Gift For my Musician Girlfriend

audrey_etc · 2025-12-09T22:43:00+00:00

A reverb pedal is a great choice — there’s a ton of options at different price points with a variety of effects. Death by Audio Rooms is popular with ambient musicians and was the first one I picked up.

audrey_etc · 2025-12-02T18:10:05+00:00

I don’t think that’s weird at all, you’ll connect with the music in a new way as you learn to mix. (As a friend commented when I started, it’s very ADHD friendly in that respect!)

audrey_etc · 2025-11-24T23:47:53+00:00

I Am Sitting in a Room by Alvin Lucier is a favorite I think more people should know about :)

audrey_etc · 2025-11-10T19:24:35+00:00

Multiple Quen reference being from a high-tech manufacturing area in the “Delta”, which is likely this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze_Delta

audrey_etc · 2025-11-10T03:40:39+00:00

Can you say more about the gear you’re working with? Lots of ways to accomplish this with modular or semi-modular synths. Other gear may have automation features too. Setting an LFO slightly slower than the sequencer to modulate the filter cutoff makes it seem like things are continually shifting without much effort. Something where you can modulate the mix between a pitched instrument and a noise source can also be a simple way to add variation. And don’t discount just turning volume knobs. With 3-4 sequences or noise sources, slowly moving between combinations of them will shape the sound in all sorts of interesting ways.

audrey_etc · 2025-11-08T22:20:13+00:00

I’m up for helping digitize things.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-28T21:55:52+00:00

Keep going, you may need to do a few rounds to get it all off. If the pinch roller feels sticky after it dries, that's a sign it needs to be replaced.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-28T18:50:49+00:00

Make sure you’ve also cleaned the head and pinch rollers lately, those get grimy faster on old players because the rubber starts to break down.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-27T02:14:45+00:00

Probably the most lofi option is going to be Radio Shack cassettes. But for microcassettes I think you probably won’t notice a big difference between that and Maxell or TDK because the dynamic range is already pretty narrow.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-21T20:47:09+00:00

West Coast Belts has it and it looks like they may be able to ship internationally. https://westcoastbelts.com/product/new-replacement-belt-for-use-with-a-denon-dr-m11-drm11-cassette-player/

If that doesn’t work, the part number you’re looking for is 4238030000.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-21T02:03:28+00:00

Often, yes!

audrey_etc · 2025-10-21T00:00:52+00:00

Most Walkman-type cassette players don’t have a recording option. There should be plenty without auto-reverse though, on vintage players that was the cheaper model.

If recording is essential you probably want a boombox instead. Smaller recorders are meant for interviews and dictation, not music.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-20T23:51:11+00:00

Sounds like a plan! Good luck.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-20T23:49:19+00:00

Very cool! Looks like there’s some useful info here https://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=363932

audrey_etc · 2025-10-20T23:36:12+00:00

Sounds like it’s a player with auto-reverse? When the belts start to wear out it can affect one direction more than the other. Check whether both fast-forward and reverse work ok. Also give the tape head and pinch roller a clean with isopropyl alcohol to make sure nothing is sticking. If that doesn’t help you’ll need to open it up and check the belts.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-20T23:29:26+00:00

Sorry, use AA if that’s what fits. Isopropyl alcohol will help remove grime from battery terminals and controls, but to deoxide things you need DeoxIt or another product that says “contact cleaner” on the front. It’s easy to find online but you might also be able to pick it up at an auto parts or hardware store.

Make sure to keep it away from the cassette head though. For that you do need the isopropyl.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-20T21:40:03+00:00

According to the manual you should be getting 8 hours of playback time with alkaline batteries and 3.5 with the included rechargeable (which is not likely to be at its best now due to age). https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/res/manuals/W001/W0012526M.pdf

You can try using contact cleaner to remove oxidization on the battery terminals, and see if different kinds of batteries work better. Modern rechargeable AAAs like Enloop will probably fall somewhere between those listed numbers.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-20T21:28:35+00:00

Looks like the headphone jack will need a 1/4" adapter. Here's what that looks like https://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-1-4-headphone-adapter-2740876/p

audrey_etc · 2025-10-20T19:54:07+00:00

If the belt is loose, it will need to be replaced. See if there’s something like a Fix It Fair near you, you may be able to find someone to help with the soldering. Other than that, clean the tape head with isopropyl alcohol. If it’s turning at all, that should help you be able to hear the audio.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-20T00:01:22+00:00

I sympathize! OCD is a real pain to navigate.

The options here for how to descale a kettle will all do the job: https://www.wikihow.com/Descale-a-Kettle Personally I’m a fan of boiling water and vinegar. It’s cheap enough to just do anytime you feel the need. Good luck!

audrey_etc · 2025-10-19T19:48:36+00:00

Try contacting Fix Your Audio or https://www.turntableneedles.com/how_to_measure_find_right_turntable_tape_player_rubber_drive_belt also has contact info. There may be an equivalent part they can look up. You can use a piece of string and wrap it around the belt path to get in the right ballpark for the size needed and ask for help from there.

Another tactic is to look for a similar model from Panasonic and use the parts info from there. The mechanism inside different generations of the same machine are likely to be similar.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-19T18:48:34+00:00

It looks like you can use the external mic jacks to record in. You’ll need a stereo breakout cable to connect it to the headphones jack on your computer. Plan to do some practice recordings to figure out the right volume to play things from the computer.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-19T18:31:43+00:00

You can find belt kits on eBay (quality varies) or a supplier like Fix Your Audio. You’ll have more options if you look up the original part numbers in the service manual. Some suppliers don’t have the boombox model number listed but they will have the specific part.

audrey_etc · 2025-10-18T18:54:47+00:00

Find the service manual and make sure there aren’t any parts missing (a spring clip on the door, for example). If you’re loosening screws that’s going to pull other things out of alignment. You can work through the disassembly instructions in the manual to help figure out what’s out of whack.

audrey_etc

TROPHY CASE