info!

here you can find terminology and definitions! we’ll start with the basics and get deeper as we go! read as much as you feel like you want to know! also we’re just learning too, so will update as we learn more also :)

tape/cassettes: cassettes were an invention to simplify and miniaturize the reel-to-reel machines, which were lofty and difficult to setup and maintain. the REELS are contained within the cassette chassis. tape is made of a magnetic material which a TAPE HEAD can read from and write to. so cool!

cassettes were invented by Lou Ottens (RIP 2021)

portable players: these are your walkmans! carry them with you to listen to cassettes on the go! these things made listening to music accessible. it let people listen to music anywhere, anytime! just pop in a cassette and you’re ready to go!

cassette decks: these are the core of a high fidelity (hi-fi) sound setup! these will play cassettes at a high quality, usually paired with a receiver and speakers. these will also allow you to record onto casettes in high quality as well, which will allow you to make mixtapes, or just copy tapes that you like! they are the Means of Production.

boomboxes: these are kind of a combination of the previous two. the audio playback is generally of lower quality, unsure why, but they apparently had a golden age in the early 80s. these will let you listen to music on the go.. loudly. great for chilling outdoors! usually they will allow you to record as well, but they are not going to be as good quality as a tape deck.

tape types: there are actually different types of tape! these denote different chemical formulations for the magnetic tape and produce different audio quality.
type i: this is the most common type of tape, and generally the lowest audio quality (but they sound great to me!). also known as “ferric tape”. all tapes released today are on type i tape, but in the past artists would release on various types of tape! all players can play type i tapes. examples of type i tape are the MAXELL UR line and the TDK D line.
type ii: this is the second most common type of tape, also known as “chrome tape”, and are much better quality in terms of sound than type i tapes. however, not all players can play this type of tape, but are great for cassette decks. well, all players can play it, but it will not sound right. these are quite a bit more expensive than type i. examples of type ii tape are the MAXELL XLII line and the TDK SA line.
type iii: this is the least common type of tape. it was a thing that sony tried to make happen, kinda like fetch, but it never really caught on. no idea what they’re like!
type iv: this is the highest quality of tape. they are often referred to as “metal tape”. i’ve never heard one myself, but supposedly they are truly something. artists used to release higher quality albums on metal tape! some portable players are able to play both type i and type iv.

auto-reverse: this is a feature found on some tape players that is generally considered higher end. what it means is that after the tape has finished on one side, it will automatically play the tape in reverse and read from the other side. basically this allows you to not have to manually flip the tape! most auto-reverse players will also give you the option to choose which side of the tape to play!

noise reduction (nr): this was once a coveted feature, and this is no longer available in modern players, as nobody produces this technology anymore! there are many flavors of noise reduction, and the purpose of it is to reduce or eliminate tape hiss. i personally enjoy the sound of tape hiss, but it’s up to the individual listener! the most common type is DOLBY B, but there are also C and S variants, where DOLBY S is considered the best. DBX is also a noise reduction system which i think sounds very good, but few players support it.

hxpro: this is a feature found on tape decks, which stands for HEADROOM XTENSION. pretty xtreme and radical right?? hxpro is only active during recording and works to improve the quality of the recording, providing more clarity. recordings made with hxpro is imprinted onto the tape and will sound good on playback on any system. that is- hxpro is not needed to playback tapes recorded with hxpro and the playback will still have all the benefits!

wow and flutter: wow and flutter (W&F) means waviness in the sound. specifically, wow is slow pitch variations and flutter is fast. all analog playback devices, for example vinyl, will have this. some prefer this sound, and often musicians will emulate this sound, especially in lo-fi music. this occurs from natural fluctuations in playback speed or imperfections in the tape path. for listening, lower W&F is generally better.

