# Cassettes



## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Does anyone here have a rich library of classical music on cassette tapes? Either as a remnant from decades past, or a continuously growing collection. If so, do you have any pictures of it? 

Only asking for curiosity's sake. I drive a 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and it only has a cassette tape player, no CD player.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

flamencosketches said:


> Only asking for curiosity's sake. I drive a 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and it only has a cassette tape player, no CD player.


Congratulations for keeping with an older car. My daughter drives a 1997 Escort. I drive a 2001 Chevy S10 pickup.

You can buy a device that plugs into the power outlet, tunes to an unused place on the radio dial, then feed music in through an MP3 player, or whatever device you want to plug into it. I was running that setup in my 1995 F150 that only has cassette. I had a 2GB MP3 filled with my favorite artist on shuffle.

Here is a low priced unit: www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0SFMIH/


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2019)

At point I drove a 1969 Cutlass Supreme. Different beast. 350 cubic inch V-8










Going in a straight line was its specialty. Turning was not recommended.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I chucked about 300 cassettes on the dump 10 years ago. Half were mix tapes of my own, copies of albums i had (to use in older cars) or bootlegs of rock bands but there were also about 50 classical tapes too. Always hated tapes because of the hiss at high volumes and they always ended up getting mangled. Like Fritz says, there are lots of ways to upgrade old tape players in cars these days. I couldnt do without something that played digital media in my car, anymore.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I started with cassettes, including recording music from the radio as a kid, but slowly got rid of them. 
Now I think I only have one, besides some on the loft, because it's not that common a release - Ferneyhough's Sonatas for String Quartet. 

They can be had quite cheaply here, but I'm less satisfied with their sound quality and not at least their durability - they tend to decline as regards the sound.


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2019)

I never purchased a commercially produced cassette. I had a deck to make mix tapes, copies of albums for the car and to record my own music. When it was clear my last deck was dying I copied them to audio files and disposed of them.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I still have dozens of rock and pop cassettes, both commercial (almost all bought for $1 each or less) or my own compilations.. I play them fairly regularly on a small bedside stand unit that combines radio, CD, and tape play with excellent headphone sound quality and cost only $29.99. Amazing!


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

I would rather upgrade to a CD car stereo that could be purchased for under $150 or whatever quality level one might desire: https://www.amazon.com/Car-Stereo-Receivers-CD-Audio/s?rh=n%3A10980601%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_three_browse-bin%3A6362488011
Most stock cassette players can be replaced.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

I use the cassette player in my 2000 Infiniti I30, but not in during the hot months (the tapes melt if the dashboard gets too hot). 

It also has a CD player. 

My collection of recorded music is 33% cassette, 33% cd's, and 34% LP's. 

My home audio setup has a dual cassette player, an LP turntable, and 5 disk CD changer.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Baron Scarpia said:


> At point I drove a 1969 Cutlass Supreme. Different beast. 350 cubic inch V-8
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Love it! My kind of car!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

The Mustang my son and I bought last year had a high end head unit, subwoofer and 1000-watt amp. We tore it out and put a delete panel in.









Looks way better and the car still has stereo. :lol:


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Baron Scarpia said:


> At point I drove a 1969 Cutlass Supreme. Different beast. 350 cubic inch V-8
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Beautiful car. Respect.

I definitely plan on upgrading the stereo receiver eventually. In reality, I'm not going to be spending all that money building a classical library on cassette tapes. More so I was curious if anyone here ever went that route.


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## Caesura (Apr 5, 2020)

Late reply, but my dad has a HUGE library of classical music tapes. They probably make up most of our music collection, then it's CDs next, and finally with some vinyl records.

My personal favourite tapes are the Deutsche Grammophon tapes that looked like this.









My dad used to have a lot more, but he got rid of some of them a long time ago. Now he wishes he never got rid of them because it is so hard to find them anywhere.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Caesura said:


> Late reply, but my dad has a HUGE library of classical music tapes. They probably make up most of our music collection, then it's CDs next, and finally with some vinyl records.
> 
> My personal favourite tapes are the Deutsche Grammophon tapes that looked like this.
> 
> ...


If you hook the cassette player to your computer microphone jack, you can play it to record into MP3 (or other formats) on Audacity. I did it for some voice tapes. Was quite easy.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

I used to have 100-150 Classical music albums on cassettes. I haven't owned a cassette player in years, not even in a car. I think all of my cassettes are still in a box somewhere in my parents' attic! :lol:


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

flamencosketches said:


> I drive a 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and it only has a cassette tape player, no CD player.


Maybe if you hit some flea markets you might find a whole box of classical cassettes you can buy for 5-10 dollars? Or some Liberace and Montovani at the very least!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

starthrower said:


> Maybe if you hit some flea markets you might find a whole box of classical cassettes you can buy for 5-10 dollars? Or some Liberace and Montovani at the very least!


My library sells used cassettes for 10 cents each (last time I bought any, maybe went up since), but of course, they are closed now for Covid.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I trowed them all in the bin


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Rogerx said:


> I trow them all in the bin


Sometimes easier just to buy the same work on CD unless it is not on CD.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

SixFootScowl said:


> Sometimes easier just to buy the same work on CD unless it is not on CD.


I just saw one, self made, Rosalind Plowright in Holland, recorded from the radio. You know how it goes, friends saying I put it on disc for you......like never.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I have a few that are over 35 years old. If I remember correctly I had Beethoven 7, Tchaikovsky 6, and a Brahms symphony. I could send them to Sketches.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

I loved making mix tapes or burning stuff on to them for others, and they were way better for that than blank CDs, more flexible to use and (if you could accommodate the side break) with more room on them, an extra quarter-hour or so. Not all change is progress.


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