This is the best channel showing me everything I need to know about cassettes. I can't get enough of these videos! Thanks for what you do!
@anthonyperkins7556
5 жыл бұрын
Chromdioxide tape has lower noise floors, sharper cleaner sound and brighter trebles.
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Absolutely. That's what people who can't bias these properly are missing out on...
@jacekschneider4686
4 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback I was trying to calibrate maxima II, no problem.... and then i recorded control siginals (10khz, 100hz, etc) and thats different story. Maximum recording level for highs: -6db, -5db, some basfs-II allow for -8db max recording level for 10khz. Ive seen it so many times, i think Chromium Dioxid tapes are too old to record properly.
@2574mcu
5 жыл бұрын
I really like your channel. I abandoned cassettes for reel to reel and digital tape. For the past year I got back into cassette recording. You channel helps me in selecting new old stock cassette tapes. Thank you for all the useful and interesting information. Have a great day.
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
I just opened one of these BASF Chrome Maxima II tapes and put a signal generator and a 'scope on it. It saturates at around +1.5dB, so I kept the peaks around 1dB, then calibrated EQ, bias and wow, lots of bass, slightly muted treble and a very, very low hiss level. Without calibration and recording it as a TDK SA-X / Sony UX-ES it is horrible, it sounds like listening to music with earplugs in. I did notice it needs a lot of bias power, into the metal region to re-use the tape (the original calibration tones were audible during quiet passages) I did have a laugh at sniffing the cassette, that wax crayon smell - like smell-o-vision :P
@rodrigonishikiori9747
2 жыл бұрын
Great explanation. I never noticed those different types of type II cassettes.
@miguelnglopes
5 жыл бұрын
Maybe you could make a video explaining calibration and Bias. Just found your channel, great videos!
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
That would be scientific and boring 😀 I prefer to focus on the joy of the sound and the physical looks, but never say never.
@miguelnglopes
5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Same here. I'll look around the net to try and learn something new about my hobby. Keep those videos coming. Cheers!
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Bias rule of thumb, think of it as a treble and bass. Take bias away, you add treble and reduce bad, add it to reduce treble and add bass.
@jeremytravis360
5 жыл бұрын
Calibration and bias are used in setting up a tape record and are two different things or processes. Firstly calibration requires the use of a special calibration tape. They are used to determine the alignment of the trade heads and the tape speed. Alignment is critical to the frequency response and obviously the tape speed is also critical to being to the standards required. If the tape speed is wrong on your recorder the pitch of a note will be different to the actual note played and recordings will sound different on other machines. I think you can still buy calibration tapes. Tape Bias is another subject but is still important in getting the best performance out of a tape recorder and I mean all tape recorders. That is reel to reel and cassette based systems. Bias is an alternating current and frequency applied to the tape head. It acts rather like a snow plow and and overcomes the induction of the tape head coils and improves the ability of a tape to accept a signal and reduces distortion. As you increase bias from nothing you will see the signal out off a tape playback head slowly improve until it reaches a peak and then starts to decrease. The usual technique was to slowly increase the bias until it reached a peak and the signal off the tape would be at maximum but would also have small degree of distortion. As you take the bias up even further you would see the signal strength off the tape start to decrease and the distortion would lower. Sorry if this is a rather simplistic explanation but it was what I was taught when I ran a company that specialised if tape recorders and tape systems. Jeremy Travis Teletape London.
@tarstarkusz
5 жыл бұрын
+Miquel... I don't view it as a hobby myself. I just always used tapes and now that very few people want them, I can pick them up for a quarter. It's a very inexpensive way to increase your music collection. Same with CDs. I am finding more and more CDs in thrift shops, though they tend to be a bit more expensive.
@DariuszNawrat
5 жыл бұрын
I'm using many of that tapes. In My opinion best iec2 tapes are maxell xl2-s, Sony ux-pro, ux-es, TDK SA-X, sa-xs, That's cd-mh and fuji z2. I used Basf tapes and I think the best is Basf Maxima tp2.
@wildbilltexas
5 жыл бұрын
Another great video! The biggest problem I had with BASF Chrome tapes is if you left them inside a car in the summertime, they could develop print-through easier than other tapes. And I used a lot of Memorex HBII 90's in the early 80's because Wal-Mart sold "3 tapes for 2" packs. I thought I was getting a good deal then, but after 35+ years the pads have deteriorated into mush. Sometime in the mid 80's Memorex got bought out by Tandy (Radio Shack) and the quality of the high bias tapes got better fast. The CD2 is a really good tape.
