Converting cassette tapes for a client. Cassette reel ripped.

[SyncroScales]

Hi.

I was digitizing some audio interviews for a client. They are on regular cassette tapes. One of the cassettes took longer than expected so I stopped it and finally looked at it. The reels had separated. The tape ripped. A piece was around a mechanism inside my cassette player.

I took the tape out, I gently unwound the tape inside the cassette player, tried to figure out how it was read/playing then laid it onto a paper towel.

If I open the cassette tapes can I splice the tape reels together? I have also heard about the large audio reels being able to be spliced together.

I listened to a hip-hop song a long time go and the guy said something about "Like a surgeon I'm splicing tapes" and mentioned he used scotch tape. The cassettes had become old and/or wet and/or tightly wound.

I think the problem with the cassette I have is that it was so old, tight and unused. Except being used for the recording and maybe being listened to once or twice.

Any suggestions, help, ideas, equipment, etc would be appreciated. I have something to edit and give the client, but I want to try and get the rest of it. All I need is for the cassette to play once front and back.

Thanks.

[jagabo]

Yes, you can splice cassette tapes. Put the tape on the back of the tape so it doesn't contact the head. Tightly wound tapes should be FF to the end the RW back to the beginning before playing. If they're so tight that you can't even do that, whack the flat side of the tape against your leg several times on both sides to even out the windings a little.

[Cornucopia]

Use a splicing block, a demagnetized razor, and proper splicing tape, otherwise you would get garbled, thumpy edits and gunk up your tape heads (even with splicing tape you will want to clean the heads after use).

Or, affix the broken ends to new empty reels.

Scott

[hogger129]

yeah you can splice the tape but won't the splice be audible when that section of the tape gets read? is this the reason why when mastering engineers are working with master tapes, they heat them up a little in an oven?

[jagabo]

yeah you can splice the tape but won't the splice be audible when that section of the tape gets read?

Of course. He's not doing this as an editing technique. His tape is torn and needs repairs.

[Cornucopia]

The oven trick is a long shot, last ditch attempt at recovery of tapes that have been corrupted due to age and/or bad storage/playback treatment/environment and is otherwise unrestorable. DO NOT ATTEMPT unless you already thoroughly know what you are doing and fully understand the principles behind it. I am not even going to explain the process...

Scott

[SyncroScales]

I'm curious about this technique and the application of heating up reels in ovens. Any material to read? Do's and Don'ts? I am not planning to do it.

Why can't I wrap the tape around the separated tape ribbon? I should use scotch or masking tape? What happens to the tape head inside the machine, will it demagnetize?

Can I demagnetize a box cutter blade? I already though about the sticky tape touching internal components. Will a regular tape cleaner and alcohol work?

Note: For my personal tapes I rewind and fast-forward new blank tapes 5 times (or at least twice) I know they eventually play slow (and voices sound slow) or play longer than each side should when they are not loosened.

For my personal tapes I play new ones each side, not fast-forward or rewind fast. And I tend to let each side play fully. Just like video tapes.

Since I was working on others stuff and nobody knows how they were handled or recorded, I have to clean them and just play them each side. Or rewind/fast-forward minimally.

If I had fast-forwarded this tape, the damage would have been worse and I wouldn't have saved/recorded anything.

[hamilton accie]

Try asking the same questions on www.Tapeheads.net . Lots of people with years of tape experience over there.

[Cornucopia]

They will tell you just what I told you in posts #3 & #6. Re-read them.
(Note: I have more years of tape experience - 40 - than 99% of those over there)

Summary

• Razors - Good: Demagnetized, "Splicing" safety razors, Bad: everything else
• Tape - Good: "Splicing" tape done on (applied to) the backing (aka area of tape that DOESN'T rub on/across the heads), Bad: everything else
• Swabs - Good: Foam, Bad: Cotton, Linen & everything else
• Cleaning solution - Good: Denatured (~99%) Isopropyl (aka Methylated Spirits), or FreonTF, Bad: everything else, including regular Isopropyl

Exercising the tape has some minor practical benefits, but I don't get where you are going with that last bit...

Scott