cassette tape echo / delay

thegunshyboy · 29th June 2004, 09:23 PM

i recently went to a show where it appears they used an ancient looking cassette player as a homemade tape echo. about a week later i found an old cassette player in my basement, and am wondering if i can make my own tape echo? any thoughts/ideas on how to do this? thanks

sreten · 5th July 2004, 02:27 PM

No easy way of doing this at all.

sreten.

moamps · 5th July 2004, 02:54 PM

Hi,
This is possible if cassete player has dual head and two separate electronic. Then you can monitor in real time something what cass record. Echo-delay depends of record and play head distance and tape speed. For example, in profi Teac cassete player this distance is ca 5mm and for tape speed of 4,75cm/sec, delay is about 100ms. If your player has pitch control, you can vary this delay, but if tapes speed is smaller, recording quality is smaller too (HF response and higher noise).
This technique works well if profi tape maschine (1/4") are used(Tascam, Revox..) at higher speeds (19 or 38 cm/s).

Regards
Milan

Steve Eddy · 5th July 2004, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sreten
No easy way of doing this at all.

Sure isn't.

Might just as well buy an old Maestro Echoplex. Hell, you can still find the old tube-based units.

se

sreten · 5th July 2004, 04:50 PM

Any Echoplex you can find restored to fine fettle,
especially valve, is an excellent investment IMO.

sreten.

electroaudio · 6th July 2004, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by thegunshyboy
i recently went to a show where it appears they used an ancient looking cassette player as a homemade tape echo. about a week later i found an old cassette player in my basement, and am wondering if i can make my own tape echo? any thoughts/ideas on how to do this? thanks

I think you, are much better off if you start from scratch than to rebuild a casettedeck.
It would be quite easy to put everything you need to move and steer an endless tape onto an iron (or wood) plate and then screw on some old monoheads with their electronics onto it.
Best is if you make the readinghead(s) moveable so you can change the delay by moving the heads rather than to change the speed.

Hmm, that sounds like a fun thing to do actually...

rekem1000 · 12th October 2004, 10:13 AM

Yes, tape echo's can be made cheaply . I built one myself using an old reel to reel and 4 walkmans. Here's how I did it.

1. old portable reel to reel with record function (portables are easier because they lie flat)

2. four walkmans taken out of their cases front and back (just the motors and electronics) mounted on on L shaped piece of steel I just screwed them on and then attached to the side of the reel to reel.

3. next I took the spools out from 4 cassette tapes, except the last one has one spool in it to pull the tape.

the tape pulls through the record on the reel to reel and passes through each walkman. The head phone out on each walkman has been resoldered to one set of left and right rca's, the volume control on each walkman acts as the delay time and amount, e.g. no volume on walkman 1,2,and 3 equals one longer delay time, volume on all 4 equals 4 step delay. Because the motor in the walkman is weak you can pull and slow down the tape by hand on the reel to reel creating wierd effects.I have a Roland 201 Space Echo that cost me $350 I can get remarkably similar sounds with my "Space Walkmans" for a cost of 45$ after searching garage sales. Only thing is to use long tape, because it doesn't loop you have to rewind it, my tape lasts for 45 min before I have to rewind.

I hope this isn't to confusing, try it yourself if you have the time and patience.

ubieflare · 12th October 2004, 08:48 PM

this is exactly what i was thinking of doing, rekem1000!!

Do you have any pics or more details? How about some audio clips?

I'd love to know more about it.

Thanks.

Enzo · 13th October 2004, 12:48 AM

Gunshy, you can make an echo out of any tape deck that has separate record and playback heads. Most cassette ddecks have a single record/playback head - a dual purpose head. But some have separate heads. You put the deck into record mode, then monitor the playback head. Due to tape motion, the playback head will be lagging behind the original signal. Mix the delayed signal back in with the original and you get echos. Feed some of the delayed signal back into the system and you get repeating echoes. Multiple heads were far more common on reel to reel decks.