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
It's like were spirituality connected 😀 You'll never guess what the next video, that I'm editing as we speak, is all about...
@digitalvinyls3544
4 жыл бұрын
Later production BASF Maxima (whole black with x-es on holes - Reference Maxima) was the one of the finest quality chromes ever made. Much better quality than SA, lower distorsion and refined highs than SA-X, very similar, or even better than Sony UX-Pro. One of my personal favorites.
@claudeabraham2347
5 жыл бұрын
Beautiful sound. I am a believer in pure chrome. Thanks.
@v-g-z3689
4 жыл бұрын
Totally agree, I love pure chromes as well. Not saying the cobalt doped ferrics are bad, but I just prefer the sound of a pure chrome.
@peachent
5 жыл бұрын
Very difficult to pick out the difference in tape hiss here as the headphone amp in your tape deck is outputting a lot of hiss too. Nice video though, I've always loved chrome tapes.
@mrnmrn1
5 жыл бұрын
I don't think it's the headphone amp that is putting out that hiss, the headphone output is probably driving a headphone which he wears, and he hopefully recorded the audio from the line output of the deck. I think he screwed up the voiceover recording, and the voiceover mic amp is what makes the loud hiss. It should have been muted when he doesn't talk.
@LegendaryRadioJock
2 жыл бұрын
I love pure chrome! Sadly though we'll have to settle for cobalt because environmental regulations now prohibit the manufacturing of true chrome.
@v-g-z3689
Жыл бұрын
Damn, one of those things that just makes me angry. I knew that these regulations limit the way paint and primer is made, but I haven´t thought about tapes... true chrome tapes are my favourite style...
@nzoomed
Жыл бұрын
Why would that be? Data backup tapes for computers and other digital media still use chrome.
@LegendaryRadioJock
Жыл бұрын
@@nzoomed there are two types of chrome, pure and cobalt doped. Pure is what is no longer manufactured. Cobalt doped chrome is what video / data tape is made from.
@nzoomed
Жыл бұрын
@@LegendaryRadioJock ok, I thought data tapes were chrome, these cobalt doped tapes are just ferris oxide too aren't they? I think NAC said they were working on something similar? I think I read something about the solvents used were the environmental issue in their manufacture, but this still applies to all tapes, not just metal or chrome tapes.
@LegendaryRadioJock
Жыл бұрын
@@nzoomed Chrome dioxide is the tape that is cobalt doped.
@sidvicious3129
5 жыл бұрын
You just answered my question of why the BASF CRE II doesn't sound right in my Nakamichi RX-505 no auto-calibration and the other Sony UX, TDK SA, SAX, Maxell XL sound great. I have to look for another deck with the test tones to fine-tune my calibrations or play with the tape more because it will easily distort above zero and plus 2. The BASF CRE II is a pure chrome, especially the early version and the rest of my tapes are the dope chrome ferric brands. Thanks, Tony for doing this and you are a wealth of knowledge and are responsible for me re-buying recordable tapes again in different brands. I use to buy different brand tapes a lot in the earlier days because I use to like and try different brands to see the reaction of these tapes and just to experiment. I just solved the problem, after this video I did some experimenting and brought my level down to zero and played with the bias and recording levels even more along with Noise Reduction on and off and the compromise is with the noise reduction off, due to the noise level of a pure chrome having less noise. I just have to get used to turning the volume up a little more, but the tape itself is fine. My BASF is before the one that you used in the video. Thanks for sparking me to think about the difference between Cobalt Dope Ferric and Pure Chrome. I'm beating myself in the head for this because I experienced this with BASF in my SONY boom-box from the 80s and had stopped using BASF. My Nak and the BASF are fine and using no noise reduction is best due to the low noise. Thanks, Tony.
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Glad it helped. Yeah, I bought them once in the 80s and thought they were quiet and dull and never bought them again... knowledge can be useful sometimes 😁
@jeremytravis360
5 жыл бұрын
There was a lot of controversy regarding chrome tapes back in the 1970's . The trade magazines claimed they wore down your tape heads more quickly and this was supposedly because a lot of tape heads were made of a permalloy rather than ferrite glass heads which were introduced by Sony. Chrome tapes from America were a lot more expensive. You have to take into consideration the exchange rates back in the 1970's. It was not helped by Memorex running adverts that said something like "Is it live or is it Memorex" . The advert showed them shattering a glass with a tape recoding. The reviewers of the day took them to task and pointed out that you had to have a volume level in excess of 147 db which is more that the human ear could listen to without causing damage to your hearing. I do know that I sold more TDK SA and Maxell UDXLII tapes than pure chrome.
