FOR SALE: Cassette tape loops

Hello all!

I'm selling some cassette tape loops I've built myself. Please note that these are in music cassette (like C90 or C60) form and are not to be used with reel to reel machines or tape echoes. Why am I selling these? For several reasons:

-Tape is a great format but is dying out for casual listening as obviously mp3 players have replaced Walkmans. Using these loops will give a new lease of life to your unused tape decks!

-I like fiddling around making these whilst many find it a difficult and annoying process. I can do it for you!

-I had a lot of people ask me about some of the sounds used on the PRPE album. The most inquired about was some of the tape recordings used to add a kind of ghostly effect to some of the tracks. This is your chance to use that process for your music!

-It's an interesting format to release music on. The tapes come with testing loops from various sources and are cool to listen to, or maybe even get several loops running simultaneously with several decks!

I'm selling the loops for £2 a tape (that's £1 a loop each side). I currently have four loops in stock at the moment (see below about restocking). The loops are contained themselves within black cassettes (they look cool B) :laugh: ) which are contained in transparent cases to keep them tidy.

A couple of things to warn/excite you about:

1. The loops are far from perfect. These are to be used by those who want to experiment with the sound of dying tapes. You can hear samples of the quality of the tapes here. They will most probably eventually break, especially with heavy usage. However, this may take months or years. I haven't had a usable loop break on me yet in years of using them. If you find the loop has broken in transit, I will send you a replacement free of charge. :)

2. I take no responsibility for any damage using these may cause to your equipment. I suggest using a cheap recorder and playback deck to avoid damaging expensive equipment. I find using such cheap gear gives a more interesting sound anyway.

If someone wants to buy all four tapes in stock, postage will be:

UK = £2

EU = £2 (surface mail) or £3 (airmail)

Anywhere else = £4 (airmail)

If anyone would like less than four, please PM or email me so I can calculate postage for you. If outside the UK, it's most probably going to be the same as above. PayPal payment is preferred.

I plan to make/manufacture/build more of these if demand is large enough, so please post below if you're interested in any more loops once the four in stock have been sold.

Cheers!

Finlay

i used to like making these. i had a good one with a porno sample of a 70s black porn star saying "ooh baby thats a nice arse i wouldnt mind seeing how that feels from the inside" with some vibraphone music in the background

Cool. Maybe I could use one or two. I just got a cassette multitracker (fostex xr-5) yesterday, which seems perfect for looping.

It seems the tempo varies a lot in those recordings, also a lot of "gaps" in the sound, was this done on purpose, or is it because the tape is damaged?

I've got a lot of cassettes lying around, so maybe i could experiment with fabricating them myself.

what do you use to stick them together?

i fixed a snapped tape with a rizla once. it worked long enough to play once.

i actually really enjoy taking snapped tapes apart and fixing them

these are pretty tricky to make but I want to make more on my own soon. You can also get longer endless cassettes on ebay on other websites that are professionally made. Some short as 40 seconds, and some are longer. Usually designed for answering machines.

They also make endless VHS tapes that If I did vhs tape art I would totally want.

  On 1/25/2010 at 5:26 PM, kanarie said:

It seems the tempo varies a lot in those recordings, also a lot of "gaps" in the sound, was this done on purpose, or is it because the tape is damaged?

It's a purposeful thing. As I said, these are for experimenting with so the imperfection, to me, is all part of it.

  On 1/25/2010 at 6:29 PM, LUDD said:

what do you use to stick them together?

Professional splicing tape. 'Tis pretty cheap but very useful as it's already cut to the correct width to use with tape.

my grandad gave me a old reel to reel and a splicer and some splicing tape and loads of reels when i was about 10 but i just recorded myself being a tampax and then took it apart and ripped al the insides out

:(

The multitracker just died on me, the spool driver kept popping off. The little plastic ring that was supposed to keep it fixed will have to be replaced. Well what did i expect for 40 euros. So i won't be needing loops any time soon. :(

This is a cool idea, but I would much prefer some sort of tutorial so I could do it myself, seems like a fun hobby & after watching the Alchemist of Sounds I'm in the mood for it!