There's a lot of basic information on this college site in regards to recorders and terminology, hope you enjoy it. http://artsites.ucsc.edu/EMS/music/equipment/analog_recorders/analog_recorders.html#Cassettes
Here's another short explanation but it has lot of photos. https://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/courses/371/adarsh/contents.html
I found another website buried in the Carnegie Mellon Information System, maybe on an old Vax or DEC Computer. This is the 1995 Guide to Cassette Decks and Tape Trading. This guide was written with the Grateful Dead Taper in mind. For you younger generation, the Grateful Dead had a huge following that would attend as many summer concerts as possible. Some of the more technical in the crowd would record the concerts and distribute the tapes to their friends. This was back when recording or picture taking at most concerts was prohibited, they'd kick you out and keep your equipment. The Grateful Dead allowed taping at the shows and the tapers would bring their TOL Sony and Marantz Recorders and make professional grade recordings. This guide has some nice information on recording equipment, proper set up, etc. There's more Dead Information in the higher directory, I don't see an easy way to get to it except through the address bar. "This is a very opinionated guide to help in the purchase and use of cassette decks. It is aimed in general at people who trade tapes of live music and in particular at Grateful Dead tape traders. I do not in anyway condone the sale or purchase of unauthorized recordings. I have no financial interest in any of the companies mentioned" https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~./gdead/taping-guide/
So I followed the Phish Link in the above article and had to use the Internet Wayback Machine to get site circa 1998 but there' is also some interesting taping information on this page, some of the links may be broken. https://web.archive.org/web/19981203102021/http://www.phish.net:80/PhishFAQ/tape-qs.html
I was following the links, here's some more information for the live taper. This is on the https://web.archive.org/web/2000092...ourcesfortapers.com:80/resources/tapefaq.html website which seems to be defunct. --------------------------------- |The Taper's Survival Guide v1.0| --------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1995 by Jeff Maggard. All Rights Reserved. Duplication of this document permitted if and only if (1) this document is not used for financial gain in any way, and (2) if this document is copied whole, including this copyright notice. GENERAL THOUGHTS: ================= This is a beginner's guide for taping live music. First things first: Know your equipment. Know its strengths and its weaknesses. Know where to set your levels. Know how long your batteries will last, to the minute. Know how long your tapes will last, to the second. Practice your tape flips (a good flip in a TCD-D5M can be done in less than a second!). Know the equipment you're likely to be patched into. Know if the operator of that equipment is competent. Is the equipment reliable? Will its batteries last through the set, the show? Does it pass a signal during the flip? Know the venue and the sound system. Know where and how to set up your mics. Know whether or not FOB taping is allowed, and whether you'll get tossed or have your tapes confiscated if you get caught anyway. Know the people you're taping with. THE TAPER'S CHECKLIST: ====================== MICS: ----- mics (bodies and capsules) mic stand mic mounts wind screens (outdoors) umbrella (outdoors) t-bar and adapter(s) power supply mic cables, longer mic cables PS cables (PS <-> deck) power supply batteries extra power supply batteries duct/electrical tape DECK: ----- Deck batteries tapes extra batteries extra tapes patch cords patch cord adapters (1/4" mono, 1/4" stereo, 1/8" stereo, RCA, XLR) splitters (patch in at the side of the chain vs. the end) battery charger, 120VAC deck PS (use when touring) more duct/electrical tape ACCESSORIES: ------------ flashlight + batteries extra flashlight batteries pocket knife stopwatch voltmeter pen and paper (setlists/names/numbers) plastic bags (outdoors) towel beer food, chair, and blanket(s) sunglasses and sunscreen tickets - "Taper Tickets" are necessary at Phish/Dead shows! Did I mention duct and electrical tape? ...and