@JohnAranita
2 жыл бұрын
I fucken loved chrome cassettes in the '90s!!
@rectify2003
2 жыл бұрын
Stop swearing, it’s not grown up Because you have a Gutter mouth, this Channel just gained a Thumbs down
@redrobbosworkshop
5 жыл бұрын
BASF Chrome can be superb and I will always take this over TDK. In addition to lower hiss it also has lower modulation noise compared to nearly all doped ferric formulations. Bias correctly, max out at 0dB and switch off noise reduction = bliss on a good deck. I have several decks but this pretty old 1975 Pioneer is now tuned to run single coat BASF chrome flat and the super chrome or dual layer types slightly bright. There is a link to a Radio 4 speech recording below followed by some music, no Dolby on the old Pioneer after a good service. Also as you can see, I have a thing for BASF :) farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/26698840710_f8a7b85dec_z.jpg farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/26972231575_85061e651f_z.jpg farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/26877938802_a1087a1716_z.jpg Music: kzitem.info/news/bejne/xZiYt3qgmGOElWU
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
I can't think of many better Type 2 than a BASF. In fact, I can't think of any BASF that were poor.
@mrnmrn1
5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback I have a BASF early to mid '90s chrome tape (I can't find it right now, it's in a "transversally reinforced shell"), and it's horrible. It sounds good, but the tape surface is very uneven, it has a lot of dimples in it, and it sounds like it looks: dropout city. And it's not due to wear, it's like that since I've torn the wrapper from it (and basically it's still brand new, because I haven't used it since I experienced its flaw with the first test recordings I made onto it). Maybe I'll give a second chance for that type if I see an other one for a reasonable price. Mine might have a rare manufacturing defect. I had no problems with '80s BASF CrO2-s.
@mrk131324
4 жыл бұрын
I use a Nakamichi ZX680 and BASF Chromes are indeed a little bit troublesome with it, as it has no manual bias adjustment. But he BASF Chrome Maxima with the big window are the most beautiful cassettes in my taste. So, is there a trick to make them work?
@CassetteComeback
4 жыл бұрын
No trick, you just need a deck where you can Calibrate the bias and levels to suit it.
@alphanumeric1529
4 жыл бұрын
As a traditional media music label, releasing new electronic music on vinyl and tape, what do you think about a tape release that also has a special pure chrome segment of the release? I've just found a source of new cassettes loaded with NOS pure chrome. Do you think current tape customers are savvy enough to know what a pure chrome tape is, and how to listen to it? Think there is a market there, that they'd recognize the tape as especial? Obviously looking for you to speculate, no one has hard answers to this, even if they've tried it, the market is so dynamic and multivariabled.
@CassetteComeback
4 жыл бұрын
I could give you a really detailed answer about the cassette buying public, trends and what flicks their switch...but I'm not going to 😂
@alphanumeric1529
4 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Is that because of general shittyness on your part, or is it because you see my question as threatening or potentially competing with your business? I'm not in any business, let alone tape resale. I'm asking about pure chromes used as a release medium for music from a music label doing small runs for a niche market, and the implications for that is the opposite of threat, it is a potential bonanza for a reseller of pure chromes, type 2's in general, and even type 1's. See the dolla dolla bills, y'all.
@cubdukat
3 жыл бұрын
I think the worst pure chrome I've come across since I got back into tape was actually one that you warned against in another video: the Philips CD Extra. I thought that since it was a newer pure chrome, it'd perform better than some of the older BASFs I was using. So wrong. Now I stick with the pre-EMTEC BASF chromes because I know they're true chromes. Thanks to you and Wilhelm, I've become a chrome snob :)
@wisteela
5 жыл бұрын
Very informative. I'll have to find out how to set the bias on my two head deck. I'd image those KRs are extremely rare. I'd seen your smell of crayons t shirt earlier. Now I know. :)
@germainguilbault4845
2 жыл бұрын
Hi ! Does the bias only affect during the recording or does it affect the playing also ? For example if a tape is played on a deck that is not biased well but an another deck is recording weel biased, is it ok ?
@CassetteComeback
2 жыл бұрын
Recording only. That's why a well recorded cassette will sound great in any decent playback deck.
@j.w2000
4 жыл бұрын
hi i've got a hifi with a cro2 setting, will it be able to cope with pure chrome cassettes? its a sanyo. or is cr02 for cobert doped ferric to make it sound like a chrome with all its prenounced hi hats etc? i've done a test recoding on my sanyo with a cheapo type 0 tape you did a video on, but the audio is ok but it could do better i think with a more expensive type 1. as i had to set the level to just down from 5 on some songs or it would of been to distorted. I have a option to either to listen what the tape is giving off or the source.
