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macumbista
Joined: Sep 12, 2007 Posts: 398 Location: berlin
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 10:29 am Post subject:
Mixing + mastering for cassette |
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I've been invited to do an electroacoustic piece for cassette release next year. Does anyone have tips on producing for tape?
I'd be most interested in the noise floor, signal-to-noise ratio and frequency response specs typical for cassette tape, so I know which parts of the work I'm making are most likely to disappear in the final release so I can still work around that problem.
If possibly, I'd love it if this thread steered clear of the usual "cassettes = good vs bad" swamp-pit that most other threads on the topic I've located eventually fall into. In my case, the medium is already chosen and what I want to do is make the most of it. Thanks much! _________________ Esoteric drones and nonlinear distortion
Custom/handmade experimental instruments
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blue hell
Site Admin
Joined: Apr 03, 2004 Posts: 24079 Location: The Netherlands, Enschede
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 11:09 am Post subject:
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Bit hard to say in general as it depends on tape type very much and if you'll use Dolby. _________________ Jan
also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
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elektro80
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Joined: Mar 25, 2003 Posts: 21959 Location: Norway
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 11:59 am Post subject:
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You could actually consider buying some old tapes with major label produced music on it and then study how they have solved the obvious problems.. and also become familiar again with how cassette tape sounds. That way you will have some references. _________________ A Charity Pantomime in aid of Paranoid Schizophrenics descended into chaos yesterday when someone shouted, "He's behind you!"
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elektro80
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Joined: Mar 25, 2003 Posts: 21959 Location: Norway
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 12:04 pm Post subject:
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The good thing here is that you will probably work in the digital domain with the mastering so this means you will have decent control of overall levels and peaks.
Do you have a decent cassette deck to record with or will you use a cassette duplication service of sorts? Is the cassette for general distribution? _________________ A Charity Pantomime in aid of Paranoid Schizophrenics descended into chaos yesterday when someone shouted, "He's behind you!"
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macumbista
Joined: Sep 12, 2007 Posts: 398 Location: berlin
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 4:15 am Post subject:
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Thanks for the replies! Quick answers:
1) No Dolby.
2) Checking commercial cassette releases are a good idea. However, if they use Dolby then I would get different results.
3) Source material is analog (modular synth and speaker feedbacks) so not entirely predictable in what they produce, however yes if I mix/master digitally then I have a lot to say about final results.
4) Label will use cassette dup services, I've already asked them for some spec but they haven't provided any yet. In the meantime I'm looking around for a tape deck to play around with. Funny thing is, I'm doing a residency at a music conservatory right now, and you'd figure they would have a cassette player somewhere hidden behind the high-tech fiberoptic networks between the concert halls and all, but...
Best!
D. _________________ Esoteric drones and nonlinear distortion
Custom/handmade experimental instruments
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modulator_esp
Stream Operator
Joined: Feb 04, 2005 Posts: 2845 Location: Nottingham, UK
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Frenzy-Records
Joined: Jan 29, 2013 Posts: 9 Location: Nottingham, England
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:41 am Post subject:
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Is there stilll a market for Cassettes?
I'd suggest the CD market would make more commercial sense. _________________ www.frenzy-records.com |
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macumbista
Joined: Sep 12, 2007 Posts: 398 Location: berlin
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:10 am Post subject:
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Frenzy-Records wrote: | Is there stilll a market for Cassettes?
I'd suggest the CD market would make more commercial sense. |
Troll question, or simply no knowledge of the underground scene? Do CDs actually make commercial sense? I don't know, but they make nice drink-coasters these days. Does releasing any physical format make commercial sense these days? Alright, sorted then. _________________ Esoteric drones and nonlinear distortion
Custom/handmade experimental instruments
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Frenzy-Records
Joined: Jan 29, 2013 Posts: 9 Location: Nottingham, England
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:18 am Post subject:
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I have adequate knowledge of the underground scene being a DJ, Producer Label owner associated with Hardcore & Trance music.. Just no-one sells or uses cassettes, CD's are fading away too.. its all digital formats in 2013, people want instant music.. _________________ www.frenzy-records.com |
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blue hell
Site Admin
Joined: Apr 03, 2004 Posts: 24079 Location: The Netherlands, Enschede
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 12:09 pm Post subject:
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Nah, my underground is waay more underground
Since when does art have to make sense or be danceable _________________ Jan
also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
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modulator_esp
Stream Operator
Joined: Feb 04, 2005 Posts: 2845 Location: Nottingham, UK
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 2:40 pm Post subject:
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Frenzy-Records wrote: | I have adequate knowledge of the underground scene being a DJ, Producer Label owner associated with Hardcore & Trance music.. Just no-one sells or uses cassettes, CD's are fading away too.. its all digital formats in 2013, people want instant music.. |
Perhaps there is no call for cassettes in hardcore/trance, but there is in other scenes, e.g. improv/noise/experimental/synth, possibly due to the more DIY ethos. Lots of tape labels put a lot of work into making very nice physical products that seem to be very collectible.
There are also lots of people doing vinyl, CDs/CDRs and even downloads for when the limited releases on physical format sell out, which they do very quickly.
Downloads may be instant but not everyone wants instant gratification, and they're really hard to sell at gigs _________________ Jez
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macumbista
Joined: Sep 12, 2007 Posts: 398 Location: berlin
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 7:25 pm Post subject:
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And guess what: not everyone is interested in doing this just for the money either... amazing but true!!!!
My point really was this: people are attracted to different formats for different reasons. Some are particularly attracted by the limitations/characteristics of the medium itself. The more restrictive and "outdated", the better. To inspire.
If this were not true, I would not have been able to live perform sets for the last 6 years using only overhead projectors for both sound source and visuals.
For example... _________________ Esoteric drones and nonlinear distortion
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