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Cassette recordings from the stands vs. DCI professional audio.


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BITD in the late 70s and early 80s when recording from the stands was kosher, I used to always make cassettes w/ my handy dandy Panasonic RQ309 and OMG, the quality was just unreal. Best I''ve ever heard. Better even than the DAT audio from the blu-rays of today and the studio recordings. And way way better than the DCI records of the day. (note to any young people on here: you know, the big, black CDs!)

Sadly, I lost all of them years ago, IDIOT that I am! But, wow, the power and warmth of the brass and the characteristic crispness of the battery. Most lifelike audio I've ever heard. Just wondering about others' experiences w/ cassettes from the stands and your opinions on the quality vs. DCI pro audio?

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I used a battery-operated reel-to-reel machine to record the 1973 U.S. Open. Great quality, but I still haven't digitized yet.

I used a cheap Panasonic cassette machine later. The quality of those tapes was not particularly good, but it sufficed in capturing the excitement that

you could feel in the stands.

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BITD in the late 70s and early 80s when recording from the stands was kosher, I used to always make cassettes w/ my handy dandy Panasonic RQ309 and OMG, the quality was just unreal. Best I''ve ever heard. Better even than the DAT audio from the blu-rays of today and the studio recordings. And way way better than the DCI records of the day. (note to any young people on here: you know, the big, black CDs!)

Sadly, I lost all of them years ago, IDIOT that I am! But, wow, the power and warmth of the brass and the characteristic crispness of the battery. Most lifelike audio I've ever heard. Just wondering about others' experiences w/ cassettes from the stands and your opinions on the quality vs. DCI pro audio?

Your homemade recordings, made from the stands on a 70's vintage hand-held, battery-operated cassette machine, were better than any professionally produced corps recordings you've ever heard? We can't do a side-by-side since they're lost to posterity, and you yourself haven't heard them for many years. Maybe a bit of the rose-colored headphone effect at work here?

Peace - no personal disrespect intended,

Fred O.

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Your homemade recordings, made from the stands on a 70's vintage hand-held, battery-operated cassette machine, were better than any professionally produced corps recordings you've ever heard? We can't do a side-by-side since they're lost to posterity, and you yourself haven't heard them for many years. Maybe a bit of the rose-colored headphone effect at work here?

Peace - no personal disrespect intended,

Fred O.

lol. None taken. And yeah, I can see how I look like one of the teenagers in an old bad movie from MST3K who is like, "but Sheriff, there REALLY ARE gigantic moths on route 34. THERE ARE. I SAW them! You've GOTTA believe me!"

But if I still had them, I honestly think you would be convinced. :satisfied:

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I used a battery-operated reel-to-reel machine to record the 1973 U.S. Open. Great quality, but I still haven't digitized yet.

I used a cheap Panasonic cassette machine later. The quality of those tapes was not particularly good, but it sufficed in capturing the excitement that

you could feel in the stands.

Lots of variance in the different Panasonic models. I tried using a thin line model in the mid 80s and the quality was quite terrible.

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I have 2 recordings of AAG 1977 from my Sony hand held cassette player. One recording had mist in the air, the other had a crowd, same music, different sound. Since I marched in 77, I handed my device to our staff, our equipment guys many of whom were brothers of an all girl corps. In 2004, I got a tape digitized onto CD which opened a wonderful can of worms, a reunion in 2006 and 2011, made copies of both tapes, snail mailed and am learning how to share on www in 2012 as we speak! It's a work in progress. Tomorrow Sharon and I are having lunch where I'll hand deliver her copies of CDs :D A variance on how people react to their past.

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I too used to carry my Panasonic Cassette recorder to every show that I attended between 1977 & 1980. I still have the tapes & they are amazing. I love being able to listen to the corps warm ups & the drum lines playing the corps off. BITD drum lines didnt merely march off the field to quarter notes on a base drum. The drum lines would play a full street beat off the field. Blue Stars had a great street beat, then the snares would play a roll the entire time on the track while passing the stands. Gosh I miss the old days...

BITD in the late 70s and early 80s when recording from the stands was kosher, I used to always make cassettes w/ my handy dandy Panasonic RQ309 and OMG, the quality was just unreal. Best I''ve ever heard. Better even than the DAT audio from the blu-rays of today and the studio recordings. And way way better than the DCI records of the day. (note to any young people on here: you know, the big, black CDs!)

Sadly, I lost all of them years ago, IDIOT that I am! But, wow, the power and warmth of the brass and the characteristic crispness of the battery. Most lifelike audio I've ever heard. Just wondering about others' experiences w/ cassettes from the stands and your opinions on the quality vs. DCI pro audio?

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Lots of variance in the different Panasonic models.

Family or myself recorded a bunch of stand stills and I heard that.... Had a couple of cassette recorders and had weird problems with a few. One with a handheld mic gave a horrible screetching sound when you stopped recording with the mics start/stop switch. Must have been the sound of the tape slowing down prior to stopping. My first micless recorder picked up the sound of the cassette wheels moving at times. Wierdest one was when I lived near radio towers and recorded some albums to cassette. Played back the tapes and realized the local radio station could be heard in the background.

Recorded one whole show from the stands and sound was good for the equipment. But it was in mono and when the corps shows came out I tossed all except for the local exhibition corps (still have that one :thumbup: ).

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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One of the more interesting cassette tapes I recorded was late at night after Phantom won the 1979 DCI Midwest (Whitewater). That was the first year they rented out dorm rooms

for spectators, and I kept my recorder running at about 1:00 a.m. There were LOTS of people who were upset with Phantom winning that night, and you should hear all the stuff they were yelling

in the courtyard next to the dorm. I really can't post any of them on here. Interesting piece of history now, though.

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lol. None taken. And yeah, I can see how I look like one of the teenagers in an old bad movie from MST3K who is like, "but Sheriff, there REALLY ARE gigantic moths on route 34. THERE ARE. I SAW them! You've GOTTA believe me!"

But if I still had them, I honestly think you would be convinced. :satisfied:

OK, I'll take your word for it :)

Fred O.

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