Nice!!! Record stuff with the wobbly motor!!! Styles for miles!!!
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No proper Audio Out…Just something weird. Need a technician in Hamburg/Germany…
Ahhhhhhhhhhh oldskool! Get a mic and record the output from the speaker!
Cassettes are making somewhat of a resurgence here in Japan. In the cassette thread, I put up pictures of some cool cassette players with modern functions.
The one I picked up can play radio and from a Bluetooth device, read from sd and usb, and record to directly to cassette from anything that is playing at the time (all the aforementioned sources) and still retains a very retro sound; my wife said it sounded nostalgic and reminded her of being young with dads radio on.
It looks hella cool too… maybe better picking something up like that as opposed to getting it fixed monetary wise.
Here’s a pic of the one I picked up. Many others can be seen in the other pics in the other cassette thread.
(I think it best we merge this thread to the cassette thread, mods)
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You know, you might be on to something…
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Came across these cassettes today…
And I just loved the way Julie Andrews was glancing up at them… like it was supposed to be!
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I started out doing mods in the demo scene so never really did much with tape until recently. @Hainbach inspired me and I started looking for decent gear. I must have amazing luck because I found a pmd222 for $30 and a pmd430 for $60. The 222 is my tape delay and the 430 is playing stereo loop tapes. The 222 is super easy to modify for variable record times if you’re handy with a soldering iron.
I also found a foster x-28h for almost nothing. Had one bad input jack (reflowing the solder fixed that) and everything else works fine.
Keep an eye out for one listed as “for parts.” If they don’t specify what is wrong in the description there’s a good chance they just couldn’t figure out how to work it. Although having replaced the belts on a couple I will say be prepared if you have to take it apart. Tape decks (especially portable ones) are really dense. I’ve never seen circuit boards packed in so tightly with moving parts before.
S/h prices in Germany are insane.
They ask almost 500€ for a Fostex x28h here…
Yeah, prices are a bit crazy in the UK too. After weeks of watching ebay like a hawk, I finally managed to grab a good deal on a Fostex x15 with separate mixer / compressor. £35 ain’t bad! Can’t wait for it to arrive, I’m cutting tape loops today in preparation 
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That’s a great deal, especially if the mixer is a Fostex MN-15 or MN-50! Love using that compressor for smashing drums!
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Awesome @esq
I am seriously amazed at these sky high prices.
Bet you can’t wait! Looking forward to hearing your jams!
Yeah, it’s an MN15! I’ve not seen or heard one in action, I was hoping it’d provide some good lofi compression fun!
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Prices for reel to reel machines are skyrocketing too. 300€ for a broken (!) Revox B77…
Traded this set from my bandmate today. Finally have a multitracker again. Need to get to know it better and maybe get it serviced by an expert. It’s a beauty. Now I have an almost unresistable urge to hunt down the batterypack, shoulderstrap and all the other accessories for it.
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Ah, that’s so bizarre! I won the exact same model of machine / mixer on ebay over the weekend. It finally arrives tomorrow, I can’t wait to get stuck in. I think mine has the battery pack / strap too if I remember correctly 
How are you finding yours thus far?
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These Fostex machines look really good and their footprint is very minimal!
Can’t wait to hear some stuff from you guys!
At first I thought mine was broken as it didn’t power up. I was also quite sure that if I got it powered I would have to replace the belt etc. The powering problem turned out to be a defective powersupply cord, if I twist it a certain way it powers up just fine and after that I realized that the whole unit is completely functional. I guess I have to shorten the cord a little and cut out the defective part. I didn’t have the time to test the little mixer/compressor yet, but I bought a battery for it and it powers up too.
Now I have two separate setups. On the other side of the room I have sequencers, synths DAWs and computers for music programming. On this ”organic” side of the room the centerpiece is my Yamaha YC-30 organ. The only method of recording is the Fostex. I tried it out last nite and it sounds better than it has any right to sound. Looking forward to recording long, heavily reverbed organ drones and then using the Fostex like Alessandro Cortini does.
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That sounds aces!
I have a question about buying cassettes. I’m browsing the options at nationalaudiocompany.com and am seeing either “tabs-in” or “tabs-out” tapes. I always thought you couldn’t record onto a cassette that had had its tabs removed? Is that not the case? And, if that’s true, then why would someone want to buy cassettes without tabs? Help me!
You can cover the tab of a “tabs-out” with sellotape and record onto it, turning a read-only cassette into a read-write cassette.
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If you’re having a company like NAC makes duplicates, those are going to be tabs-out. However, if you are buying tapes to record yourself, you’ll want them tabs in. One reason you might want tabs out blank cassettes is if you are using them for your own duplication for resale. Tabs out tapes are a little more ‘professional’ looking. As @Kalimari says, you would cover the holes with tape when recording onto such a cassette, and pull the tape off when it’s done.
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