October 2018 cassette round-up

Posted on November 5, 2018 by duplication.ca

On a personal note, I love October. I love the crisp autumn weather, I love secluding myself at night and binging on horror movies, and more than anything I love stepping on crunchy leaves while listening to new tapes on my Walkman. Here’s are some personal favourite Duplication.ca jammers from the month of October!

R. Stevie Moore – “Homers” c62

https://uddtba.bandcamp.com/album/homers

Outsider artist R. Stevie Moore returns with this reissue of his 1973 self-release. If you’ve never done the deep dive of the weird ‘n wild world of RSM this is as good as any place to start!

Andrew Weathers / Blaine Todd – Split c44

https://houdinimansions.bandcamp.com/album/andrew-weathers-blaine-todd

A melancholic but surprisingly relaxing split cassette that wavers between post-rock and experimental folk. Fans of Six Organs of Admittance and Jackie-O Motherfucker will love it.

Plastic Cactus – “Moth Eyes” c17

https://plasticcactus.bandcamp.com/album/moth-eyes

Atmospheric dry desert rock, and like a mirage it moves into psych ‘n surf territory. Full of rad Thee Oh Sees style riffs at 0.6x speed!

Courtney Barnett – “Tell Me How You Really Feel” c44

https://courtneybarnett.bandcamp.com/album/tell-me-how-you-really-feel

If you can’t dig Courtney Barnett you can’t dig nothin’. A+ Melbourne slackerdom, and if that doesn’t sell it for you, maybe the Kim Deal backing vocals will.

Appropriate Savagery – “Elegant In Its Brutality” c26
Anasisana – “Sad For The Rest of My Life” c34

https://casementexchange.bandcamp.com

Another gorgeous batch by California label Casement Exchange. Both tapes swing between chaos and beauty, must grabs for fans of minimalism. Can’t choose between the two of them, they’re both quintessential October graveyard wandering music.

Thinking of joining the analog cassette realm? Check out our online cassette duplication calculator for an instant quote! FREE STANDARD SHIPPING to the United States and Canada.

So what’s the diff between Real-Time and High-Speed cassette duplication?

Posted on November 1, 2018 by duplication.ca

When entering your cassette duplication order, the first question you face is whether you want to duplicate real-time or high-speed. So what’s the difference? With real-time cassettes we load the tape according to your longest side length. From there we duplicate directly from your audio files, allowing us to use a high quality 24-bit source, even higher resolution than CD. Our frequency range is 20Hz to 20kHz, meaning that we can maintain extreme highs and lows while still dubbing at a loud volume and with low tape hiss. Each cassette is manually quality controlled to ensure the A-side sounds correct.

Our Tapematic 2000 loads tape into cassette shells for real-time duplication.

High-speed is the economical choice. The cassette is loaded into a digital bin and then duplicated continuously at high speed onto bulk 8,200 foot pancakes. Each tape is separated by a cue tone, which the Tapematic loaders use to locate, cut and load the tape into the cassette shell. Each cassette is consistent in quality with a frequency range of 20Hz to 16kHz. By being able to duplicate higher quantities at a faster rate we are able to offer a lower price per cassette compared to real-time, and just like real-time we are able to duplicate the cassettes at a loud volume with low tape noise.

Our high-speed loaders and duplicators running through a batch of cassettes in a matter of minutes!

Now that you know the difference, the only question that remains is which is the right duplication speed for your release? Compare the prices alongside all of our cassette shell colour and packaging options using our online calculator! We’ll supply you with an instant quote and free shipping to the United States and Canada.

September 2018 cassette round-up

Posted on October 1, 2018 by duplication.ca

Let’s take a gander at some of our favourite cassettes we listened to this past September. A very upbeat month before we get into the October gloom ‘n doom!

Lucid Sound Driver – “Night Light” c42

https://nightlighttapes.bandcamp.com/album/night-light

Instrumental dream-pop that’s sure to set the vibe right. Grab your Walkman and save this one for the last night bus home.

Coping Skills – “Worst New Music” c30

https://copingskills.bandcamp.com/album/worst-new-music

Not only is this possibly the best album title and cover art this year, the music also rips! Teenage Fanclub for the internet content mill age.

