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Mixtape Gift


dont_do_it_doug.

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I want to make a mixtape for somebody as a gift, but I want to do it on cassette. None of this USB malarkey, I'm going for old school charm.

I don't have a cassette deck, just a laptop and my iTunes collection. What's the best way to go about it?

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All this time I thought ddid was a meat eating, football watching dominator of the fairer sex and it turns out that he is really a 14 year old girl with a crush :P

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All this time I thought ddid was a meat eating, football watching dominator of the fairer sex and it turns out that he is really a 14 year old girl with a crush :P

 

Ha! I've gone full circle. I love a bit of hummus, I read the Guardian and I'm looking for loooooove...

 

In answer to the questions above, I plan on buying a sony walkman to go with it and no, I don't. I'm guessing if I find a cassette player with a line or even a mic in I can just hook it up to my laptops headphone jack and record that way? 

 

I've no idea where to buy a **** cassette player from. It's quite short notice so the internet is severely not my friend. I live in London if that helps anyone. 

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In answer to the questions above, I plan on buying a sony walkman to go with it and no, I don't. I'm guessing if I find a cassette player with a line or even a mic in I can just hook it up to my laptops headphone jack and record that way? 

That was going to be my suggestion

I doubt it would be the best quality, but it's probably the easiest

Edited by Stevo985
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Probably, but £50? Is it worth it?

 

Aye, if it works. It has a microphone in and my laptop has a headphone out.

 

Is that enough?

In my brain, that's enough (of course you'd need a cable to link the two)

But I wouldn't buy it on the basis of what I've said. If I were you I'd wait until someone who knows what they're on about posts!

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The line ins on Hi Fi cassette recorders are usually phono connectors.

 

Stereo minijack (from your computer's headphone socket) to two phono connectors (L&R to the Record/Line in inputs on the cassette deck) should do you.

 

Portable recorders often have a stereo line in for little microphones, then it's just minijack to minijack from the headphone socket.

 

The Sony Pro Walkmen were very good though Nakamichi were the kings of the cassette deck in times gone past.

 

A line in level meter will make your life easier, find the loudest part of your mix and make sure the input doesn't go too far in to the red (a little is ok, even desirable) too high and it'll clip causing distortion. Then you're good to go.

 

You may be better off not using noise reduction, but Dolby B was the most common, S was brilliant, but rare.

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Yeah, those ION ones are the wrong way round, whoops.

I'd go to TCR and go to those electronic pawn shops - pick up one of those old 90's stereos for dirt cheap so that they've got double deck and Aux input/record. With luck you might even be able to find one that contains the level meter so, as Xann mentioned, you don't clip the mix too much



Holloway Road also has an elecronics pawn shop full of the wierd and wonderful. Just up the road from the tube station

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The line ins on Hi Fi cassette recorders are usually phono connectors.

 

Stereo minijack (from your computer's headphone socket) to two phono connectors (L&R to the Record/Line in inputs on the cassette deck) should do you.

 

Portable recorders often have a stereo line in for little microphones, then it's just minijack to minijack from the headphone socket.

 

The Sony Pro Walkmen were very good though Nakamichi were the kings of the cassette deck in times gone past.

 

A line in level meter will make your life easier, find the loudest part of your mix and make sure the input doesn't go too far in to the red (a little is ok, even desirable) too high and it'll clip causing distortion. Then you're good to go.

 

You may be better off not using noise reduction, but Dolby B was the most common, S was brilliant, but rare.

 

Crickey, it's kind of a "thought that counts" gift, I'm not looking to blow her socks off (just her knickers). 

 

Can you recommend the gear, under £50? Alternatively, will something like the wee Sony I linked to do the job?

Yeah, those ION ones are the wrong way round, whoops.

I'd go to TCR and go to those electronic pawn shops - pick up one of those old 90's stereos for dirt cheap so that they've got double deck and Aux input/record. With luck you might even be able to find one that contains the level meter so, as Xann mentioned, you don't clip the mix too much

Holloway Road also has an elecronics pawn shop full of the wierd and wonderful. Just up the road from the tube station

 

Now you mention it there's one on Church Street. 

 

I think I know the one you mean on Holloway road, out the tube and turn right, about 100 yards up on the right?

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