| PRODUCE YOUR OWN ALBUM ON CASSETTE
copyright Karl Moeller 1985
I'm a keyboard player. I love to record. I think that cassette
tapes are the musician's best friend. The near-universal acceptance
of cassettes, a medium easily created by musicians with home studios,
means that I can get my favorite pieces out to other people on a
miniscule budget.
How would you like to produce your own professional sounding
and appearing tape dubs for a direct cost of under $150 ? Now you've
got about an hour of releasable material. This article walks you safely
thru the swamp of low-budget tape production. These tapes can be used
for local sale, demos for record companies, gifts for family and
friends, or as a demo for possible live gigs.
A live gig, to hold an audience's interest, can and indeed
should have varying styles and moods. Recordings seem to need more
consistency of mood. It is tempting to be eclectic while assembling
the pieces, but these tapes can be somewhat unsettling to the
casual listener.
Decide on your overall approach. Is this new tape to be a
souvenir, or a snapshot of this last year's recording output, or a
coherent, salable set of pieces which work together ? In the past
two years I have produced 3 separate hour-long cassettes of my music.
My experience was that the first tape was indeed 'souvenir' quality,
as I was still learning. The next tape, much better in performance,
recording quality and appearance, was indeed a grab-bag of material
in different styles. The third tape, this time all solo grand piano
performances, did indeed have a unity of purpose and style.
Sequencing the Pieces
The goal of this article is the production of 60-minute
cassettes. I have found that most 'hour-long' cassettes actually have
31 minutes running time per side, but that it's not consistent enough
to count on; nothing sounds more bush than having the last piece on
side A stop in mid-phrase because the tape copy is slightly shorter
than the master it was dubbed from. I know - it happened to me. I
found out after having distributed many copies. Embarassment takes
many forms...
It's a drag to endlessly add (in minutes::seconds) the varying
pieces per side. Each side will SAFELY hold just over 29 minutes
of music. This foolproof, hightech method will allow you to graphically
see the pieces' mood flow, sequence and timing.
The first step here, obviously, is to time each piece being
considered. Each piece needs at least a working title at this time
to avoid confusion. Next, find a ruler or tape measure which has a
centimeter scale. Cut a 1" strip 30cm. long off a thin piece of
cardboard - legal pad backing works best. Using the centimeter scale,
mark and label each centimeter from 0 thru 29 on the top and bottom
edge of the cardboard strip. Think of each centimeter as a minute in
time. See what we're up to? Each side of tape is now graphically
represented on cardboard.
Next, cut a long 1" strip of cardboard. Using the timing list,
measure (remember each minute is 1 centimeter) and cut off each piece.
Label each piece with the song name and timing. Also, if you wish,
'fast', 'slow', and as a possible reminder, 'fade'.
Now you can graphically arrange your pieces along the 2-sided
tape timing strip. This simple tool is all you need to sequence the
available pieces within a side and overall. One concept that has
helped me is the idea of an 'excitement curve'. You can start a
side out with a bang and then have each piece progressively calmer.
Or start calm, build to a peak in mid-side, etc.
A friend of mine is a photographer selling successfully on
the art fair circuit. When he has a new shot he feels has
possibilities, he puts a print up in his home and just lives with
it for a while. If, at the end of weeks or months, it still looks
good, he goes into production with it. I suggest that once your
pieces have been sequenced on paper, you make a low-tech cassette
master, just copying your favorite mixdowns, in order, to one
cassette. See how it ages.
Cover Content and Preparation
A homemade tape is still an album; as such, it needs a central
concept. The album title, cover artwork, song titles and music should
all work together. As soon as the music is chosen, the cover project
should proceed concurrently with the final mix and dubbing projects.
Look at commercial cassette covers. See how the space is used.
Plan for a ONE-COLOR cover. Repeat on that: ONE COLOR. The price
difference is horrendous. Pick a simple photo or line drawing that
will still be clear when reduced to 2 1/2" x 1 1/2". Remember that
there will probably be title and artist name lettering competing
for the same space. On the cover or the adhesive label you should
mention running time (60 min.), noise reduction method (Dolby 'B'),
and tape bias setting. Somewhere on the cover must be 'c p' followed
by your name. This means that the compositions are copyrighted
and so are these taped performances. It is up to your discretion
whether to actually copyright your music. If you do, request Form
PA when you write to:
Register of Copyright
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C. 20559
After the cover content and approach are ready, contact a
graphics service to lay out the cover. Be realistic in your
desired cover count. The graphics service and printer's bills
are the single largest cash investment in creating a tape.
