Producing a Song Entirely on a Cassette Recorder

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2024
  • Listen to "Far Away" on Spotify/Apple/Amazon: mdnt30.com/go/far-away
    In this video (my first) I attempt to create an entire song from scratch using the Tascam 424 Portastudio, which is a 4-track tape recorder that uses regular cassette tapes. In the video I go into a little of the history of the device, walk through my planning and recording process (including doing a BOUNCE, a technique unique to tape), and finally I show the song.
    ★ FOLLOW ME HERE ★
    Instagram / mandelbro1
    Chapters:
    0:00 Introduction
    2:40 Setting up & testing
    4:30 Recording
    6:28 Bouncing
    8:09 Recording (continued)
    9:57 Final result
    12:32 Thoughts & outro
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ความคิดเห็น • 2.2K

  • @mandelbro1
    @mandelbro1  3 ปีที่แล้ว +148

    Due to popular demand I've released "Far Away" on streaming platforms, links to it are here: mdnt30.com/go/far-away
    Thanks again for the insane amount of comments, feedback and love! Never expected this to blow up. You guys are awesome! 💛

    • @Scudmaster11
      @Scudmaster11 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Is mono cassettes became popular... than we would have 4 hour cassettes and CD wouldn't be able to complete with the time

    • @72marshflower15
      @72marshflower15 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Mike Oldfield became world famous with his production of Tubular Bells, a 45 minute long song created from just this same process..
      You know it as the theme to the exorcist.

    • @subg8858
      @subg8858 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Stereo tape makes the tape wider not longer

    • @LetArtsLive
      @LetArtsLive 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      That was freaking amazing can you listen to it while you're adding tracks ?

    • @dalrok
      @dalrok 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@72marshflower15 Fyi: Tubular bells was recorded on a professional Ampeg 2" 16 track machine (i think it was a MM1000 model).
      It involved more than 250 overdubs and thousands of punch-ins, that could only be done with these very robust and precise broad tapes.
      The first demos before the start were produced on 4-track 1/2" tape to develop the recording schemes.

  • @tomifg
    @tomifg 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +557

    thanks algorithm for showing me this 3 years after its release

  • @aureodelacruz
    @aureodelacruz 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1636

    I use bouncing all the time with my 8 tracks limited ableton lite.

    • @calvinm9884
      @calvinm9884 3 ปีที่แล้ว +111

      Lmao light gang

    • @kevindube7096
      @kevindube7096 3 ปีที่แล้ว +77

      Even with unlimited tracks bouncing is useful because my CPU _is_ limited. Saves a lot of lag to bounce a group of tracks with memory intensive plug-ins when the settings are all set & they don’t need to be doin their tingtang in real time 🤷🏽‍♂️

    • @axilleas
      @axilleas 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      Using Reaper I don’t have such limitations but that seems like a good idea to prevent me from chasing my tail around the mix... Thanks!

    • @RollyPraise
      @RollyPraise 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Do the same things, but on the PC

    • @NiranjanBallal
      @NiranjanBallal 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Same here man!! 😂

  • @johnnyharris
    @johnnyharris 3 ปีที่แล้ว +731

    Video is really made.

    • @ailyas3556
      @ailyas3556 3 ปีที่แล้ว +159

      that was a very comment

    • @Deuce_B
      @Deuce_B 3 ปีที่แล้ว +80

      @@ailyas3556 That was an extremely reply

    • @benjs.mp4
      @benjs.mp4 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      @@Deuce_B a pretty response

    • @derekbeck6761
      @derekbeck6761 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@benjs.mp4 That retort is certainly constructed.

    • @Jujuforthey_music
      @Jujuforthey_music 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Bro I feel you I’m high too lmao

  • @JunkyardSam
    @JunkyardSam 2 ปีที่แล้ว +737

    The song turned out great and it's such a reminder than maybe music doesn't need to be so overproduced. This was so simple and appealing.

    • @UltraCodex66
      @UltraCodex66 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

      It sounds like a demo

    • @trivial7
      @trivial7 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +38

      ​@@UltraCodex66 "maybe music doesn't need to be so overproduced" ...

    • @S14M07
      @S14M07 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +22

      This song could use a little bit of working, but as some of his friends said, it feels human, it feels natural, and I really like that.

    • @wilhelmtheconquerer6214
      @wilhelmtheconquerer6214 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      Exactly, although I'd argue that an 8-track would be more reasonable.
      That way you can mic kick, snare, x2 overheads, x2 drum room, bass amp and x2 guitar amps in one take ("live" of the floor) and then be able to add the vocals, harmonies, solos and other smaller stuff afterwards (keys, percussion, sound FX, etc.)
      Nothing sounds as good as rhythm track where everyone's playing together and playing of eachother, especially recorded to tape and using analog effects

    • @columben7272
      @columben7272 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Great song

  • @MrPitatom
    @MrPitatom 19 วันที่ผ่านมา +4

    I love how the young generation are embracing the old technology. I've been using tapes since I was 4 years old. I'm 53 years old and still use them at home and in the car. Respect!

