# Let's hear your cassette recordings!



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

My submission. Thirty years old this month!!

"Original" (blatant copy of _B movies_ by the Fabulous Poodles)

Recorded 1991. No UNDO back then!

One mic. one PortaStudio, one cassette.

Debbie on vocals & Tommy on real live drums!!


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https://soundcloud.com/user-453487393-638909333%2Fold-vinyl

*OLD VINYL*

When we were kids we’d spend all day
By the “hi-fi” listening to our records play
We had no cares all afternoon
By the “hi-fi” listening to our favourite toons
Drums and guitars sounding on the earth
From the shores of England to the California surf
Snap a centre in a “forty-five”
Drop it on the platter and listen to it come alive
Or make a stack of a few “LP’s”
Put them on the spindle and play them automatically

_Old vinyl! Old vinyl! The new stuff just hasn’t got the style
Old vinyl! Old vinyl! It’s gonna be around for a little while_

Synthesizers dominate pop
Take them away and what have you got?
Metal bands make a lot of noise
But will the fans remain when they're no longer boys?
No need to argue who’s best or worst
No need to know who did it first
There must be talent in those new acts
But how do they sound without twenty-four tracks?
And kids a fraction of our years
Stop to listen when they hear

_Old vinyl! Old vinyl! The new stuff just hasn’t got the style
Old vinyl! Old vinyl! It’s gonna be around for a little while_

Toward the end they got a little thin
But they always had nice jackets that you could slip them in

_Old vinyl! Old vinyl! The new stuff just hasn’t got the style
Old vinyl! Old vinyl! It’s gonna be around for a little while_


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

cool tune! Did you write that?


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Recorded on a cassette 4 track, dumped to DAW, vocals overdubbed, mixed out of the box, released on cassette:

Spotify: 




or direct download:



http://grannygremlin.com/PTV/LonelyBoyMotel/PTV-2-BirdsNest.mp3





http://grannygremlin.com/PTV/LonelyBoyMotel/PTV-3-PortogeuseGothGirls.mp3





http://grannygremlin.com/PTV/LonelyBoyMotel/PTV-4-ZowieBowie.mp3





http://grannygremlin.com/PTV/LonelyBoyMotel/PTV-5-Halloween.mp3





http://grannygremlin.com/PTV/LonelyBoyMotel/PTV-6-Baghdad.mp3





http://grannygremlin.com/PTV/LonelyBoyMotel/PTV-7-BeatleSperm.mp3



You'd probably like it @KapnKrunch ; it's 3 of the same people from OHMNO with a more cherubic vocalist.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Lincoln said:


> cool tune! Did you write that?


Yes, Dave. The first song I ever wrote that I "kept". Written in a motel room while out of town with the BoilerMakers Union.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

@Granny Gremlin 

I will check them out first thing tomorrow when I fire up the good gear in the garage tomorrow. 

How did you know I was Ohmno fan... oh yeah, the shirt. LOL.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I'll play too.
Mid 80's.
I had a Fostex 4-track along with a Boss drum machine.
The Boss was a pain to program because I had to have the whole song in my head to lay down all the measures/cymbal shots/fills etc before recording to track. 
I did everything here including vocals (yeah, I know. meh). Lyrics are credited to my best friend at the time.
Keep in mind, 80's metal was all about wizards, dragons and stuff like that. lol


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

KapnKrunch said:


> Yes, Dave. The first song I ever wrote that I "kept". Written in a motel room while out of town with the BoilerMakers Union.


awesome tune.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

laristotle said:


> a Fostex 4-track along with a Boss drum machine


This is the gear you posted in the PortaStudio thread?? 

Actually a fairly sweet set-up for the time. Sounds decent thru the IPad. I will check it out in the garage tomorrow on the good stuff. 

"Thanks for sharing."


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

KapnKrunch said:


> This is the gear you posted in the PortaStudio thread??


correct.


KapnKrunch said:


> Actually a fairly sweet set-up for the time. Sounds decent thru the IPad. I will check it out in the garage tomorrow on the good stuff.
> 
> "Thanks for sharing."


For the times, yes. Took a while to get a feel for it.
It does sound better loud through a stereo. lol

Here's another.
I always wanted to play keys, so I got a Casio professional around the same time and did this;
The only piano experience that I had was on accordion as a kid. lol


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## TVvoodoo (Feb 17, 2010)

OMG this could be so embarrassing for me LOL,


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

TVvoodoo said:


> OMG this could be so embarrassing for me LOL,


it's probably embarrassing for a lot of people


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

Here are a couple instrumentals from around '91. At this stage I used a Rockman on almost everything. Guitars, bass and vocals. I hadn't figured out bouncing yet, so drums and bass are on on track on the electric number. The other is mostly nylon string. 










