Silly, Silly Tape Recorder II - Make a Vintage Drum Machine!

[alinealows]

nice vid helps alot thanks bro

[indigoking]

?????

Why did we use splicing tape and a splicing block all those years ago - MANNNN we could have saved a fortune. I imagine single edge blades are dangerous for kidz today phew I MADE IT. (in our spare time we used single edge blades .... for manicures, pedicures - oh and making colclene spray hoses) now wheres the feckin emotion(less) CONS - AAAGGHH why am I bothering

[clydesight]

@indigoking

Splicing tape was the recommended material back in the day, and the splicing blocks made it easy to make a splice. For serious work and use, it was the way to go.

Today, splicing tape is harder to find, as are the blocks--so I showed an alternative using scissors and cellophane tape. Back in the day, a lot of people did that for home recorders anyway!

Purists would choke, but this is a SILLY tape recorder usage anyway!

[indigoking]

@clydesight

No I know - I was just sort of making a (pro) funny on your funny - honestly I think its quite a nifty set-up gizmo-thingy :)

If you wanted a portable version you could always rig up an old answer machine using endless loop cassettes - and yes you can splice them too - believe it or not I have a 1/8" splicing block (and tape)

Don't know how I even came across this, I was googling for repair info on an old Revox

- Now I would be impressed if you could sync it up to another set up!

[clydesight]

@indigoking

Oh, I've seen those cassette splicing blocks. Seem a bit rare, possibly because cassette tape is so thin and hard to work with, plus it is easy to twist around the wrong way, and it doesn't help that most modern tape is shiny on both sides, making it even more difficult. Splicing tape, well, I've had plenty of it fail in old cassettes on leaders. I've never worked on a Revox, but they are very popular high end units. Not sure how silly I could get with one of those!

[angelpichu1]

what is the longest loop you could possibly make and it would still work?

[clydesight]

@angelpichu1

I found that the 37 inches was best with these two machines at 1-7/8 inches per second.

[crashbigtime]

I haven't laughed this hard in a while... thanks. If you ever cobbled together a working echoplex-type device, you'd get huge props from vintage music gear enthusiasts.

[clydesight]

@crashbigtime

Thanks,

glad you enjoyed it. Yes it's silly, but then -- what else can one do with two old battery tape recorders?

There are plenty of drum machines around, but nothing quite as silly as what I came up with!

[epohnopulse]

What would happen if you used a Rhombis strip type loop? Would it give you twice the loop time?

[clydesight]

@epohnopulse

I think you mean a "mobius strip" which twists upon itself. It would not work because it would twist the tape. You can only record on one side of the tape, so the loop has to be flat.

[thedirtydeltas]

OMFG I have so much respect for the people who first did this,I had no idea who much went into it.

[clydesight]

@thedirtydeltas Thanks. I have no idea how they REALLY made drum loops with tapes. I just came up with this as a silly but fun project for people with old taper recorders to try.

[thedirtydeltas]

@clydesight No I was referring to the loop method,I mean because i play with loops on logic digitally but now I know the analogue version and I'm shocked at how time consuming it must have been.the Beatles were genius.

[clydesight]

@thedirtydeltas Yes, digital makes things ever so much easier than analog! There is a record (you can still get it on CD called "The In Sound From Way Out" which was a huge hit in the 1960's of a type of synthesizer music. They did it using hundreds of little tape loops and it took them, I think, 6 months to make the recording.

Analog is fun to play with, but digital is convenient.

[RODALCO2007]

Excellent 5 ***** great project.

[clydesight]

@RODALCO2007

Thanks!

[btown2011]

couple of weeks i'll have my ampex 354 working and post a response doing this same thing.

[mogueyou]

thanks or uploading this video, although i can make lops on reason i've been playing with tapes for a little while now and they are just much more fun, i've recently been thinking about using vhs tape, this has encouraged me to start thinking about reel to reel aswell. *****

[clydesight]

@mogueyou

Thanks for the nice comment. Yes, if you want SERIOUS loops, use something more sensible than my silly solution. But as you say, this is more fun!

HIFI Stereo VHS can put out an excellent sound! Unfortunately, sometimes the tapes or the recorders go really bad! I had an Emerson machine that totally lost it on the audio, but for a while, the HiFi stereo sound was wonderful. I have no idea how you might loop a VHS tape though.

[mogueyou]

@clydesight i think i know how to do it (splicing with scotch tape) though the problem i've considered is that the loop length is confined by the size of the spools and then of cause there is all the fiddling about taking them apart. anyway i'm going to have a go sometime next week, i'll let you know how it turns out. i'm still having a hunt for reel - reels though

[hustletv]

This is cool as hell. Thanks for sharing.

[clydesight]

Thanks, hustletv!

[armyofmeisbliss]

I don't think it's silly at all!!! : ) really cool

[clydesight]

Thanks!

