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Author Topic: Cassette transfers.  (Read 17208 times)

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Offline RyanJ

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Re: Cassette transfers.
« Reply #30 on: June 10, 2019, 04:33:12 PM »
I used to run Nakamichi > V3 > R-44, but now just run Nakamichi > Mixpre-6

I'm trying to explain this without sounding dumb. But that's not going to happen... Any way to run into these recorders so that the waveform is the same as what is recorded on the media? Instead of having to adjust levels? I feel like sometimes I run it a bit hot and it sounds brickwalled, even though it's not looking that way on the WAV file.
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Offline rigpimp

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Re: Cassette transfers.
« Reply #31 on: June 11, 2019, 03:12:27 AM »
I'm not sure that I understand your question. 

I have done literally thousands of cassette transfers.  Shit there is a box of bluegrass tapes at my feet while I type and stacks on my desk collecting dust while I pound through my school work.  I have one of those silly black and white composition books that I use to take notes.  Side A, Side B and their corresponding Mixpre file #s.  I fill an SD card and dump it, make text files, have my historain buddy do a write up and then it all sits idel.

What part isn't going to happen?  If you are brickwalling a digital recorder you probably have your limiters on.  Set the Mixpre so the peaks tick red and you are good.  You should only adjust levels so it does come out like crap.  Anything else can be done in post.  All of mine are residing in raw FlAC'd 24/96 files waiting for some tracking angel to fall from heaven so that I can share them all on the LMA. 

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Offline ts

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Re: Cassette transfers.
« Reply #32 on: June 18, 2019, 08:19:52 PM »
I notice that in some transfer lineage that the cassette deck is sometimes listed as just Nakamichi (no model #) or some other random cassette deck. Usually three head decks. Since we are obviously concerned with playback only for transfers are the big dogs like the Dragon and CR7A really necessary? Aren’t the strong points of these masterpieces for recording? For transfers playback azimuth is the strongest point. Some decks there is a knob on the face, auto or take the door off.

Offline jefflester

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Re: Cassette transfers.
« Reply #33 on: June 18, 2019, 09:32:12 PM »
For transfers playback azimuth is the strongest point. Some decks there is a knob on the face, auto or take the door off.
How many non-"Big Dog" decks have manual azimuth adjust*, much less auto? Not many. Any?
*meaning knob, not a screw

« Last Edit: June 18, 2019, 09:42:41 PM by jefflester »
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Offline twatts (pants are so over-rated...)

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Re: Cassette transfers.
« Reply #34 on: June 19, 2019, 08:59:25 AM »
I used to run Nakamichi > V3 > R-44, but now just run Nakamichi > Mixpre-6

I'm trying to explain this without sounding dumb. But that's not going to happen... Any way to run into these recorders so that the waveform is the same as what is recorded on the media? Instead of having to adjust levels? I feel like sometimes I run it a bit hot and it sounds brickwalled, even though it's not looking that way on the WAV file.

Technically, you could make Test Transfers and re-adjust the input levels on your recorder until you get the same levels on your input as your output.  I'm not sure that's possible via the meters on your cassette deck vs the meters on your recorder.  I think it would take a lot of technical effort and gizmos...

Years ago, I figured out a good "working" input level on my recorder and stick with that.  If I find that I'm running hot (or not hot enough), I'll adjust and start the Tape over... 

But yeah, when going analog to digital, there's no way to do a "perfect" transfer...  Its the nature of the analog beast...

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Offline ts

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Re: Cassette transfers.
« Reply #35 on: April 03, 2021, 08:26:42 PM »
For transfers playback azimuth is the strongest point. Some decks there is a knob on the face, auto or take the door off.
How many non-"Big Dog" decks have manual azimuth adjust*, much less auto? Not many. Any?
*meaning knob, not a screw

Very good point and sorry for the almost two year delay in responding! Honestly I completely forgot about this topic. I believe there are only 4 Naks with auto or a knob (no screw).

BTW I ended up getting rid of my CR5A because of the screw and replaced it with a Cassette Deck 1. The CD1 has a knob. The 5A originally retailed for about $200 more than the CD1. The CD1 was last produced in 1992. I got a good deal on the CD1, <500 with a not so recent service history, and let the the 5A go for a really good price here with a fresh service.

Here’s the four:

Dragon - auto PB adjust. 1982 - 1993. MSRP $2499
CR7A - manual PB adjust. 1986 - 1992. MSRP $1849
DR1 - manual PB adjust. ???? - 1993. MSRP $879
CD1 - manual PB adjust. 1990 - 1992. MSRP $879 (The DR1 and CD1 are identical except for the face plates.)

Need to mention, the ZX9 is definitely a big dog, but no auto or manual azimuth adjust.

So some folks don’t mind the screw. I sure did.



Offline rocksuitcase

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Re: Cassette transfers.
« Reply #36 on: April 04, 2021, 12:25:37 AM »
I've recently purchased a 582Z which has manual azimuth adjust via a screw however the screw hole point is very easily defined on the front panel.
I own a non working 680ZX which also has the same thing on its panel. I read the main difference between the 582Z and 680ZX is the 680ZX will do "half-speed" recordings, putting 90 minutes of music per side on a 90 minutes tape, totaling 180 minutes playback time. Who knew?

Check out the graph of production lifespan of their models.
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Offline ts

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Re: Cassette transfers.
« Reply #37 on: April 04, 2021, 08:30:44 AM »
A lot of the older Naks had the holes in the door for easy access. I used to run the 5A with the door off.  :facepalm:

That deck you got from Ray is really nice. I really liked some of the older decks. I also had a 680ZX, but that was years ago, long before the need to transfer. I traded it in 1987 for a brand new CR5A. I wasn’t looking to do that, but the owner of my local hi-fi shop really wanted the 680zx for his collection and did an even trade. He wanted it because of the 1/2 speed function, which I never used.

Offline EmRR

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Re: Cassette transfers.
« Reply #38 on: April 04, 2021, 09:52:10 AM »
I’ve done a ton of transfers recently on a Tascam 122mkIII that was just rebuilt.  It has the XLR in/out board and I’m using that into a MOTU 16A.

I appreciate the output level control, but was surprised to discover the metered level is before the output level control, for better or worse.  It took some experimenting to see where the tape recorder output electronics were overloading on hot tapes, comparing waveforms on the transfer side. 

Azimuth - i have used a phase scope in software to assess, and it’s wild how much the top end will change, like tall grass in a breeze.  I see the point of auto-azimuth now, and wonder what it looks like with a phase scope.  For the most part the tapes I’ve done are stable beginning to end, but not all, and I’ve adjusted a few as it played.  I knew the beginnings of tapes were almost universally bad, and a bunch of us tapers here way back agreed it was best to avoid the first 20-30 seconds of a tape for recording, and I mostly did.   The occasions a tape starts from the leader have all been noticeably bad, and improve drastically in the first minute or so. I wonder if auto azimuth is able to ride that rodeo trick.

The argument for higher sample rate transfers: speed corrections in post sounding better. 
« Last Edit: April 04, 2021, 09:57:38 AM by EmRR »
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