  • @MichaelJ023
    @MichaelJ023 3 ปีที่แล้ว +480

    The important things to consider when recording with a 4-track are: Start with a machine that has built in noise reduction (DBX, Dolby C) like the Yamaha MT, use Chrome or Metal Hi Bias tapes, use high tape speed, record your levels a bit on the hot side - in the red - don’t be afraid of clipping - real tape compression is especially beautiful on bass and drums, minimize the use of bouncing - keep the amount of tracks to a minimum - focus on your performance of each instrument. The real beauty of these machines comes out when you limit yourself to 4 parts, rehearse them very well, and then do your best performance for each part. Leave the expansive layered multitrack recordings to modern tech. And finally, if you are going to use reverb, use the effects loop at mixdown instead of using it on each individual track at the beginning. Decent 4-track machines will have effects send-returns for each track.

    • @TonyLeva
      @TonyLeva 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I could not agree more!

    • @TheMentalblockrock
      @TheMentalblockrock 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      also makes a BIG difference to use a mic pre-amp with a compressor built in.

    • @briandiolun139
      @briandiolun139 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Great advice. Thank you!

    • @putridfetidini5468
      @putridfetidini5468 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      ALL OF THIS IS TRUE. Such a pain in the ass, lol. Aficionados out there, no offense but I dont miss it 🙂

    • @stuartsmith5146
      @stuartsmith5146 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Right! Record hot! But check out my other post for reverb options.

  • @abriction
    @abriction 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +169

    my favorite thing about tape is the way the low end sounds. even just the bass guitar and the drum track alone sound sooo satisfying to listen to. it's such a warm and cozy punch.

    • @dalrok
      @dalrok 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Really? I call it dull and muddy. Even the 1/2" tapes sound inferiour in comparison to a digital master.
      Had to live with that kind of 'studio' for some years (the money ..) in the 80s and hated it.
      Best experience (not): You have everything finished and then the tape is scrambled while rewinding. Congratulations! Go to start and try again!
      Everyone who used these things at the time would never want to go back to this crap.
      If You really like that muddy sound, take a good recording and use Your EQ to smash it. ;-)

    • @huarachudo47
      @huarachudo47 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      So, that was the "fatness" everyone used to talk abour, referencing analog recording.
      Cool.
      It sounds great.

    • @stinghouseproductions8502
      @stinghouseproductions8502 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@dalrok Well, that's just like...your opinion. Man.

    • @dalrok
      @dalrok 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@stinghouseproductions8502 Yes, it is my opinion, and is based on my experience as a musician who used these machines in the 80s and years of studio work.
      Starting with the Fostex X-15, Tascam 246 we soon took a mortgage and switched to a used Teac 80-8 8-track tape & Revox B-77 2-track for mastering.
      Later we got a Studer A800 MKIII 16-track 2" & Tascam 32-2 until 2019, when we switched completely to digital, after working in parallel with digital (RME) IFCs.
      We sold them, because even the bands, that came because we had the analog machines, only wanted the digital mixes, when played to them in blind A/B, because they had so much better dynamics and transparency than the analog ones despite the high quality of our analog equipment. We still do our mixes the same style we did for analog, no 'compression wars'. So they sound like analog on steroids and the bands like them.
      I'd never want to go back to cassettes with their heavy crosstalk and muddy 'fat' sound (that You can expect from a tape, where 4 tracks have only .15" in total at a comparatively slow speed of max. of 3 IPS in comparison to a 2" 16-track (where a single track has .125") at high speed 7.5-30 IPS.

    • @machinelanguage5108
      @machinelanguage5108 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      ​​@@dalrokdude I made music on 4-track cassette recorders for years. I love the sound. When I listen to my old stuff from the early 90s, it sounds so deep. Sure, there were limitations (like bouncing tracks down from 3-traks to 1-trak to get more tracks, the ever-present low-level hiss, syncing recorded tracks with what you were recording into open tracks, etc.) Those limitations brought out innovation. An example is discovering how to get intense, ducking-style compression by using radio shack Y-adapters and pushing the levels of the 2 inputs hard, adding distortion pedals, etc. I got an incredible sound that could NEVER be recreated or emulated on my DAWs, through my attempts to get more input channels.

  • @jamesmarkjackson1979
    @jamesmarkjackson1979 3 ปีที่แล้ว +85

    I was a teenager in the 90's so all my early song writing/recording attempts were on a similar 4 track. I think they teach you to be a better song writer, there's no where to hide. It can sound quality might be dreadful but if the song structure is there, the lyrics are good, the chords and harmonies are interesting or there's a catchy hook or whatever it can still be a good song. It's all too easy to polish a turd with modern recording techniques and as a result so many musically boring songs with the same 3 or 4 chords are pumped out because we get distracted by the fancy production values.

