Re: [AV Media Matters] cassette tape shelf life?

[media@billabong.demon.co.uk]

lists.rlhess@mindspring.com wrote:

>Most of the cassettes I've had that are 25 years old are still playable.

Same here, though the two factors that (to my ears) make for really good
playback are:

1. Head azimuth. The front is forever off one of the machines in the
studio, exposing the tiny screwhead for head alignment. Correcting this
(while listening to the sum of the two channels, or watching it on the
spectroscope) sorts out a great many problems.

2. Noise reduction. As you know, Dolby relies on the tape playback being
at the same level as the recording. Often, it isn't, and there's no
reference level, so it's down to the ears again. Worse still if the
frequency response is skewed. It's always a pleasure to reply my tapes
made before the advent of widespread Dolby B on domestic decks.

But getting the azimuth right is the biggest step towards good recovery
of "domestic" recordings, in my opinion.

John Hayward-Warburton
Herefordshire.