Blank tapes have breakable tabs over the holes, which do the same thing as putting tape over them. Those holes are like low tech copy protection to prevent the tape from being recordable (like commercially produced music tapes) so putting tape over them would just allow you to record. It wouldn’t deactivate the erase head, but having holes would deactivate the erase and record heads (on most recorders you would be unable to press the record button if the holes are present).
I love this so much. By the end of the composition, it reminds me so much of a black and white movie intro with newspapers flying by the screen at high speed, hot off the press, delivering some ominous news to the populace.
Thanks times two! If you choose a tapedeck I recommend the Tascam 424 mk1, because it features 3! speeds... I have an upcoming video which goes into detail about that... stay tuned :)
my yamaha cmx 100 pops off my loop tapes. it's only works well when i use my fingers to rotate the second cassete castor. How i can trick my recorder? I think its because weak tension and tape cant spin the second roll
I'm way super new to this cassette business, but how do you know how much time you have on the cassette for a loop? Like if you just cut it and tape it, how do you know you can record a whole chord progression or sequence or whatever without re-recording over
This is so inspiring!! Great video. Can I ask a question that is probably obvious and I may even missed out you explaining it in this video, but can the tape loop be any length? Say one minute? Or is it important that you keep it very short?
You have tapes from old answering machines that are minutes and looping, but to make them yourself is a bit tricky. I made for an art project longer loops, but then I broke out of the tape itself (and the tape machine), so the loop is outside of the tape/machine. So you can make the tape as long as you want!
This may seem like a stupid question, but do you dub the sounds to the cassette before you cut it down to the 8 second version, or do you record directly on to the loop?
I am very confused and just got a tape machine myself. My question is, you can layer the loop as many times as you want? It won’t erase what’s on below it? And also.. you’re able to control the level of a layer that’s already recorded by using the knobs in the channel you recorded it in? I don’t understand how that works please help!
I haven't fully tested it, but by bypassing the erase knob, theoretically you keep on adding sounds to the loop... or it dirty'ly overwrites the old bit... I haven't fully tested it...
@@SupahDupah both somehow :) not sure to understand how it works . If you record for tracks from your DAW into tape ... you record the 4 tracks at ones ? You mention about the loop tape ... how you define the length ?
Hi! Unfortunately, when I record on my loop cassettes only one track is recorded, sometimes two ... Could you please tell me what this may be about? thank you :)
I've recently been trying to experiment with loops and Tascam Portastudio too... However, I've been unable to make a normally sounding loop. The one I did plays with lots of wobble and unstable pitch. Because of this, most of the notes recorded on it go completely out of tune. Talking about 'normal' recording and playback - all works flawlessly. Any ideas, what am I doing wrong with the tape loop? Is it wrong tape tension, or something else? Thanks a bunch! P.S. Great video btw, keep it up
Hey! Yeah, it is all about the tension of the tape, which is millimeter work. I had a few iteration needed to get mine quite right. So keep on trying... too loose is not ok, but too tight is also not working... Keep experimenting... Check out my next video -> ua-cam.com/video/u-3m8QwBL-I/v-deo.html That features a way to play with the loop with melody and chords and stuff. Let me know what you think!
@@SupahDupah that's a nice video, thanks! I know about that technique, here's another nice video on that theme - ua-cam.com/video/nxi7RwFSKEg/v-deo.html and I want to try it, but I need to make a working tape loop first :D Thanks for the hints, I subscribed to your channel and looking forward to more vids
@@SupahDupah OK, so I finally figured, what was wrong in my case... So, everything was fine with the tape loop I made :) It started being wobbly because of the scotch tape I put over the erase head... It somehow always slows down the flow of the tape, makes it unstable... Without the tape over the erase head everything works alright... Still haven't figured out how to solve this issue. If I don't put the scotch tape over the erase head I get that silence break in the tape loop... any suggestions?
Check out that second video... I put the tape loosely on the tape itself... and I put another piece of tape on the tape which would touch the tape, so it won't stick but smoothly rolls further... but it is try and error... hope this helps!
I own a tascam 424 mk3 and masking the erase head doesn't work. still have a blank after recording. Tried to put the tape on cassette but it's even worst because it cannot play at all. Anyone has a clue?
