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Tape Trail

RE: First cassettes

72.86.14.18

In Reply to: RE: First cassettes posted by tesla on August 06, 2009 at 17:36:47

Phillips invented the "Compact Cassette" in 1963 and the first machines appeared around '64 but were mostly voice grade for dictation. The first pre-recorded stereo music cassettes came out in '65. I still have a Jerry Lewis and the Playboys one from then. They weren't considered really hi-fi until the Advent 200 came out with Dolby B in 1970. (the wiki btw wrongly says the Advent 201 was the first with Dolby in 1971). I still have have my Advent 200 (and 201) that I bought new. It was a big deal when it came out and they used to do demos comparing its sound quality to that of reel to reel machines. Useless trivia = Nakamichi got their start making transports for the Advent 200 and other early cassette decks built by/for other companies.
Dave

Edits: 08/07/09

Follow Ups:

RE: First cassettes - Jcard 18:22:41 08/07/09 (6)
Great response, Greg ! I remember my Dad toting around one of those mid-sixties recorders for his work, and I became fascinated with the recording of sounds. I later inherited it, and instead of voice, I'd migrated towards recording FM music using the mic attachment. Talk about a crude way to record music ! I was a kid, and it was good enough to mess around with for awhile.

As for car audio, it wasn't till the early 70s that I picked up on the fact that those in the know were seeking cassette decks, and spurning 8-tracks. My dad's last 8-track car was a 76 Mercury Monarch I believe. By the mid seventies, kids were installing underdash cassette decks, later came the "in-dash" ones. One friend of mine mounted his cassette deck "under the seat" of his '65 Corvair Convertible, because he didn't want it noticed and wanted to keep the original dash "stock" looking. (He had been entering it in shows.) Eventually they made a "Pony" motif in-dash cassette to keep the classic dash look for the 60s Mustangs. Just memories, they are definitely pegging my age now!
- RE: First cassettes - DaveInVA 10:56:28 08/08/09 (4)
  Pegging my age also - My first car cassette deck went into a '49 Packard Custom I owned around '72. It was 6 volt pos ground. I ended up mounting it on a quick release slide they used to sell back then. I had to insulate it by mounting it to wood and the wood to the under dash supports. Also had to use a 6 to 12 volt converter. I also had to cut the ground off the coax going to the antenna. Worked great until someone smashed the vent window and stole it the one time I forgot to pull it out and put it in the trunk like I usually did.
  I went through a series of stereo crappy, noisey sounding stereo home cassette decks in the '60s. Had an Ampex, a POS Panasonic (said SEARS on it)and an Akai that physically flipped the tape over for you. I even took the Panasonic's transport and hooked the heads to an old KnightKit record/play reel to reel tube preamp for a while.
  
  Dave
  - RE: First cassettes - Jcard 15:38:29 08/10/09 (3)
    Wow, cool story: upconverting 6 volts to 12 in a '49 Packard to power a cassette deck. I had forgotten all about those slide-releases and avoiding theft. Enjoyed that one ! I remember many old marginal cassette decks back in my early college days, but never laid eyes on one that physically flipped the tape. Amazing what steps engineers would take to wow the buying public when R&D budgets were fat, and labor costs not so worried about. It brings to mind the unbelievable 57, 58 and 59 Ford Fairlane retractable hardtop. It was a full-on steel two-tone hardtop that was carried by hydraulics and servo motors backwards to rest under a reverse-opening trunk lid. That way, you got a permanent hard-top AND a convertible in one car, all the way amazing onlookers during the elaborate switchover.
    - RE: First cassettes - DaveInVA 15:56:05 08/10/09 (2)
      I remember those Ford Fairlanes. Almost as bad as the Maserati Citroen SM I owned a long time ago. Maserati and Citroen had merged for a time in the 70's and made one of the most complex cars ever made. Everything was hydraulic. The engine had a 7 cylinder hydraulic pump attached to the crank shaft that could produce almost 2000 psi through 1/8" tubing. The suspension was hydraulic, the steering was hydraulic and brakes hydraulic. Not just assisted by hydraulics but fly by wire like some aircraft. The brake pedal went to a proportioning valve and not a master etc. When you turned the car off it slowing sank to the ground. Instead of springs and shocks they used hydraulic cylinders to hold the car up and the shocks were gas filled spheres on them. The steering wheel just went to valves also. There was a big red light on the dash and if it went on you had seconds to pull over before you lost brakes, steering and suspension. I had a low mileage one and it ran abotu $5k a year to keep running. Was fun to drive with the quad overhead cam Mas engine. And it came with an 8-track. The Maserati Merak had the same drive train and dash.
      Here is a link to one of those Akai "invert-a-matics" like what I had.
      
      Dave
      Akai "invert-a-matics" (Open in New Window)
      - RE: First cassettes - Jcard 08:07:50 08/15/09 (1)
        
        In Reply to: RE: First cassettes posted by DaveInVA on August 10, 2009 at 15:56:05
        
        That is an amazing set-up... thanks for linking
        
        RE: First cassettes - DaveInVA 12:14:43 08/15/09 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: First cassettes posted by Jcard on August 15, 2009 at 08:07:50
        
        To bad it didn't sound as good as it looked. Made a great pink noise generator though...
        
        Dave
- RE: First cassettes - Jcard 18:24:12 08/07/09 (0)
  Greg??? I'm losing it. Great response DAVE. (Sorry!)

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