/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Not sure how to go about your problem OP do tell more about your operation.

>>55001
What?!
No
No no no no no no no no
FUCK NO
"Default" is my handle bitch

>>55034
stop being madpoop. that's the name of his label, the entire thing, not just default.
also you can't expect to keep 'default' for yourself lawlz.

anyway, i don't have much info on this, maybe some origami package. But I would like to know what the lure of the tape is

you know anything about vinyl OP? would really love to get into pressing but dont know where to start. Any tips for lo-fi recording?

>>55001

shit playback of recording of shit music, that being said, fold a cardboard case in the same manner as cigarette boxes.

>>55043
not op but looses the cables from the input to the out put

>>55046
if you have a lot of smoker-friends, than use cigarette boxes? lol

>>55001
>cassettes
>CDs
Er... what are you packaging exactly?

I hope you aren't actually distributing via audio tape, unless you want to limit your market to old people.

>>55053
old people or hipster, I think he is mainly marketing to hipsters

>>55056
Real hipsters prefer vinyl.

>>55071
not hipster,turntablist wanna-be...getting the but not to the level i want to be

>>55012
I want a cheaper way to package cassettes than a normal jewel case.
>>55034
don't know what you are talking about, but I made sure that Lo-fi by default (LFD) was not taken before I created it, almost 2 years ago.
>>55050
I don't really want to associate the label with smoking.
>>55053
I am not packaging CDs. I am packaging cassettes.
>>55056
hipsters
>>55071
hipsters prefer vinyl, people that actually love their music will also collect at least a few cassettes.

One of these with a sticker slapped on it. Not sure if a cassette would even fit in it, haven't held one of those in ages...

I think my best bet out of all the suggestions so far would to make something out of cardboard. I could make something intricate, but I have to keep in mind it needs to be shipped

You do realize cassettes have great sound quality right?
I could play a cassette on my rig and then a digital file and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

>>55139
they see me trollin

>>55146
What troll?
I'm dead serious.

>>55160
in that case your ears suck balls.

>>55167
can we continue please, tips on lofi recording people (not because im a god damn hipster, im broke, want to to get some of my shit out there, and need to make a decent amount of material for drop shopping)

>>55167
I guess they do.

>>55167
You can not be so fucking retarded as to not understand how a medium has high and low end use. No, no you couldn't.

OP what have you got against cassette jewel cases? I have a collection of over 1000 cassettes, all but a small minority are in jewel cases. Seems to work for other people as well.

Also those idiots that think cassette is poor quality music, pop over to tapeheads forum, and learn some shit.

>>55139

Super nice audio rig dude, would you mind listing your gear?

Captcha: entainn and

>>55183
Thanks brah.

Pioneer SX-980 for the receiver
Pioneer CT-F8282 for the tape deck
Acoustic Research ES-1 for the turntable
Klipsch Forte II for the speakers, but I'm replacing those with Cornwalls once I'm done restoring them.

>>55172
There is no excuse for being lo-fi anymore. You can get great quality recordings for the same price as making lo-fi shit. The only reason to be "lo-fi" is to fill a certain niche sound that appeals to nostalgia adled hipsters. And why would you want to distribute on casettes? They have a terrible signal to noise ratio (deal with it, it's fucking true) and most cassette decks that people have are even worse. Also, digital distribution is easy as fuck and free. If you want to do small releases do it on cd or digitally. If it's worth pressing, print it on vinyl.


Argue all you want, but it's true.

>>55183
i never said that the cassette medium couldn't be "hi-fi", but

>>55139
this faggot was stating that one wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a cassette recording and a digital one. one may certainly have a preference for tape over digital recordings, but if you can't tell the difference between the two, then your ears have quite a bit to learn...

>>55202
that's obviously not what he was saying, but call it however you see it.
fag
g
ot

>>55204
that may be true but, he wasn't saying that cassettes sound better than more modern mediums, he was just saying that industrially they can record with great quality, Just as a medium.