  • @TimLeeSongs
    @TimLeeSongs 3 ปีที่แล้ว +480

    So nice to hear a young person giving respect to old tech, rather than just bashing it because it’s old.
    We had one of these at school when I was doing my music GSCEs in the mid 90s and it was the first thing I did multitrack recording on and it just felt magical and so exciting at the time!
    Great video.

    • @samtayla2326
      @samtayla2326 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      Actually these days vintage gear gets more love than ever. Stuff like tape noise what was considered a negative side effect is actively searched for. Who ever hates old gear cause it's old has no clue of making music

    • @scottlarson1548
      @scottlarson1548 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      TH-cam is full of videos of young people playing with old tech. The stuff is cheap on eBay (except for the old tech that's actually good).

    • @ricklesshorse8159
      @ricklesshorse8159 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Excellent. .. many Souvenirs !

    • @whynottalklikeapirat
      @whynottalklikeapirat 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Well I am older than the unit and still deeply grateful we moved on ...

    • @scottlarson1548
      @scottlarson1548 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @King of Iron Fist You edit video using a razor blade and tape?

  • @BugzKiller
    @BugzKiller 3 ปีที่แล้ว +249

    I'm in my 60's, been doing this most my life. Started out on an old Mono reel to reel..LOL. Then I started collecting Only 4 tracks recorders, mostly tascam only. best choice for me. It got to the point where I had about 6 of them I bought online, used. Then I sold them all and stuck with my Tascam 424 MKll, which I use all the time. In fact the Mkll I bought new, and it stayed unopened in the box for 5 years before I started to use it! So that's my baby till it croaks. No Digital stuff for me, ever! Plus I bought Quality High Bias cassettes when they were closing out at the big box stores way back. Got enough of those for a few lifetimes! Keep on 4 trackin people! It's the Most Fun way!! Great Hobby for a lifetime! Nice Video as well!! Keep it up!

    • @mandelbro1
      @mandelbro1  3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Totally agree! The taping continues...

    • @BugzKiller
      @BugzKiller 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @Lil Yeet what do you mean

    • @switchfakienollie1
      @switchfakienollie1 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Would be great to hear some of your music! N if you feel the need to sell some of those high bias cassettes I’m all for it haha

    • @gwugluud
      @gwugluud 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Jpc I’m in my 60s, I have had a similar journey , lol. I love my (what I now have) , a Yamaha MT, which is the most hi fi cassette rig ever. Don’t eschew the new, I have plugins of tube compressors and classic 60s tape rigs which get you as lo fi and analog as you could ever want, plus there’s extra features you can dick around with not possible in “analog nature”, such as changing the pitch of 1 track without affecting the others, and 100s of wild capabilities. Reaper has a demo you’re supposed to pay for, but not required, and they don’t gay down anything, the demo version is identical to the paid version. You may be missing out on more adventure and crazy expressive possibilities than you realize. Try it, man, then if u don’t like it, nobody gets killed, or Little Susie’s puppy won’t die, etc

    • @timallnutt4287
      @timallnutt4287 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Chrome (high bias) tapes make a huge difference on 4 tracks.

  • @agustin3710
    @agustin3710 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    The sound from the buttons being pressed is soooo satisfying

  • @LimJim
    @LimJim 3 ปีที่แล้ว +129

    I am blown away by the quality of the editing and visuals and the overall effort you put into this video. Absolutely amazing

  • @i3zd
    @i3zd 3 ปีที่แล้ว +69

    Cool as fuck. Wish more bedroom producers would get down like this, show us what it sounds like when you don't have 1,000,000 controls and effects at your fingertips. So well done!

  • @jaimeandresmolinacontreras1851
    @jaimeandresmolinacontreras1851 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I am from Chile, southamerica. I am 54 years old. When i was 19, I used to write songs and record them on one go on a tape recorder. We were far away from using separated tracks. After watching your video i realized the purity of the sound. You recorded what you were able to produce. The sound was real. Great video. Thanks for sharing your experience with analog recording.

  • @emillindroth
    @emillindroth 3 ปีที่แล้ว +162

    I made songs recording additional tracks while copying one track from one tape to another on a double cassette deck back in the early 90s. You only had that many takes and the treble was all muffled, which you had to take into account when planning the order of the tracks. I slammed a large pillow with a kitchen pot for kick-drum and used the toilet lid as snare, tuned down an acoustic guitar for base and just did Hhats with my mouth. Yeah, I grew up poor, but the whole idea of how to go about it, in your head, resulted in a different take on music production. Using less instruments and basically no digital or electronic instrument to produce a larger sound was a challenge back then. I don't think many of the musicians of today could do it.