@verastaki
4 жыл бұрын
I never understood why people would say "tape hiss", when in reality it's the deck itself that hisses and that hiss gets recorded unto the cassette tape. With no tape in the deck, press play ( In professional tape decks, you might need to put your finger where the sensors are located to trick the deck thinking there's a tape loaded in the deck.) Press play, and turn up the volume. You will hear the same hissing noise without the tape in the deck, that hiss eventually gets recorded unto the tape. Notice when you unwrap a brand new virgin tape and play it, there's no difference between the leader tape and magnetic tape, the only hiss you will hear is the noise that the deck produces like I mentioned earlier. Some people say tapes sound crappy, that's interesting... because I managed to record my tapes louder and cleaner than CD's. With professional tape decks and Chrome/Metal tapes it's possible, believe me. I love compact cassette tapes, one of my favorite music formats ever invented. That's why they still sell blank tapes till this day. I just picked up some Blank Maxell UR 90 & UR 120 tapes at Fred Meyer, Radio Shack & Walgreens to perform music recordings. Wish they sold Chrome & Metal tapes tho.
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
That hiss doesn't make it onto the tape because it is not being modulated by the bias. Tapes do hiss if they haven't been erased properly and even then, they hiss because of the random nature of the orientation of the magnetic particles. Pressing PLAY on any tape deck and turning up the volume, you will eventually hear hiss because there are so many sources of electronic noise. Every electronic component generates noise, the heads have some intrinsic thermal noise as well as being miniature aerials for radio waves (try recording something with a mobile phone on top of your tape transport) But these effects are in the -90dB level (on a very good deck), much lower than most people would be listening for. A well shielded transport and good quality electronics gets you to that level, the tape's natural hiss will leave you at around -55dB. The natural solution to reducing tape hiss and extending the frequency range is to either decrease the tape particle size (compact cassette) or increase the speed of the tape and/or increase the track width (open reel) both have their advantages and disadvantages. Most people would use a noise reduction system if their deck/tape combo produced noisy recordings. The main draw for tape is the sound, specifically, the distortions that recording onto tape gives the original signal. A simple experiment is to record a square wave sweep from 20Hz to 20kHz onto various tapes at 0db (400Hz cal) and see what tape does to the signal. I strongly suspect, this warming of the sound and other electro/mechanical imperfections is why people prefer the sound of tape (me included)
@ismellstatic
5 жыл бұрын
I’d love to see your take on type III ferrochrom’s, there really isn’t much info on em and they were so shortlived
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
BASF FeCr sheds itself very quickly, the SM (shredding mechanism) doesn't help, but the binder has aged to the point where those tapes are useless. A Sony or Denon FeCr will still be OK and in the right deck (a deck with Type III ability and calibration) they sound very good. But of course, Type II got much, much better and Type IV tapes with their huge power left FeCr as a solution looking for a problem. The prices of FeCr are just rarity value these days, there's little point in buying NoS Type III to record onto.
@music9556
5 жыл бұрын
hey there i just got a few AGFA CR II-S superchrom HDX 90. are these like the BASF pure chrome cassettes?
@daniel_dumile
5 ай бұрын
I found a BASF Chrome Professional II tape for some 80s rnb band at a thrift shop in mint condition, could I overwrite it in my Portastudio or cassette deck with any decent results? Vs say some budget type II tape. I mostly just run drum loops and some other samples through them
@daniel_dumile
5 ай бұрын
Also it says on the tape to run it at normal not chrome setting on my tape deck but it does sound a bit better with some bias adjustment, might be my deck
@kevinpatrickmacnutt
5 жыл бұрын
That is actually a second gen TDK KR. The first had the late 60s/early 70s graphics.
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
They must be soooo rare.
@rrchannel2464
4 жыл бұрын
i have an AIWA AD-S-750 w/ auto calibration. Could you review that and Maxell XL_II-S? Thanks...
@DbugII
5 жыл бұрын
Interesting video, did not know about these "chrome doped" variants :D Question: Since you said that many tape deck had the bias/settings designed to match what was available on the market in the country where they were made, which type of tape would you recommend for a Yamaha TC-800D? At the moment all I have are old Ferro/Type I tapes, and I was looking for some actual good quality tapes to do some recording tests, so considering the price of these things now, I'd rather pickup something that would match my equipment :)
@jamesdoctor8079
4 жыл бұрын
My tape deck (Mitsubishi DT 640) has a selection switch for Chrome. Will it be okay to use Chrome or will it need to be biased? There’s no bias options on my deck that I can see
@CassetteComeback
4 жыл бұрын
I image it will be internally calibrated for Ferro Cobalt Type 2, like most Japanese decks.
