Cheap Analog Tape Overdrive Technique

Has anyone tried this yet:
http://blog.dubspot.com/analog-distorti ... technique/

I was curious so I went out and bought a tape player at my local goodwill. I remember seeing a sweet Akai tape deck at the place but it was gone when I went today so I ended up with a Technics deck that was in really good condition.

Had to order a cassette adapter from amazon though because I seem to have misplaced the old one I had laying around but I'll let you guys hear what it sounds like when I get it all figured out.

Has anyone tried this though? I am curious to see how much "warmth" this truly adds to your tracks.

of course -- use a cassette adapter thingy! brilliant!
no need for tape. as one of the comments mentions, you don't even need a tape deck with a working transport/engine/belts.

now to find that cassette adapter...

to be clear it is important to realise that this technique is really only giving you the sound of the pre-amps / signal path getting overloaded - there is still no 'tape' anywhere so you aren't getting any tape saturation / compression / eq. just really overloaded inputs that probably distort in a way unfamiliar to us these days.

still a cool trick i know a bunch of guitarists that swear by it.

tapedeck wrote:to be clear it is important to realise that this technique is really only giving you the sound of the pre-amps / signal path getting overloaded - there is still no 'tape' anywhere so you aren't getting any tape saturation / compression / eq. just really overloaded inputs that probably distort in a way unfamiliar to us these days.

still a cool trick i know a bunch of guitarists that swear by it.

I thought the same way and if you use it in the chain source -> tape adapter -> tapedeck out -> mixer/speaker
I think its true. But then I thought about the chain source -> tapedeck in -> tape adapter as outpu -> mixer/speaker. In this signal chanin the compression of the dolby noise reduction system can be added to the signal cause the signal that the tapeadapter receive from the tapehead is already compressed by the dolby system. But then....it might please some people cause it gives a character but isn't the saturation you could get from a real tape/reel.


BTW how is the signal flow of tapedecks. Is the dolby system before or after the preamp?

peace

tapedeck wrote:to be clear it is important to realise that this technique is really only giving you the sound of the pre-amps / signal path getting overloaded - there is still no 'tape' anywhere so you aren't getting any tape saturation / compression / eq. just really overloaded inputs that probably distort in a way unfamiliar to us these days.

I'm old enough to know and remember cassette tapes, and personally I don't really miss cassette tapes.
I think this technique is great, because you don't need tapes. And, brand new cassette tapes are not easy to find, especially chrome and metal high bias cassettes.
One interesting about this signal chain is that by using a tape head as a input, true magnetic to magnetic signal can be obtained without using tape. Personally I like the fact that there is no tape used!
I think this is similar to use a good passive DI box.

peterpiper wrote:...
In this signal chanin the compression of the dolby noise reduction system can be added to the signal cause the signal that the tapeadapter receive from the tapehead is already compressed by the dolby system.
...

I don't know how you can apply noise reduction on the input. I remember there was unit for DBX for cassette and open reel desks back in the days.

JVC wrote:I don't know how you can apply noise reduction on the input.

Simply by switching it on on your tapedeck But probably your tapedeck doesn't have that option.

peace

JVC wrote:I don't know how you can apply noise reduction on the input. I remember there was unit for DBX for cassette and open reel desks back in the days.

I've got one of those old dbx outboard units around here. Been meaning to try it for this purpose but haven't gotten around to it yet.

peterpiper wrote:

JVC wrote:I don't know how you can apply noise reduction on the input.

Simply by switching it on on your tapedeck But probably your tapedeck doesn't have that option.

That's like record on a cassette without noise reduction, then playing it with noise reduction on, which doesn't make any sense to me.
You can set your take deck as playing Dolby on (for instance), but how can you feed input (signal that comes out from cassette adapter) with Dolby applied?

JVC wrote:

peterpiper wrote:

JVC wrote:I don't know how you can apply noise reduction on the input.

Simply by switching it on on your tapedeck But probably your tapedeck doesn't have that option.

That's like record on a cassette without noise reduction, then playing it with noise reduction on, which doesn't make any sense to me.
You can set your take deck as playing Dolby on (for instance), but how can you feed input (signal that comes out from cassette adapter) with Dolby applied?

Like I said in my first post: you need to reverse the signal chain. You feed the signal to the line in of the deck, press record and then take the signal FROM the cassette adapter to your speakers.

peace

peterpiper wrote:BTW how is the signal flow of tapedecks. Is the dolby system before or after the preamp?

i would assume after - just cause working with ~line level probably makes more sense.

your idea about using the adapter in reverse is pretty interesting.
guess you'd have to run the machine in 'record' mode vs play.

elektrik_muz wrote:I've got one of those old dbx outboard units around here. Been meaning to try it for this purpose but haven't gotten around to it yet.

it is crazy how much of an effect it can have. i prefer the dbx over dolby for sure.

peterpiper wrote:

JVC wrote:...
That's like record on a cassette without noise reduction, then playing it with noise reduction on, which doesn't make any sense to me.
You can set your take deck as playing Dolby on (for instance), but how can you feed input (signal that comes out from cassette adapter) with Dolby applied?

Like I said in my first post: you need to reverse the signal chain. You feed the signal to the line in of the deck, press record and then take the signal FROM the cassette adapter to your speakers.

I've never own cassette adapter, but are you sure that a cassette adapter can be used as input source? As far as I know, cassette adapter is used for sending output to tapedeck, not receiving input. I thought that cassette adapter is output only device.
Even if it can be used as you've described, the incoming signal from the tape deck must go though expander for the right noise reduction system.