[optimus_prime]

OK. go ahead, call me nostalgic, but theres just something about audio cassette tapes and VHS tapes that I still find myself fond of.

I know, DVDs and CDs are superior in playback clarity; they never need to be rewound; and usually require less space to store.

But theres something about VHS tapes that give films a different feel to them,..like its more of a movie,.and less of a computer program. DVDs have an excellent sharp resolution, and going into detail about HD-DVD and Blu-ray's definition is just insane regarding how sharp their resolution is.....

...sometimes I dont want to see every single freckle or blemish on an actor's face.

VHS films tend to maintain this sort of soft-focus in comparision with its disc-based counterparts. Its easier on the eyes, less strain I suppose since your eyes dont need to adjust to watch something being featured in a higher resolution.

But its not just the resolution that concerns me. You see, I have tons of films on VHS, that I dont quite have on DVD. I dont care too much about having to re-purchase the same film over again on DVD, when I already own a perfect copy of it on VHS.

It really bugs me sometimes about technology when the newest thing comes out and its priced high, so you wait a few years for the price to come down a bit, then everyone buys it up,.and then before you know it its already being phased out by the next newest successor in technology.

Grant it, VHS has a great 20 yr run or so. You can still go to most electronic stores and find hybird players that support both DVD and VHS playback. But, good luck on trying to find a film at that same store on VHS format.

The same holds true with audio tapes, only its a little bit harder to find a stereo system that still supports cassette tapes.

The one thing I dont miss about cassette tapes is that they were subject to being chewed up and eaten by the player every now and then. CDs are great too,.but trying to take either of these mobile,.say when youre jogging,.and its bound to give you troubles. they will either skip, fall off of your belt strap thing that holds them in place due to their weight, or drain batteries too fast. for these reasons i wholly support the arrival of the MP3 format.

However, I still have not been able to find a decent MP3 wireless FM transmitter for my car that provides crystal clear reception. Usually I find myself toying around with different radio stations trying to locate which one will give me the best reception..and even then its not all the great.

I still have some "Metal" audio cassette tapes, and some that feature "CD" on them, and their clarity on playback is quite amazing. I still find myself experimenting with HIGH and LOW bias settings to see which will have the best sound, the same with players that have the manual equalizer switches, and the NORMAL and METAL settings.

I sometimes feel like just totally discarding everything I own on VHS and cassette tape and just continue working on building up my DVD and CD collection. But would I be willing to do the same thing once DVD and CD are phased out? I have certain special programs on both cassette tapes and VHS that are unique. Things like weddings, audio tapes of when I was in radio school, etc.

I have a decent VHS to DVD recorder that can pretty much transfer anything to the newer format, but I dont have any machine that can do the same trick for cassette tapes to a CD format.

so, as it stands, i find myself still holding onto my cassette tapes and VHS tapes,.and taking great care of the players i have that play them. I guess its natural to feel this way. Heck, my father still has many of his 8-tracks and LPs.

[Spoon Poetic]

I still have a ton of VHS and cassettes. I still keep the ones I finally got CD/DVD copies of, just for nostalgia and packrat-ness (not to mention, who knows how much that First-Edition Bambi VHS will be worth in 20 years?). But for those tapes (and even records) of which I can't find CD versions, I used a high-quality computer microphone and recorded them to my computer, and then made CDs of the tracks. Problem at the time was that every time a song would end, I'd have to stop the recording, stop the tape, save the file, and start a new one for the next song coming on. But that was a few years ago - I think there are programs now that know when the track has ended (due to the silent bit) and start a new track automatically (as well as there being bits of technology better than putting your computer mic up to the speaker of an old tape player). Surprisingly, the CDs I made in this fashion are pretty good quality.

[Heccubus]

I still have a ton of VHS and cassettes. I still keep the ones I finally got CD/DVD copies of, just for nostalgia and packrat-ness (not to mention, who knows how much that First-Edition Bambi VHS will be worth in 20 years?). But for those tapes (and even records) of which I can't find CD versions, I used a high-quality computer microphone and recorded them to my computer, and then made CDs of the tracks. Problem at the time was that every time a song would end, I'd have to stop the recording, stop the tape, save the file, and start a new one for the next song coming on. But that was a few years ago - I think there are programs now that know when the track has ended (due to the silent bit) and start a new track automatically (as well as there being bits of technology better than putting your computer mic up to the speaker of an old tape player). Surprisingly, the CDs I made in this fashion are pretty good quality.

Seems like what you need is a good USB turntable. I'm pretty sure they make USB tape decks now too. I've been looking into a turntable to plug into my laptop for a while now, since I haven't had one for almost two years. They're a bit beyond my current price range, though.
Tapes have a certain nostalgic value to me, but for the most part they're worthless. They're too easily damaged, the sound is lossy from the get go and they just generally suck. Vinyl and CD are the way to go.

This post has been edited by Heccubus: 21 November 2007 - 04:25 PM

[Deepsycher]

I find USB devices like that a bit dodgy because I don't know what hardware components are used inside the deck or equipment to process the sound.