[janochanotariusz]

whis is a bit weird but i love it! very inspiring

[clydesight]

Thanks! It is silly, hence the title, Silly Silly Tape Recorder. Just something silly to do with vintage machines.

[icedrinker8]

i can do this on a cassette

[clydesight]

But it is more fun making two reel to reel machines do it!

[ForgetfulCollector]

I bet you could do a similar experiment on a full-size reel-to-reel, using some large hub 7" reels. Very good presentation! It proved to be interesting!

[clydesight]

Thanks. YES you can do with with any size Reel-To-Reel machine. I didn't have room on my work table for full sized units, but you are correct about them being able to do the same thing. The trick is of course, the capstan drive system. Gotta love capstan drive-- when it works right.

[ForgetfulCollector]

I actually tried the loop experiment on my reel-to-reel, and it worked, sort of.

[clydesight]

A lot depends on the speed you use (I used 3-3/4 ips) and, if you are using the two tape recorder playback method, the distance between the machines. It takes some experimentation to get it just right. Anyway, it was all just for fun. The BEST drum machine is one designed as a drum machine.

[kristoffer1989]

sounds so lo fi and AMAZINGLY nice for sampling!!

[clydesight]

Thanks! Some of the lo fi comes from the digital camera which only records at 22KHZ mono sampling rate. I got a REAL camcorder which records onto DV so will have better sound in future videos.

[kristoffer1989]

can't wait to here:)

I think the modern world of "perfect" sound needs some loficontrasts to. Thats why i am buying myself a zvex lofi loop junky to go along with my ableton live laptopism:)

[clydesight]

I got one video made with the new camcorder sound. It's not great, as I am learning how to focus the camera and get lighting right, but it is a start. It's called" Get Real - Realistic SCT86" on clydesight channel.

[zcallins]

Very good video, very informative. Leaves nothing to be confused about.

[clydesight]

Thank you for your kind words, I appreciate it!

[wilkes85]

hey that's awesome!

[clydesight]

Thanks!

[AMOKIAN]

I have alot of vintage experimental records that use tape loops, it's hard to imagine going through this process to make loops, I like vintage and archaic recording techniques and

instruments. NICE informative VIDEO.

[clydesight]

Thanks. Yeah, tape loops are very cumbersome and difficult. It's amazing to read about what the pioneers of loops went through. "The In Sound From Way Out" (as heard on my video "The Tape Recorder From Outer Space") which is made with loops took many months to produce. Digital makes it a LOT easier. But these old machines are fun to play with for experimentation.

[georgelee43211]

thank a lot for that demonstration i could use it for my 5 reel to reel.

[clydesight]

Yes, you can use this with any size capstan drive tape recorder (including the big AC powered units. The second tape recorder is a "dummy", but can also add some syncopation. The only thing is, it can't be capstan drive because the two machines won't properly "sync" up, and the tape loop may "travel" and eventually snag. Good luck with your 5 inch reel to reel!

[saintarvin1]

I have seen yours and his and both are good videos ...something I did many years ago.

[ffeku]

Enjoyed video & the 'editing/splice' tutorial

is Great info for anyone not familiar w/ old school pre-computer procedure. Nice Combo & drum machine loops!

[thecrystalcauldron]

Now that was fun, clever and interesting. I like "silly".

Well done! another brilliant video.

[CassetteMaster]

WHEEEW! That AIWA is a nice one! I'm glad you like the video and did this! Good advice there on 45 degree angled splice (i had just did it straight up and down), and also using empty reels, too. I didn't think of that! Those are classics. May you please make a presentation video for the AIWA recorder? That one is AWESOME and sounds pretty good. Also, is it AC or DC bias? My AIWA is.......D..C...BIAS!

[clydesight]

Thanks! I plan to do a video on the AIWA soon. It had a fiber belt that went all bad and I had to make a new one using strapping tape (yes, it can be done). I need to document that for tape recorder fans who run into this problem. I've never found fiber belts available anywhere but strapping tape can make a good replacement if you do it right. The AIWA is AC bias, I think. Sounds it, but I'd have to recheck the amp for the coil. The motor is a little weak on it, not sure why.

[CassetteMaster]

If the motor is too weak be be stable, I know the solution. My AIWA had a weak motor in it. I replaced it with a motor from an old portable cassette recorder, a 6 volt model I had taken apart back in the day. It ran at the right speed and worked just right for it!

[clydesight]

I know, but I hate to sacrifice a cassette recorder just to get the motor out. I had a GE that I thought was a goner, no belt. But then I found a belt, and it works great now, so no sacrifice there. I have an RCA with a really blown amp, but the transport works, so no sacrifice there, as I like the look of the unit and I can jump the heads if I want to play with it. Sigh. Too bad they don't sell little motors anymore for these machines.

[CassetteMaster]

Maybe that modern DC bias Durabrand radio-cassette recorder model at wal-mart would work. One that's new.

[clydesight]

I found a surplus electronics site on the Web that sells cassette motors for only $2.50 each!