I've seen a few YouTube videos recently, talking about the high audio quality still attainable, using cassette tapes!
especially (or only xx) when using high quality players/decks, and of course in conjunction with HQ tapes !!!
Be that as it may, I've got 2 comments to make, to add to this, to interest Musicians & Data-Recording people....
(1) I play the Guitar, and often I find myself in a position to PLAY ALONG with 'CD's... Now 'modern' CD digital
recordings are always accurate & in 'Key', (no pitch shift from the original). However, a LOT of the 'Oldies', have
been transferred from old TAPES, to CD's, and there-in lies the problem for me. Although the apparent QUALITY
of the 'recording' seems good, different tape PLAYERS due to their archaic physical mechanisms of belts, gears
and rubberbands, and varying 'strain/tension' on the tape, often results in SLIGHTLY OFF PITCH play-back, which
doesn't matter if listening to THAT alone, but totally ruins attempts at real-time accompaniment !!! (Clear as mud x).
Yes, I can edit it on a computer, with fractional pitch-shifts etc, but it's still a pain !!
(2) I'm also a retired Technician, and NOT SO LONG AGO, was not only the advent of 'PLC's, (Programmable Logic
Controllers), but a time when we didn't use a 'Computer' to store the programmed data, but a CASSETTE TAPE to
store the data via a simple AUDIO Jack In/Out connection !!! Which 'recorded' the screeching 'blips' etc which one
could say was like one of the first D/A & A/D converters..... Hey... it was almost better than sex, hearing it !!!
It took me a while, after many experiments, to convince my boss at the time, that his expensive 'fancy' tape-player
was a FAILURE !!!... What we NEEDED was the cheapest, most junky-sounding & 'tinny' player found, for $8.95 !!!
WHY
??...... I didn't CARE about pleasing 'Audio' quality.... 'Fancy' machines ruined/modified the 'sound'....
Tonally destroying the DELIBERATE high speed audio "Glitches".... which was the peaks & troughs of the DATA !!!
Just something to share for nostalgia..... Be careful how you "filter" actual DIGITAL.... Back to my Bubbly now