how to make cassette tapes (the cheapest way) but still sound good

you are going to need these things

-Cassette deck, from the 90s or earlier

-a blank or old (recycled) already made cassette tape. (thrift store finds, whatever )

-a source of sound ( laptop, cd player, live from an instrument..whatever)

-atleast one A/V cable or aux-A/V

-a small mixer or amplifier

-a way to hear the tape ( headphones, speaker, etc)

-q tips + 91% isopropyl alcohol

WHERE TO FIND A CASSEETE DECK

i reccomend looking on ebay + thrift stores, you can almost always find one for under $60 dolalrs, at thrift stores maybe $5 you never know. they most often look like this (below)

now, usually they will work for a short while when you first buy them, make sure to read the description carefully if buying online. but quite quickly they will deteriate, as they have 20+ year old belts in them. they can cause all sorts of issues. luckily, you can buy packs of 50 assorted size belts on ebay,amazon, probably aliexpress and more. usually labeled " rubber square drive belts"they look like this.

the next most important thing is pinch rollers and tape heads. these are pieces inside the cassette deck that record sound, transmit it, and keep the tape rolling smoothly .

1. u will need q tips and hi percent isopropyl alcohol

2. [5:18 AM]the pinch roller ideally,, should feel rubbery and not smooth or plasticy , sometimes enuogh scrubbin on one with some isopropyl can bring it back good. the tape heads should be cleaned every 5-10 tapes / plays. and the roller every 20-50 or so . like that pinch roller is prety dirty in the pic it needs a good clean.

   1. those two things can fix hella problems on their own when it comes 2 recording , then its the belts , then there is also a thing called azimuth . its a bit more complex but afaik it controls the timing ,how fast the tapes play. usually there is a screw somewhere 2 adjust it up and down

   1. in regard to tape heads, its possible to have up to 3 of them. depending how fancy your player is. they should all be clear and shiny free from any dust or debris , its shocking sometimes how fast they can get gummed up

   2. [5:25 AM]in regard to isopropyl, you dont need much isopropyl at all, u dont wanna soak stuff. id reccommend rubbing it down after too with the dry end of the qtip . so the isopropyl doesnt get in cassettes you're using

   recording , then its the belts , then there is also a thing called azimuth . its a bit more complex but afaik it controls the timing ,how fast the tapes play. usually there is a screw somewhere 2 adjust it up and down