Me: :( Hainbach: Hi I'm Hainbach, good to have you back! me: :D

when hainbach says his trademark "good to have you back" i press like immediately, im a simple man.

Also, please, could you do a video about different tape workflows? Like, the signal path, going from synths, to mixer, to 4-track, to tape deck for copying, etc...

Back in the 90s, even before I got my first Fast Tracker II program and computer, I had a Chinese 2-deck cassete recorder/player. You could (obivously) copy a tape from one deck to another. It didn't have any pitch control, but the trick I found was that if you hold the play button but don't press it all the way down, it'll play the cassete at like 5 times the speed. And if you hold the record button just right on the left deck, you could mix the signal from the other deck with the recording that's already on the tape. Basically I got myself a mixer (one in which you could only listen to the mix once is done, so there was not much of a control) and a wobbly pitch control. I used to use this a lot, one of my favourite things to do was to just slow down pop songs and turn them into beautiful ambient that you would never believe they were at their... core. I think back then my love for ambient finally had a form. But even before all that I was listening to the beautiful sound of our Soviet vacuum cleaner. Instead of monster growl that modern vacuums produce, that thing had such a beautiful tone. I could listen to it for hours, feeling warm and protected from the sound, singing along with it. I guess that was my first drone :D Ah, the memories.

Your a GAS enabler Hainbach and I love you for it.

Oh my goodness! This is exactly the video I was looking for! Thank you, Hainbach. Some of the best content on KZfaq

Thanks Hainbach for altering my perception of tape. In the early 90s I used to listen to a lot of djsets on tapes, the quality was always bad because usually they were recorded off a mate, who recorded it of a mate many times over. However you have opened my eyes to the creative possibilities with tape. As a result I have purchased a panasonic dictaphone, and have created some of the best sounds in my 22 years of production, I have now decided purchased a new old stock Report Monitor 4000 from SDS, and i was sure to mention your channel due to the positive impact it can have on his business. Keep up the great work you are doing!

Longtime lurker on your channel, thank you so much for your videos, they're always incredibly engaging, and effective at delivering information. I really appreciate the high standard you hold your videos to.

HAINBACH would be lovely a sequel to this: how to integrate these tape machines into a hybrid setup. Cheers

Thanks for all this information. It's really helpful as someone who has been trying to demystify tape. I typically record in stereo too, so this is a real eye-opener about what options I have.

Thanks @HAINBACH I just managed to find and acquire a Fostex X-24. Can’t wait to play around with it. Thank you for the inspiration and all the information on your channel. 🙏🏼

Thank you for producing this excellent guide. It might be worth mentioning that, while the old Sony units are great recorders (including the Pro Walkmans), Sony chose to use Center Pin Negative for all their DC power supplies, and when unwitting owners use non-OEM supplies they burn out the units' power board or worse. So many Sony units - otherwise useful - end up as junk for that reason alone. I have the same Nagra 3b as you showcase and remember my very first impression - after hearing my voice recorded so many times over the years growing up on one or another R2R, and thinking 'but that doesn't sound like my voice', when I heard it on the Nagra, THAT was my voice! I think that there is no better yardstick to measure tonal accuracy etc. than your own voice as you are more intimately familiar with that sound than any other, and the Nagra full track is the best I have heard.

In film school in the 80s I worked in the equipment checkout and later in repair. We had a bunch of Nagras (mainly 4.2s and some 3s and 4s) since they had crystal sync with the arri film cameras. I wasn't a sound person, but I loved those Nagras most of all. You could feel every single bit of the engineering that went into them, and getting to actually open them up for repair was a dream. Every time I see one of yours I just want to touch it. Thanks! Also band called Kudelski? Lolol. Also I always thought of that great Nagra sound as "creamy".

this comes in the right moment, after i had playedin a club in bkk just using synths and guitars, i met an awesome french female musician who played harsh industrial, using tapes, was amazed) watched couple of your other tape vids and decided to purchase via ebay taperecorder and tape, equipement arrived today, dont have it yet though..thx for keeping things simple hehe!

