How To Clean/Demagnetize Cassette Tape Deck Heads Part 2

[bigkingsha]

I'd say for the overall "health" of the deck, then yes, clean and demagnetize...but to get that crisp dynamic range sound back, I simply do a line-in record straight to Adobe Audition/Soundbooth and tweak the 10 band graphic equalizer accordingly. Does the trick everytime. Very good video.

[Paspiedreamcast]

the cleaned head sounds ever so slightly cleaner and less distorted. But, sound quality is not really a huge priority with this task, it's just to keep the deck working and in good shape.

[shoprat17]

If you're careful (easier to do with 8 track and some reel to reel) you can demagnetize with a soldering gun (not iron)

[DarkoAqua]

But thanks for the video anyway, it was very helpful!

[DarkoAqua]

I didn't hear any difference. Unfortunately 360p videos on YouTube have lower sound quality in high frequency due compression so that might be the case. I recorded clips with 16b/96kHz which is enough for this video and splited clips in two for A/B tests with markers on different parts. My hearing doesn't register beyond 15-16kHz and my Sennheiser HD201 headphones are limmiting factors. Head characteristics & electronics, tape and source are dominant IMHO.

[uxwbill]

@DarkoAqua At the time this video was made, I shot everything with a Panasonic Lumix point-n-shoot digital still camera. It "just so happened" to have a video mode. While picture quality was very good, the camera could not refocus or zoom while recording. Audio quality was definitely an afterthought, with the high end being very severely rolled off.

The point of the video is to show how this is done, so that those who believe there is a problem can fix it.

[DarkoAqua]

@uxwbill If you happen to still keep original recordings ( highly unlikely :) from your Mac before and after, could you upload them somewhere? Also, what is your opinion on demagnetisers? Are they really essential or isopropyl should be enough? I plan to transfer some old tapes, one time job, so I wish to do it best I can. Thanks.

[uxwbill]

@DarkoAqua I've kept the source files for pretty much everything that I have ever recorded. Why do you want me to upload them somewhere? (There is no significant quality difference in the video or audio.)

If you are going to do a "one shot" conversion of your tapes, I'd put the odds in your favor as much as possible. To me, that would mean doing things even if they weren't strictly necessary--and using a cassette deck that is known to be in good working condition.

[DarkoAqua]

@uxwbill I think original recordings do not suffer from additional YouTube compression, so I wish to hear the difference. Thanks!

[jlewis184]

I can't see the erasure head you are referring too. I'm looking for it on my old panasonic single-head tape recorder, and can't seem to find it either. What am I overlooking??

[uxwbill]

@jlewis184 Maybe it's not there. I've seen a very few cassette decks without erase heads in place, typically low quality ones. If the machine really claims to have only a "single head", it definitely might not have an erase head. Machines with erase heads are called "two head" machines.

A few decks also place the erase head next to the playback/recording head, with little or no space between the two. Check for this possibility.

[TheJamesmario]

i have a tape deck, but the sound isn't as good as it was 5 years ago, i tried cleaning the heads with water and a brush, does this mean it is time to get a better deck from a used shop or ebay?

[uxwbill]

@TheJamesmario Don't use water and a brush. Use isopropyl alcohol with a cotton swab or similar thing as shown here. (I've used the sewn edge of bath towels in a pinch.)

You may also need to demagnetize the heads, as enough magnetism built up in the heads can cause poor audio.

[thepaashaas]

heej bill,

I bought something cool at the secondhand store.

a Pioneer T-F21 tape deck.

It has a slide like a cd drive, its not working all that great, but i just wanted to have one!

[727JeffN]

Basically the same way I've always done it. I don't really mess with my cassette decks much anymore.

I've always used a cassette shell demagnetizer, probably not the best. And alcohol with a cotton swab. Radio Shack used to sell long cleaning swabs, about 7 or 8 inches long, just for this purpose. Don't know whether they still sell them or not.

[Lachlant1984]

I've read a few things about cleaning tape player heads, one of which was on a web site about, of all things, Teddy Ruxpin, a toy teddy bear that used cassette tapes, one thing that website mentioned is not to press too hard on the pinch roller when cleaning it or you may start shedding rubber, and that can't be good. BadEditPro also made a video about cleaning and demagnetising tape heads, he said you should turn off and unplug your tape deck before demagnetising it. This is very instructive.

