The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I have been recording myself improvising - the good and the bad. I use a simple little digital recorder, not the fancy 4 track ones.
    My complaint is that when I hit stop, then that is it for that file. When I start again, it gives me a new one. An old fashioned cassette recorder, while lacking in quality gives me more control.
    The micro cassette recorders are all over $200.00. The regular-sized cassette type recorders are also up there over$100.00. The cheaper ones all get bad reviews. I had two micro recorders and lost them on a plane when my bag opened under my seat. How I regret it.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    I don't think cassette recorders are coming back. It's not really difficult to edit two files into one with digital recordings, or maybe buy a digital recorder with a pause feature. There are plenty of audio editors available. Not many black-and-white TVs available now, either. Technology advances, for better or worse.

  4. #3

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    cassette recorders-great history.

  5. #4

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  6. #5

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    Good Will and other second hand shops are a good source for cassette recorders cheap. I have a couple, and they came from those shops and they work just fine.

    Tony

  7. #6

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    For quick recordings when I don't want to hassle with using Audacity on a laptop I use an app on my iPhone: Auphonic. It has some quality features over the standard notes-recording app, and a big Record/Pause toggle button (there's a different "button" for stopping the recording, plus one for adding chapters).
    I have no idea whether it exists for Android, but I've been able to download a version on on old iPhone 4S which works just as well as the version on my much more recent iPhone SE (1st Gen). IOW, rather than going for a cassette player you might be able to find a suitable old iPhone or iPod Touch for (dirt) cheap (if you don't already have one lying around).

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by RJVB
    For quick recordings when I don't want to hassle with using Audacity on a laptop I use an app on my iPhone: Auphonic. It has some quality features over the standard notes-recording app, and a big Record/Pause toggle button (there's a different "button" for stopping the recording, plus one for adding chapters).
    I have no idea whether it exists for Android, but I've been able to download a version on on old iPhone 4S which works just as well as the version on my much more recent iPhone SE (1st Gen). IOW, rather than going for a cassette player you might be able to find a suitable old iPhone or iPod Touch for (dirt) cheap (if you don't already have one lying around).
    That is one great suggestion in that I did not know this type of digital recording existed. That pause button is just what I need. Thanks for making me aware of this.

    For now, I took a chance on a $37.00 cassette recorder on Amazon. The reviewers say that it does a lousy job of recording, but I don't need it to be stereo quality. I just want to record for an hour, and then go back in and transcribe the lines or phrases that sounded good.

    Thanks again!

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop

    Ha ha! This is awesome!

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by AlsoRan
    That is one great suggestion in that I did not know this type of digital recording existed. That pause button is just what I need. Thanks for making me aware of this.
    You're welcome!

    I should have mentioned that Audacity also has a pause button *), and I suppose you must have a computer at home on which it will run.

    Digital playback has a number of big advantages for what you want:
    - instant jumping to locations
    - looped playback (of sections)
    - playback at slower (or faster) speed without pitch alteration

    *) or you create a new track that starts where the old one finishes instead.

  11. #10

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    I agree with RJVB, if you have a smart phone, I wouldn’t bother with cassettes, too much hassle.

    I just checked my Samsung Android phone, and in the Apps, under ‘Samsung’, there is a voice recorder app. I imagine there is something similar on all smart phones. I just tried recording my guitar with it, and it produced a decent enough recording for practice purposes. It also has the option to pause and then continue the same recording.

    The recordings are then listed in the app, you can select and play them back. The playback shows the playback time position and you can swipe across to fast forward.

  12. #11

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    The hardest part will be finding cassettes to put in it!

  13. #12

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    +1 for smartphone.

    Cassette recorders with all those moving parts, not to mention smaller production runs, are more expensive to produce than small digital recorders.

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    The hardest part will be finding cassettes to put in it!
    Oddly enough, Amazon appear to list plenty for sale, looks like someone is still making them.

    Makes me wonder if I could get some new wax cylinders for my Edison phonograph?

  15. #14

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    I've worn out more cassette recorders than you can shake a stick at. For one project (it was going to be THE one, with everything done as well as humanly possible) I made mixtapes for everyone with potential material. Each member got, IIRC, 5 90 min. tapes. I then recorded every weekly practice, and made tapes for everyone. When we started gigging, I recorded everything off the board and gave copies to everyone. The band really came together quickly and we refined our act as we went, adding new songs, dropping duds (you just don't know how the public is going to respond until it happens). I anthologized the best stuff and these became our demo tapes. This went on for a couple of years before inevitable entropy blew it all up. I still have some of the performances on cassette, and hope to digitize the best stuff. Recording is the performing musician's best friend, IMHO.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    A two year lead time will do that to an industry.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    +1 for smartphone.

    Cassette recorders with all those moving parts, not to mention smaller production runs, are more expensive to produce than small digital recorders.
    I actually have the Voice Recorder App on my android. It has great quality. But, when I press stop, it ends the recording and I now have a file that I cannot add onto.

    With the cassettes, I can stop, go get a cup of coffee, and then come right back and pick up where I left off.

    Advantages: 1) First and foremost is convenience

    2) No phone memory taken up

    3) Ability to add, go back and erase and or do a short "punch in" repeatedly

    4) Easy to operate - just hit the button, fast-forward, rewind, pause, stop

    5) I can digitize it later if I want to

    6) Saves time as I go though my painful attempts to play like Wes, or Joe, (lol.)

