between the erasehead and the recordhead.

1 Like
#119

Yeah definitely, doing multiple passes because the loop is quite short.

#120

You can try splicing both ends of the tape at a 45-degree angle prior to joining. This gives you a little bit of a cross-fade between the start and the end of the loop.

Tricky to do by hand but you might find a splicing block useful.

3 Likes
#121

speaking of tape gear, would one of you kind people have a service manual for Tascam Porta 03 or 02? so hard to find…
:pray:

#122

Kind people, would anyone who has a Tascam Porta02 or Porta03 within easy reach and is willing to do a simple sanity check for me, please jot me a message? Thank you so much! Edit: no need for a manual - user or service. Just a test on the unit itself.

#123

Own a tascam porta02, but haven’t found a service manual either. Only have the users manual. What is your problem?