A modern guide to cassette tape players

The nostalgia trend is on the rise again! Let's relive the charm of cassette players together.

As a millennial, I have the honor of witnessing the Internet’s journey of changing the world. At that time, the phone was still a button press, and there were only two options to listen to music: call the local radio station (using a landline!) or carry a cassette with you.

Now, the sales of cassettes are growing against the trend, which may be due to the nostalgia complex, and it has also revitalized the cassette market because more and more artists have joined in it. Now you can easily find these retro players at retailers such as e-stores for as little as $15.

But for you who grew up in the age of smartphones, how to operate a cassette player may be a difficult problem. Don't worry, here are some practical tips:

Prepare backup battery

Camshot player usually requires two AA batteries to be powered. When the battery is low, you will find that the playback speed is slower and the tone is lower.

This is because the motor drives the gears to rotate, driving the tape to play sound through the head at a speed of 1.875 inches per second. A drop in battery power will slow down the speed, thereby changing the audio frequency and causing the tone to decrease.

Carrying a spare battery with you can solve this problem. Remember, batteries cannot be discarded with regular garbage.

Use pens and pencils

Insufficient battery power will also affect the fast forward/rewind function. At this time, you can use a pen or a pencil to operate it manually. Insert the tip of a regular ballpoint pen or pencil into the tape reel, and quickly rotate it to manually fast forward or rewind.

Remember, the gear rotates counterclockwise during playback, and the tape moves from the left reel to the right reel. When rewinding, insert the pen into the left reel and rotate it clockwise.

Select wired headphones

Although there is now a Bluetooth cassette player, for a more pure retro experience, it is recommended to use wired headphones with a 3.5mm interface. If you have an older iPhone, you may be able to find the right headphones. For higher sound quality, you can choose high-end headphones that are compatible with analog devices.

Recording function

The rewritability of the cassette is also one of its major advantages. Players with recording functions usually have two heads: one for playing and recording, and the other is a demagnetization head, which is used to erase data on tape.

When recording, the demagnetization head will first erase the information on the tape, and then the playback head will remagnetize the tape according to the audio signal. Some pre-recorded tapes have two holes on the top, while blank tapes are protected by plastic covers that can be removed with sharp objects such as pens or keys. After removal, the holes can be sealed with tape.

You can use the recording function to record ambient sounds or conversations (note that recording without consent is illegal in certain areas), copy pre-recorded tapes or CDs, or record radio programs to create mixtapes.

Lightly fit

The capacity of the cassette is limited. When carrying it out, please pay attention to choosing your favorite album to avoid excessive loading. After all, we are in 2021, and our mobile phones can easily connect to the Internet and enjoy massive music anytime, anywhere.

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