Recording Spotify Music on a 1978 Panasonic Cassette Deck with Modern Tech
I tried to record music onto a cassette tape using modern tech
I bought a vintage 1978 Panasonic RQ-2106 cassette recorder and fixed its broken fast-forward mechanism. To record music from Spotify, I connected the device to my Mac using a DIN adapter and routed the signal through a Boss Katana Gen 3 guitar amp to boost the volume. Despite the inherent limitations of cassette audio, I successfully created listenable recordings, proving that retro tech still offers unique creative possibilities.
Even in today's world of modern iPhones, there's nothing that lets you easily jump to a specific part of an audio or video and re-record sections of it in the same way you can with a cassette.
- gattilorenz
Tbh this was somewhat underwhelming… I expected using a microcontroller+motor to replace the mechanisms of a regular cassette mechanism, or some other uses of modern tech for the cassette.
Instead, it’s just… a tape recorder connected, in a somewhat convoluted way, to spotify.
- RetroTechie
I wonder how many of these small tape recorders still exist in the world today. They used to be ubiquitous back in the day. But surely a big % must have been dumped in the trash or a recycling bin @ some point.
Wouldn't surprise me if there'd be a viable market for such devices brandnew. Not just for nostalgic greybeards, also younger folks unfamiliar with yesteryear's tech & curious about it.
- rambojohnson
you could have just... pressed record on the casette player.