If you come from the generation that inevitably had a cassette tape Walkman attached to your belt, then you know very well that audio cassettes enjoyed over 30 years as a popular medium for storing music. They also had practical applications for many companies and were also used for computer storage. They were small, cost-effective, and easy to use when it came to recording audio of any kind, from music to lectures and dictations, even major news events.
The downside of cassette tapes is that they are fragile. Not only were the plastic casings easily damaged due to physical factors (drops, crush damage, cracks), the plastic casing and tape were susceptible to environmental factors such as heat and humidity that could cause serious damage, resulting in often makes the tape unplayable.
Like many things, time is the nemesis of magnetic tape. While an aged casing is an easy fix, aged tape presents a significant problem when it comes to the audio that is stored in it. However, it is not necessary to dispose of all damaged cassette tapes. There are a variety of damages that can be easily repaired by a professional service.
Broken Shells – Broken casing is a common damage problem when it comes to cassette tapes. In many cases, it appears that the tape is completely destroyed, especially if the spool is broken and the tape is slightly unwound. Fortunately, a professional service can easily reassemble the tape with your equipment. You can even transfer the audio to a new format to avoid future mishaps if you wish.
Unwound tape – The nightmare of the time was that your cassette “ate” your tape. The tape would be pulled out of the cassette and when you tried to remove the cassette from the player, it would inevitably spill from your cassette deck into a desperate pile. Some of us have the patience to try to slowly wind the tape.
Curly and tight ribbon – How do you deal with the creased, curled and folded ribbon that looks like accordion? Even if the tape is wrinkled or torn, repair professionals can often fix these types of problems with the help of certain equipment and software. Of course, the software is something that would be used only after the audio was transferred to a digital format. However, when nothing else can be done to repair the tape, audio restoration software can often provide you with an enhanced digital file or CD of your recording.
Keeping your cassette tapes like new
There are a variety of repair services and methods to restore old and damaged cassette tapes. Some are as simple as replacing damaged casings and reassembling the tape, while others require rewinding, replacing internal parts, and even chemicals or special processes to clean the tape, or even baking it in a special oven to temporarily treat the tape. union problems.
Whatever the problem, it is strongly recommended that you avoid trying to fix the cassette tapes on your own, especially if you have a critical recording. Let a professional handle the cassette repair and transfer the audio to digital format. This way, you will not only recover your original recording (in most cases), but you will have a digital recording that will act as a backup, ensuring that you don’t need to depend on the master copy for regular playback.