Here I use the Tascam 414 mk2... but if you can find one, I would recommend the Tascam 424 mk1, because it has 3 speeds. In an upcoming video I will showcase the speed tricks you can do with it...
Technically the loop of course never ends ;) But maybe if it is too tight it could trigger the autoreverse... so my tip would be to make the loop a little more loose... Hope this helps!
I just bought a 414! I discover quietly. How is your monologue connected to 414? I see you change tracks at each recording, so it's the monologue that you move from track to track? Thank you Supah
Does anyone have a theory has to why the loop works but playback is significantly quiet? I'm using a Portastudio which hasn't had any problems before with playback volume, so I'm assuming it has something to do with the loop I made.
My theory is that the tape of the tapeloop isn't as tight on the tape playhead as a normal tape, resulting in a more quiet signal. This is just my theory, dunno if it's true :)
The tape loop might be the wrong way round. The heads can still read the signal even if it’s on the other side of the tape, it’ll just be quieter. Try re making the tape but flip the tape so the other side is facing out
Martín Estrada Márquez I just started experimenting too. Check out the “how to make your own loop cassette” video by Amulets. This cassette looks the same - 22cm of tape is about 6 seconds.
![How to make Ambient Music by destroying Cassette Tapes [Tape Loop Tutorial]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OfdrYDJ-NnA/mqdefault.jpg)
![How to make Ambient Music by destroying Cassette Tapes [Tape Loop Tutorial]](/img/tr.png)
![TAPE LOOP 102: How to use it for chords/melody [tutorial]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/u-3m8QwBL-I/mqdefault.jpg)
Put the painters tape over the holes on the bottom of the cassette instead of the head in your recorder.
That's a great tip by the way! Protects the heads!
thanks, my player only has 1 head :\
Over all holes?
@Your Name awesome! Thank you
Blank tapes have breakable tabs over the holes, which do the same thing as putting tape over them. Those holes are like low tech copy protection to prevent the tape from being recordable (like commercially produced music tapes) so putting tape over them would just allow you to record. It wouldn’t deactivate the erase head, but having holes would deactivate the erase and record heads (on most recorders you would be unable to press the record button if the holes are present).
I love this so much. By the end of the composition, it reminds me so much of a black and white movie intro with newspapers flying by the screen at high speed, hot off the press, delivering some ominous news to the populace.
So cool... your visual interpretation... that's also how I 'see' music often :)
Great experiment. Tape over the cassette holes works as well. This is what I like with keeping up cassette playing. Thanks a lot.
Cool! Thanks for watching!
This is awesome! Going to fix a setup like this and needed inspiration. Nice tattoo as well!
Thanks times two! If you choose a tapedeck I recommend the Tascam 424 mk1, because it features 3! speeds... I have an upcoming video which goes into detail about that... stay tuned :)
@@SupahDupah interesting! Found an akai cs-34d instead, can't wait to modify it :)
Epic and audibly superb!
Thank you! Thank you! 🙏
Nice! I learned a lot.
Cool... happy to hear that!
Scotch tape))) nice and helpful video bro! Thank you
Scotch! I will never forget it :)
awesome! :) i like your vids. do you think you could make a tutorial on recording on your 4 track sometime? thanks!
Thank you! Yes, I am planning more fun with the tape machines ;) What do you want to see, 4 track recording a whole song?
Great vid man, Is the tape over the erase head stopping the pause in playback when the loop hits the join?
yes it is! to make the loop seamless without the small silence ...
5th Brass is always on point
best preset ever made! :)
Great tutorial, thanks, brother!
Anytime :) Was great to make, and more tape vids in the future... also have a little cassette-synth now :)
What if you put some kind of mechanism inside the tape that adjusts the tension to make the sound softer like you said
Well... that would be quite a challenge? To make a custom cassette... but cool idea!
Tank you Supah, you are the inspiration!!!
You are very welcome! :) Go spread the word :p
Awesome video!!!!!
