************************************************************* Table of Contents
Part 1: TAPE TRADING INFORMATION AND ETIQUETTE Your List General Tape
Trading Etiquette
Part 2: HOW TO GET STARTED Local Friends Buying Tapes
at Cost Tape Trees Groveling Adopt-a-Newbie Suggestions On What Tapes To
Start With Deadbase Terrapin Tapes
Part 3: SET-UP, USE AND OTHER SUGGESTIONS Set-Up Setting Levels Head Cleaning
Demagnetizing Professional Maintenance Bias Setting Dolby Erasure Prevention
Tabs Tape Length Tape Brands
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PART 1
TAPE TRADING INFORMATION AND ETIQUETTE
Your List
Your list should include: Band, Date, Venue, Source, Generation, Grade and Time(length).
Source
The source is how the master tape was made. A Soundboard (SBD) is a tape made from the direct outputs of the soundboard at a show. The sound is usually up front and very clear. Depending on how it is mixed there is usually little to no crowd/hall ambiance mixed in. These are generally the most desirable tapes. However, keep in mind that not all SBD master tapes are perfect and there are several examples of defects on them. In very small venues there can often be a very off balance mix if a tape is made from just the soundboard. A tape made with a mix of soundboard feed and mics used for ambiance can be very nice but done wrong can be really horrible. In the past couple years there have been some Dead tapes circulating labeled as SBDs but are actually tapes made from one of monitor mixes. These usually don't sound very good and will have an odd balance. They also might have the band talking to each other through their internal intercom system.
Audience (AUD) tapes are made with microphones in the venue. With Dead shows most of these come from the taper's section which is behind the soundboard. Front of Board (FOB) tapes are recordings that are made from somewhere between the stage and the soundboard, usually stealth. Most consider the front of the soundboard a better place to record from. Stealth recordings are recordings that are made at shows or in parts of a venue where taping is not allowed. AUD recordings are rarely as clean as SBDs, but some people prefer them because they give a better sense of "being there." As some tapers are getting into better and better equipment, AUD recording are getting better and some sound very fine. One way to identify AUD tapes is if you hear people in the audience that sound near and distinct. The crowd (if any) on SBD recordings will always sound more distant.
Recordings made off of the radio are usually designated FM. With a good tuner, FM recordings can sound quite good. Due to the limitations of radio the very highest frequencies are lacking and the dynamic range is compressed, however. Some people make finer distinctions regarding sources but that is beyond the scope of this article. If you are not sure of the source of your tape you can try to make an educated guess. It is a good idea to put a question mark on your list if you are guessing. Example: SBD?
Generation
The number of the generation is every copy in series made after the master. DAT(Digital Audio Tape) generations are generally not counted since a DAT copy of a DAT is a virtual clone. Some people call the first analogue(cassette) copy dubbed from DAT an "analogue master", but I strongly disagree with this. The master tape is the tape that was made at the source. Period. Subsequent DAT copies of a DAT should be called clones. DAT copies of the old tapes from the GD vault are usually not counted as a generation.
Examples:
SBD master DAT>DAT>cass 1>cass 2
Cass 2 would be a 2nd generation copy of the soundboard. Many would indicate it like this SBD/2
Analogue reel from the vault(SBD master)>DAT>DAT>cass 1>cass 2
Since people do not count the DAT generations this would also be considered a SBD/2.
Some people will refer to DAT masters and DAT copies from the vault as DAT SBD, DSBD or DSB.
If you make an audience tape at a show yourself or tape something off of the radio that would be considered a master tape. Some people indicate this as FM/0 but I prefer FM/M.
If you do not know the generation do not guess. I will put the generation as "low" on my list if I am pretty certain it is less than about 5th or so but don't know the exact generation. I usually base this on who I got the tape from and the sound of the tape.
The important thing with generations is to be consistent. The lower the generation of the tape the more desirable it is. Higher generation tapes will have progressively more hiss, and a host of other problems that can include: lack of bass and high frequencies, dulled transients, congested or otherwise blurred and indistinct sound. The cassette decks can play a major factor as well. A fifth generation tape that has only been through Nakamichi decks will likely sound better than a third generation tape that has gone through cheap dubbers.