These are the necessary steps involved :
YOU : $20.00
-determine tape title, tune names, etc. Assemble to
approximate the layout of final cover
-choose the cover artwork - need not be desired size
Be certain you have the legal right to use chosen
artwork
-find cassette adhesive label blanks at an office
supply firm ($20 approx for 500)
GRAPHICS SERVICE : $40-100
-typeset the label contents - side A&B. Give them one
sheet of blank labels to line up to
-typeset the cover verbiage - called the 'paste up'
-photograph the cover artwork - called the 'screen'
-will contact and usually subcontract next steps to
a printing company
PRINTING COMPANY : $40-100
-print adhesive labels
-creates a negative of the combined paste up and screen
-burn a (aluminum) plate of your cover. Inquire who owns
this - important on reprints
-prints one-color covers
-cuts covers to size and creases along desired fold lines.
Final Mixdown to Master Cassette
Now that the music has been sequenced on paper, it is time
to create the master stereo cassette mix which will later be copied
many times. Why should the final mix be on cassette? Several reasons.
The pieces are enver on multitrack tape in the desired order. To
sequence them would require splicing them all. If the multitrack
deck is itself a cassette deck, then splicing is impossible. If in
full 4-track format, then the tracks will need to be mixed to stereo
EACH TIME copies are made; plus, each piece has its own mixing and
track level requirements. Thus, it is much more convenient to slap
your master cassette in when making copies.
Master on the cassette deck which will be used to master the
subsequent copies of your music. The deck, and indeed all decks used,
should be demagnetized. Clean the heads, tape path and pinch roller.
Use the highest possible quality tape for the master mixdown. Have
the deck biassed to this tape if at all possible. If the mastering
deck has dbx or Dolby 'C', use it, otherwise use Dolby 'B' on this
and all other decks. if your deck has a recording alignment
procedure, use it.
Each piece on the tape should have been successfully mixed
down to stereo before beginning this process. Consider that preliminary
mix as practice, since the final stereo mix will be on this master
cassette. Try to replicate your best previous stereo mix of each
piece, as these are the takes people will hear.
If your stereo mixing techniques are rusty, refer to a previous
article in the NOVA::COMMUSIC conference, #282, 'Low-Tech Productions',
for a quick overview. Match volume levels between the pieces carefully.
Check for thumps or clicks between songs as the deck is switched
in and out of record mode. It may help to 'pause' at the end of a
mix rather than just pressing 'stop'. If the mixdown of a particular
piece is complex, do several practice mixes to a work tape. Try to
minimize remixes to the master tape, as it becomes quite difficult
to preserve the desired 3-6 second gap between pieces.
Now you have sides A and B, both 29:43 long, on your master
cassette. Immediately make a normal-bias copy of it. Borrow a deck
if you have to. Put the master cassette away. For the next week,
carry this copy everywhere you go. Play it in cars, portables, and
the home system of everyone possible. Listen for hiss and check the
tonal balance. It verifies your home system if the tape sounds
approximately the same. Once I discovered that the master mix of a
homemade album was incredibly bassy. Using a friend's system, I
noted the graphic EQ settings that thinned out the bass. So, if I
don't wish to remaster, I will need to pass the master signals thru
my graphic EQ whenever I make tape copies from it.
Tape Duplication - Big Decisions !
There are two major paths available
to the albumee. To Dup (at home, with much time spent) or To Dup
(via a commerical dubbing service, no time but $). Initially I'll
bet you'll do one run of 10-20 cassettes at home. Then, if response
is good, you'll hightail it to a commercial cassette duplicator. This
is the path I have taken. Finally. A commercial duplicator should be
able to sell you normal-bias 60-minute cassettes, plastic case AND
a printed side A/B adhesive label for $2.00 each. WITH your music
on it. Insert your printed covers and off you go. However, if you're
like me, you'll start at home, so keep reading...