I rather use a good quality old affordable deck with a quality needle and thick shielded wires to record on a sound card with no interference on the input. I always find microphone ports on computers to be very noisy. I can hear activity on all three sound cards when I plug the microphone in the mic port and one which is too low.

I found now that using two 3 pin din cone shaped microphones (left and right inputs) on my old stereo cassette deck produces absolutely no noise plugged through the line in port of a sound card I am using even with the srs3d hardware. I would never use a computer microphone again and unless I know the hardware inside especially for the usb ones. I have them on desktop stands across the room.

This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 21 November 2007 - 04:55 PM

[Heccubus]

It can't be that complex. The needle records the vibrations in the groove, just as it would with an analogue turntable, and then translates the sound into a digital signal, which is sent to the USB cable and then to the computer.
I don't think it would be any more complex than that.

[Deepsycher]

Sorry I didn't mean that. I was thinking of the quality of the converstion in the hardware. The chipsets used and I hope it isn't done in software. Shouldn't be that much overhead anyway because I want it in wav format.

Someone who specialises in needles showed me some of theirs. Two years ago I did notice a difference in sound detail at first with replacing the original needle with a Shure Diamond series needle on a Garrard SB100 deck. I heard a wider treble range and it sounded less unclear like the other one. Now that is something for me to research into further about the details of the metal, frequency range and vibrations. I don't know much as I would like to know as yet but I see the benefit of decks with an anti skating feature and the springs under it. Also direct drives without that belt underneath to be replaced when they wear out. The last needle I saw was a Goldring 1000 series put into a Rotel RP 5300. When I find some tunes I like on records I will plug that deck into my amplifier input with the record channel connected to the line in of my loop of sound cards and then I can do some comparisons.

Unless you can enlighting me further if you have any knowledge on the different types of needles.

Actually now that this is brought up I found something interesting I didn't know in much about detail before:

http://en.wikipedia....netic_cartridge

I knew about the grooves and the magnet but not too much the internal workings and the other types out there.

This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 22 November 2007 - 12:24 PM

[wallabyeyes]

I grew up listening to cassettes, making mix tapes or taping whole albums. Discmans suck because a) they were clunkier they skipped c) CD's still haven't surpassed 80min capacity d) they ate up battery power twice as fast as the average walkman.
The low wuality of tapes is something I've never been adverse to. In fact it sometimes gives digital music a presence sorely lacking on the CD.
The process of making a mix tape vs. a mix CD is way more enjoyable. You can't fall in love with EVERY album no matter how good it is. Sometimes you just have to pick a couple songs at random and absorb them exclusively. Having to listen to the songs as you compile a mix.
If you have a tape deck learn how to take care of it because no electronics shop on earth will bother with them. It's a sad story.

I bought a little device that hooks up straight to your amp so i can record tapes and LP's. i recommend it. Didn't cost much either.

This post has been edited by wallabyeyes: 29 November 2007 - 08:26 PM

[Heccubus]

If you have a tape deck learn how to take care of it because no electronics shop on earth will bother with them. It's a sad story.

The Radioshack (or the Source or whatever the fuck they call themselves now) near my house carries a dual tape deck that I've wanted for a while, but I don't have an actual stereo system anyway, so it doesn't matter. I think it would be more useful for making little homebrew tapes of my own stuff to sell at shows than it would be for listening to music, but again, I'm just not that big on tapes as a playback device.

[wallabyeyes]

Another advantage of cassette: it comes with it's own built-in protective casing.

[z e w b]

Until the stereo eats the tape.

[wallabyeyes]

If you're quick on the draw you can still salvage the celluloid strip. there are little warning signs that indicate oncoming disaster. If you hear a warbling sound check your works.

Also, how many formats can you toss around your room without fear of damage? Do that to my records and i'll put the boots to ya. Tapes? Let's play Frisbee!

[Heccubus]

That's true... In day to day use, tapes are almost indestructible. That has to be the hardest material any music recorded was ever released in.

[softcell1]

That's true... In day to day use, tapes are almost indestructible. That has to be the hardest material any music recorded was ever released in.

Hello all, it's the end of 2008 and VHS and cassettes still have their place in society!

VHS still has many advantages over DVD's.

1) VHS tapes don't scratch
2) ease in handling for younger children
3) you can get them at yard sales for a buck a piece now!

cassette's--well they should not have phased them out when they did, as millions of autos still have tape decks. not to mention the tons of people out there with substantial tape collections.. Oh, and 1 more thing, analog sounds way better than digital!!!!


adios

[Slade]

Whoa. A 10 hour and 59 minute shy of a year bump. Impressive.

Re: This thread
I prefer mediums that don't get slowly ruined just by using them. And I've seen enough old, messed up, grainy, poor quality VHS cassettes to realize that it's outdated for a good reason. Scratch that; I've had to REWIND enough of those old cassettes.

CDs and DVDs win in this battle in every way except as an appreciation of technology evolution and general nostalgia.

[Dr Lecter]

DVDs > VHS. Simply for the size factor. You could easily fit about 20 DVDs into a VHS tape. If I had to lug my DVD collection in VHS form, I'd have to take about 3 trips back and forth between uni and home every time I moved back.