1984 Pre-Recorded Chrome Cassette: Peter Katin Plays Chopin

I haven’t posted much in the way of pre-recorded cassettery from 1984, so to make amends here’s a classic, Made in England, chromium dioxide product from that very year.

All the hallmarks of the period are there. The proud boast of “CHROME TAPE” on the front of the inlay – essential info in the early to mid eighties when hi-fi credentials lay at the forefront of audio cassette marketing. The “CHROME – FOR QUALTY” C-logo appears on the cream paper label, as does the “DOLBY SYSTEM”-accompanied Dolby logo, which prevailed on casings before the text was phased out to leave only the double-D symbol.

The BASF CR-E II Cassette Design – Circa 1986

I mentioned this design variant of 1980s BASF chrome cassette in yesterday’s BASF CR-E II 1988 post, but didn’t have a photo handy and couldn’t put my hands on the actual product. A quick dig through some drawers, and a snap of the shutter today, has just remedied that, so here it is.

This CR-E II 60 minute tape was bought in England, in March 1986, so manufacture would almost certainly have taken place early that year, or in late 1985. The front faces of the cassette feature the chamfered user-write white label portion, and matching case relief – traits that were associated with the first half of the 1980s, and which would be resolved into a straight rectangular shape by 1987. The combination of this latter 1980s style of CR-E II label and the chamfer was short-lived.

Six Great Reasons to Return to Tape-Based Multitrack Recording

About five years ago when I had a mid life crisis, decided to drastically downsize my digital home recording facility and set up a 1990s-spec, tape-based studio in the space, I saw the tape studio serving as an occasional change. But it’s actually seen more use than the digital studio.

The digital studio is more capable, controlled and precise, and much easier to use, but tape has easily won the battle for attention. This year, I’ve started to ask myself why. Here are six key answers…