@tdevosodense
5 жыл бұрын
The Denon HD 8 was a metal tape that sbould be recorded as a cr tape The Dx6 was en crome tape that should be recorded as a normal tape
@DjNikGnashers
4 жыл бұрын
Really helpful, and informative video, thank you. I gave it a like. I did find the constant auto focus a bit eye-boggling though.
@CassetteComeback
4 жыл бұрын
It's an early one. Later ones are better as I got a good camera.
@DjNikGnashers
4 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Thank you, I'll be working my way through your content.
@VenturiLife
4 жыл бұрын
I have a couple packs of Sony FX II Chrome position. Are they decent quality?
@CassetteComeback
4 жыл бұрын
They're not pure chrome, they're a Ferro Cobalt Type 2, but yes, they're very decent.
@Badassvidsz
5 жыл бұрын
Who said they are rubbish ? If someone said that then he-she knows nothing about them for sure i use cassettes all types since 80s till to this very day and they all sound amazing even the type 1 all we need is a good deck a good source and to know how to use the deck of course : My decks are not the super top they are the Technics RS-BX707 & Aiwa AD-F850 both are very decent decks making great copies in all cassette types from all kind of sources Cdp-Turntable - Radio e.t.c :-) Cassettes were and still they are amazing still using them & loving them :-) I wish they'll never being stopped produced :-)
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
A few. To be honest "back in the day" when I bought BASF pure chromes to use in my low end gear, I thought they were rubbish too. It's only the passage of time and knowledge that helps to make the most of these cassettes, hence me making this video. In fact I have another one coming up later today which features the hardest cassettes to get a good recording out of that I've ever used. These do sound bad unless you know what you're doing...
@Badassvidsz
5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Everything seems to be crap when we don't have good gear And when we have good gear then must know how to use it
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
@@Badassvidsz amusing to think, when we were young and our ears could hear everything, we had "cheap" equipment and our parents bought super expensive HiFi, despite not being able to "hear" it. I got a great deal in my first year at university, one of my profs was really into vinyl and wanted to put them onto cassette to save wear, so I embarked on a cost-no-object spending spree, so I am very familiar with the Nak ZX-9 and Dragon. The audio people even provided a tutor to explain everything. I made some lovely recordings for my Walkman and then he discovered DAT and just like that, compact cassette was dead. Those were heady days, I got to listen to a lot of hyper expensive kit whilst my ears could hear them. Now I'm back at cassette and am kicking myself for selling off my decks all those years ago (I inherited them for pocket-change), they go for insane money these days and the cassettes, wow! So it's just a hobby really, I like the analogue distortions that tape gives a kind of audible fingerprint to.
@tweakerman
5 жыл бұрын
What do you think about recording audio to vcr, I've never tried it, there's lots of people saying, it like listening to reel to reel.
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
It's very good on a hi-fi VCR. In the 90s I used to record the top 40 onto VHS in stereo, then edit it down onto regular cassette so I could edit out the DJ. Dat was very similar in the way it recorded.
@brucewrigleysgumchewz4667
5 жыл бұрын
It does sound good on a Hi-Fi VCR. Even recording at EP/SLP speed. It has a very low noise floor for being a tape medium. And it has EXCELLENT bass response. As much as I used to love recording on cassette, I couldn't stand the lack of response below 80Hz. You needed an equalizer or a bass control that was centered around 50-60Hz to regain that "Punch" and deepness. Bass was boomy around the 100-140Hz range which almost always drowned out the low freq bass.
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
Yeah, it's very good, around 70dB S/N and a flat response 20Hz-20kHz. The problem I had with VHS HiFi was the dynamic range wasn't very linear, so loud sounds would blot out quiet sounds, that is just part of the way the conversion to and from FM for recording onto the tape is achieved. I used to record Pete Tong's Essential Selection / Hit Man and Her etc. onto HiFi VHS so I didn't notice that problem :P
@jamesdoctor8079
4 жыл бұрын
VHS sounds good, but it’s not really anything like reel to reel. It’s more like a digital storage medium akin to DAT than anything. Also, the sound most people associate with VHS is their auto gain controls. If you find a hi fi VHS without auto gain control, you can saturate it. However, some of them have sync issues. If you’re not running some kind of video feed with them, the tape can drift in speed
@montana01971
3 жыл бұрын
On Beta it was great too, maybe even beter.