2-head vs 3-head: this refers to recording mechanism. 3-head is a feature found on cassette decks. generally, all other recorders are 2-head. the short version is that 2-head decks do not allow you to monitor the tape as it is being recorded, whereas 3-head decks do. this is more of a nice quality of life thing, and 3-head decks are typically higher end and more sought after, but 2 head decks can and do sound just as good! more detailed explanation is below.

beyond this point may be more than you care to know!
--mechanism--

transport: the transport is the entire mechanism that feeds tape from one REEL/SPOOL to the other. this includes PLAY, RECORD, REWIND, FAST-FORWARD, PAUSE, etc.

tape head: the tape head is a device on tape players that can read magnetic fluctuations and translate them into electric signals and vice versa. this is what reads the magnetic tape and converts it to sound (or more, in the case of a vcr)! to keep your audio quality high, it is good to clean the tape head every once in a while using 99% isopropyl alcohol and a q-tip. during play, the TAPEHEAD and the PINCH ROLLER will generally be pushed down onto the tape and CAPSTAN, respectively.

azimuth: the azimuth is the angle of the TAPE HEAD. the azimuth should be aligned such that the tape glides flat across the TAPE HEAD so that the reading of each channel is even. improper azimuth alignment will result in lack of clarity in sound / loss in high frequencies. most higher end players will have easily accessible azimuth adjustment (usually in the form of a screw).

erase head: this is a device similar to a tape head, except that it it does not read or write, but produces a strong magnetic field, which will erase any magnetic information stored on tapes. these are only found on recorders, which will allow you to record over tape. higher quality recorders will have an ELECTROMAGNETIC erase head, which is only on when an electric current is supplied. lower quality recorders will use a PERMANENT MAGNET, which may not fully erase the information on the tape! i think all tape decks from the late 70s to early 90s will have electromagnetic erase heads. boomboxes may not, especially if it is a low-end model. during record, the ERASE HEAD will be pushed down onto the tape or engaged with electric current, and erase the tape before it gets to being recorded onto.

2-head vs 3-head cont.: 2-head means 2 heads (duh), but in this context, meaning that there is one TAPE HEAD, for playback and record, and one ERASE HEAD, which is placed just before the tapehead in the TAPE PATH. the tape will, during recording, run past the ERASE HEAD, get erased, then recorded onto.

the 3-head tape decks means it has an ERASE HEAD, placed just before the RECORD HEAD, which also has a PLAY HEAD just after that. usually the RECORD and PLAY HEADS are housed in one single unit. what this allows is for the user to listen to the tape just after it has been recorded onto, so the user can listen to how the tape sounds during the recording process. it is not necessary, but it is just a nice feature found on higher end decks.

capstan: the capstan is a small, usually metal rod, that spins as the tape is playing. it helps pull the tape along the TAPE PATH and is coupled with the PINCH ROLLER. some tape decks will be DUAL CAPSTAN, which means it has 2 CAPSTANS and 2 PINCH ROLLERS, which help to stabilize the tape along the TAPE PATH further, to reduce WOW & FLUTTER.

pinch roller: this is a rubber wheel type thing that during play, gets pressed down against the CAPSTAN. together they will pinch the actual tape, and spin, which will pull the tape through. this is what actually pulls the tape along the TAPE PATH at a steady speed during play. both the CAPSTAN and PINCH ROLLER should be cleaned periodically with 99% isopropyl alcohol to ensure the best quality function.

tape path: the path the tape takes as it glides across the TAPE HEAD(s), guided by the CAPSTAN(s) and PINCH ROLLER (s). improper / misaligned TAPE PATH can lead to SKEWED TAPE which generally presents as fluctuations in the quality of playback.

the black things poking thru the cassette holes are the REELS. the spools of tape inside the cassette are also known as REELS.

supply reel: the reel where the tape spool that is being played from is. this is generally spun by the action of the PINCH ROLLER and CAPSTAN pulling the tape out of the supply reel spool.

take-up reel: the reel on the side opposite of where the tape is being pulled from is known as the TAKE-UP REEL. during play, this REEL will be spun mechanically such that it will spool up any loose tape as it gets pulled across the TAPE PATH by the CAPSTAN and PINCH ROLLER. if the TAKE-UP REEL is not spinning or working correctly, this will result in CHEWED TAPE, as the tape gets pulled though will not get rolled up into the cassette and become loose and can become tangled.

the reels are also spun mechanically during FAST-FORWARD and REWIND functions.