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Not All Blank Cassettes Are Created Equal
If you are looking at blank cassettes on the web, you may be very confused at the difference in price. You may see some for as low as $.17 each. You may be saying to yourself, Wow, what a deal!?. But be careful, check out the quality before you make your purchase. Make sure the tape will fit your needs.
If you are using your cassette tapes to record something fast, and the life of the cassette will be short, then maybe the cheap ones are for you. However, if you need a quality recording, or are looking to hold that cassette for some time, then you will need to be prepared to pay a little more. The quality you receive will be well worth the added cost.
Spoken word applications are one use that requires a higher quality cassette. Going with cheap blank cassettes will certainly result in poor quality originals and duplicates. If you are involved in recording speeches, sermons, lectures, audio books or teaching tapes, then you will find the points below of worthy interest.
So what are some of the differences, and what should you be looking for? The following is a list of suggestions on the type of tapes to use:
1. The cassette shell should be held together with a five-screw design. This type of design will assist to hold the shell from warping. If the shell warps, the tape will not be able to move smoothly for worthy recording or playback. It may not be able to move at all. The five-screw design also allows the cassette to be taken apart if important. So, if the shell got damaged, the tape could be moved to a different shell, for continued use.
2. Using Type I tape is sufficient for spoken word applications. You still need to make sure that the tape is of worthy quality. Poor quality tape will result in a poor quality recording. It can even cause undue wear on copiers, and more frequent cleaning of the copier heads.
3. Make sure that the felt pad that presses the tape against the head is sufficient. The larger the pad the better the tape to head contact allowing for better quality recording. Even a slight separation between the tape and the head will result in a poor recording.
4. Pins and rollers are also important. The rollers are what guide the tape around the corners of the cassette. The pins hold the rollers in place. Some manufacturers will use plastic pins. This has the potential of the roller and the pin becoming welded under heated conditions. Also, if the rollers are of cheap quality, the tape may not move smoothly while recording or copying. The tape can even become damaged due to friction.
5. Slip sheets are the sleeves between the tape and the case. These are also necessary since they assist the tape to travel smoother. Smooth travel of the tape is critical to a worthy recording.
As you can see from just a brief description, all blank cassettes are not created equal. There can be a huge difference between them, and the quality of recording that will result. If the recording quality and longevity is critical to you, then you'll be glad you paid the extra for a better blank cassette.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
About the Author:
Shawn Vincent is the Webmaster and a writer for Audio Tech Services. There you can find solutions to your audio needs, especially as they relate to spoken word applications.
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Keywords:
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