@AB-ix5yg
Жыл бұрын
I prefer classical music on chrome tape to classical music on a standard CD.
@Konstantin_Terletskiy
5 жыл бұрын
I also like BASF Chrome tapes, on all my decks I ever had I got good results on them. Even on Soviet Radiotehnika M201, which had no adjustments for bias or record sensitiviy, and had only 40-14000 Hz frequency range on Type 2 tapes. Later I had KENWOOD decks with autocalibration feature, I think because of it it could record Chrome BASF perfectly. Now I have RAPRI-102 Soviet deck based on Japanese head and tape transport, I tried BASF Chrome tapes on it - perfect results. Also I tried other pure chrome tapes on it, such as Soviet-made MK-60-4 (this is Russian-made pure chrome. I couldn't find image of one that I currently have, but this one has the same tape inside mk90.net/2014/08/svema-mk-60-4-1987). And got pretty decent results, this tape lacks some level, but other then that I like the recording quality on it. Bad thing that these tapes were near to impossible to buy even in 1980s. Now even it is easier to get them, but sometimes there are overpriced as being "rare".
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
It could be that Russian decks were internally calibrated to pure chrome, as opposed to Japanese Ferro cobalt Type 2, since this was easier to get as the main manufacturers were in Germany?
@Konstantin_Terletskiy
5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Yes, I Think so, actually Russian decks was calibrated to Pure Chrome tapes made by SVEMA factory in the USSR (today it is Shostka, Ukraine), and later to ORWO Typ 137 tape made in East Germany (this tape behaves very close Soviet one). The sample image of Soviet pure chrome cassette was above in my comment. I think BASF pure chrome was somehow close to it, but BASF had better dynamic range and MOL. But I cannot tell that Japanese Type 2 tapes sounded bad on these decks. And my current RAPRI-102 1988 Russian deck actually is not factory calibrated, it is custom calibrated by my good friend, who repairs cassette decks of all levels, including Nakamichi ones. And I didn't ask him what tape he used to calibrate the deck when he repaired it (main reason for repair was that record function didn't work). But he used test tapes to fine-tune my deck, including bias and record-sensitivity settings. Fnd I don't know what kind of tape he used, but I have good results on pure chrome tapes definitely.
@ReyVillalobos
3 жыл бұрын
what kind of cassette tape would you recommend to record on the 1986, the Tascam 246, and Portastudio 424 mkIII?
@CassetteComeback
3 жыл бұрын
What it says in the manual, probably TDK SA or Maxell XLII
@ReyVillalobos
3 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback thank u!
@UrOpinionsSucc
3 жыл бұрын
So, my deck doesn't have calibration nor a bias knob. But the recordings sound great regardless when i record onto the chrome and double coat ferrics i have.
@kona702
3 жыл бұрын
I was gifted 23 BASF CRM II's. They are in great shape however recorded over once. They sound like rubbish in my Yamaha natural sound deck. When I record at a certain input level, and play them back they are at a much lower level on output playback. It's a two-head Deck with fine bias trim and tape tuning. To get these pure chromes to sound decent in my Yamaha should I advance the bias trim or decrease it do you think? I know it's hard to do blind on a two head deck.
@CassetteComeback
3 жыл бұрын
Japanese decks don't normally like pure chromes unless they have level and bias calibration facilities. The low output you're experiencing is expected. Just use trial and error, but as long as they output at 0db or less, you're on the right track. As for the bias, just take a song you know really well, record, listen back and repeat, until it sounds like what you'd expect it to.
@kona702
3 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Thank you so much for the reply! So it doesn't matter if the input levels will recording or peaking way into the red as long as the finished product outputs at 0 db? I have to drive these tapes so hot to get them to have a proper output at the end when playing back. That won't cause distortion or anything? Sorry to keep bugging you.
@LegendaryRadioJock
2 жыл бұрын
@@kona702 true chrome has a lower output level vs cobalt chrome.
@MX-S
Жыл бұрын
@@kona702orrect. It's the recorded output signal you should concern yourself with + listening for distortion. It seems like tape sensitivity is irrelevant with a good deck that has a powerful, adjustable, recording amp. High sensitivity (tapes that output louder than they recorded) are probably great for less-than-good equipment.
@albertocabezas282
5 жыл бұрын
Great you did this vid. I own a couple of those tapes and they never sound right to my ears: very "small" sound and without the brightness I'd love to hear from a pure CrO2 tape.
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, you need to calibrate your deck to them and record them below 0db, but when you do...
@manzanaresantonio
4 жыл бұрын
Brilliant Cassettes, highly recommended!
