There was a guy in Manchester, Iowa who recorded everything. Every phone call, much of the four TV channels available in that area, and endless ephemera. Before computer audio compression, he would record on a C.Crane quarter-speed cassette recorder onto 120 minute tapes (that's 8 hours). He would then transfer these to a single track of stereo VHS tapes at a time in SLP mode, recording on the other stereo track on a second pass. He did this from late in the 1970's to his death in 2015, archiving these tapes on cataloged shelves in two houses he owned on a quiet side street. When he departed, nobody really knew what these tapes were or how to play them back, so they were piled into a huge construction dumpster and taken to the landfill. This is the same guy who designed the first Braille star map and had memorized the names of 3,000 stars visible to the naked eye in the night sky. Lots of flutter and a rather extreme low-pass filtering effect notwithstanding--the results were surprisingly audible. I was able to rescue somewhat less than a thousand of these cassettes, but the logistics of digitizing them was nearly too much for any normal person to undertake.

In my college years, I ran a low-budget 4-track recording studio out of my parent's house. My dad happened to have a Sony Betamax HiFi VCR, and I mastered to that. It was very close to digital quality. Even all these years later I transferred some of that audio to my computer and it holds up. Amazing tech for it's day.

As someone who isn't a tech geek, you do an amazing job at suggesting what you mean by your magic words with your camera work on the open VCR. What many languages use dozens of words to convey, you simply achieve by adding a subtle zoom or tilt of the camera.

Of all of the tape sounds, I think VHS might be the most nostalgia-inducing. I grew up tolerating that warbly audio. And now we're going out of our way to implement that characteristic.

That "subtle chorus effect" of double tracking is what Randy Rhoads did for his solos. Really broadens the soundscape.

I have never in my life done anything remotely with music publishing or just creation. Let alone the usage of a digital synth software, that allows for the creation of crazy sounds like these. And truth be told, I'm 42, I'm probably never going to be involved in this business. And yet, I enjoy these videos about the creation of these samples enormously. It's very satisfying to see this happen.

I used to make just audio tapes on a Hi-Fi VCR. It was pretty good, better than cassette tapes and MUCH longer. Was a great way to have music playing for a long time without intervention.

I recall Techmoan saying that a HiFi stereo VHS tapes on long play used to be THE way to prepare a 6-8 hour playlist for a party, without having to micromanage it the whole time.

Back in the early 90s, I used to master all of my 4-track cassette recordings onto VHS HiFi. Worked great for the most part.

How perfect for you to choose the infamous black Scotch VHS box for this video. That is the quintessential VHS to me, on display in almost everyone's living room. The colorful sun is always eye catching. Great video.

You got me at 70's educational videos. That touches my childhood memories.

Watching and listening to your videos creates a "feeling like home" atmosphere.

I used a VHS HiFi machine as an audio recorder in addition to video in 1987 and it was so good, even on EP, that it sounded really close to a CD in quality.

FYI (if it hasn’t been said) there’s a song on “the fish that saved Pittsburgh” that was sampled as the main horn on Lords of the Underground’s “funky child”.

For audio you want to find a VHS player that specifically says "VHS Hi-Fi" on it. They are capable of quite high quality recording and can record 4 tracks diagonally across the tape instead of using the standard audio track like is found on a typical video VHS. The tapes degraded too quickly to have ever made them really practical in the pro market, and their inputs/outputs were usually far from ideal but you can still do some neat stuff with them.

Congratulations to you and Cameron on an outstanding library! 👏🙌 Will try out the free version tomorrow, but this is a definite buy! In the first few minutes I thought, “Boards of Canada”, and I was sold!

I worked in a big insurance call centre in the UK in the 1990s and all of our calls (literlly thousands of hours per week) were all recorded on VHS tapes, they could hold sometime like 12 hours of calls per cassette so they were quite an efficient and effective way of storing / retrieving audio. I forget who supplied the infrastructure now it might have been a US company called Cable and Wireless. Just a random memory this video brought up ! 😃

I love every video you make and use Decent Sampler super often. Please keep this up

You and Cameron are 2 of very few YTers I watch regularly. Very cool that you got your (recording and playback) heads together on this one!

