It depends on the context. When it comes to the 4- or the 8-track, it’s referred to as a cartridge. The Philips audio cassette is, well, a cassette. But when you look at all the formats that have come along over the years, there is lots of ambiguity. Some formats that featured supply and take up reels, like the RCA tape cartridge and the Elcasaet, were referred to as “cartridges.” In the radio business, a “cart” was a thing that played in a continuous loop.
Is there a definitive name for the “package” that holds 35mm film that is placed in a standard 35mm camera?
It depends on the context. When it comes to the 4- or the 8-track, it’s referred to as a cartridge. The Philips audio cassette is, well, a cassette. But when you look at all the formats that have come along over the years, there is lots of ambiguity. Some formats that featured supply and take up reels, like the RCA tape cartridge and the Elcasaet, were referred to as “cartridges.” In the radio business, a “cart” was a thing that played in a continuous loop.
Is there a definitive name for the “package” that holds 35mm film that is placed in a standard 35mm camera?
I'm old enough to had bought an Akai reel-to-reel tape recorder. Complete over design for my uses with sound-on-sound, sound-over-sound, etc. But I bought it when I was in Japan in the USAF and it was pretty cheap there, relative to USA prices. I also bought a Nikon F Photomic T at the time there when it came out, so you can date me pretty well. Another bargain.
Early Realistic branded audio cassettes (to the Philips standard) from Radio Shack were described as "tape cartridge".
I've always been told that the roughly cylindrical container in which 135 film is wound for camera use, is called a "cassette".
I have a nice Akai GX210D reel to reel tape deck with auto reverse, three motors, three heads and frequency response to make any CD player break down and weep. Though S/N ratio isn't up there with modern audio. I'm old enough to remember when such devices were new, but not to have owned one back then. Got mine in the 21st century, having owned a lesser Akai 1720L since the early 90s.
I always wondered, what do you actually use reel to reel for as a HiFi enthusiast? Mix tapes? Radio recordings? Both seems anathema to the whole idea of HiFi.Yep, I bought lots of my audio and photo stuff when I was in the army, stationed in Germany In the early 70s. I still have most of it. This and more….
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I always wondered, what do you actually use reel to reel for as a HiFi enthusiast? Mix tapes? Radio recordings? Both seems anathema to the whole idea of HiFi.
I get that the potential is there for very high sound quality, but what about the source?
Outside of the very few recordings released in R-R tape, there is little original material released for it.
Play the original from Vinyl or CD.
Otherwise Metal tape or good Chrome with HX-Pro or similar is so good that combined with the hugely improved convenience that it's not even a question of which to choose.
They are super good looking and interesting to look at, but how often do you actually use your R-R?
Uh oh.
Don't upset the Reel 2 Reel guys. I was once one of them.
You know, I am one too. Mine is in the cellar for the exact reasons stated above. That is why I'm asking the question.
I always wondered, what do you actually use reel to reel for as a HiFi enthusiast? Mix tapes? Radio recordings? Both seems anathema to the whole idea of HiFi.
I get that the potential is there for very high sound quality, but what about the source?
Outside of the very few recordings released on R-R tape, there is little original material released for it.
Play the original from Vinyl or CD.
Otherwise Metal tape or good Chrome with HX-Pro or similar is so good that combined with the hugely improved convenience that it's not even a question of which to choose.
They are super good looking and interesting to look at, but how often do you actually use your R-R?
I could never find one that ran at the right speed.
I could never find one that ran at the right speed.
Thanks for the answer.Just as a point of reference, I've never chased the "perfect sound" genie. I got my first reel machine in the mid-60s and was satisfied with making recordings off radio and playing them back. My equipment got better over the years and I got into making mix tapes on reel that I could load up and let play for 3 hours at a time. And, of course, I copied LOTS of vinyl, an analog equivalent to file sharing, especially when I was living in an army barracks. Later, when I really got more active in collecting radio broadcasts I picked up a Tandberg TD20A SE, a pro-sumer reel machine with 10" reels, that I could use for making very long recordings.
Today, I have every reel I ever acquired, many factory pre-recorded, and still listen to them along with vinyl and 8-tracks and cassettes. Like I said in another post, at this point in my life, my hearing isn't the best so I don't quibble about a few db of S/N or some high end frequency loss on the media.
So, yes, I still use the reel machines.
Plus, it's just cool to keep using the old stuff.
I always wondered, what do you actually use reel to reel for as a HiFi enthusiast? Mix tapes? Radio recordings? Both seems anathema to the whole idea of HiFi.
I get that the potential is there for very high sound quality, but what about the source?
Outside of the very few recordings released on R-R tape, there is little original material released for it.
Play the original from Vinyl or CD.
Otherwise Metal tape or good Chrome with HX-Pro or similar is so good that combined with the hugely improved convenience that it's not even a question of which to choose.
They are super good looking and interesting to look at, but how often do you actually use your R-R?
Apart from “pirated” content and mixtapes (which has lost a lot of its relevance to me with vinyls new status) do you ever listen to the old radio shows?
Prerecorded music is the only possible exception I could find to want to get into R-R again.
There is actually a few freaks doing new reels to this day.
I do own a small handful of pre-recorded RTR tapes but none of the really good ones....which ought to sound as good as it gets. Back in the 80s when I was something of a child prodigy on the violin, I used a borrowed Revox A77 to record myself to listen back to my playing...and to record live concerts (mostly given at my school theatre, though to a paying audience).
