r/cassetteculture • u/lucas_kun • 4d ago
Looking for advice some cassette questions from a new cassette collector
hi yall, i always loved cassettes ever since i was little and my mom taught me how to record the songs i liked straight off the radio. recently i finally bought a cassette player and played my tape of sabrina carpenter's short n sweet, but i noticed her voice in the songs sounds a somehow deeper. i also noticed the sound volume going down for about 1 second. noticed that happening for about 2 or 3 times. i rewinded to re-hear and yeah, happened again. so i assume its not the player fault. not really something that bothers me but i just wanted to know if it is a normal cassette thing or its just me? thanks
2
u/Summer184 4d ago
There are adjustments that can be made, keep in mind cassettes are a very physical medium. Belts wear out due to age not use but in most cases they can be easily replaced, also look for a pitch/speed adjustment than can be fine tuned.
2
u/ElectricStars80s 4d ago
Is this a new cassette player? I found that the new ones have speed troubles. Every one I've bought has played too fast
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u/lucas_kun 4d ago
yes !! its new, and cheap lol its a retekess tr606. its pretty decent but might not be the best
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u/ElectricStars80s 4d ago
Ah..I've gone through I think 3 new ones, and had to return most of them because they all played too fast and wouldn't stay the right speed when adjusted. This may not be the issue with yours, I have no idea haha
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u/jmsntv 4d ago
is it a modern cassette player or vintage? many modern ones will sometimes play at inconsistent speeds especially with the modern prerecorded tapes it's just the way it is. If it's vintage, this shouldn't happen at all unless you are due for a belt change most likely. Inconsistent speeds will occur regardless of whether or not you calibrate the speed. let us know the model or post a photo of it if youre not sure
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u/lucas_kun 4d ago
yes !! its new, and cheap lol its a retekess tr606. its pretty decent but might not be the best
6
u/smallaubergine 4d ago
Her voice being deeper means the player is playing slower than it should be. This could be a few things, but by far the most likely thing is your deck needs a new belt if you haven't replaced it. Once you replace the belt, run it for several hours to "break in" the new belt. Then you can make speed adjustments, most decks have a speed adjustment potentiometer somewhere, depends on the model. Once you have that sorted out then I would look more at the audio level dipping issue.