The top down view with the top off the VCR is a lovely subtle touch to this video that will mostly go unnoticed. I would binge VHS tapes as a kid (especially Disney). These videos you an Venus Theory made was a real blast from the past. Great work as always 👊🏼

I was in college in the early to mid 90s and I remember a music professor telling our class that we didn't know how good a VHS could be for recording audio. I was intrigued by the notion but never looked into doing any audio recording with VHS myself. This is the first time I have seen this process in action- almost 30 years later! I love the sounds you came up with by the end of this video. It sounds so 80s to me in the best of ways! It reminds me of a video company's logo that would appear at the beginning of a pre-recorded video. Thank you for making me retrieve a memory that I had long forgotten about.

2:37 thanks David, now we know how they did the regular show intro theme !

this is absolutely my favorite sample pack you’ve compiled. the sounds are all incredible!

Your explanation of helical scan, saying “almost as if the tape speed was higher” was really good for the uninitiated

Budget VHS decks very seldom had hifi stereo heads. If a system is marked 4 head, the second pair is used primarily to produce cleaner pause and forward scan. Hifi VHS tended to be on the higher end decks so more usually had 6 heads, 4 for video and a pair for audio. The audio had a very wide and flat 20-20000 Hz frequency response. On a good quality of deck it was pretty much the best audio quality recording medium available outside of a studio at that time.

In the days before stand alone digital recorders this is what we would use to capture rehearsals. Just ran the tape out of the Mackie mixer into it, and set it to EP mode. We even recorded a few bands live records this way using SP mode instead.

In the late 80's my friends and I would DJ our high school and private events. We would often grab brand new music that we couldn't buy yet from MTV via VHS recording, then play them back at dances and such. We weren't thinking much about fidelity, because tape was the air we breathed back then. The sound was always great for pumping through high end amps and loudspeakers. Little did we know how edgy we were. :P Excellent video - I love experiments like this!

Your videos are just so perfect, David. Great storytelling, visuals, ideas. You're an amazing content creator. Please keep going.

This could not have come at a more perfect time. I'm working on producing content shot on VHS, and these samples are absolutely perfect for the score. I purchased it before this video was even released. It's awesome!

Took me back to 1999 where I was searching for high grade tapes so I could record the metal channels on Music Choice overnight and then hook my cassette tape recorder up the next day and go through and transfer the songs I liked.

Hi-Fi VHS is one of the highest quality analog tape formats you could get at the time as a normal consumer without a padded bank account. I recorded hours of music on Hi-Fi VHS because of that back in the day.

your music and videos are so incredibly warm and comfortably captivating in a way i really cannot describe

My father is a huge fan of Jazz and Big Band music. There was a local station when I was growing up that ran a one-hour show on Saturday afternoons playing lots of music that he liked. He used to record the show to his late-60s reel-to-reel deck, then transfer songs -- minus ads and DJ blather -- to cassette for playback in his car. When his reel-to-reel deck finally died, he began using the VCR instead. It had the advantage that he could program it to record at the appointed hour, freeing him (and the rest of the family!) to do other things on Saturday afternoons. It worked like a charm, and he claimed that the quality was as good or better than the reel-to-reel deck. I hadn't thought about that in years...

Oh wow, my two favourite KZfaq musicians collaborating! That’s great news. And thank you for the video; the sound you realised does indeed sound warm and easy on the ear.

what a heartwarming work you've done, aside from the beautiful result, the process was already a treat. thanks again for that colorful palette you've been creating.

One of your best! Loved the overhead shots of the naked VHS and how informative it was, historical perspective and all.

Fascinating and masterfully produced. As an audio/video producer and child of the 80s, this was Reading Rainbow level comforting.

Alesis made an 8 track "digital" recorder that used VHS tapes as the media.