>>55139
"I could play a cassette on my rig and then a digital file and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

yeah, i guess those aren't his exact words. you're right. little bitch

>>55214
Come over and take a listen, I'm in Vegas.

>>55202

My cassettes recorded on my Nak sound SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER than just about any digital file played through the same amp/speaker combination.

OP, I got an idea.
Get a piece of aluminum sheet and bend 2 90's on the ends the same thickness as a tape, then glue/screw a stretchy band to each side of the Al sheet. The tape will stay in there due to the stretchy material (hair scrunchy or some shit)

>>55218
to your ears. and what dac are you using?

>>55172
You want to get your shit out there? Can I hear your music? we are trying to get more bands.
>>55183
The jewel cases cost more than the tapes.

I should go through my dad's cassette tapes. He was a jerk and got mostly 8-tracks back in the day which he threw out for some reason.

>>55221
that doesn't seem like it would support any form of album art or insert.

>>55230
You could glue the album art to the front of the face of the aluminum.
The songs could go be glued to the inside where the tape would go.

There seems to be at least some people here interested in lo-fi, so I will go ahead and post the FB link to the label. We are in the process of creating a website. If you make lo-fi music and want to get involved, drop a message or something.

http://www.facebook.com/LFDrecords

>>55226

M-Audio.

>>55236
seems workable. The stretchy band kind of devalues the aesthetic, but maybe that could be replaced with a bracelet or something cool to keep.

Op have you heard of Playbutton? They're a hipster badge with flash memory, cheap to make, and highly customizable. Plug your earbuds in and the "badge" plays the album.

>>55250
You could use a band with a bit of velcro on the end, that would look alot better and be more secure.

>>55284
cloth might be cool. Idk how safe it would keep the cassette tho.

>>55251
hmm. Awesome idea, but at the same time, a bit obnoxious sounding. Do you have info on how to get/make one?

>>55254
http://www.playbutton.co/specs/

>>55251
>>55254
hmm. The albums that have been released this way are in the $20 range. That is a ridiculous price to pay for a format that is not flexible at all, and only exists for aesthetic purposes. For $5-$7 and album, It'd be neat.

>>55251
neat, I'm glad they found a use for all those unwanted ipod shuffles. Honestly, I think this is a pretty neat idea.

>>55262

Walk into a CD store (if there are any left now) most full lengths are 20 bucks.

What about leveraging your downloads with a freebie? A unique code for every transaction could claim a limited CD signed by the band, or magazine featuring the band as superheros?

I remember reading somewhere about a band that collected used cassettes, discarded the completely fucked ones, and duplicated their music onto the cassettes that were left, they pitched it as an individual musical experience, the covers were hand drawn by the band, obviously not a proposition for high volume sales.

>>55275
>mfw I am the apprentice to a dj thats been around for more than 20 years in the biz and has a shit tons of vinyls that he just gives me for free

>>55284
what band is that btw?

Plenty of interesting possibilities, OP. Experimenting with cloth is one option. Personally I think making really nice J-card inserts is the best. I've bought tapes with paper made from flowers. Also, consider add ons. Pic related

>>55284
Make them out of cardboard with cloth sewed around it to make it fancy looking.

Go to Staples. Go to aisle where they have conference supply. Select bulk case of vinyl ID tag cases. Pop cassette in ID holder. Make graphic insert.

Once I record a few more songs I'll definitely be contacting you. I've got about 40 songs written and recorded, I just need to record the last few I've been working on, then assemble 6 or 7 in logical order for an EP.

>>55343
I guess I dont know what you are talking about. I googled it, but I dont see anything close to what you are talking about.

>>55188
>>55139
Beautiful rig, but I couldn't help but notice in the picture (and their absence in your list) that your headphones absolutely blow cocks. Plantronics gaming headphones for real dude? Those shitty phones sound as bad as bargain-bin Sony V150s. Get some real phones. No wonder digital and cassettes sound the same to you.

>>55261
hay that's kinda...

>only supports ogg format

never mind that shit is as bad a flac

>>55372
bump on this.

Does anyone know what he is talking about?

