4-Track Cassette in the iPod age????

[armanbohn]

I'm rereleasing some four track demos from the wayback machine: circa 1996. It all sounded great to me back then - in a time when cassette four tracks were all that were accessible.

It was a Yamaha MT4X - one of the best sounding ones out there.

Because of the nature of the material, and my bandmates, this stuff will certainly find an audience. I need some help figuring out how to clean it up.

I bought myself a MT4X on ebay and have ported out the individual tracks via the tape outs.

It's sitting in my computer (PC, Sonar 6PE, Audition 2.0) and I'm not even sure where to begin.

The vocals and bass have their own tracks. The drums L&R were bounced with guitar L&R.

The bouncing caused a little distortion here and there and sometimes the cymbals get a little distorted. We were not using the best mics.

Will people even listen to stuff like this now? I know there is some band right now that's all mega distortion 4track, but that's different.

Questions=

1) How do I clean this stuff up?
2) Should I even bother (beyond some respectful EQ)?

It's just weird to hear stuff from 12 years ago. Total time capsule. Cassette tape multitracks just had their own sound and I don't know how that fits in with all those iPods and squashed mixes with perfect EQ.

[RefD]

Will people even listen to stuff like this now?

it all depends on the music.

It's just weird to hear stuff from 12 years ago. Total time capsule. Cassette tape multitracks just had their own sound and I don't know how that fits in with all those iPods and squashed mixes with perfect EQ.

i've done this a few times.

just dump it over and do whatever cleaning up and tweaking you feel you want.

don't sweat the notion of trying to "fit in", mp3 is just a delivery medium like vinyl or cassette and an iPod is just a glorified Walkman.

[fossiltooth]

It does beg the question:

Would anyone have noticed Magnetic Fields or Elliot Smith or Beat Happening or PJ Harvey or Mountain Goats or whoever, if their early records came out in today's market with the same 4-track recording quality of yesteryear? Would they just be lost in the din of a billion self-released artists making their albums at home with an mbox? Or, all things being equal, would each of these artists still cut through and be noticed in this day and age?

I dunno.

I just work here.

It's a good question though.

[thieves]

like i said in the 'favorite poorly recorded album' thread in the other forum, there's a handful of bands doing some really lo-fi stuff nowadays. i think using a four track nowadays is like using an analog delay... sure there is a clearer sounding delay out there, but some material demands rough edges.

my home project studio is based on a DAW, but i bust out my four track, my 1/4" machine, really old cassette decks... all kinds of lo-fi stuff, just for aesthetics. plus in your case, you're just unearthing some old stuff, have a ball with it. my only suggestion is that you embrace the fact that it was originally made on a four track. maybe don't even mix it in a DAW, just mix it like you would have in 1996 (but with 12 years of mixing experience under your belt).

[I'm Painting Again]

Does anyone think commercially released cassettes of yester-year sound lo-fi?..like you know a NOS fleetwood mac cassette? Is that lo-fi?

I think you can record a cassette to be pretty "hi-fi" and a digital thing to be pretty "lo-fi"..all depends on POV and specific circumstances..

and then there is the definition itself of terms like lo-fi & hi-fi..they mean different things to people..like faithfulness to the source or simply a style..you know..

[armanbohn]

my only suggestion is that you embrace the fact that it was originally made on a four track.

Thanks for that. I need some perspective. I guess that will all be in the liner notes.

When we mixed it back then - we went straight from the 4T into a DAT deck. Our idea of mastering was turning up the treble and bass knobs on each channel creating the ultimate smiley face tone!

PM me if you want a link to one of the songs lifted straight from the DAT. Ever present smiley sizzle.

Maybe someone can shed some light on if this stuff is ok or needs to be fixed.

It's rock with guitar, bass, drums and vocals. I was 20 years old.

I can't post a direct link right now until I get things ironed out with the other band members.

[armanbohn]

Ok - so the modern 4T band I'm referring to above is called Times New Viking.

The stuff I'm dealing with sounds pretty much nothing like it....

[fossiltooth]

Does anyone think commercially released cassettes of yester-year sound lo-fi?..like you know a NOS fleetwood mac cassette? Is that lo-fi?

Wow!

Rumors was recorded on 4-track cassette?

I never knew that!

I must really suck.

[rwc]

what is perfect eq?

[RefD]

what is perfect eq?

where is fancy bred, for that matter?

[I'm Painting Again]

Does anyone think commercially released cassettes of yester-year sound lo-fi?..like you know a NOS fleetwood mac cassette? Is that lo-fi?

Wow!

Rumors was recorded on 4-track cassette?

I never knew that!

I must really suck.

I didn't say that..the point was to make a distinction between the cassette as a medium for sound and the process leading up to the final product..you know how the process trumps the medium in terms of how it sounds..

[armanbohn]

what is perfect eq?

I think you can find the answer here:

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php? ... 2070807431




Anyone have any software suggestions for doing detailed clean up? Is Audition 2.0 going to be ok? Most sound restoration just kills the sound so I'm tempted to just eq the stuff and call it good.

[fossiltooth]

Does anyone think commercially released cassettes of yester-year sound lo-fi?..like you know a NOS fleetwood mac cassette? Is that lo-fi?

Wow!

Rumors was recorded on 4-track cassette?

I never knew that!

I must really suck.

I didn't say that..the point was to make a distinction between the cassette as a medium for sound and the process leading up to the final product..you know how the process trumps the medium in terms of how it sounds..

"How it sounds" is in part a product of the medium. You can't really separate the two.

[I'm Painting Again]

Does anyone think commercially released cassettes of yester-year sound lo-fi?..like you know a NOS fleetwood mac cassette? Is that lo-fi?

Wow!

Rumors was recorded on 4-track cassette?

I never knew that!

I must really suck.

I didn't say that..the point was to make a distinction between the cassette as a medium for sound and the process leading up to the final product..you know how the process trumps the medium in terms of how it sounds..

"How it sounds" is in part a product of the medium. You can't really separate the two.

yeah "in part"..a not very significant part to the overall sound of the production..you can seperate them for the most part because the process trumps the medium..listen to Rumors on cassette vs hi how are you on cassette..they don't sound the same because they are both on a cassette..they sound different because of the process leading up to the cassette copies was very different..

[fossiltooth]

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