The sample library is so good! Could play about with it all day, really inspiring stuff. Thanks for making it!

your videos always brighten my day, thanks David

I'm so excited to watch this! I have always been entranced by the unmistakable but seemingly irreplicable chorussy warbling of vhs audio! Obsessed ever since I was a kid and you would hear chewed up strings and warbling pianos on well-worn videos played on tired classroom players haha

I knew what to expect simply because I've read and reread the Wikipedia pages on pretty much every popular format of tape media, but I am still blown away by how clear it sounded. I wonder how much of our nostalgia for these lo-fi sounds actually came from the perhaps more rudimentary quality or the wear and tear of the built-in speakers we had in our TVs and audio devices. I grew up watching TV, VHS movies, and playing video games on a small Panasonic TV from the early 90s, and this was in the early 00s. 10-15 years of being the daily driver surely took its toll on all of those components. I'll miss you, little black Panasonic.

Well this was fun! Also: Love that you're using Reaper in this video. That's a DAW that doesn't get as much love as it deserves.

As a separate comment, when growing up in the 80s/90s, it used to really make us upset hearing that dissonance of the audio warble and it felt like it ruined the movie experience. For some strange reason, it always reminds me of the 80s and how much I loved life back then. It’s a warm, nostalgic feeling. Thank you!

in 1997 I used a Sony Hifi stereo VHS recorder/player to mix down all my songs for a CD I was working on. when I brought it to the mastering engineer, he was very skeptical at first, but soon realized how good the sound quality was.

if lofi was a person, i'd be deep in love

Absolutely wonderful video and sounds. Thank you!

Got it just because it is such a cool idea and you guys worked hard for this so I need to support your work! Sounds pretty cool indeed! 🙂

I used to mix my 4 track demos into VHS tapes, they sounded great! Hi-fi and four heads went a long way

I have t picked up an instrument in a decade, and I’ve never tried working with synths, but damn I think I might look into it as a hobby. I’m already in a different creative field so I don’t have a lot of money to put into this hobby as my craft also requires a lot of funds, but synths as well as creating arrangements really grows on me as a hobby I’d love to pick up little by little over time. I’m glad I found your channel ❤

Smiled when I saw this video pop up in my feed. Thank you for the thoughtful content.

I love that you share the process of creating these samples and then make them available for people to use. The VCR sound is very nostalgic for me 💛

The vcrs labelled HIFI from the early- mid 90s record really well. Try and find one with manual record gain control. I recorded some Lps and it was almost impossible to distinguish between the source and the recording. They used to call it poor man's DAT. :)

I love writing lofi, never considered using vcr. I have to try it some time.

I definitely plan on using a VCR in this way, but I picked up the library because of the work you both put into this. Thank you!

The quality of your content always astounds me. So cozy and entertaining.

Some years ago I got a vhs player with lots of tapes, and it impressed me the quality of the sound. Not only the audio quality was great but the mixing was also superior to modern stuff.

Lots of people have mastered to Super VHS over the years. Sounds great.

Yor videos are so pleasing / relaxing. Its always a joy and i learn intersting stuff! Thanks!

Fantastic idea and execution! Super outside-the-box thinking. Love it!

This video is incredible, like you I've been pretty deep in the tape world recently. Thanks David!

"The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh" is my friend's favorite movie of all time! I know you touched on the capabilities of VHS HiFi, but it is important to note that the HiFI VHS has incredible sound quality... it's comparable to CD, and many people say it's even better since it is still analog. There is also no tape noise. I used to use HiFi VHS to master my recordings, and some people still do as it's as good as any reel-to-reel recording out there.

Amazing as always. Some of my favorite content on YT. Thank you for your time.

Very cool to see the process of how you create the samples here. I just bought the library and am already using it in a track.

I definitely used my VCR as a child to record audio. Hi-Fi VCRs had really good audio quality, similar fidelity to CD at SP speed, despite being analog.

I just love your channel. anything you pick up is so damn interesting! And all your inside on the technical devices is just wonderful

This channel is amazing. Pure wonder and discovery.

Wow! Such a great video! It's a really cool process and it's interesting how the VCR adds its own flavor to the sound. It sounds so cool and is really nice, especially when you add some reverb and your own flair! I would have never expected a VCR to be a music tool but it works! You always do a great job with these videos!

You are both a scientist and a musician. Really admire your brilliant mind. You create really interesting content.

I’m really surprised that ADAT wasn’t mentioned in this clip at all. It was a really popular format in the ’90s and a number of gigantic hits were recorded with it. It essentially was VHS audio used for mastering.