Latterly I find two further uses for the machine I have now. At 7 1/2 ips it records tapes from FM radio which are indistinguishable from the broadcast. Even though I have a Nakamichi cassette deck, it cannot *quite* do that. WIth the BBC still broadcasting high quality live concerts across all genres on FM with little compression, I sometimes use mine to record off air. Especially with Proms season coming up. I debated putting Paul McCartney's recent Glastonbury set onto a reel but in the end I used two metal cassettes as I have a surplus of those.
It has another use that isn't matched in the analogue world. With double play tape and 3 3/4 ips I get two hours per side of high quality stereo, as good as a good cassette deck and a good type I cassette. I use that for radio plays, either from FM or from digital radio. Both sides of a tape = 4 hours = a lot of Hitchhiker's Guide or Doctor Who. My Akai has auto reverse so I can turn it on and listen back to a couple of plays or series. Back in the 90s I also recorded a lot of radio plays on my old 1720L as well as radio documentaries, political debates and so on. They're very versatile machines and I have half a lifetime of tapes to enjoy. If I didn't have history with the format, I am unsure if I would start now. There's a lot fewer rock concerts on BBC radio now...no more sitting for three hours figuring out when to turn the tape over for a full Pink Floyd concert. But still lots to enjoy.
Ilford or someone should really reinvent the daylight enlarger. A collapsible cone and some sort to print to two or three sizes. And internal development. No burn or dodge of course.
I too have a Nakamichi cassette deck and it does do a very good job in that format.
As for BBC content, I belonged to a "secret" trading group where we circulated American and BCC radio programs, mostly on CDs and DVDs, and I ended up with over 120,000 shows from the BBC. I really like the serial from the Sci-fi genre and the mysteries. I also used to snag quite a bit on content via USENET.
Yes, when Hitchhikers Guide first aired in the states, I was living in Southern California and rolled tape when it aired on one of our NPR stations. The same when the radio version of the Star Wars trilogy aired.
Over the past few years I've been digitizing all of that broadcast stuff so it's not only backed up but so I can catalog and more easily access it. I keep it on an external drive that is backed up to another external drive. I also shove lots of it into my iCloud account where I have a terabyte or so of storage.
BTW, I went to a used record store a year or so ago and asked if they stocked used tapes. The owner said no and we chatted about the tape world. When he saw how into it I was, he said that a guy had stopped by a while back and wanted to know if the owner wanted to buy some reels. When the owner declined the guy said, "Here, just find them a good home where they will be appreciated." The owner said I sounded like the guy and gave me the box. It had about 30 factory recorded albums, all from the 1960s: Beatles, Stones, Hermits, Sonny and Cher, Supremes, Spoonful, etc. I couldn't believe my luck. To buy all these today, like off eBay, it would be a small fortune. I should have bought a lottery ticket that day. Then, a year or so ago, a guy was selling some 8-tracks on Craigslist and I went to his house to get them. I mentioned I was into reels too and he goes into the garage and comes out with 8 reels that I bought for $5 each: War, BTO, Paul Simon, Tommy soundtrack, CSNY (Deja Vu), Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and a couple others.
Polaroid made the Daylab Jr. that would make prints from slides. I think Vivitar had a version, too. Polaroid makes one today that will make prints from a smartphone screen.Ilford already invented the darkroom tent. Well, not invented. But they do have one for sale.
...to me, it makes perfect sense that film photography has become more popular because I think digital technology (in the consumer realm only) has stagnated...
Do these 1960s and 1970s reel-to-reel tapes play properly? Have you experienced issues with failure of the substrate or with data loss? In science agencies, this is a problem with the 9-track tapes that supplied data for mainframe computers. (Some of the subsequent data storage mediums have also been problematic.)It had about 30 factory recorded albums, all from the 1960s: Beatles, Stones, Hermits, Sonny and Cher, Supremes, Spoonful, etc. I couldn't believe my luck. To buy all these today, like off eBay, it would be a small fortune. I should have bought a lottery ticket that day. Then, a year or so ago, a guy was selling some 8-tracks on Craigslist and I went to his house to get them. I mentioned I was into reels too and he goes into the garage and comes out with 8 reels that I bought for $5 each: War, BTO, Paul Simon, Tommy soundtrack, CSNY (Deja Vu), Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and a couple others.
Oh yes, the majority of (electric) guitarists who I encounter who have valve (tube) or hybrid amps vastly outnumbers those who use solid state. One runs his own business manufacturing new valve guitar amps....some classic 60s designs are back in production...with valve (tube) suppliers offering matched sets of vintage branded valves for the best possible performance.
I am not sure if young people taking up film has anything to do with nostalgia. They don't remember the 1990s and don't get nostalgic for those times....it's more that it's new and tactile to them in an era when so many things are touch screens or voice activated.
Do these 1960s and 1970s reel-to-reel tapes play properly? Have you experienced issues with failure of the substrate or with data loss? In science agencies, this is a problem with the 9-track tapes that supplied data for mainframe computers. (Some of the subsequent data storage mediums have also been problematic.)
When I was in high school in the late-1960s and early 1970s, I recall that record stores in Harvard Square (Squay-yah), Massachusetts, sold classic music as LP record and reel-to-reel tape. I do not remember if much was yet offered on cassette; that may have come 5 or 10 years later. I do remember early-vintage cassette decks with the Dolby noise reduction chips. I still have some of the LPs that I bought back then, which I play on a Linn Sondek. A roommate had a reel tape deck but I never owned one.
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