Brilliant ! Thank you so much for sharing this. My marantz PMD 221 and 360 are already in service ...hope they come all right . Thank you again 👍

Good to have you teaching us ! (Edit) : marantz products are really "stabil" indeed and relatively easy to service

"Americans get confused by the strange connections on the Uher." And Canadians as well! It's the main reason I have not yet started to experiment with them. I shall learn from you HAINBACH. And thanks, I had no idea what DIN meant!

I have an old Tascam 234 4-track that died mid-session, whilst bouncing to ProTools. It made a glorious noise that became a signature to the track I was working on. I still use it as a great mixer. I also had a Maestro Echoplex bite the dust DURING a recording session. Again, a wonderful racket.

I record all my synths and modules into cassettes. It makes the product unique, and I love holding a finished product in my hand! Great video!

When the video started, I saw a Nagra and Auratone speaker. It was right then that I knew I liked this guy! I used the Marantz PMD cassette years ago in radio broadcasting and they were solid machines! Love the video! Thanks!

Wow thank you, this video is such a gift my friend. You have so many beautiful machines

omg yes ❤️ you and amulets got me into tape territory and now, a few months later i have 3 portastudios, a few smaller tape players and a dictaphone 😅

Mr. Hainbach, I've asked You for an advice on how to make my sound sounds better. You've suggested adding a tape (dictaphone) to my setup and I must say it was a "bit" of a gamechanger for me. I learned to match the eq of my synth to the feeling of tape and much more... Tapes are dope, man! At first I was like "meh", becaue tapes were the main medium for music back in my youger years. I kinda hated them, because the batteries (for my "walkman") was pricey, and the endless RW and FFW to find the favourite tracks was sucha a pain in the ass. You have changed my approach to the tapes forever :) Thank you so much for your adivse!

I just got an awesome boombox! For cassette and it has 1/4" mic inputs! Amazing

What a great, thorough video! Thank you for all the good advice!!

Hi! Thank you so much for this video, I've learned so much more than what I expected! I'm already looking for a tape recorder to start exploring with it. All the best!

Thanks very much for this very enjoyable and informative video :) we're at the beginning of our tape journey, thankyou for helping is along the way! All the best, Will

Nice video! If you want go deep-deep-deep-underground and very lo-fi, the media of choice is answeringmachine. Only minus is that you need landline to record that immortal sound. I experimented with it at late 90s, drums and organs sounded very crispy. Of course there`s mic-input too to use it like normal recorder. Anyway, that`s real AAA-recording and it sounds awful/brilliant. Love your channel, you are very inspiring perion and stuff you make really encourages me to use almost all my sparetime for music . Greetings from Finland! 🎧 👍

I bought a Marantz pmd222 based on another video of yours literally less than 12 hours before you posted this. It’s good to know you care Hainbach 🙂

13:29 - That Telefunken thing is such a monster. Looks beautiful and robust and I can imagine how it sounds.

*Sigh* Hainbach....you did it buddy you finally got me 😂. I just pulled the trigger the elusive unicorn known as the marantz pmd 430 with a varispeed mod output jack installed 😅 i have never been more excited and instantly broke before in my life hahaha. I watched your video and it finally gave me license to own my dream machine . I really Loved this video keep up the great content!!

And now I realise how lucky I am my parents recently gave me a Philips N4506. Might not be as high end gear as the Nagra, but I bet it will do the job just fine. The sad thing is, it's a scary beast to look at when you're a newborn into music creation thing. Thank for all the positiveness you send.

I've still got my Revox 1/2 track, big reels and 15 ips and original valve amp built in. It's still looks and works like new.

Ooo right on time with the coffee break! thanks bud! - highly recommend *Propeller head's Reason 10* on the software end.

Haha funny you day “unless you’re trying to overdrive your mixes”... exactly what I’ve been doing with my cassette recorder. I’ve quite been enjoying the subtle distortion you can get if the hot level is juuuust right.

Geez!! How many have you got!!!!????? Hahahahah Brilliant :) well don my friend.

You've been hitting it out of the park recently, keep it up!!!