Shoshana Rosenberg – “A Gold Ring in a Pig’s Snout” c30

https://tonelist.bandcamp.com/album/a-gold-ring-in-a-pigs-snout

Beautiful cassette consisting of revolving bass clarinet tones. The room sound is audible, giving an impression of claustrophobia relating to its thesis of female oppression.

Velveteen Echo – “Submarine” c15

misschampagne.bandcamp.com/album/submarine

Dream-like and hazy indie pop from Miss Champagne Records. A little Galaxie 500, a little Grouper. Love their pad print design too!

Heathers – “Midnight is a Place” c30

https://heathers-mtl.bandcamp.com

Montreal 90s rock revivalists return with their second cassette release. At the right time and in the right place, this would be classic Sub Pop canon.

Thinking of joining the analog cassette realm? Check out our online cassette duplication calculator for an instant quote! FREE STANDARD SHIPPING to the United States and Canada.

August 2018 cassette round-up

Posted on September 6, 2018 by duplication.ca

Hello all tapeheads! Here’s a look at some of our favourite cassettes fell into our production line this month. Some are funky, some survived the pit, and one in particular is very kvlt.

Mortiis – “The Song of a Long Forgotten Ghost” c58

This is a reissue of Mortiis’ debut demo, a big departure from his black metal work in Emperor, instead opting to explore funeral dirge synthesis. Dig the dark forest etching on the matte black cassettes.

Wasterr – “Tape A” c9

https://wasterr.bandcamp.com/album/tape-a

It may be on the short side, but this cassette packs a hell of a punch. Melbourne garage rockers singing about fighting dads and smooching boys.

Moon Rise – S/T c40

https://nighttempo.bandcamp.com/album/moonrise

You’ll have some trouble describing Moon Rise’s sound. Yes, it’s aesthetic, but it has the daring approach of PC Music, and the retro party vibes of The Avalanches. If that isn’t cool enough, check out their shimmering gold cassette.

Firearm – Dravecky c12

https://firearm.bandcamp.com

Bay Area hardcore as loud and tough as Dave Dravecky himself (SF Giants legend who broke his arm during a wild pitch!)

Satanic Panic ’81 – “The Sacrifice Hunter” c32

satanicpanic81.bandcamp.com

Synthwave maestros Satanic Panic emulate 80s horror VHS vibes in their soundtrack to The Sacrifice Hunter, a horror film so rare that… it may not even exist. Awesome use of our clear vinyl cassette boxes!

Thinking of joining the analog cassette realm? Check out our online cassette duplication calculator for an instant quote! FREE STANDARD SHIPPING to the United States and Canada.

Audico Tape Timer/Rewinder/Exerciser

Posted on February 17, 2018 by George

This Audico tape timer is a handy device we use to time audio cassettes. We are looking for more of these! Let us know if you have any leads.

Vintage Heavy-Duty Cassette Cases

Posted on February 17, 2018 by George

These heavy-duty vintage cases have no posts and are ideal for storing Dropmix cards and other small items. These are authentic 90s era cases weighing 50% more than standard cases. The back flap is only 1/2″ instead of 1 inch.

https://www.duplication.ca/Cassette-Box-With-Narrow-Back-No-Posts.html

The Elbow Cassette Player

Posted on February 10, 2018 by George

Where can I buy the Elbow Cassette Player?

The Elbow cassette player is only a great-looking design concept!

The design was created by the audiovisual art duo Brainmonk . The concept won design awards, however they have now announced that this product will never be made:

See more on the Elbow facebook page

Endless Tapes

Posted on November 5, 2017 by George

Endless tapes are special cassettes made with a loop of tape that repeats forever. We have various lengths in stock ranging from 20 seconds to 12 minutes.

You’ll notice there are no sprockets on the hubs. The tape is driven by the capstan motor and pinch roller.

https://www.duplication.ca/shop/Endless-Cassettes/

Some of our customers make their own endless tapes from ordinary cassettes. Check out Amulets

Obi-Strips

Posted on November 5, 2017 by George

Add Obi-Strips to your cassette or CD releases! Starting from CAD$49.

An Obi-Strip is a piece of printed paperboard wrapped around a cassette or CD. Obi-strips are common on Japanese releases. The term obi refers to the sash wrapped around a kimono.