something to carry all this crap in! Borrow (borrowing is free -- well, everyone appreciates a beer ;-) or rent a battery powered pro portable analog deck like a Sony analog D5 ('full-sized' = 2"x8"x10"), a Sony analog D6 (walkman sized), or one of the pro Marantz models ('full-sized'). It might cost as much as $100 for a week, or $50 for a weekend to rent, plus deposit. I don't know where to get one though -- try your local pro music shop and/or the yellow pages or the dealers listed in the Mic-FAQ. If you're going to be patching, bring a selection of patch cables. RCA plugs and 1/8" headphone jack plugs are the most common, but it can't hurt to bring 1/4" plugs too. I use RCA 'Y' cables, so I can patch into a chain from the side -- splitting the signal -- it's a lot easier to get higher up in the chain this way. Tips (before showtime): - bone up on your flipping skills (especially in 'concert mental state')! - bone up on your setup and break-down skills (in 'concert metal state') - bring a flashlight. - bring extra batteries for everything. - bring extra tapes. - bring a pen and paper for the setlist. - get a taper's ticket (if going to a Dead or Phish show ;-). - if you're going outside: bring RAIN gear, bring a blanket (claim your space!) and a chair, etc... - bring food, drinks, etc. (M&M's make friends, beer makes lasting friends!) Caution: may require smuggling. Tips (showtime): - NO TALKING during the show! - DO be polite. Everyone in front of you in the chain is your best friend, and the guy with the mics is your very best friend! - DON'T get in the way of people setting up their gear -- if you're patching, you'll have comparatively little to deal with. This often includes not asking 'dumb' questions -- no question is dumb, but bothering people who are trying to work IS. Ask 'dumb' questions during the setbreak. - DON'T get in the way of people during the show who have to tend to their gear, flip tapes, replace batteries, etc. This is more of a problem indoors. Jargon is fairly standard in taping circles; an example conversation before a show: Jim: "Hey Joe, watcha runnin' tonight?" Joe: "Howdy... split Schoeps sub-cards FOB through a Neumann supply into a 255." Jim: "Cool! Mind if I plug in?" Joe: "Things are tight since we're stealthin' FOB, howzabout I make you a tape after the show?" Jim: "Fine by me! Thanks, and have a good one!" split - Two mics not running on the same mic stand, generally more than 2' apart -- sometimes as much as 50' apart. Ususally done with non-directional mics such as omnis or sub-cardioids. There must be 100 ways to setup a pair of mics, with 100 different results. Luck and experience dictate what's best for a given situation. See the MIC-FAQ for more details on various mic 'setups' and orientations. Schoeps - A high-priced, high-performace microphone. Excellent for stealthing, since the 2" long capsules can be run remotely (in a hat!). FANTASTIC sound quality, very accurate. Sub-card - A pattern of microphone half-way between that of an omni (fully-nondirectional) and a cardioid (directional). 'mind if I plug in' - Can i patch my deck into yours and record using the output signals from your equipment? 'FOB' - Front-of-board. Taping in front of the soundboard (usually illegal at Dead/Phish shows, which requires one to 'go stealth' -- i.e. not be seen by the crew or by security, lest ye get 'busted!') 'through a Neumann supply' - Using a Neumann brand power supply. The power supply (PS) is needed to supply the bias voltage (see the MIC-FAQ) to the mics and amplify the low power signal from the microphones to supply line-level signals to the deck. Neumann is a famous brand of high quality and expensive microphones and power supplies. They make a nice, small 9V battery-powered PS in the $400-$500 range that is good for 48V phantom powering (see the MIC-FAQ for more explanations and context for this jargon ;-). 'into a 255' - Using a Panasonic SV-255 DAT deck. The 255 has a reputation for excellent sound quality, possibly the best sound from a portable DAT deck. Professional deck, $2000+ when they were available new (have been discontinued). Panasonic spent their time and money designing for excellent sound, and didn't bother with the bells-and-whistles like some more 'consumer-oriented' DAT decks. Well that's it, now get off yer butt and go make some killer tapes!