    • @mossesandrade5969
      @mossesandrade5969 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      We are twins dude! I did the same thing. SOS Between 2 decks. But I had Dolby B and later had 2 cassette decks with Dolby C. Expensive Metal tapes kept the top end present. Those recordings from 1986 - 1995 blow me away. No hiss and they good sound. Thanks for sharing. I stereo miked those pans and posts. I used a wall as kick or just the floor with my fist.
      I made my own electric guitar. Took a $3 Radio Shack mic and through it into the guitar sound hole. Right to the bottom.
      The mic got plugged into an old Sony portable quarter inch mono RTR. I would then turn the recording level all the way up until it was nothing but distortion. Then I would mic the RTR speaker and record that. Great sound. I made bass just like you did except with the $3 mic thrown in to the sounding hole. The mic would exaggerate those bass frequencies. I got a real 1960's boomy bass sound. The bass was recorded direct. The output of the RTR went to a Radio Shack 5 band equalizer where I would turn down the 1, 3 and 10 khz frequencies, but turn up 60 and 240 hz all the way up to +10 db.

    • @darwinsaye
      @darwinsaye 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      That’s how my brother and I did it in the late 70s/early 80s. But we used two old dictation-style tape recorders.

    • @MacintoshT.Reznor
      @MacintoshT.Reznor 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Prove it

    • @valley_robot
      @valley_robot 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I didn't have a drum machine, I used to use a suitcase as my bass drum and a cardboard box as a snare, I used to use my clock a lot to help me know how much time I had recorded, we had no tech but we still made countless cassettes of 4 track music

    • @MacintoshT.Reznor
      @MacintoshT.Reznor 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@valley_robot prove it

  • @johanlovstedt832
    @johanlovstedt832 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    I bought a Yamaha MT50 a couple of months ago and I’ve had so much fun being able to quickly lay things down as the format almost forces you to mix fast and move forward without getting stuck in tweaking a million parameters. This song really shows the core of that process. Beautiful!

  • @nicholastotoro7721
    @nicholastotoro7721 3 ปีที่แล้ว +124

    This was all that existed when I was in High School, at least all you could afford when working at a record store part-time and being a student full-time.

    • @BernieRunns
      @BernieRunns 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I worked all summer, saved up $500 and had my friend's dad buy a Fostex 4-track recorder on his credit card. My parents wouldn't do it because they thought it was a waste of my money. Long story short, our band recorded a record, dubbed 50 copies and sold them at school to our friends. 1997 was the beginning of my DIY recording career. Small time stuff. Still doing it. Ha

    • @minibuns5397
      @minibuns5397 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yup. The Tascam 424.

    • @lueezec358
      @lueezec358 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@BernieRunnsCool story 🤟

  • @rens1379
    @rens1379 4 ปีที่แล้ว +342

    This is so sick. It makes me wanna record something myself.

    • @rens1379
      @rens1379 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mandelbro1 Thanks for your reply! Will do!

    • @gwugluud
      @gwugluud 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Go and do it. You don’t have to impress Gene Simmons, just express.

    • @versnellingspookie
      @versnellingspookie 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@gwugluud why would you want to impress Gene Simmons? ;^)

    • @Ethyl.breaks
      @Ethyl.breaks 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They’re around 300 great machines tho

    • @Cryo837
      @Cryo837 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      No compatibility issues, no viruses, no updates that break things, no having to deal BOTH your recorder AND all the things that go wrong on a computer. And most important, you can QUICKLY get down those moments of inspiration before they disappear. No matter how rough, a good idea won't be lost while you fiddle with a computer. If you can get by with 4 tracks, a LOT less hassle!!!!

  • @seltic13
    @seltic13 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    as a proponent and owner of 3 424s your happiness in hearing back the sound of tape warmed my soul.

  • @jimmiejames4674
    @jimmiejames4674 3 ปีที่แล้ว +47

    I'm a gen x er and yes these were essential in my creative process of song writing. Believe me you had one shot to record your parts live. Actually made me focus more on my parts before recording. The struggle of only having four tracks was very real.

    • @mandelbro1
      @mandelbro1  3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      There certainly a real struggle with these formats, but the extra focus that it necessitated from you must have had a positive impact on your performance

    • @thesadwolf
      @thesadwolf 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I could bounce tracks on mine but after you bounce two tracks into one, you were stuck with it. No undo :)

  • @kevinsturges6957
    @kevinsturges6957 3 ปีที่แล้ว +42

    That piano sounds fantastic! So much 70s character in there. ❤️

    • @mandelbro1
      @mandelbro1  3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Thanks! I agree

  • @adamjacksonmedia
    @adamjacksonmedia 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I love how young people are discovering recording equipment my dad purchased me in the early 90s, and I have been using for decades.

    • @WolfgangXP65-67
      @WolfgangXP65-67 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Oh as a Gen Z , I definitely want to buy it for my band!