Preparing Blank Tapes
Look for Brand Name normal bias 60-minute tape. Because, in
recording, consistency is important, buy a lot of one type rather
than a few each of several brands. I have found good, major-brand
tape for as low as .49 each. Large appliance stores which carry
audio gear are good sources.
Notice the Brand Name label. Try to scrape it off. Notice how
your thumbnail breaks off. Wet a towel. Fold it the long way and lay
it in the tub. This is my Hemingway impression. Place cassettes on the
towel. Come back in 20 minutes. Now the label removal goes easily.
Turn the tapes over. Come back in 20 more minutes. Scrape. Your own
adhesive labels, which ought to be back from the printer, will cover the
paper and glue remaining on the cassettes. However, don't put your
labels on until the cassette has music on it.
Tape Duplication at Home
Borrow 5 or 6 decks - as long as they have Dolby 'B'. B sure
that the decks are usually happy when working. Clean the tape path,
heads, and, especially the pinch roller. Demagnetize.
That will be a real grab bag of decks you borrowed. Some old,
some new, some well adjusted, some not. What IS 'well adjusted', Doctor?
Ideally, the recorded level on the tape will perfectly match the input
signal level as shown during the recording pass. This section will show
how to identify the poorly adjusted decks and show how to compensate
for difference in recording characteristics.
Starting with your own mastering deck, hook them together in
series. some dex won't pass a signal thru to their 'line out' jacks
unless there is a tape in being recorded or on 'pause'. Try and keep
the left and right channel cables consistent. Be aware of the difference
between peak and averaging VU meters. Don't be distracted by flashing
LED's, either. These are typically fancy averaging meters. One of the
dex, hopefully your mastering deck, should be able to generate a
Dolby reference tone (400 HZ @ +3 db VU). Each deck with averaging
meters, whether VU or LED, has a Dolby reference marking at +3 db.
If your mastering deck cannot generate this tone, you must make, on
another deck, an accurate (+3 db level) tape 2 minutes long, to be
played on the mastering deck. The tape should be the same type as
your mixdown master, and be recorded with the same noise reduction
method.
On the mastering deck, play the tape or just generate the
tone. As level changes made ot a deck affect the line level available
to the next deck down in the chain, test and adjust the decks in
sequence - nearest to the master, next nearest, and so on. So start with
the deck nearest to the master. Setting the input level at +3db,
record the tone coming from the master. Rewind and play back. Where
is its level compared to the Dolby reference mark? There are two
different methods to use here, depending on whether the deck has
output level controls or not. A deck without an output control is
truly showing you what is on the tape. So, if the reference level is
down 2 db, write it down! Make notes on these decks; you may use
them again. If the playback is down 2 db, boost the input level 2 db
and try it again. The goal is to get the tape with a reference tone
to PLAY BACK at the Dolby mark. A deck with an output level control
may be tough if the level on the meters varies with the output level
setting. If it does change, you must place this tape in an already-
adjusted deck to see the true tape level. Continue this process until
all decks have been adjusted. Connect the last deck in the chain to
your playback system.
Once set, the various input and output volumes should not be
touched during the duplication passes.
Go for it.
As soon as a side is recorded, stick one of your tape labels
on it. Eliminates confusion. A recorded tape looks very much like a
blank. And vice versa. Consider writing the deck number in pencil on the
side 'A' label of each cassette produced. Periodically grab a tape
out of the production run and play it in its entirety. This is a face-
saving quality-control measure. If any level or distortion problems
appear, having the deck number identified allows you to track down
problems. Usually older decks have more of a tendency to distort at
solid levels than newer ones.
Final Assembly
Bend in or break off the recording security tabs. Place tapes
and covers in their shells.
People seem to want to buy items which they think have never
been touched by human hands. Depending on your audience, there is
something to shrinkwrapping your tapes. Mainly it protects the
shell surface. Mosat cities have firms which will do this for pennies
per tape.
Congratulations. You have just produced your own album. Send
one to your mom. What ELSE to do with a completed tape sounds like a
whole 'nother article, wouldn't you say?
Karl Moeller
|