@ThePauly901
3 жыл бұрын
i used to swear by the skc qx chrome tape, boss sound but hit sat at around plus 2db,i used these till about 2000 on a nakamichi cr7e
@Baerchenization
5 жыл бұрын
I never really researched this, but since one of those BASF was thrown in for free inside the packaging of my tape deck, I always assumed that is what it was calibrated for :)
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Might have been. What brand was the deck?
@Baerchenization
5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback It's a Fine Arts CT 903 edit I just looked at the service manual, it is CT 905, actually.
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
@@Baerchenization yup, Grundig - should work well with Philips pure chromes too.
@Baerchenization
3 жыл бұрын
Omg lt's been almost 30 years, but now I went in to my parents' attic and got the deck out for having it restored to new:) stupid question of the year: when setting it up for a certain type of tape, is that only relevant for recording, I suppose? It seems my old tapes were dumped, so if I buy new ones, can I get these Maxima II tapes or are there better ones while I am at it? I like the idea of keeping it as intended by Grunding kinda period so to speak... This is going to be such a waste of money 😆
@grzegorzcichybiala1361
5 жыл бұрын
hello Tony I just received tape basf CR II - FOCUS 353 VERY NICE YOU CAN SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT THE THANK YOU
@tobymummert3035
5 жыл бұрын
Tony, what do think of Yamaha's "Auto Tape Tuning" feature and how it works? I have a Yamaha KX-390 and I've had it for 21 years and I think I just figured out last night that I have been using the "Auto Tape Tuning" improperly. I was always using the procedure with the REC LEVEL all the way down like a dummy. Yamaha's manual is rather "sketchy" with the instructions and the correct steps to follow. Is "Auto Tape Tuning" a similar type of method as the deck you used in this particular video??......Hmmm
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Never had a Yamaha deck, but I imagine it's the same as the likes of ATC on a Technics. Set your master level to what you want the cassette to be recorded at, the auto will set the bias fine and rec level for the tape and you should be good.
@tobymummert3035
5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Thanks! I'll give it a go tomorrow.
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
Usually those automatic systems on 2-head decks record a 400Hz tone and a 15kHz tone at a set range of intensities (irrespective of the input level) and then replay them to find the optimum bias and equalisation.
@tapemaster8252
5 жыл бұрын
I have some BASF chrome tapes, I use them for lower fidelity recordings because of the issues you explained
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
There's no real issues as such, your deck just need to be able to bias and level them properly. The low hiss makes them idea for "quiet" music.
@mrnmrn1
5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback But unfortunatelly you failed to show us that low hiss here, as the video has a ton of background hiss, I suspect it's from the mic preamp you use for the voiceover. You should have been muted it while you don't talk. Otherwise, great video (OK, the constant focus hunting was a bit annoying, too).
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
This was an early video. Now the background noise is all muted.
@randyharrigan4790
5 жыл бұрын
I've had 4 of the first TDK tape u used that exact shell and all 4 railroaded!
@olaniyi570
5 жыл бұрын
Cobalt what? Can you tell me what the word is you are using after cobalt? Is it dolt?
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Doped
@olaniyi570
5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback thanks!
@thespeez
4 жыл бұрын
Please explain why it's unwise to push a type-II or Chrome tape higher than 0-db?
@CassetteComeback
4 жыл бұрын
Because they distort. Not all Type 2 are chrome. Most are Ferro cobalt, they can be pushed higher than 0db. Recording hot means you have to use less amplification, hence you hear less tape hiss in quiet parts. Pure chrome tapes have such low hiss to begin with, it's not necessary.
@SFtheGreat
4 жыл бұрын
I only buy BASF tapes and Sony's Metal. So the Chrome Super II was already doped, I wonder what was the last wave of BASF's true chrome tapes, the Maxima, the Extra? Everything branded by Emtec is too late.
@CassetteComeback
4 жыл бұрын
The last BASF CMII was doped. It used the same Maxell derived formula they used in the TPII Reference Maxima. Still, fantastic all the same.
@SFtheGreat
4 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Well, it's still BASF for me, all types, though I still hunt III, I have plenty of AGFA's IIs and IIIs as well, but no IVs yet.
@rumerssorc799
4 жыл бұрын
6:15 name music?
@markstewart1807
5 жыл бұрын
Do chrome tapes last longer i.e. Don't degrade?
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Everything degrades. It all depends how many times you play them and well looked after your deck is, but pure Chromes are pretty tough from personal experience.