  • @PC0067
    @PC0067 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I started practicing multi-track recording around when I was 15 or 16. My mom gave me the Fostex Dolby C 4-track at the time. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I was very excited. I watch your video to remind me of this memory and I discover your excitement and your joy which I share so much that I cry! Thank you for this incredible moment!

  • @captaindoeverything
    @captaindoeverything 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    The mission statement for my studio is simple, "Be honest, be expressive." Regardless of what format you prefer if the emotional content is real it will come through as it did here. Well done.

  • @goamateurzero622
    @goamateurzero622 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Dude, watching this made me so happy! I’m in my late 30s and all the recordings I made with my first band in the 90s were done on 4 track recorders. I still treasure those recordings and memories. And all those „human imperfections“ are what makes music great and what I miss in today‘s recordings, both budget and professional. Thanks for bringing back memories! Well done!

  • @wavgod4871
    @wavgod4871 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    the fact that the mix is clean, no clipping no nothing just makes me proud and happy from one musician to another

  • @chrischismsounds
    @chrischismsounds 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    This is so inspiring man. I love seeing your excitement and passion for this. Your music is also beautiful and it makes me just want to jump in and start writing something right now. Beautiful stuff.

  • @aezidoubleu
    @aezidoubleu 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Incredible the buzzing and realness of 4 tracks is irreplaceable

  • @CrystalDennisMusic
    @CrystalDennisMusic 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    My motto when writing music is limitations breed creativity and this defs shows that. It was really cool seeing some old tech in action, I really liked that warm tape sound and it was indeed powerful seeing you don't need all of these bells and whistles to make music. Really puts things into perspective. I tend to write songs that are like 4 to 6 tracks of instru and feel bad it isn't as beefy as it could be but this shows there's nothing wrong with that so I need to kick that thinking out the window. Great video!

  • @tombeattie7382
    @tombeattie7382 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Now that brings back so many memories, well done and thanks for sharing. Its so satisfying to hear basic recording from this era. Thanks.

  • @onoraii.o
    @onoraii.o 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    as someone who plans on producing music this inspired me in so many ways. i will keep on coming back to this video. use it as my motivation.

  • @mandelbro1
    @mandelbro1  3 ปีที่แล้ว +98

    What kind of topics would you like me to explore in the future? Comment below!
    Thanks for watching, and subscribe if you enjoyed :)

    • @DJ_InYourFace
      @DJ_InYourFace 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      First off, very cool vid. I'm personally interested in more videos à la "making a song using only...". For example, that little drum machine. Can you make a song just with that and vocals?

    • @TurkundJDizzl
      @TurkundJDizzl 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      i am interested in more stuff about songwriting, like songwriting essentials...

    • @Mononitol
      @Mononitol 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      This was freaking sick!

    • @DystopianTofuTV
      @DystopianTofuTV 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Songstuctures simple and complex and the balance between having too much variation or too little in a section

    • @ferrousdogma
      @ferrousdogma 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I took all my old 4 track recordings and imported them into my daw ( desktop audio workstation lol ) now , i can add more tracks digitally. What ends up happening is amazing.

  • @electricnebraska
    @electricnebraska 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    A Tascam 4 track saved my life back in '92. Thanks for the nostalgia.

  • @nomadben
    @nomadben หลายเดือนก่อน

    I loved the song, that was so much fun to watch. I love that feeling when you start layering tracks together and hear the final result.

  • @derekdowns6275
    @derekdowns6275 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks for bringing back a flood of memories...

  • @samtayla2326
    @samtayla2326 3 ปีที่แล้ว +273

    "It's so like shity, it's nice tho!"
    Every song I ever made

    • @mandelbro1
      @mandelbro1  3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Having heard your demo in the Discord, I have to disagree with the shity-ness

    • @samtayla2326
      @samtayla2326 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@mandelbro1 haha well I mean, I wouldn't really be an artist if I didn't think my stuff lowkey sucks but somehow is the greatest shit ever

    • @lovemaurice
      @lovemaurice 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Completely disagree. This kid has mad talent. Lyrics, playing, his whole sound is rich. Then he does the Portastudio. WOW!

    • @pascalbruyere7108
      @pascalbruyere7108 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Shity? Sound of the 80s, I still prefer it.

    • @axelfiedel3793
      @axelfiedel3793 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@mandelbro1 I'm a gen Z who would really like to record on that kind of machine

  • @Briansmusic-
    @Briansmusic- 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    I used to use 2 tape machines to bounce back and forth back in the early 70's. I had a Tascam in the late 90's and by the time I got my 1st PC I was using both together.

