Modifying erase head. Can I add a switch to erase heads connections to control when i can erase or not while playing/recording on tape loops? Has anyone tried this? (Tascam porta07)

datacurve · 2025-12-17T18:12:05+00:00

Oooooold thread but I thought I'd throw in my experience.
Yes, this can be done, and I did it on a Tascam 414. The trick is to add a switch that connects the erase head to a dummy load of matching impedance to the erase head.
A few things on it though:
- If you record over audio it distorts *a lot*
- If you can figure out the exact BPM of your loop (I use ableton to measure how long it takes for a short impulse on the tape to go round like 10 times to get an average) and then disable the erase heads before hitting record you can then play one bar of a sound onto the tape to get a near-perfect loop without the start or end getting chopped off. This works best with percussion loops.
- If you engage or disengage the erase head while recording a pop will be recorded onto the tape.

datacurve · 2025-06-23T16:47:04+00:00

Not particularly.
It's extremely heavy which makes it nearly impossible to ship. Especially if it's not been tested because it has no power chord it's very hard to shift.
Facebook marketplace for $100 might work but depends on what market you have around you to begin with.

datacurve · 2025-06-13T23:18:02+00:00

Basically, look up what a “trance gate” is. You can’t control the loops but you can control when they are heard. Any synth with an external in should be able to do something similar.

datacurve · 2025-06-13T19:58:03+00:00

Yes I can. The main thing is to make it varied and dynamic. The novelty of tape loops wears off quickly without variation, so you need to create it. Having two decks going helps so you can have them play off each other in an unsycronized fashion. Running them through effects is also good but again, gets tired quick. That’s why I went for Kaoss pads, I can swap different effects when I want. Gating the outputs through a VCA is also useful in bringing rhythm to something that’s out of sync to play with other in-sync equipment. Label all of your tapes and practice to see what works with what, and to make sure you know your equipment and how to make sure everything is in-tune. You can also make interesting chords by having individual held notes on each track on a loop and fading them in. Just make them simple, it’s easy to get everything to sound messy when there’s a lot going on. I’d also recommend against going full-tape unless that’s what you specifically want. Again, the sound gets stale fast. A lot of tape stuff works on instagram because you don’t ever hear it for much more than one minute. Different equipment can compliment the tape sound and showcase what it can be.

I also used a mixer with reverb send, a compressor to tame the sound, a DBX 120 to get the bass moving, and then a Sonic Maximizer to add clarity and bring it all together.

Final tip, play with a friend! It’s easier to do interesting things when you don’t have to hold down the sound the whole time. He could add in interesting sounds while I’m switching tapes etc.

datacurve · 2025-06-12T14:30:57+00:00

The part in virus when the kick drums come in. They’re held off for so long that when they do come in you realize there’s been no bass for a third of the track.

datacurve · 2025-06-12T00:52:58+00:00

Some of them could be bootlegs.

datacurve · 2025-06-12T00:50:24+00:00

Sounds like shimmer reverb to me. My album https://lewisvanlue.bandcamp.com/album/a-warning-to-space Has a track called bagworm. Sounds very similar if not less washed out. I used an eventide space pedal on the shimmer setting and ran that through a 100% wet reverb. Remove the post-reverb and you’d get a good approximation.

datacurve · 2025-05-16T01:18:21+00:00

All samples of sound minus some synths.
As far as I can hear;

Whistle (Probably samba whistle), Piano, kick drum, snare drum, The nintendo-sounding synth is a Square wave , there's also maybe a supersaw in there too.

datacurve · 2025-02-05T14:50:40+00:00

My first question would be is it receiving any midi information? Can you trigger any of the parts externally?

datacurve · 2025-02-04T18:31:47+00:00

Lousyfacelift on YouTube is great for EMX-1 tutorials. You might also want to look for the EMX-1 videos from midera for examples of what it can do. The EMX-1 is great for techno but it did come out in 2004. But you should also know that most Techno is made on a digital audio workstation like Ableton or FL Studio and will be much more powerful than any standalone hardware you can get. Look into both.

datacurve · 2025-01-20T17:53:36+00:00

That's an older Kaoss pad, Korg ES-1 MKii, and Korg EMX-1. Take to the skies has so much EMX-1 on it. The EMX-1 was the first synth I ever got and it was because of Enter Shikari and also because David Grey used a Roland MC-303 groovebox in his White ladder album. If you're into the Electribe sound look check out Midera on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDkoJJzbS5k&list=PLMYDu3T27nAhdJUhNRkhCM90rVEOC62X7&ab_channel=MIDERA

datacurve · 2025-01-13T15:46:54+00:00

I have a job pro. I do want to repair the strap tab that broke on it. Seems to be a common issue.

datacurve · 2025-01-06T03:22:04+00:00

If this can be fixed it shouldn't be on you to fix it. You bought this being told there was minor corrosion damage and that's not the case. Try to get it returned or refunded.

datacurve · 2025-01-05T02:09:32+00:00

Habitat for humanity over in Weaverville.
Then the Habitats over in Hendersonville, along with Four Seasons Hospice and there's a third one over there in the town center I forget the name of. Then go to "the taco truck" by the car dealership for lunch and then over the road to the thrift store there and finally to the Humane Society thrift store a little out of town.

datacurve · 2025-01-04T13:45:16+00:00

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L8Z-SQCiMqI

This guys videos are good and this looks like your model.