Divers Dance


Listen to Divers Dance by fretzel #np on #SoundCloud




soundcloud.app.goo.gl













Shake Me Down


Listen to Shake Me Down by fretzel #np on #SoundCloud




soundcloud.app.goo.gl


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

TVvoodoo said:


> OMG this could be so embarrassing for me LOL,


Kinda like seeing yourself in the high school yearbook with a bad haircut. 

You got it? Bring it, bro!!


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

@fretzel 

Great playing! Love it. Both of them. 

Lots of ideas in there. Maybe a bit too many at times, but what are you gonna do when mixing facilties are so limited and tape is quickly degraded by re-do's and hiss builds up so bad with bouncing. Good job. I am gonna check your SoundCloud for more.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

laristotle said:


> Mid 80's.
> I had a Fostex 4-track along with a Boss drum machine.
> The Boss was a pain to program because I had to have the whole song in my head to lay down all the measures/cymbal shots/fills etc before recording to track.
> I did everything here including vocals (yeah, I know. meh). Lyrics are credited to my best friend at the time.
> Keep in mind, 80's metal was all about wizards, dragons and stuff like that. lol


Epic, dude. Lotsa fine eighties shredding. You have a ton of talent. 



laristotle said:


> I always wanted to play keys, so I got a Casio professional around the same time and did this;
> The only piano experience that I had was on accordion as a kid. lol


This is great. Considering the era & the gear, etc. We sure had our fun! 

When I am on the song-writers forum these days, I often have to wonder how much of a song was actually *played *by the artist.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

@KapnKrunch thanks! That is it for now on SoundCloud. I will try to post a couple others up though.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

KapnKrunch said:


> Yes, Dave. The first song I ever wrote that I "kept". Written in a motel room while out of town with the BoilerMakers Union.


You can't predict when the good ones will happen bud.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Just an awful bass heavy mix. I think all the instruments and vocals were recorded first and then I took the four track to a jam room and had a drummer I know play on them. Nothing was recorded to a click track. Must have been fun for him lol.

I was getting all political lol.

"Riverside, countryside, mountain lake, the moon's rising on the American state.
With nothing to fuel their post war hate, the sun will rise and seal their fate."


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https://soundcloud.com/guncho%2Fchris-gunter-king-sun-queen-moon-demo


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Guncho said:


> awful bass heavy


No hiding a decent song. I like it!


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Granny Gremlin said:


> You'd probably like it


Between trying to get stuff done, listening to everyone else's songs, and covid-scorning visitors I finally made it thru the list, GG! 

Longest intro's I ever heard. LOL. 

I am surprised the vocals are so far back in the mix if they were added later in a DAW?

Definitely hear the roots of Ohmno in those cuts.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

KapnKrunch said:


> Between trying to get stuff done, listening to everyone else's songs, and covid-scorning visitors I finally made it thru the list, GG!
> 
> Longest intro's I ever heard. LOL.
> 
> ...



Yeah, vocals not so forward is a post punk thing; drone/noise rock and shoegaze.. By that standard they're a little to up front still ;P


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

This one is one of the last things I recorded way back when. Guitars were done through a Zoom 9030.
KInda Nirvana meets metal with a heavy groove at the end. Well, at least in my opinion.I think its the only song I managed not to put a solo in.


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https://soundcloud.com/grabanarm%2Fangst


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Guncho said:


> Just an awful bass heavy mix. I think all the instruments and vocals were recorded first


If someone had played me that and said it was a proto-foo fighters vocal, I'd probably bite.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

jb welder said:


> If someone had played me that and said it was a proto-foo fighters vocal, I'd probably bite.


Thanks man! An influence for sure.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

fretzel said:


> This one is one of the last things I recorded way back when. Guitars were done through a Zoom 9030.
> KInda Nirvana meets metal with a heavy groove at the end. Well, at least in my opinion.I think its the only song I managed not to put a solo in.
> 
> 
> ...


Huh! How did I miss this? I thought if I FOLLOW'd you on SoundCloud I would be notified every time you posted something new. Zup widdat? 

Anyway, I heard it now. U ROK DOOD!


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

Thanks. I posted this the same day as this thread was getting a lot of replies. Lost in the shuffle probably. 

Had fun trying to gain access to my soundcloud as I hadn't used it in years. Apparently there is another fretzel out there with an email similar to mine.


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

Tune recorded on a Yamaha MT120S four track. There was a lot of track ping-pong/bounce being utilized to squeeze it all in,... ah, the good ol' days, lol.Wrote the ditty, played guitar and bass with one chum on the drums, one on flute & sax and one on the vocal pipes. Think it was around 1992.


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https://soundcloud.com/rolltape-1%2Fdecisions-decisions


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

Wow. Great quality recording. 

What was everyone medium of choice?

I believe most of mine were on TDK SA90 tape. For sure some were Maxell Gold as well.