Grading
The main thing to remember is be honest and consistent. If you grade tapes high just to attract people, they won't ever trade with you again. Grading is very subjective and varies from person to person. It is a good idea to thoroughly explain your grading philosophy on your list. Most people use letter grades. Some try to grade all tapes on the same scale, some make allowances for older tapes and AUD tapes and grade them easier. I try to grade everything on the same scale. Either way, explain your approach on your list. To give you an idea, this is how I grade my tapes:
A+ An exceptional tape, sound is on par with a commercial release of a live recording. Only low gen SBD or FM qualify.
A A very good clear tape with no major problems. May have some hiss when the band is not loud. Generally only SBD or FM, but a rare few exceptional AUD tapes can make it.
A- Some problems, but nothing that really distracts from the music. May have some hiss, weak bass, or muffled sound, but not too badly. Usually higher gen. SBDs and decent AUDs. I will usually include 60s tapes with very slight amounts of distortion as A- as well- this is the one place I do slide a little.
B+ Beginning to distract from the music. May have more extreme of the above and/or some distortion or balance problems. Also boomy AUD tapes.
B Getting harder to listen to, but some music is still coming through. Usually old or rare, where better versions are not available.
B- Takes some effort to listen to.
C Virtually unlistenable.
I would like to emphasis that there is more to grading tapes than just listening for tape hiss. There are many other things to listen for. Can you hear all the members of the band? Is the sound muffled, can you not hear the cymbals well or at all? Is the sound congested or boomy? Is there distortion? I consider these factors far more important than tape hiss
Timing
Basically how long the tape is. Some picky tapers want exact timings. Most people are happy with the length of tape the show is on to the nearest side. For example if you have a show that fits on a 100 min. tape and on one side of a 90 you would say 145 for the timing. It is also a good idea to give some sort of set indication. Most use roman numerals for the sets. Some will indicate acoustic sets with an a, encores with an e. There are various ways of indicating partial sets. I use a p as in Ip meaning a partial first set. Examples of a listing:
Grateful Dead
70/02/13 Fillmore East DSB/2 A+ 180 all -or- I, a, II
85/06/16 Greek Theatre SBD/4 A??135 Ip, II?
The first one should be obvious. The second one indicates a show that fits on one and a half 90 minute tapes and has part of the 1st set and all of the 2nd.
It is sometimes a good idea to have a column for comments where you can mention guests, rare songs, first/last times, etc. I personally find this a little impractical with sending a large list through email but it can be worked out. It is not difficult to do with a hard copy of your list.
General Tape Trading Etiquette
Shipping
Agree beforehand how the tapes are going to be sent. If you are sending one to three tapes first class mail is the standard way to go and costs around a dollar or so. For more tapes Priority Mail is generally the standard. Up to 2 lbs is $3 with Priority Mail and usually ships in 2-3 days. You can send about 8-10 cassettes with cases and 10-12 without cases at this rate. Various grades of tape weigh differently. If you want to save some money you can send tapes Special Fourth Class which is commonly referred to as Book Rate and ships in about 5-7 days. 6 or 8 tapes would work out to around $1.50. If you are sending a large number of tapes this can work out to save you quite a bit of money. Also UPS is a good alternative if you are sending a large number of tapes. UPS on heavier packages is much less than Priority, a little more than Special Fourth Class, and will ship in 2-5 days depending on the distance.
I prefer to ship tapes without their plastic cases. With larger numbers of tapes this can save you some money on shipping. Also the plastic cases can break real easy in the mail. Pull the cassette and J-card out of the plastic case leaving the J-card to cover the exposed tape. Make sure the tape is all the way wound. Rubber band two cassettes inverted flat against each other. They should fit tightly together making a package not much larger than one cassette in its plastic case. As an extra measure you can run the rubber bands through the tape hubs to prevent them from moving. Its a good idea to put the cassettes in a plastic bag to protect them from water or dirt. If you send tapes without the cases make sure your partner is doing the same!
