Erasing Tapes - how sweet the sound?

Comments · 2.6K

• TA

  @tarnvedra9952 · 4 years ago

  I have sudden urge to sell resealed cassetes filled with Rick Astley.

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• TV

  @tvfromvcr8331 · 4 years ago

  Worth saying also that if you buy someone's old cassette collection, it might be an idea to check for rare recordings that should be preserved before taping over them. Some of these old recordings are a window into the past and it'd be a shame to erase them from history.

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• JO

  @jollygreengiant · 4 years ago

  I worked at a talking newspaper in the 90's and we processed 100's of tapes a week on an electromagnetic eraser. From memory it was enough to switch it on and slide the tape from one end of the bed to the other to erase the tape, then we'd pop it into the duplicator, ready for the next issue. Duplicator ran at about 10x normal speed and did both sides at the same time, so we'd do about 100 tapes an hour. They were posted out in vinyl pouches with a spring loaded mouth at one end, so you squeezed the sides and popped the new tape in. Postage was free, so every pouch had a clear pocket on the front containing a card with the subscribers address on one side, and the paper's address on the other, so you flipped the card and dropped the whole thing in the post bg for the next run. Subscibers then just flipped the address card and dropped the pouch in a postbox to return the tape once they'd listened to it.

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• SE

  @seandoole6504 · 3 years ago

  When I pick up used tapes, I check each one to see if there's anything worth saving, and record 30 seconds of audio on them to verify they're still usable. Then I grade them to determine what I'll use them for, as some tapes aged better or are better for different sources or genres of music. Takes time, but I enjoy the process and discovery.

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• JO

  @John_vDongen · 3 years ago

  The noise you hear after the pass through eraser is called magnetic flux-field caused from the gauss strength of the magnets and has a normal affect, however, this diminishes when the tapes are recorded on, leaving the empty parts noiseless.

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• MA

  @matambale · 4 years ago

  If you 'pause' for any length of time using a strong permanent magnet style of bulk eraser, you can create a magnetized pattern on the tape that will sound thumpy on playback.  The Fe atoms all end up aligned, and that N/S pattern repeats at each complete rotation of the feed reel - that's the thump you're hearing.

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• WO

  @wonderfuljoey23 · 4 years ago

  I never thought I’d see the day when a blank cassette would cost more than a blank CD.

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• EZ

  @EzeeLinux · 4 years ago

  The Rad Shack bulk eraser can be used for longer... Also, the procedure is: Hold tape in one hand put eraser on it, and turn it on. Move the tape around and then slowly pull away... Used properly you can get the tape back to virgin levels. No, it won't hurt you and the eraser will turn itself off if it gets too hot. I used these things in radio for years and years... :)

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• YE

  @yet_another_user_ · 4 years ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Gh4Fu7_G8&amp;t=1790">29:50</a> &quot;sorry Queen, but you&apos;ve got to go&quot;<br><br>Holy shit he killed the queen

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• PH

  @phoenixofcolorado8610 · 7 months ago

  I don’t think anyone realizes just how amazing this title is

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• CR

  @CraigTube · 4 years ago

  The concern I always had with erasing tapes with a permanent magnet is that it magnetizes the tape particles all in one direction, where as an AC erase head randomizes them. &nbsp;My concern was that tapes with all the particles magnetized on one direction would magnetize the tape path as the tape passed through.

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• CH

  @CharlesVanNoland · 4 years ago (edited)

  &quot;I was recording stuff off radio.&quot; &nbsp; This is what we all did, and the <b>DMCA</b> (edited because I said MPAA before, lol) didn&apos;t exist then because nobody cared and it was fine. Then suddenly instead of the radio - directly beaming it from a radio station in realtime to a recording - you&apos;re just transferring it as a few megabytes, slowly, over dialup internet in the late 90s using Napster and everyone throws a fit and decides to invent a bunch of new legislature about it.<br><br>Now kids just listen to songs on YouTube with AdBlock.<br><br>The future is amazing!

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