Here's another page on Resource For Tapers website, exploring the mysterious world of Azimuth Adjustment, which seems to be long gone. https://web.archive.org/web/2000060...ourcesfortapers.com:80/resources/azimuth.html Layman's Guide to Playback Azimuth Adjustment by Dan Heend [ This document was posted to rec.music.gdead on 28 January 1997 ] In response to many azimuth questions and allusions, I composed this rather generic document describing the methods I've used to set playback azimuth on decks I've used for playback in the past. I've done this with great success on both 2 and 3 head decks, and more specifically, on an AIWA AD-F810, AIWA AD-F850, some old Pioneer 2 head I had at one point, multiple Kenwood, Fisher, Sony, and Onkyo dubbing decks, and others. The following method certainly has a way of bringing out the best in tapes made in decks other than my current record deck. Your mileage may vary. Tapes made in the head-flipping autoreverse type decks are typically most in need of an azimuth adjustment, although anything can happen over time to even the best Naks. DISCLAIMER: If you fuck your decks up doing this, it's not now, nor will it ever be, my problem. Those who are either technically inept or unwilling to accept responsibility for their actions should probably seek professional help of some kind (technical, psychological, sociological, horticultural, pharmaceutical, whatever...) Now that that's said... here's the layman's guide to playback azimuth adjustment when there's no actual knob or feature. The azimuth adjust screw is typically located just to the left along side of the playback head. On a regular, standard 2 head tape deck(and many 3 head decks), that screw has a spring behind it. I don't know the layout of some of the more exotic Nak's head assemblies but if it's anything like any standard 2 head tape deck, then that's exactly where you'd find that screw. Note: You will probably have to remove the faceplate on the door in order to gain easy access to the head screws. If your deck doesn't have a removable door, then you're probably going to find it difficult to get access to the screw in question. Sometimes there's also a little hole in the faceplate of the deck that lines up with the screw when the head assembly is engaged during playback. There is usually a bit of enamel or glue painted on that screw to prevent it from turning during regular usage. Cracking that seal may cause the screw to turn ever so slightly on it's own when the head assembly engages/disengages in normal operation... Not to mention the fact that it may void your warranty. The screw(with the spring behind it) may be tight and generally prevent it from slipping out most of the time... or it could be a bit looser, causing it to slip out more frequently. I have done this on both types of azimuth screws(tight and loose), and I haven't found this fact to be much of a problem during tape play. In other words, once it's set, it shouldn't slip out during that side of the tape anyway. You may notice it slipping out after repeated full stops and starts of the tape, where the head assembly is engaging/disengaging. It all really depends on how "clunky" the assembly engages(if it's smooth you probably won't knock it out as easily), and how tight the screw is. In any case, you should know that once you break that seal, you really should make it a habit to set the playback azimuth for every tape side you ever playin it again. It's not really that big of a deal... once you've done it a few times, it's second nature, and should only take a couple of seconds to adjust. You'll probably need a fairly small Phillips-head screwdriver (I recommend buying a jeweler's screwdriver set for this from Radio Shack). The trick is to accentuate or exaggerate the high frequencies, and cut the mids and lows down all the way. Keep the balance in the center. I have a dual channel, 10 band EQ/analyzer (NOT in the recording loop), and I put all the freqs all the way down except for the highest 2 or 3 freqs. Then, I turn up the treble on my receiver to boot. This makes the highs extremely exaggerated, but also makes it very easy to tell whether you got all the highs your going to get or not(be careful to turn the volume down some so that you don't blow your tweeters or ears for that matter). If the tape in question requires Dolby for proper decoding, performing the azimuth adjustment with Dolby turned OFF may make it easier. Engage the heads and turn the playback azimuth screw back and forth and you'll hear the highs come in and out(left and right as well). Basically(and unfortunately), but interestingly enough, the point at which the azimuth is properly aligned is typically the point where the high-end hiss is most clear and defined in BOTH channels. Which reminds me... you must have your room