>>55392
If it's going to support just one format, make it MP3. I'm not going to get something that requires me to convert my MP3 files to another lossy format, losing quality and probably increasing storage size. Fuck that shit.

>>55403
but it wouldn't be like that, because you cant do shit with the button. Its not like you can put more music on it, it only comes with the album you buy and nothing else.

>>55394
the small plastic inserts for your info; name, phone, etc.

also, here is some of my lo-fi tunes.
http://soundcloud.com/hauntedmouse/sets

>>55381
I need a mic for TF2 and they sit around my neck.
Calm down.

>>55418

that makes it even more useless

>>55429

>play noise backward, call it music

what the fuck?

>>55429
Ya that music really sucks even for lo-fi/ambient type shit. Sell a big album of FLACs or MP3s for $3 and move on with your life. This will get you nowhere.

>hipster here

i imagine anything of the right width, slim, and somewhat sturdy would make a fine case. a few [somewhat cheap] things that come to mind (ofc youll probably use more than 1 per case and they need to be modded):


-floppy disks
-business cards
-old circut board
-real/fake money w/ a light cardboard backing
-CD's

>>55448
Seconded.

Don't be yet another musician who spends more time on promotion than his music.

I work for a small business that has a record label on the side. They sell albums on records, tapes, itunes, whatever. The tapes have that special hipster feel, but it's a manufactured "special". The music business is a lot of promotion, but you can't sell shit without good music. A lot of bands send their shit in and it ends up being a candy-coated turd. If you're going to release this shit, go to kinko's and do the J insert thing.

>>55448
>calls self a hipster

>>55448
>hipster here

>>55479
That guy wasn't me, but I am spending time on promoting, because I am backing bands that are better than me. I have a feeling the people giving this guy shit only listened to the first song, because it isn't all that bad. I have purchased several cassettes of pure noise, from people making a lot more money and fame than I have.

Get cardboard cassette mailers. Basically they're little boxes to ship individual cassettes in.

Screenprint the artwork onto said cardboard mailer.
Presto, a nice and neat package.

>>55955
this seems like the best idea presented so far. How would I screen print the artwork onto the package? The only kinda of screenprinting I have knowledge on is T shirts.

>>55429

I like your music.

Hi, this is a bit off topic, but can anyone recommend me a recording device and a microphone for, mainly, field recording? I'd also be playing some instruments in the woods, but nothing like Bon Iver.

As cheap as possible. Thanks!

>>55971
If you want it as cheap as possible, there are a few possibilities.

First, if you have an ipod, look into buying an irig mic. It has 3 sound settings, and one is a really highly sensitive one. That setting would probably be good for quiet quality field recording. It is an ipod, so it is portable too.

Your other option, would be to buy an old ass cassette recorder for like $3-$5 at a flea market. You will get lo-fi as fuck quality, but I have used it for recording instruments outside like you want to do.

>>55971
I have punched the frontman of Bon Iver in the face, for being an obnoxious tool and several other reasons. But that is neither here nor there.

Cassette distribution also means you need to know the local shops that still are willing to sell them. If you're looking for more guys to distribute, OP, I know a few stores in the Midwest that do this sort of business.

For packaging, always look to do something kinda special depending on what you're distributing. If it's noise, get individualized stuff done. I know bands like Caroliner usually do insane things for packaging, up to and including used clothing for their hand-pressed vinyl.

For lo-fi punkesque shit (you know, with melodies and probably a nodding-winking-maybe-we-are-maybe-we-aren't nod to Dinosaur Jr), go with photocopied collages glued to cardboard cases. Aim for that "professional yet punk" aesthetic that's really easy to fuck up.

>>56004
the music varies from the dino jr nod stuff, to post punk/shoegaze, to trip hop/boards of canada type stuff. Even if none of us are pure noise artists, I am not opposed to doing something batshit crazy.

I know of a few stores to distribute, but only very local places.