    • @Briansmusic-
      @Briansmusic- 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I forgot to add the days of quadrophonic albums and mixes on other playback deceives the reel to reels and even the 8 track cartridge recorders were 4 track machines just labeled as left and right front and left and right rear. Anyway my dislikes of the 424MKIII which I had to fix were the transport buttons that failed after heavy use but I modified with some extra plastic to make them spring back up and easy touch and the single motor drive which stays running constant when the unit is powered up. I also modified that by putting a micro switch between one of the leads that powered it. That way the belt and motor can be off and the mixer on while you premix inputs prior to recording.

  • @mae__
    @mae__ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Sounds amazing!!! acoustic vibes are timeless

  • @LucianoVergara
    @LucianoVergara 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This video is actually a work of art. Thank you!

  • @LeeCrampton
    @LeeCrampton 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    So nice to see a youngster restricting himself to pretty ancient and basic tech but putting it out there. well done indeed and I especially liked the creative video making too (the opening sequence was a hoot). Cheers. Lee

  • @djacroama
    @djacroama 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I like how it forces you to be creative with what you're working with. Excellent work dude

  • @jammadamma
    @jammadamma 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What a pleasant, chilled out video. Good work!

  • @SRshinoda
    @SRshinoda 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    satisfying and VERY precious. Congrats!

  • @YoungNation666
    @YoungNation666 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I love this and being a artist my self. You really show people my age what music is about and I love that.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

  • @therestorationofdrwho1865
    @therestorationofdrwho1865 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I need one of these. Have been wanting one for ages.

  • @frubo_ssg
    @frubo_ssg 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I grew up with tape recording and it's nice to see how much you enjoyed this old technique - GREAT!

  • @DylanParisMusic
    @DylanParisMusic 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    this video rules, amazing work. love the editing, recording process, insight. all of it dude, fantastic

  • @paulrouet9968
    @paulrouet9968 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Really nice ! We want more vids like that 🔥🔥

  • @janbrinkmann572
    @janbrinkmann572 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Nice video Bro✌🏼
    I really like that you made the back groundmusic - of course - yourself🔥

  • @threesixcerberus8165
    @threesixcerberus8165 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    such a well put together video

  • @pauljakeman
    @pauljakeman 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What a great video and awesome song. I loved this man!

  • @CrowClouds
    @CrowClouds 3 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    If you want an earthy, warm lofi ish sound in a DAW, try the Waves plugin called J37 tape machine. It is really awesome.

    • @kbmadethatshit6364
      @kbmadethatshit6364 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Or pass your music to a audio engineer @kbquest_ on insta to do it for u. 🙂 (FREE PROMOTION FREE REAL ESTATE FOLKS)

  • @rxjimenez25
    @rxjimenez25 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Love this! So inspiring, made me think about how I make my own music too

  • @fredericorod
    @fredericorod 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    man, this is so amazing!!

  • @magneto7930
    @magneto7930 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I had a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder in the 80s. I loved it. It was one of my favorite toys. I would often bounce three tracks onto the fourth track, or I would bounce all four tracks onto another cassette, also "punching in" parts where there was an empty space. Fun memories!

  • @maxostrowski5269
    @maxostrowski5269 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Dude, I remember making music on something similar as a kid. I think it’s almost better to be limited in your instrument selection and editing capabilities. Makes something more realistic and definitely shows your talents when confined to those limitations. Great job 👏🏻

  • @gehitchkockt4362
    @gehitchkockt4362 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Amazing video!

  • @sarahafreenmalik2679
    @sarahafreenmalik2679 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    It was nice to go back in time! I love your videos!

  • @Jeronimo365
    @Jeronimo365 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That was fun, and a refreshing reminder that it’s the notes and words that count, and the imperfections just make it better. Inspiring stuff. 👍

  • @elonmust7470
    @elonmust7470 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    The reverbed electric guitar licks are flowing through my head. It would sound good.

  • @marcomonaco5556
    @marcomonaco5556 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Great video!

  • @MelRog
    @MelRog 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    this is what music should be. fun, exciting, and easy to make. great video.

  • @vladkamael
    @vladkamael 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Such a great device and video overall, loved every second of it (literally)!

  • @petefaders
    @petefaders 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I'll never forget the day I got one of these. September, 1988. Life changed.

  • @tiphaine6409
    @tiphaine6409 4 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Imagine being literally talented at everything AND being the hardest worker in the country... you should be proud Bart

  • @FlorisLikesGuitar
    @FlorisLikesGuitar หลายเดือนก่อน

    watching this video really inspired me to make my recordings a bit simpler. i think this is a great great song and I love the vibe

  • @salvasansano
    @salvasansano 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Me ha sorpredido el resultado, único y natural. ✌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

  • @soberman7924
    @soberman7924 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    don't comment often, but your honesty and vulnerability was so refreshing. we really don't need to do complicated things to achieve meaningful results. keep up the good work, bro!

    • @mandelbro1
      @mandelbro1  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you so much 😊

  • @franciscopeixoto47
    @franciscopeixoto47 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    You're great dude
    Keep it up

  • @somniacsa2370
    @somniacsa2370 ปีที่แล้ว

    Beautifully challenging 🦋

  • @_.5ea..arts._333
    @_.5ea..arts._333 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is amazing!