The standard means of shipping is the padded envelope. It is best to use the smallest one possible so that the tapes fit in tightly and do not shift around. Pieces of cardboard, paper, bubble wrap, etc. can be useful in packing. Staple and then use packing tape on the open end of the envelope. Shake the envelope as a test. If the cassettes are banging around you need to pack it better. The post office can be fairly rough on packages. If you are sending a large number of tapes, more than 10-12, you should use a box. The padded envelopes with the plastic bubble pack are better since they are not dusty and dirty like the ones with that recycled filler stuff.
Reuse the padded envelopes to save money and space in the landfills. Also you can try to find places that will give you their old padded envelopes. Record stores, and I am sure many other like businesses, get tons of them every week. I have never paid for a padded envelope.
Other things
Don't label the J-card. Write the date, venue, (set) and songlist on the back of the sticker labels for the cassette. Also include source/generation, and any other pertinent information. Most people slide this between the J-card and the plastic case so that the songlist can be viewed through the plastic. If you are shipping without cases ship it into the rubber bands. You can also write the info on a scrap piece of paper.
If, when dubbing a tape, you realize that it does not sound as good as you thought it did, make sure you tell the person you are trading with. Don't worry if this happens, it is not too uncommon.
Don't use Dolby, EQ, or in any other way alter the tape unless the person you are sending the tapes wants you to. If your copy of the tape has Dolby and you did not indicate it on your list you should tell your trading partner and see how he wants to deal with it.
Unless other arrangements have been made, you should ship a typical trade of tapes(4-8) within 2 or 3 weeks. If there is a problem, contact your trading partner, don't leave him/her in the dark and hanging.
If you are sending blanks to be dubbed onto DO NOT send more than agreed to. (more on trading for blanks(groveling) below)
The general rule with Maxpoints is whoever buys the tapes keeps the points. If you are sending blanks for someone to tape on it is a nice gesture to let the taper keep the maxpoints
Don't post your whole list to the Internet (this is bad netiquette as
well). Just have a simple post stating how many hours you have and/or a few
juicy tidbits from your list or some sort of basic description of what you
have. You can then email your list to people that respond to your post.
PART 2
HOW TO GET STARTED
You have few or no tapes, and without anything to offer in trade you feel like your collection is never going to grow. Fear not, there are many different roads you can take. This section is mostly Grateful Dead oriented, but tape traders of other music should be able to find some useful information.
Local Friends
The best way to get some tapes is to meet tape traders in your area. Many Deadheads are more than happy to loan out tapes for people to copy. Just make sure you take very good care of them and do not loan them out to anyone else. Also dub them quickly and get them back as soon as you can. It would be a nice gesture to give the lender a little something for his kindness. He/she should not *expect* something though. Always remember how someone helped you out and be willing to lend tapes to others who are just starting out.
Buying Tapes at Cost
For a variety of reasons sometimes tape traders need to liquidate part or all of their collections. The most ethical price is the cost of the blank tape. Some feel they deserve at least something for their effort in acquiring the tape. Also the cost of blanks can vary quite a bit. This will be debated forever. The price could be a little higher if the tapes are metal or Maxell XL-IIS or lower if they are normal bias tapes. Tapes that are old and played to death should be less. The recipient of the tapes should pay the postage. Don't be willing to pay too much out of desperation to get new tapes. Something will come up. It is considered unethical and technically illegal to sell tapes above the cost of the tape. Use your best judgment.
Tape Trees
Getting on tape trees will not only guarantee you the tape being treed, but if you are in a good position on a tree you can get a few additional trades out of it. This is where high quality equipment can help you out as tree placement is largely based on that.
Groveling
When all else fails you can always grovel for people to make you copies if you send blanks. Keep an eye out on the Internet for people making offers. Also look in the classifieds of Unbroken Chain, Dupree's Diamond News, and Relix for people willing to spin tapes for blanks. Be polite when asking people to make copies for you and don't be put off if they won't do it. Usually when people offer to spin for blanks they will get deluged with requests and end up with more than they can handle. When someone offers to make you tapes DO NOT send more than was agreed on. Don't deal with anyone asking for something in exchange like you sending 5 blanks and him sending back 4 and keeping one. There are too many people willing to do it for nothing. It is a nice gesture to let the taper keep the Maxpoints. It is also a nice gesture to send something along as a way of saying thanks. It does not have to be much, something like stickers, tape covers, or the like
Make things as easy as possible for the person making tapes for you. Get a padded envelope and address it to yourself and have the correct postage on it. (see section on shipping). Put the blanks in the padded envelope. Put the padded envelope inside a non-padded large envelope addressed to the person making the tapes. Include a list of the shows you want or ask the person to pick favorites from certain years or all-time.