@PuccaLover83
Жыл бұрын
That comment had not aged well too! In my experience pure chromes are the worst in degrade. They lose some db of recorded sound in just few years, but constant on frequency so the response is not changed (but this fucks-up noise reduction scheme, if used). And then chrome tape lose sensitivity, more in the high part of spectrum but also in the bass. To be recorded well need a deck with large control of bias and sensitivity. And more tape ages the worse it would be. Chromes of more than 40 years old can't be used anymore but ferrics of the same age, doped or not, have not changed their parameters.
@simplifygoals
4 жыл бұрын
Sony UX-Pro, it is a pure crome??
@CassetteComeback
4 жыл бұрын
No. Ferro/Cobalt.
@keswarnathragbar8225
5 жыл бұрын
What about mini cassettes
@Popart-xh2fd
5 жыл бұрын
Isn't' true that Chrome type are only good to record once? Because if you record a song over a previous one the previous one is still audible as a phantom song!
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Not if your decks erase head is clean and working properly.
@Popart-xh2fd
5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Ok. I say this because I remember in those days people preferring type I to type II just to avoid this phantom issue. Ends up it's all about the recording gear. Thanks.
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
@@Popart-xh2fd I did have to turn up the wick on the erase head to overcome the calibration tones that were recorded (BASF Chrome II Maxima and Reference Maxima), but once I did that and re-calibrated, the problem disappeared. The erase head receives the same bias signal as what is used to modulate the audio being recorded. Some decks seem to have a quite "quiet" erase level which doesn't get at the non-linear maxed out portion of the pure chrome tape, i.e. the tape has been driven very hard into saturation and needs quite a poke to reset it.
@montana01971
3 жыл бұрын
@@Popart-xh2fd that is probably because a lot of low end equipment like boomboxes or shoebox type recorders did not have a switch for type II. These devices were fit for use with type I only. So, if you would make recordings on a type II in these devices the magnetism from the heads was not strong enough to properly erase a tape II or higher. A lot of people using this cheap devices actually lacked any knowledge about cassette types so this was not uncommon.
@devinwilliams400
5 жыл бұрын
A&M Records uses BASF Chrome cassettes on most of their releases.
@PrankZabba
5 жыл бұрын
i think i'd rather huff chrome tapes then wax crayons
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
I just opened a BASF Chrome Maxima II and oh! the waft of wax crayons.... :P
@23x31
5 жыл бұрын
Just source some NOS Maxell XLII tapes. That's all you'll ever need.
@copheart
5 жыл бұрын
I feel like DuPont did themselves no favors in making it so expensive to license their formula for chromium dioxide, no? I know the process was very hard to do and they spent a ton of money in r&d but then ended up having most companies just use the cobalt doped method didn't make them any money at all so I wonder.
@CassetteComeback
5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, it was licenced for a while. Maybe BASFs output was enough to pay for it all. I guess we'll never know...
@mbvideoselection
5 жыл бұрын
They also did it to give Polygram a competitive advantage on their pre-recorded tapes which were Chrome due to their duplication facilities being a joint venture of Philips/DuPont.
@davidhunt240
4 жыл бұрын
@@mbvideoselection they also did it because chrome tape as a distinct advantage when duplicating at high speed due to its low Curie point that allows even very weak magnetic fields to be fully recorded (useful if the tape is moving at 30x its normal speed)
@azar789able
5 жыл бұрын
SUPER TAPE
@josephfrye7342
5 жыл бұрын
I hope it will be alright in Canada and America at the time but you europeans have to be lucky with your money. you will never know what you will get.
@josephfrye7342
5 жыл бұрын
but they might be better than ferric tapes. i'm glad you busted and dispel those myths at the same time. once and for all.
@Pinhead101
4 жыл бұрын
It's rubbish. It's obsolete. End of story.
@CassetteComeback
4 жыл бұрын
Says the person whose never recorded a good cassette on a good deck, ever...
@emmareporter4324
3 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback ferric cobalts and pure chromes on my yamaha kx-w 262 sound great
@LegendaryRadioJock
2 жыл бұрын
No your comment is rubbish...end of story.
@PuccaLover83
Жыл бұрын
Pure chromes in their time were THE best. NOW they are degraded and continue to degrade day for day, used or not, sealed or not. The last produced in the nineties are still usable with good results, but are not so special anymore, not so much better than an cheap TDK Fe or Sony HF and to be used need important calibration of bias and sensitivity. The chrome lovers will still try to defend them saying their "sound is special" , that there is necessary to have a very quality deck to esploit them, that in their deck supermodded by Dr. Emmeth Brown chromes sound better than SACD and can be driven hotter than +20 dB without audible distortion!
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