  • @shotbyjustinp
    @shotbyjustinp 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    i’m 22 years old from fayetteville NC i’m an up and coming audio engineer i’ve been recording vocals for about 6-7 yrs in pro tools.. this makes me appreciate what tools we have now a days!! love from north carolina❤️

    • @shotbyjustinp
      @shotbyjustinp 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      nice to see all these people comment on this, music brings people together no matter the age range

    • @pjarrey6283
      @pjarrey6283 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Busta Speeker who hurt you?

  • @deaconvids
    @deaconvids 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Commenting for the algorithm, awesome video!

  • @donny7913
    @donny7913 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    So cool. Original, pure and simplicity.

  • @williamrgrant
    @williamrgrant 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is awesome. I love the simplicity of this.

  • @petejackson9285
    @petejackson9285 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Back in the 90's me and a guitarist and a drummer did a whole hour and thirty musical backing to a performance art peice on a Yamaha four track. We learned so much about what our sound source had to be, how to use it, how to bounce and compensate for drop in quality, why there was a drop in quality. All this made us better stage muscians and how to play in an group better. I cant see modern digital being anywhere near as three dimentional. In fact I hate modern punk music because it is too perfect. Punk was never meant to be perfect....

  • @rennhoalohaloren6211
    @rennhoalohaloren6211 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    The beauty of raw simplicity. In the age of laptops and AI, imperfection is the revolution of humanity.

  • @ds99
    @ds99 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That was awesome. Thanks for showing this. I grew up with cassettes but never saw a machine like that anywhere. You made a great song too. Talented.

  • @asdrubalperezrocha1070
    @asdrubalperezrocha1070 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Congratulations! I enjoy the process of making your song and i sm a big a fan of análog sound....thx! Keep going!

  • @GeekTherapyRadio
    @GeekTherapyRadio 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Dude...this content is astounding. Fully expected to see a sub-count in the tens of thousands. Keep up the incredible work! Also, it is heartwarming to see the "younger" generation taking an interest in analogue recording and passing the torch.
    I have several 4 tracks, even a Tascam 688 that crams 8 audio tracks onto a standard cassette tape. It is my prized possession in my studio. It's crazy how working within the limitations of 4 to 8 tracks of audio tape actually unleashes a flood of creativity and inspiration. It's exactly like working with a film camera. You only have a a few shots on a roll so you make those shots count.
    It's incredibly easy to lose inspiration with a DAW with infinite track counts and plugins and cameras with infinite storage. The technology is wonderful and facilitates wonderful things impossible years ago...but it can conversely be uninspiring.
    Again, great work dude!
    Here's a song I recorded a few years ago on my Tascam 464 4 track if you're interested soundcloud.com/johnny-hemberger/hallelujah

    • @mandelbro1
      @mandelbro1  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Oh lovely cover, man. Beautiful soft harmonies!

  • @GingerJediJammin
    @GingerJediJammin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great effort! Good recording and songwriting too. I love the 'rounded' sound of tape and its reduced dynamic range (particularly cassette), this gives it a naturally compressed sound which, funnily enough, we chase in the digital realm. The analogue medium seems to be a truer representation of how the human ear hears sound, digital has always been very sterile and harsh to me.
    As your video shows there's no hiding either. You have to nail the take as there's very little in the way of post processing, unless you fancy splicing and sticking tape together! Overall this leads to a far more 'human' outcome which is sorely lacking in the ultra-processed and overly produced commercial music of today (my opinion of course). Keep it up!

  • @benwatson2586
    @benwatson2586 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    what a refreshing video, great story telling thanks

  • @karlosfandango108
    @karlosfandango108 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Awesome, brings back some memories, that's the exact same unit I started out on back in the day...

  • @tomdavis7427
    @tomdavis7427 3 ปีที่แล้ว +34

    Elliot smith recorded his first two albums on a four track! Awesome

    • @Ethyl.breaks
      @Ethyl.breaks 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      The Beatles recorded sgt pepper on a four track

    • @scottlarson1548
      @scottlarson1548 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      So did thousands of other artists.

  • @MrGazz101
    @MrGazz101 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    You absolutely killed this. And for once the TH-cam algorithm killed it in bringing me here. Keep it up!

  • @mark_mcglue
    @mark_mcglue 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great video, great energy, great music, greatful 🥲

  • @maximum94
    @maximum94 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I'm here from Instagram an I don't regret coming over

  • @oneroom2660
    @oneroom2660 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Older music had way more feeling into it, now everything is too robotic, quantized, autotuned, while it can sound good on some music but it doesn't make it anything special. Limitations can sound better, it gives music more character that's why old music is being sampled so much in today's music.
    As a producer myself I don't like the sound of VST's it sounds cold loud and dead and every vst program sounds different which makes it a hell to mix sometimes. I bought a Focusrite Clarett 4pre and prefer to record real instruments on that rather then vst's or make my own samples.