Adopt-a-Newbie
Melissa Agar has set up a system that runs periodically to get new Grateful Dead tape traders in contact with tapers willing to spin for blanks. A similar system is available to Phish Phans. Here's how it works:
Newbies and tapers contact Melissa Agar (magar@knox.edu) to join the program. She will then help them connect with each other. Tapers can ask for more than one newbie which is encouraged so that lots of newbies can be helped out. She'll match newbies and tapers up, let them know who they're matched with and they can trade from there. She'll also help connect newbies who can then get together and start trading amongst themselves with their new tapes.
There are some qualifications which must be met in order to join the program.
*** NEWBIE QUALIFICATIONS: 1. You must be willing to send blanks and postage to your parent. 2. You must be a newbie with fewer than 10 hours on tape.
If you meet these qualifications, send me the following form:
------------------------------cut here----------------------------------
Subject line: adopt-a-head newbie
Name:
Email:
Mailing address:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
***TAPER QUALIFICATIONS: 1. You must be willing to accept blanks and postage. It would also be nice if you would be willing to take on more than one person, but that's not required.
If you still want to become a volunteer parent, send me the following
form:
----------------------------cut here------------------------------------
Subject line: adopt-a-head parent
Name:
Email:
Mailing Address:
Number of children you want to adopt:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
She will continue to do the program periodically, with the goal being running the program signups every so many months.
Suggestions On What Tapes To Start With
When you are getting your first tapes you obviously will be looking for tapes you want, but you should also keep in mind what tapes will make good trading potential. If you try to get low generation tapes of really good shows, you will then have some good stuff to offer in trade. Most of the classic shows are really common, so be patient and wait for good copies to turn up. Eric Doherty makes some good points:
"The most important thing for me when collecting tapes (although not always anymore as I search for rare tapes) is getting quality low gen recordings. High quality low gen tapes are what people are looking for and you should get them whenever you can. If someone has a 1st gen SBD of some show in 1973 you should pick that over some unknown generation tape from 1972. You are likely to find that '72 tape on other lists, but you may not find a SBD/1 of that '73 show again. What you are looking for when you trade are tapes that will allow you to get other tapes. It is all one big game. Consider your SBD/2 1973 tape a key which you use to get a SBD/2 of some 1970 show. I also think it is valuable advice to wait for better quality tapes when you can. I waited about 6 months to get a copy of 8/27/72. I saw it on lots of lists, but I was looking for the best copy I could get. If you do not absolutely need a copy of 2/15/73 then wait around and see if something better turns up later. The fewer times you have to upgrade shows the more money you will save and the more tapes you can collect. It frustrates me when someone picks an AUD tape from '93 on my list over a SBD/1 rare 1970 show. They are going to get a lot more mileage out of that 1970 show, and that is the trick to this game, IMHO."
Once you get a few good tapes you should be all set for trading. Use your best tapes as bait.
Essential Tapes
This is a short list of some of the classic tapes that are out there. Most of them should be readily available and have good sound. This is certainly not all of the great shows but a good sampling. Any respectable Grateful Dead collection should have most of these.