Thanks! Glad you like it...
my yamaha cmx 100 pops off my loop tapes. it's only works well when i use my fingers to rotate the second cassete castor. How i can trick my recorder? I think its because weak tension and tape cant spin the second roll
Yeah it is a fine line... but there needs to be enough tension to flow... a lot of trial and error
I literally have that exact same set up. That’s crazy
Great minds think alike ;)
I'm way super new to this cassette business, but how do you know how much time you have on the cassette for a loop? Like if you just cut it and tape it, how do you know you can record a whole chord progression or sequence or whatever without re-recording over
It's just trial and error... there is no exact scientific measuring with this technique :) Just do and see if it sounds good... if not... repeat :)
4.8 cm/s and 9.5 cm/s are standard settings you can find on any multitrack. but what's better than a broken loop?
सिकंदर खान सांवरा बहुत अच्छी वीडियो है कैसी टेलर वाले टेप पर ओके👌👌👌
This is so inspiring!! Great video. Can I ask a question that is probably obvious and I may even missed out you explaining it in this video, but can the tape loop be any length? Say one minute? Or is it important that you keep it very short?
You have tapes from old answering machines that are minutes and looping, but to make them yourself is a bit tricky. I made for an art project longer loops, but then I broke out of the tape itself (and the tape machine), so the loop is outside of the tape/machine. So you can make the tape as long as you want!
cool, thanks! I actually found a company that sell these, at various lengths. I wonder are they reputable?
tapeline.info/v2/endless-loop-tapes.html
I dunno... :)
This may seem like a stupid question, but do you dub the sounds to the cassette before you cut it down to the 8 second version, or do you record directly on to the loop?
I record directly on the loop…
I am very confused and just got a tape machine myself. My question is, you can layer the loop as many times as you want? It won’t erase what’s on below it? And also.. you’re able to control the level of a layer that’s already recorded by using the knobs in the channel you recorded it in? I don’t understand how that works please help!
I haven't fully tested it, but by bypassing the erase knob, theoretically you keep on adding sounds to the loop... or it dirty'ly overwrites the old bit... I haven't fully tested it...
Didn't see any reviews a out pedals on this video in your channel. Will u de o them?
I don't have them all anymore unfortunately... studio/setup changes.... and changes :)
How do you splice your tape so that it’s seamless?
It's just cut at 90 degrees and fixed together with a little bit of scotch tape on the backside - no secret method!
Yes! This... it is a little getting-to-use-to-process, but once mastered it is pretty straightforward!
Thank you. Which type of taped do you use for loops?
Just the standard Maxell UR-90 you can still buy new!
Really enjoyed the video, what is the model of the tape deck? :)
Thank you! The tape deck is a Tuscan 414 mkII
tascam! No need for auto-correct mr UA-cam ;)
Great ! How do you keep the loops accurate and In sync ??
In sync with other gears? Or with itself?
@@SupahDupah both somehow :) not sure to understand how it works .
If you record for tracks from your DAW into tape ... you record the 4 tracks at ones ?
You mention about the loop tape ... how you define the length ?
Are you playing the tape at half speed? Seems like the loops I’ve created end up being really short (due to the speed of the cassette player)
Not in this video... but the length is dependable with the length of the loop yes
Interesting sounds..
Cool demo and picture :)
And what the camera you use?
Thank you! Here I used a Sony a6500... but now I am on the Nikon Z6 :)
Supah Dupah, thanks for answer :)
Anytime!
Is there any way we can record tape loops with a more modern cassette deck?
Sure... if you have a tape loop cassette and you can ommit the erase head... then you can do it!
Hi! Unfortunately, when I record on my loop cassettes only one track is recorded, sometimes two ... Could you please tell me what this may be about? thank you :)
Is the loop too loose? Is part of it not connecting to the tape-record-head? Is the record-head not broken?
I've recently been trying to experiment with loops and Tascam Portastudio too... However, I've been unable to make a normally sounding loop. The one I did plays with lots of wobble and unstable pitch. Because of this, most of the notes recorded on it go completely out of tune. Talking about 'normal' recording and playback - all works flawlessly. Any ideas, what am I doing wrong with the tape loop? Is it wrong tape tension, or something else? Thanks a bunch! P.S. Great video btw, keep it up
Hey! Yeah, it is all about the tension of the tape, which is millimeter work. I had a few iteration needed to get mine quite right. So keep on trying... too loose is not ok, but too tight is also not working... Keep experimenting... Check out my next video -> ua-cam.com/video/u-3m8QwBL-I/v-deo.html That features a way to play with the loop with melody and chords and stuff. Let me know what you think!
