Audio Cassette Loop

woot! it took me a couple of tries, but my tape loop works.

yeah, i have no idea what i'd use this idea for at the moment... maybe more ambient sounds. i'd like to try disabling the erase head on a recorder and see what kinda overlapping sounds i could build up.

I Seemed to have missed the point.... What's it for?

Just a small point - you say the tape is driven by the capstan (little rubber wheel that pops up when you press play), which is true, to some extent. Actually, the capstan provides some power to the movement, but it's main job is regulating the speed of play (so it doesn't flutter/wobble) - the reason the spindles didn't seem to do anything driving your tape is quite obvious: the tape was no longer connected to either of them, but simply looped around. The spindles would have to be very sticky (the rubber washer helps, but even more so) to be able to drive the tape like that, and that'd mean more tapes being eaten by tape machines.

So just an FYI - the spindles aren't completely useless, but they are if the tape's not connected to them. Otherwise, great instructable!

Thank you Eric. This is simple and practical. I made something similar to this a long time ago, when I was experimenting with an echo machine I built.

This is not Eric

Your splices will work much better if you can splice them on an angle. You need something like a mitre but much smaller (I've used splicing blocks but you could do it without).
Use a scalpel, overlay the two ends to be spliced, cut on a 45 degree angle, remove the bits you dont need, hold the tape ends as close together as possible, use the thinnest tape you have on the back and your done. It's a lost art from the 70s and 80s.

Another cool feature of angled splices is that depending on the angle, you may be able to notice a fading effect between the beginning and end of the tape when the splice passes the head.

In tv/radio, these were called bump carts. Of course, nothing in tv/radio actually uses reels anymore, but I'm guilty of being old enough to remember them "back in the day".

To make the splice run through the reels better, try cutting the ends at 45 degree angles and then taping them together. This might make a funny sound if there is something on the tape, but if it is blank at the point of the splice then it shouldn't make a difference.

moebius loop ftw!

You can't use a Moebius strip (loop) as only one side of cassette magnetic tape is coated with the oxide.

yes, it's the side away from the tape head normally. the substrate/mylar stays between the head and the oxides to protect them, prevent dropouts flaking. it could play the othe side too, but it wouldnt' last so long i guess. if you enjoy self-devolving projects it might be cool

You know, that would double the length of this tape. I think it can be done.

I made one of these years ago, but I can't remember how much play you get - 20-30 seconds?

L

Somewhere on the web, undoubtedly is listed the tape speed used by the cassete tecnology. Armed with that one could created any record time they need.

standard cassette speed is 4.8 cm/s.

What's the reason to make that thing??? ur just destroying a cassete....=D

cuz who doesnt want a 10 second infinite loop? XD

so how long is the recording?

Actually, you can just buy these at a thrift store. They where made to record the outgoing message in answering machines.

This comment is the equivalent of me going to a concert and saying to the person next to me, "You know, they sell this same music at a store."

OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT! There is something to be said about making something--even if it exists already, or you can buy it at the store--with your own hands.

Some people (myself included) just like making stuff rather than buying it. Or the knowledge that they can make things that other people have to buy.

However, In some instances I will agree with purchasing rather than making:

• If the construction uses very specialized components, that most normal people do not have on hand. (chemicals are what usually fall in this category for myself.)
• If the construction uses specialized tools, that most people do not have access to. (Buying a tool to use once is a bad purchase. Buying an expensive tool that costs more than what I am making is an extremely bad purchase.)
• It would cost more than twice the price to make a single item. (The only exception is if I can make more easily a second time, such as making a silicone mold and the cost of the mold material is expensive.)
• If the construction uses very dangerous components, or if there is a very high risk of failure with very dire consequences.

I am not talking about burning yourself on a hot iron, or cutting yourself with scissors. I am talking about making gunpowder from scratch, or making a pressure-vessel for hundreds of PSI, or anything where extremely precise measuring is required--this goes back to the tools earlier.

Unfortunately, that would negate the reason that this website exists, lol

This Instructable would be great to use for sound effects during holidays, especially Halloween!