02/28/69 - Fillmore West 03/01/69 - Fillmore West 02/13/70 - Fillmore East 02/14/70 - Fillmore East 05/02/70 - Harpur College 02/18/71 - Portchester 04/29/71 - Fillmore East 05/11/72 - Rotterdam, Netherlands 05/26/72 - London 08/27/72 - Veneta 02/09/73 - Maples Pavilion 05/26/73 - Kezar Stadium 02/24/74 - Winterland 06/18/74 - Louisville 06/28/74 - Boston 10/19/74 - Winterland 10/20/74 - Winterland 02/26/77 - San Bernardino 05/08/77 - Cornell 12/31/78 - Winterland 10/27/79 - Cape Cod 06/14/85 - Greek Theatre 10/09/89 - Hampton 03/29/90 - Nassau 09/16/90 - MSG 09/20/90 - MSG 12/31/90 - Oakland 09/10/91 - MSG 10/31/91 - Oakland 06/20/92 - RFK
Deadbase
If you are planning on really getting into Grateful Dead tape trading you should get Deadbase. This book will give you all the setlists, reviews, statistics and also has a section listing favorite tapes for individual years and all time, among many, many other features. Deadbase IX covers everything up through 1994 and should be available in October 1995. The yearly editions have extensive stats and multiple reviews for just that year. This project is no longer being done, so Deadbase 93 is the last one. A new version called Deadbase Jr should be available in July 1995. This smaller book will contain setlists through 1994, basic statistics, venue information and the current Deadhead survey. Ordering information:
Deadbase Orders P.O. Box 499-P Hanover, NH 03755
Deadbase is only available through the mail or from Terrapin Tapes.
Terrapin Tapes
Terrapin Tapes 1-800-677-8650 will give you just about as good a price on blank tapes and audio equipment as you are going to get anywhere. They also sell Deadbase. Internet users are offered additional discounts. They are an independent business and deserve our support.
PART 3
SET-UP, USE AND OTHER SUGGESTIONS
Set-Up
It is best to use the simplest path possible to make the best dubs. What I do is connect both decks into the same tape loop. Here's how it works: Preamp(Receiver)>Deck 1>Deck2> Preamp(Receiver). There are other advantages to this aside from having only a patch cord between decks. While you are dubbing you can listen to something else. It also frees up an extra input on your preamp(receiver). Obviously you record from deck 1 to deck 2 so it is best to have deck 2 be the better deck. When you just want to listen to tapes you use deck 2. If you want to record from something other than a tape you either record on deck 1 or pass the signal through deck 1 to deck 2. For best results you could physically remove deck 1 from the chain but that would be a pain. If you have a deck that has playback fine tuning features such as the Nakamichi Dragon and CR-7A you will probably want to have it in the playback position. Do some experimenting and see which decks work best in the play and record positions. If you have one deck that is a Nakamichi and one that is not you will probably want to pay particular attention to which one you use for which purpose. Keep in mind that a tape made on a Nak will sound best when played back on one.
It is better to not stack your stereo equipment on top of each other. You should isolate your amp or receiver as far away as possible from your other equipment. Try to keep other electrical appliances as far away as possible from your audio equipment. Once you turn your cassette decks or other equipment on you should leave them on until you are through with them for the day. Equipment such as preamps and CD players that do not run hot should be left on all the time. Each time you turn a piece of electronic equipment on or off you send a surge through it. Leaving equipment on but idle uses very little electricity. Your equipment will last longer and sound better when left on rather than turned on and off repeatedly.
Audiophile cables are worth looking into and really can make a difference. The following are recommended. Prices are approximate and for a 1 meter pair.
Kimber PBJ $65 Straightwire Flex Connect $50 Vampire (not sure of model) $30 Audioquest is also a good low cost alternative, but I am not that familiar with their line. AVOID Monster cable, the above are far better.
Setting Levels
Setting levels is going to vary from deck to deck for a variety of reasons explained below. You want to set the levels as high as you can to keep the music above the noise floor(hiss). If you set the levels too high the tape will saturate and distortion will result. With most chrome tapes on many decks you will want the peaks around +2 or +3 dB. Different tapes and decks will react differently. Consult your manual to see what it suggests as far as setting levels. Use that as a starting point and then experiment. See how far you can push different types of tapes before distortion begins. Once you find the point where your deck is going to distort try to stay about 2 dB below that level. First of all, 0 dB on cassette decks can vary from one deck to another whether by design or just by miscalibration. Most decks have a Dolby symbol somewhere on the meter and this *should* be considered the real 0 dB. Different meters also react differently, especially different types, i.e. needles, LED, fluorescent. Some meters are faster than others and also some are meant to show averages(needles) and not peaks. Slower meters are not able to "follow" a signal all the way up to the peak. Very fast meters can read peaks of +5 or more but this is for such a small fraction of a second that the tape will not saturate. These +5 peaks will more likely read at around +2 or +3 or lower with most other meters.
