“Wow, what a deal!”. But be careful, check out the quality before you make your purchase. Make sure the tape will fit your needs. If you are using your cassette tapes to record something fast, and the life of the cassette will be short, then maybe the cheap ones are for you. However, if you need a quality recording, or are looking to keep that cassette for some time, then you will need to be prepared to pay a little more. The quality you receive will be well worth the added cost. Spoken word applications are one use that requires a higher quality cassette. Going with cheap blank cassettes will certainly result in poor quality originals and duplicates. If you are involved in recording speeches, sermons, lectures, audio books or teaching tapes, then you will find the points below of great interest. So what are some of the differences, and what should you be looking for? The following is a list of suggestions on the type of tapes to use:
1. The cassette shell should be held together with a five-screw design. This type of design will help to keep the shell from warping. If the shell warps, the tape will not be able to move smoothly for good recording or playback. It may not be able to move at all. The five-screw design also allows the cassette to be taken apart if necessary. So, if the shell got damaged, the tape could be moved to a different shell, for continued use. 2. Using Type I tape is sufficient for spoken word applications. You still need to make sure that the tape is of good quality. Poor quality tape will result in a poor quality recording. It can even cause undue wear on copiers, and more frequent cleaning of the copier heads.
3. Make sure that the felt pad that presses the tape against the head is sufficient. The larger the pad the better the tape to head contact allowing for better quality recording. Even a slight separation between the tape and the head will result in a poor recording.
4. Pins and rollers are also important. The rollers are what guide the tape around the corners of the cassette. The pins hold the rollers in place. Some manufacturers will use plastic pins. This has the potential of the roller and the pin becoming welded under heated conditions. Also, if the rollers are of cheap quality, the tape may not move smoothly while recording or copying. The tape can even become damaged due to friction.
5. Slip sheets are the sleeves between the tape and the case. These are also important since they help the tape to travel smoother. Smooth travel of the tape is critical to a good recording.
