Early 1990s That’s AS IV Audio Cassette

In contrast with the EX 90, this, the AS IV, was a proper metal tape from That’s. A Type 4 as opposed to a Type 2. Judging by the material it was used to master (from a four-track Portastudio), this one was probably bought in the latter half of 1994. I rated That’s cassettes very highly, and this super-high bias job has a very bold, big sound with phenomenally good signal to noise and typically good resistance to glitches. After listening back through the recordings on this metallic monster I almost want to turn my back on CDs and go back to using audio tape for future projects. I did say almost, so it’s not likely to actually happen, but if CDs were banned tomorrow, tapes like this would provide a very acceptable rescue mechanism.

1970s Scotch Dynarange C90 Audio Cassette

I don’t have a date of purchase for this blatantly very old Scotch Dynarange tape, but there’s one recording on it featuring me as a child, with kids I knew at junior school. The case design ties in with that shown in the 1971 to 1973 stock on http://vintagecassettes.com/, and there’s nothing to contest the fact that my Mom would have bought the cassette during that period. The recording of me as a child wouldn’t have been as early as that – it’s more like 1975 or 1976 I think. But this is a retro cassette, good and proper.

1993 TDK CDing II C90 Audio Cassette

If ever there was a case of a manufacturer setting themselves up for failure, then this was surely it. An audio cassette with a picture of a compact disc on the outer packaging, and a boast that the tape could reproduce CD sound like for like. In a world where home CD burning was still some way in the future, being able to exactly copy a CD to an audio tape was a very attractive thought. There was, however, one ever-so-slight drawback… It didn’t work.