Play recordings made on your deck on other decks and try to get a consensus of how differently your recordings are going to react. READ YOUR MANUAL. It will suggest recording levels based on how the deck has been set up. Some decks, especially ones with meters that show averages, should usually be set around 0 or +1. Very fast meters should usually be set with *peaks* at around +4 to +7. If your source material has high continuous levels you will need to set the levels lower or saturation will result. This is based on chrome tapes. Metal would be a little higher, normal bias a little lower. Experiment and see what works best. See how high you can push a tape before distortion results. Experimenting with test tones can lead to some insight. As an example I can use a test tone and match my two cassette decks to exactly 0 dB with a continuous signal. Peaks on my Onkyo TA-2056 of +2 dB will correspond to about +5 or +6 on my Aiwa F-990.
Set the levels for the loudest part of the tape. Once you get the hang of this and get a good feel for your tape decks you will be able to do this fairly quickly. Keep mental or actual notes about where the peaks are on your tapes. Once you set the levels and start recording you should not change them so as to preserve the dynamic range. If there is an obvious change in level due to something non-musical, then it probably is a good idea to make subtle adjustments to compensate.
Some purists say you should never adjust the balance between the left and right channels. The simple fact though is that after a few generations it is real easy for the balance to get skewed to one side. I personally prefer the levels to be close to even on average unless there is a good reason for them not to be. Some early(60s) tapes had a weird left-right balance and necessitate being off balance. Also, the Dead's drums/space segments will have odd balances on purpose. Use your best judgment. Find out what your trading partners prefer.
Head Cleaning
The best and cheapest method is to use swabs (Q-tips or whatever) and plain alcohol. Cassette cleaners that you insert in the deck are not as effective. First of all make sure you use something that has 90% or greater alcohol content. Most rubbing alcohols have around 70% and this is not good as there are too many additives which are not good for your deck. The best thing I have found to use is grain alcohol. Everclear is 95% alcohol, and I think it is the most concentrated you can get. I can't believe people actually drink the stuff. Another good choice is denatured alcohol which you should be able to get at a pharmacy. There are some drug store alcohols that are something like 92% for about a dollar. This is the cheapest way to go, but I think using Everclear or denatured alcohol is better. The 200ml bottle of Everclear will cost about $4 from a liquor store, and you will probably never run out of it. Keep the cap on tight as it evaporates easily. It is probably better to get the foam swabs rather than cotton as the cotton strands sometimes unwind and could get caught up in the deck. I still use the cotton though.
Take the swab and dip it in the alcohol and then scrub the heads and anything else that the tape might touch. When the swab gets a little bit of brown gunk on it change to another. Do not use alcohol on the rubber pinch roller, or it can dry and crack. The safest thing to do is use only rubber cleaner on the pinch roller. At one point you could get rubber cleaner at Radio Shack but I have not been able to find it there lately. Places that sell professional recording or broadcast supplies should have it. I often use just a dry swab on the pinch roller. The capstan (metal pin above the rubber pinch roller) is usually spinning all the time when the deck is on. This makes it pretty easy to clean as you just have to press the swab against the capstan and the spinning does a pretty good job of cleaning. Some capstans only spin when there is a tape in the deck. In this case you can feel around at the top of the deck's well and find the switch that senses when a tape is inserted. Pressing the switch will make the capstan spin. The capstan is very important to keep clean because it is usually the culprit when a tape is "eaten." If the tape well in general looks dusty or grungy try to clean it up as best you can. A can of compressed air can be very effective. The alcohol usually evaporates quickly, but it doesn't hurt to go over everything with a dry swab to make sure everything is dry. Many decks have removable doors that make them easier to clean.
Clean the heads about every 20-50 hours of use. Some decks get dirtier faster than others. If there is more than just a hint of brown stuff on your swab, you need to clean your heads more often. It does not hurt to do it too often.