Really enjoyed the new video, as always. I had written you before about using the Panasonic RR-830. In addition to the speed control it also has VSC, or Variable Speech Control, which allowed transcription of dictation in bursts of words at a faster rate at the same pitch. It's compression of the signal by removing random bits of the signal, controlling the motor speed in proportion to the sampling, and running the remaining signal through a BBD to maintain nearly the same pitch. Once I understood that, I understood why I was sometimes getting an odd "chopping" artifact, as the VSC only works in a short range of playback speeds. I think in addition to being able to control speed independently of the VSC, there must be some interesting sound manipulation if you push VSC past it's comfortable limit. I was wondering if you had ever tried doing anything with VSC. Fan of the channel!

Your channel is going to blow up, Hainbach! Great content!

awesome! thanks for always being such a helpful resource my magnetic friend. hopefully this help everyone out and get everyone into the beautiful and deep world of tape. also when should we go on our worldwide magnetic tape takeover tour?

Way better than tape emulator plug-ins. cool vid.

I just got a marantz pmd430 from the radio station I work at:D

Dude, thanks for making this. It's awesome!

Such an excellent, in depth tutorial !!!

441 likes and not a single dislike! This is quality content

You have some pretty cool equipment there, very nice...

Excellent video, as always! I am listening to a mono Nagra III at my friend Peter. The sound is just wonderful. It is somehow magic. (Peter also has the best coffee in town) I once owned the Stellavox TD9, SP8, and Nagra IS .... but I have sold them all :-(

Very good information, as usual! Thanks a lot!

Thanks Hainbach :) your a legend mate!

Just bought a Marantz PMD 221 :) ... my Dad left me a box of old cassette tapes. Plan on sampling and creating a badass sound bank ...

I found a Sony TC-252 for just $25 at a local thrift shop, and a bunch of blank 7” reels (from W. Germany of all places) and I haven’t looked back since. Sounds so much better than an iPad running FL/Garage band

Lol, I've got Tesla 116B from my friend. He found it in the attic of a house he was renovating. Belts are gone but I will refurbish it for sure (after I am done with Akai GX625)

i want all of the things, now. great... thanks hainbach

Love your style, keep up the great work

what a fantastic video , thanku!

I love all his content amazing the Brian Eno of these times

Voll gut ! Ich mache mich mal auf die Suche 🔍

Excellent guide Tape Line are superb.

Thx Hainbach for the information. I would love to see how would you use the Tesla B115 and what else u can do with it. Tips, tricks etc. much appreciated in advanced

Very helpful video, as always!

just found your music... you are awesome man. Thanks for sharing tips too :)

Damn you Hainbach! I've been trying to lay my hands on a 4-track cassette mixer in Sweden for the last 4 months with no luck. This video certainly wont help matters 😊 Great video though! I will have to keep on dreaming.

You need to do a cassette video with Techmoan. ;-)

Very informative Hainbach - and relaxing

Thank you so much for this and every video you make. I am a huge fan and you’ve inspired me more than words can express. I had a question regarding D -> A stereo then A -> D mono if you transfer your mix back ITB. Why do you prefer mono opposed to stereo? I’m a bit lost with your reasoning. Thanks!

You should make a comparison video between recording straight into the daw versus your various tape machines.That way, we can hear the difference between them.

Just got a PMT222 as a right bargain on ebay, can't wait to try it!!

Your channel is stellar :)

If the Nagra eventually gets worn out beyond repair you could salvage the preamp stage (and other parts of it) and build it into a standalone box

Would love for you to do a video on Four Track recorders. I have a Tascam 424 MKII that is lovely, and they record quite nicely at high speed.

I love your videos, very informative and clear and thank you for spending so much time to produce them. I am fairly new to this type of music and would love to compose and create my own ambient/experimental/electronic music particularly using tape. I've done some experimental pieces already but composing it is almost down to "happy accidents" with a little bit of inspiration. I'd love to see some videos on your method of composing. The gear reviews are great but how about some instruction focussing more on the processes of composition. How do you start a piece? What decision making techniques do you use along the way? How do you build your composition and what are your "building blocks"? When you have laid down a basic background sound like a tape loop, how do you decide what to add to it, what processing effects to use and so on. One or two videos like that would be really helpful to a lot of budding musicians who are raring to go but not quite sure how to start or proceed to a finished piece. Thanks again.