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

fretzel said:


> Wow. Great quality recording.
> 
> What was everyone medium of choice?
> 
> I believe most of mine were on TDK SA90 tape. For sure some were Maxell Gold as well.


Thanks,... I used Maxell MS-60 Type II High CrO2 as recommended by Yamaha and recorded with a tape speed of 9.5-cm/sec.

Tried using a Metal Particle Type IV tape but the MT120S didn't perform well when recording with it.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

I definitely found that there were a bunch of high quality tapes that just didn't jive with certain decks I had. 

Also some tapes in spite of their claims that just sucked. 

I used double speed as well for the better quality. Nothing like turning a 90 minute tape into 22 1/2 minutes.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I am too ashamed.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Adcandour said:


> I am too ashamed.


Don't be. You've posted short clips in the past that were good.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

laristotle said:


> Don't be. You've posted short clips in the past that were good.


No...you don't understand. Playing is one thing, but my writing is abysmal. It is so bad, that it doesn't even have a genre.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Adcandour said:


> No...you don't understand. Playing is one thing, but my writing is abysmal. It is so bad, that it doesn't even have a genre.


Hmm. The title asks for cassette recordings. Says nothing about self written.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Adcandour said:


> I am too ashamed.


Aw c'mon it's fun!


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Midnight Rider said:


> There was a lot of track ping-pong/bounce being utilized to squeeze it all in


Turned out really clear and detailed for a tiny cassette! Wow. Good song too!!


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

KapnKrunch said:


> Turned out really clear and detailed for a tiny cassette! Wow. Good song too!!


I had some outboard gear, EQ, Compressor, Limiter to help in the mix down process. We really focused on the signal chain and made sure it was as clean as we could possibly get it with the tools at our disposal before we pressed record. We had a selection of decent quality tube, condenser and dynamic microphones that certainly helped in controlling the noise floor. The quality of instruments and amps was high along with there electrical components which certainly would have contributed in a low noise floor. I borrowed a friends Alembic 5 string bass,... best damn bass guitar I have ever laid my hands on,... amazing instrument. The recorded signal was direct through a Countryman Type 85 Active DI box.
The one thing that still bothers me about my mix on this track is the Saxophone. I should have cut around the 1.2kHz to remove some of that nasal sound,... but it can be tough when having to ping-pong and manage the equalization across all tracks. However, it does push one to work a little harder at achieving a final mix that works,... then when you upgrade to a more elaborate recording system you appreciate it much more and how it makes life easier when recording.
The wiring in the house had no major 60 cycle interference issues which also made life easy on the signal end of things as well.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

@Midnight Rider 

Basically, I would say, best possible tracking: good sound sources & competent mic'ing. Then you didn't mess up those takes with clumsy processing. 

Did you use any compression and EQ to track as well as to mix?


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

KapnKrunch said:


> @Midnight Rider
> 
> Basically, I would say, best possible tracking: good sound sources & competent mic'ing. Then you didn't mess up those takes with clumsy processing.
> 
> Did you use any compression and EQ to track as well as to mix?


Equalizing while tracking was solely reliant on instrument and amp EQ settings.Used my 1976 MXR dyna comp compressor on the guitar tracks. Borrowed a Universal Audio 1176 Limiter and used it on vocals and saxophone. For stereo mix down I had a stereo pair of Urei LA-3A compressors and a White Instruments 28 band stereo parametric equalizer.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

The White is unusual. It looks like a 28 band graphic with knobs instead of sliders. Freq's are not adjustable. No Q. How is it "parametric"? I see they go real cheap these days but everybody loves them. 

You obviously used the UA and LA's to great advantage to get so many tracks sound that clear on a cassette. No wonder those vintage pieces are so desirable. 

What really impresses me is the levels in the mix. So easy to get something too low or too high and you only get so many tries before the tape is shot.

Thanks for the info.


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

KapnKrunch said:


> It looks like a 28 band graphic with knobs instead of sliders. Freq's are not adjustable. No Q. How is it "parametric"? I see they go real cheap these days but everybody loves them.


Right you are,... it is a graphic EQ. I was up all night working on a mix and twisting the parametric EQ knobs on my Allen & Heath GS-R24M console before responding to your post,... must have had 'Parametric' brain fever after three or so hours sitting at the desk.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Lol. Great shot of you working in the studio. 

Did you guys back-up tracks to another cassette before effing around with the bouncing, ping-ponging, O'dubs? Just in case it turned into a dog's breakfast.


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

KapnKrunch said:


> Lol. Great shot of you working in the studio.
> 
> Did you guys back-up tracks to another cassette before effing around with the bouncing, ping-ponging, O'dubs? Just in case it turned into a dog's breakfast.


Yes,... I always made copies because of the one time that I didn't which in turn f'd up the entire recording effort of a band,... I wasn't the most popular guy in the room after that failure.


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