    • @Justinmorl
      @Justinmorl 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Couldn’t have said it better myself

    • @whiskerbiscuit6674
      @whiskerbiscuit6674 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ok Boomer

    • @YellowJelloMusic
      @YellowJelloMusic 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Right on! I bought Tascam 414 because I hate recording in a DAW. I also despise the overproduced mentality of today's music. Real human music has feel and well... sometimes mistakes. But that's what makes it interesting.

    • @whiskerbiscuit6674
      @whiskerbiscuit6674 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@YellowJelloMusic You guys sound like morons. You can record on a daw exactly the same way as on a 4 track recorder. Just don't over produce it. It's not hard. You're just a hipster.

    • @bp.4928
      @bp.4928 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Don't think anyone can make the robotic/quantized argument given that the biggest hits of the 80s were very much produced, played with sequencers, triggers, and drum machines like the Linn Drum and LM-1 which feature *automatic quantizing*.

  • @shankerkeshavdas4639
    @shankerkeshavdas4639 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Beautiful demo!

  • @fribiesdi
    @fribiesdi ปีที่แล้ว

    Amazing, magical!

  • @majestijt3815
    @majestijt3815 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Really cool video ~ deanpiepers

  • @renegonzalez6755
    @renegonzalez6755 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    The TDK audio cassette, very nostalgic. They might have not been the highest quality but they were inexpensive and easy to find.

    • @MacXpert74
      @MacXpert74 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      TDK made some of the best tapes available actually, in different price ranges. The channel "Cassette comeback" makes nice videos about cassettes, demonstrating many different brands and types.
      th-cam.com/channels/5yaZs2wSx-uqnXBkWmyqBQ.html

    • @philpower_
      @philpower_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      "The Dark Knight" audio cassette

    • @renegonzalez6755
      @renegonzalez6755 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      The TDK type 2 SA had a great price to performance ratio. It was my favorite brand and model back when i was in middle school in the early 90's. I recorded classic 1970s Rock, old school Hip Hop and R&B on those at the time.
      When i was in High School my taste changed in music and i discovered Grunge and Metal music.
      I decided to try one of my father's 1989 era TDK type IV MA audio cassettes. What a world of difference. I noticed greatly reduced WOW and Flutter especially on my inexpensive portable players (Lennox Sound and Windsor.)
      I used audio cassettes till 2003. After i purchased my first digital audio player (Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox 3) i Stopped using audio cassettes.
      Back in 2016 i revisited the audio cassette after purchasing a modified 1986 released Fisher Price PXL-2000 video camera.
      I find it so interesting to be able to not just hear but to also physically see via a recorded video stream the quality differences between audio cassette formulations, brands, country of manufactures and release years.
      That video camera is sort of like the ultimate stress test for audio cassettes. For example the tape speed is incredibly fast, faster than any high speed duplication dual deck. The audio tape in general was never designed to be recorded onto at such a high speed.
      There is a small margin for tape ribbon imperfections which can be seen in the recorded video (lower resolution, moire patterns and visible artifacts.)
      I would love to make a TH-cam video about this but there are more than enough videos on the Fisher Price PXL-2000 video camera.

  • @andrewmelnyk6416
    @andrewmelnyk6416 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    lovely track man, these portastudios are a true gem

  • @CannedFunkMusic
    @CannedFunkMusic 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I really like the direction he went with the whole recording. It doesn’t sound cookie cutter and the changes are really natural. Good job Lil Bro bro!

  • @willb.2061
    @willb.2061 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Genius! Great video! Keep up the good job man! 👌💪❤️

  • @bouzoukiman5000
    @bouzoukiman5000 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    The piano sounds amazing and vocal quality was good too

  • @ovidiodemorizi
    @ovidiodemorizi 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    good job . you took me back . I had this 4track and tascam back in the days .

  • @randallharp9373
    @randallharp9373 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks so much for sharing this experience. Back in the 1980s, I was in my early 20s doing much recording on a Fostex 4-track machine. With outboard gear, (like digital delay and other stompboxes) my band were able to record some pretty impressive demos. We eventually spent the big bucks and recorded in a 16-track studio (on 2-inch tape) -- but those early 4-track cassette projects were invaluable for fueling creativity and musicianship.

  • @el_rabserino
    @el_rabserino 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Awesome video. Does the tascam comes with basic eq features ? Or did you leave the tracks as is ?

    • @MadeOnTape
      @MadeOnTape 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I believe this machine has a 10 kHz shelf and a 100 Hz shelf, which are amazingly useful. So useful, that I will often limit myself to these EQ adjustments even in a modern production (if well-recorded)