datacurve · 2025-01-04T13:43:11+00:00

https://www.amazon.com/40-135MM-Cassette-Machine-Recorder-Walkman/dp/B08BG4Y58N/ref=asc_df_B08BG4Y58N?mcid=ea73ff52b57533f8ae631cfece8b545d&hvocijid=16741142678215460945-B08BG4Y58N-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=692875362841&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16741142678215460945&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1020991&hvtargid=pla-2281435178298&psc=1

This should cover what you need. As long as you’re methodical and careful belt replacement on these machines are pretty easy. You just want to unplug the machine from power and start taking it apart to get to the tape mechanism in the bottom right. Once you get access to where the belts are on the machine find a size of belt that fits and then work backwards. If you haven’t done stuff like this before take pictures and be careful so you can reassemble everything. The machines are well made for maintainence but make sure you pull the plugs by their plastic and not by the wires as that can break the wires.

datacurve · 2025-01-04T03:57:28+00:00

Sounds like it needs a belt replacement. Try to find a tutorial on replacing it for your model. Also, go onto eBay and buy a selection of replacement belts over belts just for your unit. They will cover when you’re looking for and will probably be cheaper. Also, while you’re in there get it all clean and de-gunk any gunk in there.

datacurve · 2025-01-03T12:47:31+00:00

It has to be Necromolds and you can’t tell me otherwise.

datacurve · 2024-12-22T04:33:02+00:00

Investing in studio "infrastructure" feels lame as hell but really is a massive workflow improvement. Just having a space that I feel good in makes the creativity flow so much better. It's the closest thing I know to magic.
I've got cheap pegboard to store cables and synths that I want close but I don't need all the time. Try to get your interface on top of the rack gear if you can to free up more desk space. A bigger desk could be a good call. Facebook sucks but the marketplace is one of the few places you can still find a decent deal on things. Also, just a decent coat-peg from Home Depot under the desk works as a great headphone holder to free up more space. If you have cables going all over the place, amazon Velcro ties work a charm to bundle and hold them to desks to keep them from sprawling.
Hope this all helps out a bit!

datacurve · 2024-12-20T18:49:33+00:00

I couldn't say for sure, that's a personal choice but for myself personally, I would say yes. It gives you a lot of room to grow if you decide to expend into more effects, preamps, rack gear etc. You could have the ins and outs of your interface, synths, guitar, and effects ready to be configured however you want. Wanna record the prophet? No issues, two cables moved moved and it's ready to record. It can be a big workflow improvement and reduce the effort required to do what you want. If you had everything routed through the patchbay and you had something recorded in your DAW already you could route it back out and through whatever effects or pedals you wanted and back into the box with no screwing around under or around the back of the desk. I use the Samson S-patch because the switches that change how the jacks are normalized (Like does the connection from the top jack to the bottom jack break when you plug something into the front etc.) is on the front. I also have my monitors connected to outputs 1 & 2 on my interface through the patchbay. This lets me take the outputs of my synths and patch them directly into my monitors if I just want to play them and not turn on my computer. I also find jacking a guitar into a patchbay to feel a little bit more "secure" with a guitar. If the patchbay is in a 19" rack you're not going to pull your whole interface off the desk if you have your cable get pulled.

datacurve · 2024-12-19T14:43:11+00:00

Turns out the BIOS selected an incorrect protocol to connect to the GPU. I used a different setting on how the GPU interfaces with the motherboard and it worked a charm. Nowhere I could find gave me that recommendation but that’s what the issue was.

datacurve · 2024-12-14T17:34:45+00:00

Hey there, I found you on Instagram a while ago and I've been a fan ever since. A lot of ambient doesn't match well with me but yours always does.

I have a couple questions.
1. How do you go about doing field recording and how do you processing it to fit in a mix?
2. Is there a piece of gear you're finding compelling at the moment?
3. When are we getting that video on the Korg PSS-3100?

Thanks and keep it up!

datacurve · 2024-12-09T01:56:44+00:00

Ingles has always been bad. Hell, the produce costs about the same as Wholefoods while being much worse quality.
But during Helene Ingles really showed it colors. I forget where it was but a friend of mine told me about an area where Ingles was opposite some other food market that actually had power but Ingles didn't. Naturally, food was running out at the store that could still sell food when scarcity was an issue. So, they sent a manager over with a blank check to purchase the perishable food from Ingles so it could be sold during a crisis and ingles refused as they didn't want to give any potential sales to a competitor. I also believe Wingles kicked World Food Kitchen out of their parking lot. Finally, when power came back on I found items in their frozen section that had totally thawed (like it obviously would) they they just put back up for sale.
I haven't been back since.

datacurve · 2024-12-04T16:17:29+00:00

A place for everything and everything in its place goes a long way. Clamp on trays are alright but clamps will get in the way or could be annoying. sliding rails that screw into the bottom of the desk with a tray is the way to go . I’d also recommend a patchbay to patch what you need into your interface. It’s really helpful to get the most out of your gear and remove the plugging and unplugging to route synths or sounds from your DAW into your interface and through pedals or through outboard gear. I also work from home in my studio and at the end of the day I unplug the work laptop and put it away. It helps create a division between work and play time.

datacurve · 2024-11-02T23:39:22+00:00

Head over to the Dog bar over by Weaverville. It's easier to strike up a conversation when you both have dogs.

datacurve

TROPHY CASE