laid out in an acoustically correct manner, with the speakers equidistant(both horizontally and vertically) from where you stand(in front of your deck). If your system is not arranged such that your decks are in the center between the speakers, then you're going to have a tough time. In any case, slowly turn the screw back and forth in ever decreasing sweeps or arcs until you find it's at its optimum position. It shouldn't take more than half a turn in either direction to produce the desired results. When the highs are as good as it gets, then it's set as good as it's gonna be for that tape(very profound statement... I know, I know....). Take great care not to apply too much pressure to the screwdriver, as you may bend or otherwise damage the head assembly. Also, make sure you don't have a TV, CRT, computer monitor, etc. anywhere in the same room as your decks, as this will induce high-end noise or whine into the decks, and prevent you from making good judgement. This is a general rule for taping anyway, but unfortunately, most people are not aware of the horrible (IMHO) noise that TV's induce into their recordings. It always seems like good logic to have the TV and the stereo all right near each other so you can hook the VCR, TV, and all that stuff up. Too bad that logic has ruined many a tape. Tapes are better than TV, and you should be monitoring your recording anyway, so turn the damn thing off and listen to the tunes instead! OK, enough about that... It's a given that you should have good, well balanced hearing, with good high frequency response(16Khz-22Khz).... or a stereo oscilloscope... After playing with it on several tapes, you start to know what to look for right away. Sometimes though, it still takes some effort to focus your hearing on the highest of the highs. It only takes 2 or 3 hundredths of a degree in azimuth to make the difference between clipping everything above 15Khz to bringing the full spectrum into "focus." This translates into extremely small increments in change of the screw. With a little bit of practice, and sometimes a lot of patience, you'll feel like you know what you're doing. To get the head realigned to something resembling factory reference (maybe you then want to use the deck not for playback, but for record sometime), you could do one of two things. You could tune the azimuth to a store-bought, prerecorded tape with lots of clear and dynamic highs(something with lots of hi-hats and other cymbals), or you can make your own reference tape(preferably on Metal bias tape, with no Dolby, and before cracking the enamel on the screw) from a dynamic digital source(preferably all digital) with lots of clear, crisp highs. As long as you always use the same reference tape, all the recordings you make should be consistent. However, as long as the head is not so misaligned that the tape doesn't completely cover it, the recording you make with it should be able to be "refocused" on playback with an adjustment to the azimuth. I make it a personal rule never to touch the playback azimuth on my 3 head record deck, so it remains as consistent as possible. It also helps to write the name of the record deck used on the J-card of a given tape to keep track of your different alignments over the years. It helps to be able to determine whether or not a tape can be properly played on another deck without adjustment. *** Note of caution: I know of many Naks which don't have the same head assembly/transport layout as most cheaper/other decks. The screw is typically more accessible on these decks, but in a different place. Any plain old cheap-o, non-Nak deck should have the screw located to the left of the head. I have never personally seen the azimuth screw on the right side of a non-autoreverse head(the flipping around kind found in many auto-reverse dubbing decks). The screw to the right on a non-autoreverse head is typically the stationary head mounting screw, and SHOULD NOT BE TOUCHED! Decks that have auto-reverse with the head that flips around 180 degrees will usually have two screws on the barrel inside which the head sits. The other end of the screws typically acts as a stopper for the heads when they do their 180 degree flip. If you turn the screw on the left side when the head is in the forward direction, this will change the playback azimuth for the forward direction. Likewise, the screw on the right side will affect the head when it's flipped in the reverse direction. If your deck has the type of auto-reverse where the playback head is stationary(with four actual heads on the playback head, 2 capstans, and alternating pinch rollers), then I'm not sure you should be trying to do anything with the head alignment. If you find any of this useful, or you have anything to add or question, please lemme know. Good luck, and dub on! — Dan