Demagnetizing
There is much controversy concerning demagnetizing. A few say it needs to be done often, some say only once every few years and many say not at all or only when necessary. One thing I will say is DO NOT use the cheap demagnetizes that you find in record stores. These can cause more harm than good. Demagnetizing should only be done by a professional with professional equipment. The safe plan is not to do it all. If your deck is having problems and you are having it serviced ask the technician about demagnetizing. They will usually do it for free if you are already having work done. Otherwise, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Professional Maintenance
It is a good idea to take your deck to a reputable repairman or high-end oriented audio store and have your deck professionally cleaned, aligned and calibrated. If your deck gets very heavy use you should do this about every year or so. If you are a little tight on money you can get by with every two or three years or so. At a minimum have them 1) calibrate the meters on playback and record 2) calibrate the transport speed 3) calibrate the bias to the tapes you use most often 4) clean and demagnetize(only if necessary) 5) set the head-azimuth to zero' 6) check the performance of the analog sections. After 5 or so years it is a good idea to have them check the motors if the deck has had very heavy use. This will cost approximately $30-$80, depending on where you take it and how much you need done. This can be done yourself if you really know what you are doing and have the right equipment.
Bias Setting (Tape Types)
There are three broad bias or tape type settings. These are:
Normal or Type I Chrome, CrO2, High Bias, or Type II Metal or Type IV [Type III or Ferric Chrome is no longer available.]
Each of the names on a line means the same thing. The first name is the most common in usage.
Most cassette decks should have settings for the different types of tapes. Car stereos, boomboxes, and walkmen sometimes do not. In playback mode metal and chrome are basically the same. Many car stereos and walkmen have a playback setting that says chrome/metal. Many newer cassette decks have an auto setting so you do not have to even worry about setting this. Even with auto setting there should still be some sort of indicator light showing the setting.
Fine Bias
Within the normal and chrome settings there is also bias fine tuning that is necessary. Most better decks made within the last several years will have some sort of bias fine tuning. Some of the older decks may not. If your deck does not have any sort of fine bias adjust you should find out what tape the deck was factory set for and use that tape or have the deck recalibrated for the tape you want to use. Many decks are set for Maxell XL-II or TDK SA in the chrome position which are pretty close to each other as far as bias. The exception would be where the deck manufacturer also makes tapes in which case they would likely bias their decks for their own tapes. This is a concern that needs to be addressed with Sony and Denon decks. The deck's manual should say what tape the deck was set for. If it does not try contacting a service representative for the company or try experimenting with different tapes. (More on different tapes below)
There are two ways of setting the bias fine tuning. With automatic systems it is usually just a matter of inserting the tape you wish to set the deck for and pushing a button. The deck will go through its motions for several seconds and then be ready to go. With a manual system there is usually a dial on the front of the deck. In the straight up position the dial should lock in place and be set for whatever tape the deck was biased for. The deck's manual will show where to set the dial for other brands of tapes. If the manual does not give the information you need, you can call a service representative or you can try to figure it out for yourself by ear.
You will need a 3-head deck to set the bias by ear. Start recording a good sounding source(preferably a CD or LP) you are familiar with. Put your deck on source and get a good idea of how it sounds. Then switch over to tape and have the bias dial set to the straight up position. Slowly turn it to the right and see what it sounds like and then slowly turn it to the left. Your goal is to as closely as possible find the setting that will match the sound of the source to the tape setting. Resist the urge to set the dial only based on where the hiss is the least. This can result in dull highs. The difference in sound will likely be very subtle, so take your time and listen closely. The effects will be most noticeable in the high frequencies. Try this both with speakers and headphones.
Dolby
My best advice is to not use it. Most current tape formulations allow for very low noise so Dolby is not really necessary. To my ears, Dolby B is terrible and I try not to ever use it for any reason. It kills the high frequencies and sometimes causes weird phasing or pumping problems. Dolby C *can* work very well on a high quality deck. The problem is it only really works well when you play the tape back on the same deck it was recorded on. Results can vary considerably when tapes are played back on other decks. Dolby circuits in decks that cost less than about $250 or so are not likely to be very good.
If you have a tape that already has Dolby on it the best way to copy it is to set the Dolby off on both decks. The copy will still have the dolby on it and will need Dolby engaged when playing it back. Most people don't want Dolby on their tapes though so most of the time you will decode the dolby on your play deck and then record without Dolby. Some dubbing decks will not let you do this. Multiple encoding and decoding of Dolby will make the sound worse and should be avoided.