I think you are one of the few treasures on youtube, I love the editing style and your ideas are so creative. Keep it up ♥

Dual mono FTW, I love this vibe so much. Great work and inspiring as always!

In the late nineties my friends were using the digital audio track on S-VHS tapes as a mixdown format for their basement EM productions. This was not becuase they thought it sounded cool and retro but because it was their only affordable digital option. I was still using cassetes or maybe DAT. Of course it's not the same as the analog audio track on VHS but this video reminded me of that anecdote .

Yes! My favorite youtuber!!

These videos make me so so happy. Thanks a lot!

As always ever so fascinatingly presented as the topic itself is, great job man!

Good timing. I’ve been hunting for VHS HIFI machines at the local Goodwill after watching a KZfaq video on this. Found one and it ate the tapes. Oh well. The hunt continues.

Those test samples are gorgeous!

When I saw the VHS I immediately could smell the plastic and that hot feel those tapes used to give off after playing. Thanks for the nostalgia!

Really enjoy the results you produced with this process, very nostalgic 💭

that was... so neat. i literally never thought to use a VCR like this. anyone know the name of the Korean(?) movie or show that was sampled at the beginning of the video? aslas googling "boy flies on a whale" and plugging in different decades yeilds nothing. thanks for a truly stellar video!

To this day, i still make some mixtapes and record my mixes on HiFi VHS. They sound absolutely amazing and can easily hold 3 hours of audio.

Absolutely beautiful. Here I was thinking you were going to try and write to and decode audio from the video channel but this turned out way cooler. I had no idea the Hi-Fi system had a backup decoder. Amazing!

1st video I've seen of yours & you earned my sub. Not only do I love what samples you made, and how you made them, but I love your approach to the style you made the video. ✅

the file is unavailable :(

It’s a well-known fact that a lot of audio engineers use VHS to master audio. They did make hi-fi VCRs. They make a great mastering track

This video is amazing, I think you just gave me inspiration on how to improve my Lofi sound with VHS sound, I had no idea you could do this!

This is absolutely inspiring!! Fantastic Idea!

It would be great to run an impulse input through the VCR in order to get a filter for the "quasar lo fi" sound that could then be applied to any sample. Similar to what they detailed in this NPR piece about recreating the sound inside the Hagia Sophia: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l6t8mKihzM-1n6c.html

Absolutely love your videos. I’m a hobbyist producer; I just dabble, but I enjoy learning and you make it fun. Really cool stuff.

Your ability to combine beautiful cinematography and wonderful music discussion is amazing

Been working on VCRs for years and learned something. Thank you❤

Back in the early 90s I purchased a Panasonic NV-FS90, 6 head stereo S-VHS Recorder with separate left and right audio level meters and audio level gain controls. It cost me around £1200 back then as it was one of the best, most feature laden models on the market. It was also an edit machine with frame by frame search with near perfect motion and stillness and a separate music track could be recorded on the machine to accompany home videos or presentations. I too used the machine as an audio recorder, as it could obtain better results than most dedicated cassette decks, ( Nakamich being the obvious exception), and didn't require any type of noise reduction, (Dolby B, C, S or dbx), as its recordings were virtually noiseless. I archived around 10 180 minute cassette's worth of music and used them for parties or family/friend get togethers. Sound quality was terrific but couldn't stand up against my pair of Nakamichi RX-505's, (they were exceptional and sadly missed), however, it was far more than acceptable and it never chewed a tape! I used that machine up until around 2012, (how many other machines have lived this long that have had so much use?) It survived 3 kids and their tapes, plus a jam sandwich posted through its cassette slot by my daughter, awaiting collection by the unseen postman. Cleaning and maintenance is vital to this calibre of a/v products, especially if you have kids using them, too. I retired it back to it's original box, sealed it and there it resides, STILL IN WORKING CONDITION, in the attic.

It sounds so beautiful, great work!

This is fantastic and is exactly the type of content I have been looking for on KZfaq.

Excellent video. The samples sound fantastic!

very excellent and calming video to watch and listen to while working

This is an awesome library. Thank you!

An awesome collab by two amazing sound designers! Venus Theory is great.

Hi David! Just want to say I genuinely enjoy the experiments you do. Cheers!