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Found a box of cassettes, still have a 2-cassette stereo player, thought I'd listen to them once then toss. No way, some are now 30 years old and sound excellent. 30 is supposed life span of cassettes. Bring back so many memories...homemade mixes made by friends, specific road trips where all friends new the mix... Didn't even realize there are ways to convert these and might tackle but haven't even yet ripped CDs. May convert a few of the memorable ones before they're eaten; even have some blank tapes.
Coincidentally, recently saw excellent interview w/Ringo Starr and surprised to learn he's selling more cassettes than any format. Got rid of his own player years ago so had to buy a new one. Others are putting out new stuff on cassette. Some vintage ones worth $$. Like the vinyl resurge. Had no idea there are many articles out. Won't be buying vinyl or cassettes but admire the younger nonconformists and just find trend interesting.
I wish CDs would come back into prevalence. They avoid the problems of easily scratched vinyl, bulk, and hassles with turntables and cartridges/tonearms. More portable than vinyl, too, and can quickly jump forward or backward.
Cassettes...hmmm. The big advantage is ability to record any sound (live, off vinyl, off CD), if you have a suitable cassette deck (not just a player).
I still have turntable, cassette deck and one good microphone (can only record live sounds in mono), and CD player. More CDs than either records or cassettes. I’d love to buy more CDs, and not just the Best Of selections that Walmart et al sell.
My impression of factory issued cassettes was poor sound quality; home recording them from CD or vinyl sounded better.
I still have some cassettes, but nothing to play them with. When I needed to make a recording for my HTML class, and saw that my cassette recorder from 8th grade Christmas no longer worked, I found that I could buy a Sony MiniDisc recorder for less that had higher sound quality, so that's what I did.
I much prefer CDs. Since my Buick Encore has HD radio plus navigation, but not CD, I would have to copy them onto USB. I don't do much driving anymore, so it's not worth the trouble.
I wish CDs had come about before I started buying records that popped & skipped, 8-tracks that broke, and cassettes that jammed. I could have saved a few dollars.
Won't be buying vinyl or cassettes but admire the younger nonconformists and just find trend interesting.
I find it funny you call them... nonconformists. That's ridiculous. It has nothing to do with.... conforming. Conforming to what? CD's? Streaming? Come on man...
From the article:
“For certain generations, it’s nostalgia,” he starts. “For younger ones, everything old is new again, and there’s a cool factor to it. And, believe it or not, I know music fans who prefer the analog sound of these cassettes to other mediums.”
Shoot, I still have a reel to reel tape recorder. And yes, I AM a non-conformist - in that, unlike folks who follow the trends promoted by those with equipment to sell, I understand the limitations of various media and the advantages that certain ones have. Example: I use an old VCR to tape off streaming - to avoid commercials that can't otherwise be blocked.
I used to copy cassettes to CD through a CD-R recorder. It's like a standard stereo component (receiver, DVD, CD player, etc.), just for burning audio CDs from analog sources. I mostly used it for my own recordings (as a musician), and for rare, out-of-print albums not released on CD.
Cassettes have limited audio range though. They'll never approach CD-quality. Plus, they have mechanical limitations (tape degrading / breaking, magnetizing the tapes heads, etc.). CDs are vastly better.
I see no reason for cassette "revival", any more than a vinyl or 8-Track one. The only factor would be nostalgia, and/or possibly the larger album covers and packaging of vinyl. All have inferior sound quality, and introduce noise or degradation, mechanically.
Last edited by Thoreau424; 09-30-2021 at 12:58 PM..
There is nothing that you could have on cassette that you could not find through other means except unless it's your own recordings. If that was the case, I would have safeguarded it a long time ago. Let's face it, cassettes sound like crap. Get with the times already. If they are making a comeback which I doubt and regardless of what Ringo says it would be for nostalgic reasons, certainly not for sound quality.
You can accomplish the same thing with much more convenience with digital media, i.e. MP3s, FLACs or whatever.
For sure cassettes have their limitations, amazing when replaced by cd's. It is a trend, whether it continues like vinyl we'll see. It's nice that vintage shops have been able to stay in business. Just be sure, before getting with the times or downsizing and ditching old media and players...look them up online. Some reel-to-reel tapes and players are valuable. There's a demand for certain blank cassettes. There will always be collectibles as items fade away. Wonder how many cassettes and lps have unknowingly ended up at goodwill or in dump:
It’s nice to have choices with different advantages and disadvantages. Pick what suits your balance of those.
I still have a few new, never-recorded-onto cassettes that were supposedly the best kind to get. But I’m keeping them, along with the mike and deck.
I can't see any advantage to cassettes in the 21st century. Their primary advantages in their day were a) portability, b) recordability, and c) acceptable if not great sound quality. Today's portable media absolutely crushes cassettes in all three categories.
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That's ridiculous. It has nothing to do with.... conforming. Conforming to what? CD's? Streaming? Come on man...