    7) I can let it play for long periods without tying up my phone.

    Still, I am now thinking there are digital equivalents to this. I grew up with cassettes so I am well versed in navigating their contents, and even repairing cassettes when they start locking up the machine.

  18. #17

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    Can it be long before we again see kids streaming cassette tape out the car window?

  19. #18

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    You should try this app and report back whether it fits your needs. (It's pictures, videos, internet cache, that take up the room on your phones memory. Audio tracks in comparison are small. And, I bought a 32gb memory card for my phone for $6 from amazon, you can get 512gb for $18)
    Attached Images Attached Images Is it too much to ask for in 2022? Regular Cassette Recorder-cassette-recorder-app-jpg 

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by jazzkritter
    Can it be long before we again see kids streaming cassette tape out the car window?
    Back in the 70s, my dad got my uncle (an electronics engineer) to modify a small 8-track tape machine to fit in his car and run from the ignition, so he could play his 8-track tapes in the car. We kids thought it was the coolest thing ever.

  21. #20

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    You can make outstanding recordings with complete control using any of a number of inexpensive hand held digital recorders. They use SD or microSD cards and you can easily record multiple takes as multiple files. They have more-than-decent built-in mics and have changed the world of portable recorders. You can get equivalent models from the usual players - TASCAM, Sony, Zoom etc.

    I use a TASCAM DR40x, which is above the entry level units but still well under $200 (at last when I bought it several months ago). It has XLR / 1/4" inputs for external mics or line signals in addition to the onboard microphones. I'd buy it again without hesitation if something happened to mine (e.g. if my son sees it...)

    Is it too much to ask for in 2022? Regular Cassette Recorder-dr40x-jpg

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by jazzkritter
    Can it be long before we again see kids streaming cassette tape out the car window?
    (I hope not! We are already seeing (and worse, hearing) kids walking around with their tinny smartphones blaring music, which is apparently the next cool thing to do after walking around with huge headphones one.)

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
    You can make outstanding recordings with complete control using any of a number of inexpensive hand held digital recorders. They use SD or microSD cards and you can easily record multiple takes as multiple files. They have more-than-decent built-in mics and have changed the world of portable recorders. You can get equivalent models from the usual players - TASCAM, Sony, Zoom etc.

    I use a TASCAM DR40x, which is above the entry level units but still well under $200 (at last when I bought it several months ago). It has XLR / 1/4" inputs for external mics or line signals in addition to the onboard microphones. I'd buy it again without hesitation if something happened to mine (e.g. if my son sees it...)

    Is it too much to ask for in 2022? Regular Cassette Recorder-dr40x-jpg
    This!

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
    You can make outstanding recordings with complete control using any of a number of inexpensive hand held digital recorders. They use SD or microSD cards and you can easily record multiple takes as multiple files. They have more-than-decent built-in mics and have changed the world of portable recorders. You can get equivalent models from the usual players - TASCAM, Sony, Zoom etc.

    I use a TASCAM DR40x, which is above the entry level units but still well under $200 (at last when I bought it several months ago). It has XLR / 1/4" inputs for external mics or line signals in addition to the onboard microphones. I'd buy it again without hesitation if something happened to mine (e.g. if my son sees it...)

    Is it too much to ask for in 2022? Regular Cassette Recorder-dr40x-jpg
    Hello Nevershould, thanks for the suggestion. I actually already have a Boss MicroBR and BR600. They record very well but (and you can all me a lazy SOB if you want, and it may be true at times, lol), I don't like having to go through all the menus, and squinting at the controls, going through all the button pressing to punch in and out, etc..

    I am just mining my noodling around for ideas to isolate, study, and learn to reuse and morph. I can't imagine anything easier then just pressing record, and then playing my song to a BIAB backing track. I press stop to take a break, play to listen, and rewind if I want to go back and record over a certain section. The sound quality probably won't be there, but all I am worried about is the notes, mining for ideas, and learning to develop/reapply them. No time wasted fumbling with computers and other devices.

    I also can pull out and write on the cassette tapes ( I have around ten 90 minute ones that work), pop them in and out as I please, rather than having to turn power off, remove batteries or some cover to be able to get to the SD cards, then go through reverse order to start again. It just seems like such a hassle, and my time is so limited. Maybe 7 - 12 hours a week, rather than the 8 - 12 hours a day that Jimmy Bruno says one has to put in to be really good.

  25. #24

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    I still have a lot of valuable content on cassette tape (I've converted some of it to digital). All of my old cassette decks no longer worked (these were good quality stereo decks). I tried fixing one of them with new belts, but failed. I also tried to fix my old Sony Walkman with built in stereo mics, but that went nowhere either. They don't seem to last like other vintage audio equipment, and most are not worth repairing (that rules out finding one at a thrift store). The new ones that are available are not of high quality. Maybe someone will start making good ones. Fortunately, I was able to get a good used Yamaha unit off Craigslist that's still working. Hopefully it will continue to do so for quite a while.

  26. #25

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    If cassette machines are the most desired option for the op, then consider doing a Google search for cassette/Karaoke machines. Seriously.

    I have a full featured one from back in the day, that uses cassettes and CD's.