As much as I like loop-based music and drones, I don’t tend to enjoy (with some notable exceptions) repetitions of short loops for extended periods of time. This morning I ended up with a loop out of Compass that I meditated on for a very long time. Tonight I ran it through the reel to reel for some saturation and wow/flutter, but it wasn’t too long before the tape snapped. Very old tape plus wheels that need grease, go figure.
Took another stab at fixing the old Electra reel recorder. Initially went down to make a list of parts I should order for it — machines this old almost always need a recap. Ended up playing around/taking it apart/greasing/oiling/deoxing and didn’t really get anywhere. Watched a video of a guy making a really sketchy demagnetizer that I want to try haha. Oh well.
Evening loops with baritone guitar and cranes recorded onto the Webcor and then digitized. This reel to reel could definitely use a cleanup/grease/deox but it plays amazingly well for a 60+ year old machine that spent its last 5 or so years in a garage.
Reel to reel recorders — L: Sony TC-230; R: Electra TP500
Both work, sorta. Got distracted on working on these in order to get the basement back in order. Some small progress in oiling them to get all the mechanical parts moving, but they still play out of spec. New caps? New belts? Asofar all I’ve really been able to figure out is that I don’t know how to fix them. Have to keep chipping away at it.
Left: Emily and I found some interesting shapes at the hardware store today.
Right: It followed me home, promise! Grabbed (the tiniest, cutest) tape machine from a man on Craigslist today. He told me that his grandfather got it for him on Christmas when he was 8 — in 1967. It’s overall in really good condition, came with the original box/packaging, manual, microphone, and a few reels. Took it apart and used contact cleaner and got it working though the sound is still a bit iffy. Might be the tapes, but need to test more.
Here’s a long drone that I made this morning with guitar > MLR > Wedge > h4n pro.
Another long day at work. 2 deadlines complete! (That’s what they always say) Typically I would have just gone straight to bed, but I didn’t have a chance to do anything creative all day so I pushed myself to play around for a bit. Knowing I have to make a post is weird sometimes — like I’m just making it up. Well, I suppose that’s what creativity is, no? Anyway -- I played some of my bell samples with Timber/Norns > Avalanche Run > Shoebox. For a minute there, I lost myself. Goodnight.
Recorded a little on the Webcor this morning. Guitar > Avalanche Run > Webcor, then fed the recording back into norns for transfer. All modulation is coming from the tape. Woah. Right image is the unit’s Magic Eye. Hypnotizing to watch it trace the input levels as you play…
Well that escalated quickly.
As I mentioned, I wanted to find a means to play a few old (60’s) tapes that were correspondence between my wife’s grandmother and her family back in Japan. I sent an email two ads on Craigslist and both got back to me, so I went for it. $45 for everything (except the guitar) in the first picture. The Sony in the top left works, but runs slow. The speakers had some foam that disintegrated so I’m sure that the insides are full of it. Top center is an old record player. Powers up but has an issue with the drive so it jams after about 5 seconds. Passing that project on to someone else. The two tape units in the center don’t do anything when plugged in, but are both full of tubes so maybe there’s a guitar amp conversion project there for me some day. The Webcor unit (also tube) plays and records, and came with that wonderful old mic! Plugged my guitar in and that sounded great too. Looking forward to spending some more time with this.
Rainy and cold today with bouts of snow, but nothing stuck. Too bad. Not a lot of downtime. Too bad. Traveled to attend my niece’s birthday party — Emily had a great time running around with everyone and it was a nice to see the family. Conveniently, there was another old reel to reel available right nearby so of course I had to snap that up before we could head back. Stopped off to see a neighborhood full of Christmas lights on our way home and Emily was unimpressed. haha
I have the great luxury of spending all day with my daughter every Friday. My wife’s work schedule changed and my job is very flexible, so now I work 10 hour days (from home) M-Th with Friday off. AMAZING. Anyway, Emi and I did a lot of running today. Got some errands done, then went for lunch and to the “The Music Store” (Guitar Center) so she can bang around on the drums. She had her first gig (haha) and it was a lot of fun. Got her some drum sticks and a soprano recorder. Having a kid is a great excuse to pick up more weird instruments.
Saw some decaying signs and snapped pics. I miss shooting in the city and need to plan a time to go wander around with my camera soon.
We also went to pick up a reel to reel player I found for almost nothing on Craigslist. The day we brought the cassette recorder home from my wife’s grandmas’s house, we also brought home a few reels of very old (60s?) voice recordings. Seems that instead of writing letters back home, she and her family in Japan would record themselves describing their current events and mail the tapes back and forth. The machine works, but runs slow. Needs a belt checking and a deep cleaning. Had some old foam disintegrate so I’m sure the insides are a mess. More on this soon.