Mystifying Cassette Recorder Issue

[The Mysterious Creep]

I recently acquired my first proper cassette recorder and player, a used ONN model of the kind that goes for about $25 and has a big silver speaker in it. It's in otherwise perfect working condition except for the recording aspect. When it's recording to a tape, it will erase the original audio with no difficulty, but only the absolute loudest of sounds through the onboard mic seems to be picked up. While I was certain I heard a Monotron delay ever so quietly through it when I plugged that device straight into the 3.5mm input, future tests showed nothing (even when I plugged a mic into Digitech DM straight into it). Speaking right into it with just the onboard mic produced near inaudible volume, but I could tell there was a voice. Is this some kind of arcane circuitry problem I'm going to have to pay the damn thing's entire worth just to fix?

[NoiseWiki]

So this was a used deck?

It could just be that the jack is fucked up .. I dunno probably not worth the trouble to fix.. you can buy brand new recorders for less

https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Cassette ... /649832148

[FAP]

ONN is the shittiest brand of shoebox recorders. If you have what I think you have, get a refund and invest in a good dual deck (or scour thrifts to find one: this method requires a keen eye for preemptive troubleshooting, however).

[The Mysterious Creep]

ONN is the shittiest brand of shoebox recorders. If you have what I think you have, get a refund and invest in a good dual deck (or scour thrifts to find one: this method requires a keen eye for preemptive troubleshooting, however).

Unfortunately, it otherwise works fine and came with a microphone valued at about $15 (plus the artist I bought it from said it worked fine for them so it's probably down to something the post office did), so I'd be haggling back $15 worth of value to spend more time finagling with cassette players. I think it might be time to condemn this pipe dream to the trash fire and just keep using my interface to record. It can still play the one tape loop I have, that's not nothing.

[RUBBISH]

You can find audiophile level tape decks at thrift stores and auctions for next to nothing and you WILL find average tape decks and boomboxes by the scores that usually go for $1 to $5 maybe $10 if its really nice.

Hit thrift stores once a week and I guarantee you will eventually find what your looking for.

As far as shoebox tape recorders go the old Sony ones are the most common and with my experience the best. I have a couple I have thrown and broken the case that still work. You can beat them with a hammer

Good luck


Edit...belts and the rubber rollers are the usual issues with most older tape players.
On the 90s decks it seems the motors burn out or a plastic bit breaks more so than on older decks

[FAP]

ONN is the shittiest brand of shoebox recorders. If you have what I think you have, get a refund and invest in a good dual deck (or scour thrifts to find one: this method requires a keen eye for preemptive troubleshooting, however).

Unfortunately, it otherwise works fine and came with a microphone valued at about $15 (plus the artist I bought it from said it worked fine for them so it's probably down to something the post office did), so I'd be haggling back $15 worth of value to spend more time finagling with cassette players. I think it might be time to condemn this pipe dream to the trash fire and just keep using my interface to record. It can still play the one tape loop I have, that's not nothing.

Dude if youxe2x80x99re going to sweat over $15-25, youxe2x80x99ve got a long way to go.
Also as Rubbish said, you can find older, cheaper and better recorders from thrifts.
Whatxe2x80x99s stopping you?

[The Mysterious Creep]

I was a bit pissed off after spending hours trying to get it to work.

[FAP]

welcome to obsolete technology.

[RUBBISH]

I was a bit pissed off after spending hours trying to get it to work.

Oh yeah thats understandable.
Don't sweat it.
You'll find a one or two!

[crochambeau]

When it's recording to a tape, it will erase the original audio with no difficulty, but only the absolute loudest of sounds through the onboard mic seems to be picked up.

Sounds like a bias problem to me. Was the former user someone who like to tinker? Often bias adjustment amounts to a trimmer on the inside. At this point, it sounds like you have little to lose by tinkering yourself.