AnG3L · 23rd November 2006, 08:58 PM

I'm also interested in that

Tomorrow I guess, I'll buy an old tape recorder, probably those old ones with big tapes

Then, using some part's of steel, iron and stuff will try to develop a reliable system... don't care if it was to big, cause it will be fitted in a box like echoplex.

But have one question, in case of echoplex units, wich is ussualy the speed of the motors that drive the tape?

Happy DiYing

29th June 2004, 09:23 PM	#1
thegunshyboy diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Spokane, WA	cassette tape echo / delay i recently went to a show where it appears they used an ancient looking cassette player as a homemade tape echo. about a week later i found an old cassette player in my basement, and am wondering if i can make my own tape echo? any thoughts/ideas on how to do this? thanks

12th October 2004, 10:13 AM	#7
rekem1000 diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2004	Homemade Tape Echo can be done! Yes, tape echo's can be made cheaply . I built one myself using an old reel to reel and 4 walkmans. Here's how I did it. 1. old portable reel to reel with record function (portables are easier because they lie flat) 2. four walkmans taken out of their cases front and back (just the motors and electronics) mounted on on L shaped piece of steel I just screwed them on and then attached to the side of the reel to reel. 3. next I took the spools out from 4 cassette tapes, except the last one has one spool in it to pull the tape. the tape pulls through the record on the reel to reel and passes through each walkman. The head phone out on each walkman has been resoldered to one set of left and right rca's, the volume control on each walkman acts as the delay time and amount, e.g. no volume on walkman 1,2,and 3 equals one longer delay time, volume on all 4 equals 4 step delay. Because the motor in the walkman is weak you can pull and slow down the tape by hand on the reel to reel creating wierd effects.I have a Roland 201 Space Echo that cost me $350 I can get remarkably similar sounds with my "Space Walkmans" for a cost of 45$ after searching garage sales. Only thing is to use long tape, because it doesn't loop you have to rewind it, my tape lasts for 45 min before I have to rewind. I hope this isn't to confusing, try it yourself if you have the time and patience.

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5th July 2004, 02:27 PM	#2
sreten diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton UK	No easy way of doing this at all. sreten.

5th July 2004, 02:54 PM	#3
moamps diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Croatia	Hi, This is possible if cassete player has dual head and two separate electronic. Then you can monitor in real time something what cass record. Echo-delay depends of record and play head distance and tape speed. For example, in profi Teac cassete player this distance is ca 5mm and for tape speed of 4,75cm/sec, delay is about 100ms. If your player has pitch control, you can vary this delay, but if tapes speed is smaller, recording quality is smaller too (HF response and higher noise). This technique works well if profi tape maschine (1/4") are used(Tascam, Revox..) at higher speeds (19 or 38 cm/s). Regards Milan

5th July 2004, 04:50 PM	#5
sreten diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton UK	Any Echoplex you can find restored to fine fettle, especially valve, is an excellent investment IMO. sreten.

12th October 2004, 08:48 PM	#8
ubieflare diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2004	this is exactly what i was thinking of doing, rekem1000!! Do you have any pics or more details? How about some audio clips? I'd love to know more about it. Thanks.

13th October 2004, 12:48 AM	#9
Enzo diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Lansing, Michigan	Gunshy, you can make an echo out of any tape deck that has separate record and playback heads. Most cassette ddecks have a single record/playback head - a dual purpose head. But some have separate heads. You put the deck into record mode, then monitor the playback head. Due to tape motion, the playback head will be lagging behind the original signal. Mix the delayed signal back in with the original and you get echos. Feed some of the delayed signal back into the system and you get repeating echoes. Multiple heads were far more common on reel to reel decks.

23rd November 2006, 08:58 PM	#10
AnG3L diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2006	I'm also interested in that Tomorrow I guess, I'll buy an old tape recorder, probably those old ones with big tapes Then, using some part's of steel, iron and stuff will try to develop a reliable system... don't care if it was to big, cause it will be fitted in a box like echoplex. But have one question, in case of echoplex units, wich is ussualy the speed of the motors that drive the tape? Happy DiYing