>>56021

The Emporer8 bandcamp EP thing is great, I really like the vibe. Label and band both just earned a "like" and a download

>>56041
To be honest I think the dude left the label. His fb account just dissapeared. I'll have to find out what is going on. Check out Kamas. His music is a bit more put together.

http://kamas.bandcamp.com/album/vapor-blue-sensualize

Then, for the straight up lo-fi rock there is The Latecomers.

http://breadonbread.bandcamp.com/

>>56021
Then go for the batshit. You're going to be selling individualized pieces of recorded music, and you're trying to distinguish a physical medium from a digital one.

If you've got digital copies of the music, make sure that people can get them after buying a tape. That'll clear up some of the market, and let people know that these tapes, while entirely listenable, are more in the category of useful items of collection than 'the only way to do things'.

Try to do your own vinyl pressing, if you can. This usually involves dealing with a company that can master/produce large quantities of factory-made vinyl, as they have access to industrial equipment. Otherwise, you could try to get a vinyl cutter to make masters, cast them, and then market the stuff as 'hand-made vinyl', which some people love. Especially if you fuck with the colors in the casting material, giving each record an individual coloration. Record that on your site, and you're good.

Finally, all indie musicians from Wisconsin are dicks, and I have had to deal with that scene for years, so please, please keep yourself out of scene politics with your distribution. That will destroy any hope you have faster than a dozen dead cats being thrown at every single person who wants some music.

>>56060
Im trying to at least turn a profit. I don't know how much money is involved in trying to hand make vinyl, but I've looked into getting it pressed before and it is like $500, which I can't afford right now. The whole point of this thread is trying to afford a case to put the cassettes in lol.

The only specially packaged cassettes that I've seen was one (possibly two) by Kinit Her and one by Peste Noire (probably a demo compilation). See if you can find them and inspect their packaging.

Good luck with your label, I'm quite fond of tapes myself even though I stopped record collecting some time ago.

>>56108
the peste noire thing just seems like a box set. I've seen box sets of cassettes made out of wood. If I ever did a set like this I think the packaging would be a lot easier to get creative with, and sell for an inflated price.

Idk about the Kinit Her one. I've seen one with the jewel case drawn on. I would likely do something custom like this even if I used a jewel case, just to make it special.

>>55975
Thanks!

I have an iPod, but I think it's kaputt.

what do you think about this setup :
Sony ECM-MS907 microphone
Sony MZ-R55 MiniDisc recorder

>>56004
haha, please, do tell more.

sorry for derailing your thread OP

>>56151
I can't tell you anything about set ups that Ive not used.

Ok, I found what someone was talking about, with the custom box.

Where would I be able to get a box this size?

Got a girlfriend OP?

Source old pairs of jeans, get GF to cut up and sew cassette sized pockets of Denim, paint pen the name of band/random drawing on front, print small card insert with band details and tracklist. Insert cassette and tracklist. Profit.

>>56234


Fuck yeah, indie as fuck!

>>56234
that is a pretty sick idea.

I come to you guys with a new question though, and maybe this is the wrong place to ask, but...

What would the affect of paints on the actual cassette tape be? I am prepping an ultra limited test run for an album Im bout to release and I want to put something like paint splatters on the tape. Will this fuck it up? If so, what would my other options be.

>>56316
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8LJrMkUtMM

>>56321
dunno what he is saying, but there is a russian band on my label. They will know.

4chan.org/mu/

>>56319

As long as you don't put any paint where it might chip off and fuck up electronics, such as the elevated bottom, it should be fine. A cassette works as long as the tape can run over the heads, obviously.

>>55091
My bad. I thought Lo-Fi was the name of the label and you were calling yourself Default.
Carry on.

>>56171
bump for an answer on this.

I looked up places that made custom boxes on the net, but all of them would only quote over the phone.

>>56751
http://www.rainborecords.com/cass.htm

heres something to check out...little on the expensive side though

>>56759
forgot to mention that they have templates for you as well and i think they might print them for you

>>56759
>>56766
I didn't see anything there for making your own cardboard box.

This seems like something I should not be paying money to have done with DIY at my disposal. Surely DIY would have tips for making my own cardboard box for cheap.