Does anyone here have experiences recording on Nak decks? I've been looking at the CR4a modelto record CDs and LPs onto tapes. Anyone have ideas on what makes the best sounding mixtape?

thanks.

All cassettes played on a NAK sound great. Any casette recorded on a NAK to be played back on a NAK can be recorded as you would any cassete. Trying not to make the tape go into the "red" to much on the peaks.

Cassettes recorded to be played on non-NAK's on a NAK should be recorded solidly in the "green" or one LED or so in the "green" on the peaks. Or the tape will be too hot and overload on other decks and not sound as good.

NAK's record hotter than other decks.

Big John wrote:All cassettes played on a NAK sound great. Any casette recorded on a NAK to be played back on a NAK can be recorded as you would any cassete. Trying not to make the tape go into the "red" to much on the peaks.

Cassettes recorded to be played on non-NAK's on a NAK should be recorded solidly in the "green" or one LED or so in the "green" on the peaks. Or the tape will be too hot and overload on other decks and not sound as good.

NAK's record hotter than other decks.

Great thanks for that. I've heard tapes recorded on Naks played on non Nak decks may not sound as good.

Ive owned several Nak decks over the years, sound and record about as good as a cassette can.
Continually breakdown.
Expensive to repair.
Gave my last one away.

Ive owned several Nak decks over the years, sound and record about as good as a cassette can.
Continually breakdown.
Expensive to repair.
Gave my last one away.

Can't argue with your experence I was able to get one inexpensively NOS and it has been reliable thus far. It does not really seem to distort at what is for my system high levels.

I was in the market for a casette deck at this point the manufacturers have dropped that as a media so the only machines out there really do not give you things like speed controls and the like so I feel fortunate to have gotten a NAK. The dubs I get from it using live tapes (a friend was a sound man in a club in the 80's) have been far beyond my expectations.

okay this is pretty much a noob question, but how can i ensure that when i record onto tapes, i wont have to crank the volume really high when i play it in my car's deck?

eephour wrote:okay this is pretty much a noob question, but how can i ensure that when i record onto tapes, i wont have to crank the volume really high when i play it in my car's deck?

Much like one does with any recording device. There should be a control on the deck to set record level -- typically some kind of fader/slider or a knob. With the deck set in record/pause and with signal coming to the deck, push/turn this control until the LEDs (or VU meters if you have a really old deck) show sufficient level. This is typically indicated on the meter as the border between black (VUs) or green (LEDs) and red. As indicated in the above, dont push Nakamichi decks into the red if you want to be able to play on another cassette deck. Other cassette decks are more forgiving of each other's "red zones."

You should now have sufficient level on your tapes to hear them well in your car without cranking the volume.

endofanera is giving you some good advice keep it out of the red. You should have a master record level on the front of your deck. You might make a test tape - take a cut you are very familiar with and record it three times each time take go one more LED into the green. Then play it back on your car system you will recoginise the one which plays back and then know how to adjust the record levels. As endofanera said keep it out of the red.

I knew a rap/hip hop producer who would always take the crew out to his car and play the just finished mixes on his car stereo. Since he knew how his car system would work he would play a track he had played and was well known to everyone tune everyones ears in the car and then put on the new tracks. If they played back badly they would go back to the studio and remix till it rocked the car.

Big John wrote:endofanera is giving you some good advice keep it out of the red. You should have a master record level on the front of your deck. You might make a test tape - take a cut you are very familiar with and record it three times each time take go one more LED into the green. Then play it back on your car system you will recoginise the one which plays back and then know how to adjust the record levels. As endofanera said keep it out of the red.

I knew a rap/hip hop producer who would always take the crew out to his car and play the just finished mixes on his car stereo. Since he knew how his car system would work he would play a track he had played and was well known to everyone tune everyones ears in the car and then put on the new tracks. If they played back badly they would go back to the studio and remix till it rocked the car.

Thanks so much guys, I just got it all hooked up tonight. My buddy gave me his Nak single disck cd player and a Pioneer amp, pretty cool shit. So Ive been playing around and trying to get a feel for the deck and its nuances. I must admit Im a little inexperienced . While recording, the LEDs fluctuate but don't really go into the red numbers. The levels are good and I played back the tape on my sony boombox and the need to crank the tape up isnt really there. But there are some knobs switches on the deck that Im not too familier with, such as auto calibrate and a few dolbys. Is there anything I can tweak there to get an even better sounding recording. Also, at the end of a track, after I finish recording and the song ends while Im playing the tape, I will get a beep or a chime. Is there way to elminate this? Also, since its 3 heads is there a proper way to erase the tape? thanks again, you'll all been really helpful.