Home Tape / Timecode Multitrack Method in Detail

I’ve talked recently about the use of a timecode sync in home multitrack tape recording, and for this post I’m going to expand on that with an example recording, then a breakdown of exactly how the track was put together.

Pre-Recorded Ferric Tape vs Blank Ferrics

I thought this would make for an interesting experiment. I’ve griped a little recently about expensive, pre-recorded cassettes, manufactured between the mid ‘eighties and mid ‘nineties, being produced with ferric tape formulations, as opposed to chrome. So I thought I’d assess exactly what customers were getting, in terms of sound quality, from these pre-recorded, CD-era ferric tapes.

The Damned – Anything (CrO2 Audio Cassette)

Made at the height of the chromium dioxide era, this pre-record, released on the MCA label, forms a nice little nugget of nostalgia. With its black shell, silver paper label, and green tape leader, the cassette looks, as well as plays, like a quality product.