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HQ Cassette Tape

Lower recording pitch by a few octaves, record to cassette tape, return pitch to normal in PC.
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I came up with this after feeling a bit left out in the Reel To Reel tape world in music recording. I was fed up with plugins that allegedly recreated the much debated "warmth" and "saturation". Well I had a decent cassette recorder, about the size of a VCR from the late 80's. But as "tape heads" know, cassette tape runs at like 1.7 inches per second, nowhere near the low pro sound of 7.5 of a Reel To Reel. My song was hiss laden, which could be good or bad according to your taste but I was trying to be alittle more Hi-Fi. So I took the track into an audio editor such as Goldwave and lowered it by about 4 octaves, recorded it into my cassette machine, reimported it into Goldwave, raised it 4 octaves, and presto no hiss. Just be careful going too low as I did, it was too low that the cassette recorder could not respond and it left harsh pops everywhere in the song. I don't know if this makes it any closer to 7.5 or 15 ips, but it can help you make more out of your cassettes. I am sure the EQ Curve is no where as good as a professional tape machine, but thats what other plugins are for.
Mellotroniac, Nov 09 2008

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       did you try the low pass filter ?
kamathln, Nov 09 2008
  

       so... what's the idea ?
FlyingToaster, Nov 09 2008
  

       I'm seeing you using existing techology and telling us how to do it. I'm no audio guy, but it sounds to me like you've given us some consumer advice, rather than an idea.
ye_river_xiv, Nov 09 2008
  

       There are pro 2-tracks that record at sloooow speed; I've used them. Tascam makes(/made) a pretty good one.
FlyingToaster, Nov 09 2008
  

       If what [ye_river_xiv] says is correct, you must hop on to instructables.com
kamathln, Nov 09 2008
  

       I tried spooling a cassette onto a 1/2" Ampex machine at 30ips. Tape salad.   

       By the by - I can honestly not tell the difference between things like Digidesign's Reel Tape Suite plug-ins and a properly set up tape machine. Controversially, I don't believe anyone else can in blind tests.   

       Tape is dead. Sad, but true.
wagster, Nov 11 2008
  
      
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