I've had to splice together broken tapes a couple of times and have found that if you make the ends diagonal instead of 90 degree, the tape is less likely to skip loudly. The "taper" on the tape makes for a smoother transition and less strain on the splice altogether.

digital is so much easier

I'd be removing the unused reel to give space for tape to pile up in, and using two strips of thin stiff plastic against the active reel - one to press the tape against the rubber, the other to peel it off halfway around. Spare tape can then pile up in the casing and the capstan / roller will draw it out of the concertina pile of tape. That's how some of the continuous tapes I remember as a kid worked, anyway.

This must be what they use for elevator music and automated telephone waiting que systems :p

What if I wanted to loop the whole tape like an 8-track? Would that be possible?

no.
you'd be better off getting an actual 8-track player, and tape, and just using that.

Modifying the tape mechanism of a cassette into a long loop....

Well, I suppose it COULD be done, but not easily, and you couldn't use it in a standard tape player. Standard cassette decks would put too much tension on the tape, and it would bind up.

You'd be better off getting a cassette tape mp3 player and setting it to loop your playlist.

just use some caution, as the cassette player read heads MAY desensitize a bit over prolonged usage. So don't go and use this in your super-high end audiophile multi-thousand dollar cassette deck.

There are multi-thousand dollar cassette decks? I just use an old record player that was made back in the early 80's for everything. It's a soundesign 2-speed turntable, AM/FM radio, 8-track recorder and cassette recorder. I was just wondering because all my 8-tracks are worn to where two different tracks play at once like they all did after a long time.

ok, you caught me...
the most expensive deck I found on a quick search was just at 1 grand(Nakamichi cr-7e) course, the last time I BOUGHT a cassette deck, that price was a bit higher.

You could try repairing your 8-tracks...
Bleed-over is usually a result of a failed pressure pads.
Pretty easy repair, and it returns years of life to your tapes :-)

If you're not quite up to it yourself, there's a few places that will refurb your 8-tracks for like $5.

If you have to do an 8-track splice, remember regular cello tape will NOT do.
you need the metallic indicator splice tape, so your player knows when to switch tracks :-)
I'd suggest also, digitizing those tapes.
Sure, they sound great, but if a splice fails, and the player eats it.... it's a lost cause. and they WILL eventually fail. My NEWEST 8-track is a 'young' 12 years old!

What exactly is this used for???

I did this sort of thing once, for an old mini-tape answering machine, that I didn't want any answers from :-)

playing music?

DIY ATIS service :D

I once tried to do this not too long back, but got so frustrated with it I just ended up throwing the whole thing in the bin.... :S

The only difference with mine was I looped the tape over both reels as some more modern tape players, like that in my Sony car (bed) radio like to have both reels turning, otherwise it just stops and spits the tape back out, but I just got irritated by the tensioning problems that I just gave up and did something else... :P

Still, I want to try again sometime... :)

(removed by author or community request)

I appologise if my comment was not nice. This is an excellent site and part of that comes from controlling comments and keeping trolls away.

Lets rephrase my comment in positive language: I would have loved this instructable when I was a kid, which unfortunately is long time ago. Keep up the good work.

I have one of those things, but I could never figure out where the usb lead plugs in :)

funny!

lol nice display picture!

Wow...I don't know why they didn't make something like this earlier...

Tape splicing is pretty much a lost art. I used to have several of these that were commercially made for answering machines back in the 80's, but got lost or gummed up. I still have a 4-track cassette recorder & even though there's digital ways to do this, I think some cool recordings can be made using this looped tape.

Thanks for the good instructable!

I Still got the equipment here thats needed to slice a tape perfectly, you know those things where you put it in, cut it with a razor at an angle and even the "special" adhessive tape for it.

Good Instructable. Need to keep the old skills alive - you never know when this could come in handy.

Cassette? What about 8-track!?

8 track tapes are tape loops.
(unless you are being ironically funny :) )

I was wondering if anyone would pick up on that. heh