[useryt98]

I always scrubbed the heads side to side, because I thought it might damage them otherwise. It may not matter.

[MrAlexprm]

@uxwbill Hi! Mr uxbil , las week i bought a Technics RSB 48R , i try to service it myself it , but i only made things worse , i put back everything together it played fine for like five minutes but after that it became to behave crazy it would play the cassette without touching any button , the cassette was not rolling but the pinch roll , it ate my tape, how much would you charge me to fix it (if you are in the States ) , i hope you can help me thank you .

[naterade21]

that orchestra song sounds familiar i cant quite put my finger on it tho

[uxwbill]

@TheOregonRedneck I do not already have such a video. If you need something "now", the basic procedure would be to get a good quality working tape deck, a cable with two "RCA plugs" on one end and a 1/8" stereo miniplug connector on the other. Lots of places sell these. Connect tape deck to your sound hardware via the line input, set levels (some experimentation required) and use sound recording software to capture the result.

I don't recommend any of the USB "casette decks" I've seen.

[MrStelmer]

@uxwbill I know what you mean about them USB decks. I've got a USB turntable which rather handily had Phono Sockets on it. I put it into my Hi-Fi as i've got that already hooked upto my PC. This Turntable was used once on several old 78rpm Gramophone records to transfer them to the PC. I tried it on the USB and my phone has better sound quality.

I use a recording software called Polderbits. Has all the usual filters and settings. Also, it can also record from the PC line out which is useful.

[ianhawdon]

@uxwbill I'm glad I'm not the only one discouraging the use of USB Tape decks (or Turntables). You never know what quality the USB soundcard is going to have. In my case, I transfer a huge amount of Vinyl at 96kHz 24bit, and I highly doubt any of those USB turntables out there will do that task particularly well!

[Madness832]

Great info! I use that cleaning method, myself. The best alcohol, I could find, was 91% @ Walgreens. Also, have an old RadioShack demag cassette, found @ the Goodwill.

[MAG315]

That did make a slight difference which I'm sure is more apparent in person. Tape machines have always fascinated me with their complexity and it was amazing that they worked at all.

[HBeagley]

Personally After Cleaning did sound a little more crisp and sharp.

[Jerkwad152]

A classical remake of the song Angie by the Rolling Stones

[Qwakkeddup]

Back in the late '80s a friend had one of those demagnatizer wands with a rubber tip. He used the thing daily on his Boom Box. So seeing from your demo, I can guess he was doing it wrong, he never had any problems with the tapes, But he would wind up changing his speakers every few months.

[uxwbill]

@Qwakkeddup Using a tape head demagnetizer every day is Industrial Strength Overkill. Magnetism of the parts in a tape transport is a very slow process.

[BonhommeRichard91]

Thought I was in an elevator for a minute there.

[uxwbill]

@BonhommeRichard91 Taking the easy way up Sky Hill, were you? :-)

If you're talking of the music, I like it. I first came to know of it at work--it was something that was piped in periodically by the music service. Eventually, I worked out who performed it and managed to get my hands on actual CD copies. They're long since out of print, although used copies do show up from time to time.

[BonhommeRichard91]

@uxwbill You would make my day if you played about 30 seconds of James Brown's Cold Sweat. I can listen to it all I want here but it's always extra special when you hear it somewhere else.

Anybody that slaughters a Rolling Stone song like that deserves to go down skyhill in the trunk of the car filled with nails. heh.

[AdolfNinjaHitler]

i dont hear the difrence

[uxwbill]

@AdolfNinjaHitler There wasn't much of a difference. These problems have to get really bad before they're noticed and this deck wasn't there just yet. The compression processes imposed on the audio from Youtube and my video editing software probably don't help.

[AdolfNinjaHitler]

07:47 before cleaning

09:23 after cleaning

[donrico73]

some decks, like the sansui i had before, have a removable cassette holder making cleaning easy...

[uxwbill]

@donrico73 My Technics decks do the same thing--two knurled nuts later, the front portion of the cassette holder will come off.