This week's project explores the unique sonic attributes of what has come to be thought of as tape cassette culture. Specifically, we'll be focusing on the sound of the tape cassette deck: the rhythm inherent in its motor, its gears, its rotation.

There are three steps to this project.

Step 1: Record the sound of your tape deck in play mode. Make note of the rhythm inherent in your tape deck: at what BPM does it progress?

For JVC Processed Slovenia (disquiet0049-deckduet), it is appx 85.5 bpm

Step 2: Create a short new piece of music — simple, atmospheric, lightly rhythmic — that has the same BPM as the tape deck.

Step 3: Make a recording that combines your new piece of music and the sound of the tape cassette deck at close to equal volume.

***

For this project, I used my JVC TD-W207 stereo double cassette deck, bought for $15 via Craigslist about 4 or 5 years ago. I put two cassettes in and pressed play on both, and recorded it with a Zoom H1 Handy Recorder. The H1 was aimed right in front of the second deck.

After upping the volume of the recording in Sound Forge, I tried to figure out the bpm. Using the iPad app Funkbox, I guessed it to be around 85.5 bpm by tapping my foot to the recording of the cassette deck in my headphones while adjusting the Funkbox app on my desk.

The "simple, atmospheric, lightly rhythmic" part was more difficult. At first I edited some smaller pieces from the cassette deck recording and placed them into the Samplr iPad app, but what I made in there I wasn't pleased with, so I went about finding something atmospheric from my own recordings.

I chose a fairly recent creation of mine, titled "Processed Slovenia", and put it in my DAW. Then I added a simple rhythm in Funkbox at 85.5 bpm and put that in my DAW as well.

Some background on "Processed Slovenia" - it was recorded on a double Ableton setup, live “hypermiking”, but I’ve changed my usual “hypermiking” Ableton set to scale back the delays. The other Ableton is playing something triggered from my Akai MPK Mini. iPad running GarageBand’s Soul Organ with fast rotation, chorus on, and distortion all the way up. Dell Venue Pro playing TuneIn Radio - A1 Radio 98.1 FM in Ljubljani, Slovenia.

"Hypermiking" is a term I use for a process I employed during disquiet0003-glass.

Back to this project - the mix starts with the cassette deck sounds for about 10 seconds before the other parts arrive. I think in accordance with Step 3 you can hear the cassette deck sounds throughout the piece. It seems to ride on the top of the mix, likely due to the deck motor's white noise sounds.

For more about me and my music, visit: www.markrushton.com or follow me on Soundcloud: @markrushtoncom

More on this 49th Disquiet Junto project at:

disquiet.com/2012/12/06/disquiet0049-deckduet/

More details on the Disquiet Junto at:

soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/info/