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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc. |
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12th Jan 2016, 8:15 pm | #1 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Cibolo, Texas, USA.
Posts: 1
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Cassette Tape length
Hi, I happen to own a Maxell cassette tape and three cassette players. One is a bulky and portable, the rest are Walkmans.
However, only one out of the three work, which is the portable and bulky one. I also want to know how much length is on my cassette tape on both sides so I can make my own mixtape out of it. How long are most cassette tapes in length, because I can't tell. I will have to take a close look at it, that way when I return next time, I can figure out how many songs I can fit on the A and B side. Also, I need help figuring out how to record a tape, like editing it if I don't want something on there, etc. I would appreciate it if I got some feedback. Thanks! LegoMaster2149 |
12th Jan 2016, 8:55 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,843
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Re: Cassette Tape length
Hello and welcome.
Do you mean you want to know how long the recording time is on each side of the cassette? If so, look for a designation such as C60 or C90, which indicates 30 or 45 minutes per side respectively. These were the commonest types, but 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and even 180 will be encountered too. |
13th Jan 2016, 10:06 am | #3 |
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Lynton, N. Devon, UK.
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Re: Cassette Tape length
Length in time or length in length? The tape speed is 1 7/8 inches per second so the calculation is a simple one. Just remember the total time is for two passes!
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13th Jan 2016, 11:27 am | #4 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Peacehaven, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 57
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Re: Cassette Tape length
Some later cassettes are c100 too.
I am a bit puzzled about the second half of your post, you have to record cassettes in real time from the source, if you are using a computer you could make an MP3 mix 'tape' on that first using 'Audacity' or similar software then you'd know the run time etc and you could then let the whole thing record onto the cassette. If you are using a CD player or turntable to copy individual tracks I'm afraid you have to do it manually using the pause button on the cassette while you change track/sources. Keep your eye on the recording levels as it gets irritating after a while if the sound level keeps changing track to track and you have to keep adjusting the volume |
13th Jan 2016, 11:45 am | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Derby, UK.
Posts: 7,735
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Re: Cassette Tape length
A C-60 plays for 30 minutes each side for a total of 60 minutes. A C-90 plays for 45 minutes each side, and so forth. Some manufacturers used prefixes other than C- to denote different formulations, but the number is always total minutes, both sides.
Standard cassette tape speed is 4.76 cm / sec, so a C-60 contains 30 * 60 * 0.0476 = 87.7 metres of tape.
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13th Jan 2016, 6:49 pm | #6 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Milton Keynes, Bucks. UK.
Posts: 2,552
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Re: Cassette Tape length
Back in the day, Philips made a C46 tape which was 46 minutes in length, both sides (= 23 minutes per side) and ideal for recording early LP's (Long Playing Vinyl Albums)
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13th Jan 2016, 7:41 pm | #7 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,910
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Re: Cassette Tape length
Maxell still made those in the 90s. I used to get them from the shop I worked in on saturdays.
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14th Jan 2016, 11:32 am | #8 |
Octode
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: St Osyth, Nr Clacton, Essex, UK.
Posts: 1,482
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Re: Cassette Tape length
Most Walkman-style machines don't record - indeed you call them "players" which might be a clue!
Non-working normally suggests a worn out internal rubber drive belt or maybe the rubber pinch roller. Most small portable cassette recorders used a tiny magnet for erase and that won't achieve maximum silence on the tape prior to putting on the new recording. So if you have an already blank tape you could consider putting card etc over the magnet to stop it adding unwanted noise. Graham
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24th Jan 2016, 11:50 pm | #9 |
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Re: Cassette Tape length
Editing the contents of a cassette tape is difficult if not impossible. The recordings are fixed in position on the tape, unlike MiniDisc or computer-type formats. So if you had recorded a mix tape and decided some time later that you didn't like one track on it, you would need to find a replacement track of exactly the same duration (to the second) and record the new one over the original, erasing the original in the process.
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25th Jan 2016, 12:01 am | #10 |
Octode
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Location: St Osyth, Nr Clacton, Essex, UK.
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Re: Cassette Tape length
OP seems to have forgotten all about us...
Graham
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