Dolby HX pro is a dynamic range enhancer, and on good decks is usually beneficial. It is on all the time.
I have not heard a dolby S deck yet but have heard that it works very well, better than Dolby C supposedly. The advantage is supposed to be that you can play back a Dolby S tape with Dolby B and it will sound decent but not as good as played back with Dolby S.
The MPX filter (not Dolby related) on cassette decks is intended to filter out unwanted multiplex noises associated with FM broadcasts. It does not need to be decoded on playback. It is not supposed to affect the sound of an FM broadcast, but I can hear a subtle difference so I don't use it. Experiment and see what you prefer.
Erasure Prevention Tabs
The tabs on the top of a cassette can be popped out to prevent accidental erasure of a tape. You can cover the hole with thin tape if you want to record over the tape. When doing this make sure you only cover the part where the tab was. The hole beside the tab is used for cassette decks that set the tape bias automatically. Also keep your tapes far away from electro-magnetic sources such as your speakers, TV and other electrical equipment to avoid erasure.
Tape Length
It is best to use 90s as much as possible. Use 100s when necessary. 110s should only be used when absolutely necessary. I would avoid playing 110s in walkmen, car stereos and boomboxes as the extreme tape length is bad for the motors. Avoid fast forwarding and rewinding when possible in any deck with 110s. The only two 110s I would consider using are the Maxell MX-110 and the TDK MA-110. I tend to prefer the TDK as it seems to put less strain on the tape deck. DO NOT use anything over 110. If something will fit on a 60(like some Dead first sets) check with who you are trading with to see if that is OK. Most people will prefer a 90 and then some filler.
Be aware that tapes are not going to be exactly the specified length. They are always a little bit longer. There is usually about two extra minutes per side on most TDKs and Maxells. It will vary from batch to batch.
Tape Brands
Since most good decks now have bias fine tuning you can usually optimize the performance of your deck with just about any good quality tape. Still you should consider strongly the tape recommended in the deck's user manual and also try some experimenting.
Maxell
Maxell XL-II has pretty much become the standard among tape traders. Some people also like to trade with the nicer and more expensive Maxell XL-IIS. For the most part XL-II will do for most situations. XL-IIS can make a difference with super high quality low generation tapes. XL-IIS tapes have a nicer shell and also a higher bias so that you can record higher levels. If you do not have bias fine tuning you will see little to no advantage using XL-IIS tapes, unless your deck was factory set for them. Maxell's MXS metal tapes are extremely good but pretty much overkill in the world of tape trading. Their best use would be in dubbing exceptional tapes from DAT and for live recording. MX tapes are a notch down from MXS. In most cases XL-IIS will probably outperform MX tapes. Avoid the Maxell Capsule series. Many people feel that the XL-IIS and MXS are among the most durable tapes you can get, so there is some advantage to putting irreplaceable recordings on these tapes.
TDK
Although most everyone prefers Maxell, TDK tapes are at least worth a try. Some decks may work better with one than the other. If you do not notice any difference in quality get whichever is cheaper. Make sure with your trading partners which tapes you send them. TDK SA tapes are comparable to Maxell XL-II, SA-X are comparable to Maxell XL-IIS, MA are comparable to MX, and MA-X are comparable to MXS. TDK does make some real high end metal tapes above the MA-X but they are really only necessary in pro applications. TDK D tapes are good if you want something that is real basic and cheap. They are good for boomboxes, car stereos and walkmen.
Denon
If you have a Denon deck I strongly urge you to a least try a few different Denon tapes and see how they sound. Denon makes a wide range of very nice tapes. It should make sense that a company would set their decks for their own tapes. They make one of the best metal tapes I have ever encountered, but it costs about $7. If you do find that the Denon tapes sound better, urge your trading partners that you will be able to make them better tapes with the Denons.
Sony
I have never cared very much for Sony tapes, but if you have a Sony deck you should probably at least give the better ones a try.
Fuji
I have encountered a few people that have like Fuji tapes. I have not tried them.
Nakamichi
Nakamichi chrome cassettes are TDK SA-X but with a different (better?) shell and higher quality control. The tape is only taken from the center part of the large spools in manufacturing where the quality is more consistent. They are considerably more expensive than regular tapes