Cassette tape revival

Oh so analog is better after all-you gotta be frigging kidding me. See evolution isn't always progress. ROFL.
 
Oh so analog is better after all-you gotta be frigging kidding me. See evolution isn't always progress. ROFL.

Analog is not the best. Sitting next to the players is the best. Lol I remember playing a joint concert with a professional orchestra when I was in high school. (Fanfare for the Common Man, Aaron Copland). There’s a trumpets-only passage near the very beginning. When those trumpets played those first 3 notes, my head SNAPPED around. There’s things you can hear sitting 5 feet away that never show up on a recording. Playback technology still isn’t good enough to pick up the full experience.


Those 3 notes of music changed my life. I had heard plenty of professional trumpets on recordings, and plenty of high-school trumpet players sitting right next to me in band and orchestra. Not the same at all
 
yeah..I would imagine most of mine have deteriorated over the past 40 years or so... it wasn't like the plastic they used for the tape itself was the best quality



yeah..but...I also remember a TON of punk and hXc bands totally relying on tape trading and mix tapes to get their sounds out too. Hsl the un of a show was going to the parking lot afterwards and buying/trading tapes.. That is where you met other bands to play with as well
Grateful Dead took over the world with tapes. People taping the shows and bootlegging them. The bootleggers are digital now though.
 
Grateful Dead took over the world with tapes. People taping the shows and bootlegging them. The bootleggers are digital now though.

yep...my cousin was HUGE into that whole scene back in the day...mucch to my aunt and uncles chagrin
 
yeah..but...I also remember a TON of punk and hXc bands totally relying on tape trading and mix tapes to get their sounds out too. Hsl the un of a show was going to the parking lot afterwards and buying/trading tapes.. That is where you met other bands to play with as well
On second thought, I supposed cassette tapes make more sense than vinyl these days, since they're a lot cheaper to make in small batches. Nobody's going to listen to them anyway, so they're just souvenirs of a good show and a few bucks wasted to support a band, so they make perfect sense. Still not quite as cool as 45's, but at least something more tangible than an mp3.
 
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On second thought, I supposed cassette tapes make more sense than vinyl, these days, since they're a lot cheaper to make in small batches. If nobody's going to listen to them anyway, so they're just souvenirs of a good show and a few bucks wasted to support a band, they make perfect sense. Still not quite as cool as 45's, but at least something more tangible than an mp3.

yeah..the whole 7"/45 thing was not as prevalent here in Central Ohio back in the early 80's;....so tapes it was. We could get 7"/45s from national acts at the record store, but not in the lot
 
Grateful Dead took over the world with tapes. People taping the shows and bootlegging them.
Similarly, in the early days Metallica encouraged bootlegged tapes and owes their initial success to them. Then they suddenly took a complete 180 both in their approach to making music and the sharing of it.

Analog is not the best. Sitting next to the players is the best. Playback technology still isn’t good enough to pick up the full experience.
While this is true, a good system will get you darn close. If you have the space, a pair of Magnepan speakers paired with a good amp will surprise you with their "you're in the same room as the artist" realism. The soundstage and detail are hard to describe, but with a good recording, they can easily induce goosebumps when you close your eyes. I get a kick out of the smile on people's faces when they hear them for the first time. They really are one of the best bangs for the buck when it comes to speakers. While no speaker is perfect, these come very, very close.
 
Similarly, in the early days Metallica encouraged bootlegged tapes and owes their initial success to them. Then they suddenly took a complete 180 both in their approach to making music and the sharing of it.


While this is true, a good system will get you darn close. If you have the space, a pair of Magnepan speakers paired with a good amp will surprise you with their "you're in the same room as the artist" realism. The soundstage and detail are hard to describe, but with a good recording, they can easily induce goosebumps when you close your eyes. I get a kick out of the smile on people's faces when they hear them for the first time. They really are one of the best bangs for the buck when it comes to speakers. While no speaker is perfect, these come very, very close.

There’s one element that speakers can’t really replicate. The human relationship side of it, the memories of being in the room with someone and making music with them.
 
There’s one element that speakers can’t really replicate. The human relationship side of it, the memories of being in the room with someone and making music with them.
I agree 100%, there is no substitute for the real deal. The problem is the revolving group of musicians required to suit my musical tastes coupled with the load in/out to and from my living room whenever I want to hear a different song/genre would put considerable wear on the carpet. ;)
 
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