Hi Hainbach, Love your ideas, I'm finding them very inspiring. I like the warping sound of tape but how do you deal with tape hiss, do you use hiss/noise reduction or is the hiss integral to the sound?

Great message thanks Sir!

Silence, lectures and writings of John Cage is a good book. Nice to see it on your shelves :)

thank you. this is wonderful.

Just got myself an Uher 4000 Report L, let's see what I can do with that. I haven't been using any tape for many years. First experiments happend with a Kenwood cassette deck that could actually do echo when I was a kid. Used my dad's Magnetophon 200 for a while, but it was half-broken, some bloke / pre-owner to my dad had painted it in a weird color and it needed a lot of oil in order not the squeak constantly so I eventually threw it away.

Cool music. I'm listening to Manos right now. Like it a lot

I have a four track tape recorder Fostex X-15 with a variable speed facility. I thought my brother-in-law had fixed it but it needs new rubber belts which won't be done until Covid-19 goes away, ho-hum. Will apply your tips to it when fixed. There are still new old stock of chrome / pseudo-chrome blank cassettes like TDK SA 90s available online, or if you're going lo-fi there are some type 0 cassettes to be had. I find cassettecomeback's reviews on youtube handy for all types of tape, but be mindful his goal is to find good quality tapes. Some interesting tips Hainbach which will put a hole in my bank balance lol. I'm off to find my cheap Sony dictaphone.

Not to shoot myself in the foot here, but I've found the Radioshack CTR-122 and CTR-121 are around $20-30 and have good tape speed and tone controls, as well as mic in, plus built-in mic and speaker. Plus, you can find them bundled w/ tapes a lot of the time for not much more. This may be an unexplored secret or a huge mistake, I'm not sure, but there is a tape answering machine I plan on experimenting with, starting with the Radioshack TCR-200. I'll be using it on it's own, but also as an actual answering machine to degrade audio through old phones.

wow this video was amazing!

Wow! I like this video before I’ve even seen it

Fascinating stuff! Just signed up with Discord

Hainbach! thank you!!!

you have such a beautiful voice

Inexplicably, I recently bought a Realistic SCT-17 cassette deck on Etsy for $65. I blame you Hainbach 😂

So much great info!

Nagra 3 & 4.2 are anywhere from 2K AUD on Ebay 🤣I love the descriptors you use to describe the sound, but the price of entry is probably a bit high.

Heinback - thank you. You are just magic 📼💛📼

I have a question which I've never really found an answer to. That is, is there much difference in sound reproduction between recording using one mono track, or alternatively two stereo tracks with identical content (effectively mono) I think since there is a gap between the tracks, it would not be quite as good, but it may be close?

Danke für das Video!

I'm interested of making a track or two like a they did it before, tapes analog equipment everything like that a true old school edm track

I bought a Marantz PMD430 some months back, after years of fawning over it. Personally, I prefer using a stereo recorder since this gives me more room for sound exploration. Mono recorders have their place in the process, but I find that mono recorders can be too limiting for certain types of production. In your case, it makes more sense as you tend to use tape as an instrument. In my case, I use tape as an effect.

Hey, perfect timing! We’re looking into analog gear that will add color to our melodies. What do you suggest for that “detuned” sound that you hear in lots of modern music, especially from the german-dou ‘CuBeatz’

amazing voice

The Série Noire is so beautiful I would buy one just for my living room.

"I bought this reel to reel 60 years ago" .. looking well

I used to own two Uher Report Stereo IC 4200 machines (both needed serious maintenance) but to be honest i sold them again and never looked back. As nice as it is to use one of these for a while, they are still pretty cumbersome and the problem is the small spool sizes which reduces recording time a LOT when you record 19cm/s speed. And yes, these Marantz PMD machines are laughably overpriced beyond insane… >_>

Always wanted a nagra but too expensive for my taste, settled for a ferrograph reel to real the preamp is amazing, it’s even got it’s own speaker, made an interesting guitar amp for a bit (till it broke) really rate them . The guy I bought it from said he took it on a job to record sounds in Africa, the thing weighs a ton!!!, unfortunately he did not have the recordings. Really need to get that fixed

got me good on that discount offer

I just want basics to see how I go with it befor spending fair bit of money . How do I start the budget way first please