A factory that is newly producing cassette tapes that are on the verge of extinction with old machines

The emergence of CDs, MP3 players, etc. has increased the momentum to re-evaluate "cassette tape", which was once threatened with extinction. A distinctive soft sound quality is obtained because it is an analog mechanism, and the act of swapping a cassette when exchanging songs and the act of playing and playing a tape as an object more strongly realize that listening to music It is said to let me do. Along with tape reconstruction, factories that produce cassette tapes with old-fashioned machines are still in operation.

Making Cassette Tapes | Stoned Mode - YouTube


Fluorescent yellow cassette tape set on a large machine. As this machine moves with Gatchchan, new cassette tapes are being produced one after another.


There is a large commercial tape machine in the factory.


These machines are called "duplicators" that duplicate sound sources. I will finish the product by dubbing the contents from the master sound source to another tape.


I take out one end of the tape from the reel with the tape wrapped ......


Set the tape on the machine through several rollers.


Then, wrap the tape around the reel on the take-up side and be ready.


Afterwards pushing the button ......


The reel rotates, dubbing music by blowing music on the tape. By the way, the words "blowing in" may not have been heard much in recent years.


At the time of dubbing, confirm whether it is recorded properly by using a number of meters such as VU meter, peak meter, loudness meter. People who do not know the analog recording method using tape may be a scene that I have not seen, but there is a proper "recording level (= volume)" on the tape, and if the sound is too loud If the distortion is too small, the sound is buried in the noise "Sir", so it was very important to set just the right recording level.


The machine being used is a duplicator called Electro Sound model name · 8000. It is a machine that moves in sync with the player who set the sound source of the master, and records the sound source on multiple tapes. Two magnetic heads can be seen in front of the part written as "PRESS STOP OR THREAD TAPE", but from the role of the model it is possible to "record head" from the left, "play back Head "should be lined up.


It seems that vertical duplicators are also used like this.


Tone analyzer made by RCA, which now is not working, is also active. Everything is exchanged with digital data In the modern age almost impossible equipment still seems to be still moving I can even remember a little emotion.


On the other hand, this is a process of printing on the cassette tape case. The two stampers rotate, transferring the design to the case in two colors.


The case where printing is completed flows to the right side and goes to the finishing process.


In the final process, we wind the tape around the case and complete it.


Machine that appeared at the beginning was a machine "tape loader" for winding the tape in the case. A new case is set from the top, the tape set on the left side is put in the case, and the tape is rolled up by rotating the reel.


Packing the finished tape is also manual work.


Fold the jacket printed on paper by hand ......


Put it in a transparent case, finally complete with cassette tape.


Finally, wrapped in a transparent film to complete the product.


There are various inconveniences such as cassette tape which is analog system, noise is much more than digital sound source, frequency band is also narrow and you have to be careful about handling, but the sound unique to any nostalgic tape is the digital era It is being evaluated again, and it seems that the era that is still used in active service will continue.