@@SupahDupah that's a nice video, thanks! I know about that technique, here's another nice video on that theme - ua-cam.com/video/nxi7RwFSKEg/v-deo.html and I want to try it, but I need to make a working tape loop first :D Thanks for the hints, I subscribed to your channel and looking forward to more vids
Yeah, cool video... you can create super cool stuff with the tape machines :) Keep it up!
@@SupahDupah OK, so I finally figured, what was wrong in my case... So, everything was fine with the tape loop I made :) It started being wobbly because of the scotch tape I put over the erase head... It somehow always slows down the flow of the tape, makes it unstable... Without the tape over the erase head everything works alright... Still haven't figured out how to solve this issue. If I don't put the scotch tape over the erase head I get that silence break in the tape loop... any suggestions?
Check out that second video... I put the tape loosely on the tape itself... and I put another piece of tape on the tape which would touch the tape, so it won't stick but smoothly rolls further... but it is try and error... hope this helps!
I own a tascam 424 mk3 and masking the erase head doesn't work. still have a blank after recording. Tried to put the tape on cassette but it's even worst because it cannot play at all. Anyone has a clue?
You sure you have masked the erase head and not another one? And did you erase the tape first?
Amazing. Can I ask where exactly you put the tape to eliminate the erase head? Thanks
right over the erase head, so it can't erase the tape anymore...
Supah Dupah thanks buddy.
what 4 track recorder is this?
Here I use the Tascam 414 mk2... but if you can find one, I would recommend the Tascam 424 mk1, because it has 3 speeds. In an upcoming video I will showcase the speed tricks you can do with it...
Thank you!
You're very welcome!
What to do when my player turns on auto reverse mode when the loop ends?!
Technically the loop of course never ends ;) But maybe if it is too tight it could trigger the autoreverse... so my tip would be to make the loop a little more loose... Hope this helps!
@@SupahDupah Maybe the tape I used to put 2 ends together was too thick.
@@GTX-560 Yes, that could be the issue indeed... it is a delicate process of making the loop :) Good luck!
@@SupahDupah thanks
Thanks
Thank YOU for watching :)
I just bought a 414! I discover quietly. How is your monologue connected to 414? I see you change tracks at each recording, so it's the monologue that you move from track to track?
Thank you Supah
yes, I record different monologue sequences on different tracks
Does anyone have a theory has to why the loop works but playback is significantly quiet? I'm using a Portastudio which hasn't had any problems before with playback volume, so I'm assuming it has something to do with the loop I made.
My theory is that the tape of the tapeloop isn't as tight on the tape playhead as a normal tape, resulting in a more quiet signal. This is just my theory, dunno if it's true :)
The tape loop might be the wrong way round. The heads can still read the signal even if it’s on the other side of the tape, it’ll just be quieter. Try re making the tape but flip the tape so the other side is facing out
The ferric paste is only on one side of the tape so it has to be directly touching the playback head for the strongest signal
Please tell me the order of connection of the devices
synth, through pedals, into tape machine... and tapemachine's out to sound card and record! Hope this helps!
@@SupahDupah ‘into tape machine’ means each track input? or input behind recorder?
@@analoginvasion yes
amazing
thank you! cassette is so much fun!
Where do i get the tape machine from ?
Ebay... or other second hand places...
How long can this loop record?
this is a couple of seconds... no precise measuring here unfortunately ;)
Martín Estrada Márquez I just started experimenting too. Check out the “how to make your own loop cassette” video by Amulets. This cassette looks the same - 22cm of tape is about 6 seconds.
Stephen Hiscox thanks. Why is it so hard for these guys to just say how long the tape has to be?
cool.
Keepin it cool during Summer, really important ;)
but I just buy tapes on ebay)))
You lazy you! :)
@@SupahDupah :)
farts
pfrrrrrrrr... 👀