Retro Thing

No More 4-Track Cassette Recorders

People often ask how I come up with post ideas. More often than not, they're sparked by fleeting memories from my youth. This post is a typical example. Back in the late 1980s, I was a synthesizer-obsessed teenager. The technology was brutally expensive and quickly outdated. I funded my musical obsession with a part-time job at A&W on the weekends, but by the time I'd purchased a synthesizer, drum machine, sampler and MIDI sequencer I didn't have enough left over for niceties such as digital effect units or a multitrack tape recorder.

The solution to my dilemma was to rent a multitrack deck for a weekend whenever I had a new song to record. My recorder of choice was a Tascam Porta Two, simply because it was the cheapest rental deck available at the local music shop.

The Porta Two incorporated a six channel mixer, DBX noise reduction, and analog level meters. Best of all, it ran at double speed to squeeze maximum fidelity from a Chrome cassette tape. I usually recorded time code on one track and then used the other three to ping-pong several layers of synth and samples. Once I had everything the way I wanted it, I'd record vocals over the time code track. Not the most glamorous or hi-fi way to work, but it did the trick.

These memories came flooding back to me late last night after a concert, and I went looking to see if there were any cassette multitrack recorders still on the market. It took only a minute to confirm that both Tascam and Fostex discontinued their last analog cassette decks several years ago, dragging the last few analog holdouts kicking and screaming into the digital era.

The Littlest Casio

This Casio VL-10 is even smaller than its famous brother, the original VL-Tone. It includes the same cheesy sounds and 29-button chicklet keyboard, along with convenient calculator functionality so you can double-check your record company royalty payments.

Both VL-Tones feature five awful monophonic sounds (basically the same square wave bleep with different amplitude envelopes), a sixth programmable "ADSR" synth mode, and 10 drum rhythms that should be perfect for accompanying your next smash-hit waltz or bossanova.

All kidding aside, the VL-10 is a rare example of 80s calculator style. This one is boxed with the instruction manual and slip-on case. It should fetch a pretty penny.

RARE Casio VL-10 Synth [eBay via Matrixsynth]

8-Bit New York

Eric Brodeur sent us a link to this amazing interpretation of NYC using old-school 8-bit graphics. Click and drag the image to explore the five boroughs like you never have before.

I would seriously be willing to pay for maps like this on my GPS. [8-bit-NYC via TechCrunch]

Doctor Who In Black And White Again

Character Options does a tremendous job with their line of poseable figures from the classic Doctor Who series. In 2009, the company created a special edition of the figures in black and white - the way early Who fans would remember the first couple of doctors. These are galaxies away from the dreadful Dapol figures we've written about before. Doctor #2 comes with his deadliest foe, the PVC kinky-clad cyberman.

I grew up watching Doctor Who on my local PBS outlet in the 70s and 80s, and back then information about the classic show was kind of scarce. On the show's 20th anniversary in 1983, a large "celebration" coffee table book came out with the only complete listing of all the episodes up to that point (riddled with errors, by the way). This is where i first learned that the show started out in black and white.

I didn't know that it wasn't until 1970 that the BBC started producing TV in color (sorry... "colour"), so at that point nearly half of the series would have been monochrome. My PBS station was reluctant to show any of the older black and white episodes. The pace was a bit slower, the production techniques a bit more, um, "homespun". The fear was that they'd lose viewers on one of their biggest ratings grabbers.

That turned out to be the case, but to their credit my local station soldiered on through the black and white. They got through the crotchety first years of William Hartnell (above, chumming around with an early Dalek), then came the glory that is Patrick Troughton. His take on the character was impish and magical. He was both congenial and conniving in a way that gave the character new life. Even though few episodes remain from that era, it was a powerful new take on Doctor Who and the start of the show's popularity among adults.

You can still find these excellent B&W figures on Amazon and eBay.

Vintage Sambo's Restaurant Photos

Tim Putz writes, "From 1960 to 1970, I photographed the first 100 Sambo's in the country. Today, only the first is still in operation here in Santa Barbara. At one time there were about 1200 locations from coast to coast."

These beautiful images make me long for a time machine so I can slip into the past for a short stack of pancakes with friendly people who wouldn't dream of wearing sweat pants in public.

Not only are these photographs a window into a soon-to-be-forgotten past, they also demonstrate the longevity of film. The images were shot on Kodak Vericolor Type L film with a 4 x 5 view camera and 90 mm wide angle lens. As a result, these 40 to 50 year-old photos look like they could have been captured yesterday.

My only complaint is that the images on Tim's site are too small to fully appreciate -- even the largest shots are a mere 350 pixels wide and there's a lot of detail hidden in each negative. This is a collection that could easily go viral and generate millions of page views with decently sized images, and I'm sure Tim would sell a surprising number of prints in the process.

Tim Putz Presents Sambo's Photographs

Review: Trends Audio PA-10 Tube Headphone Amplifier

We've talked about the PA-10 before, but only recently have we had a chance to lay our ears on one at Retro Thing labs. It's made by Trends Audio, the same folks who also offer an audiophile version of the famous T-amp amplifier. The PA-10 is the same compact size (about the size of a couple of cassettes stacked up), has the same simple controls & few inputs... but the difference is apparent right away. There's a blue-glowing tube sticking out of the top (and you know how we feel about blue glowing things).

You connect your audio source to one of two inputs on the back (with a small switch to select between the two inputs), and then plug in your headphones to the 1/8” jack on the front. The big friendly volume knob on the front and blue power led completes the ensemble and off you go.

My tests were very straightforward. No oscilloscopes or test signals; just my ears, some favorite music, and a couple very good sets of headphones. I chose to play tunes from a tabletop CD player with an 1/8” headphone jack as well as a good portable CD player.  That way I could compare the sound coming right out of the CD player versus what it sound like after going through the PA-10.  I also played some MP3's directly from my laptop. Some were seriously compressed, others only mildly so.

After much back and forth, my overall conclusion is a simple one. Music played through the PA-10 sounds much better. In audio gear reviews, people will talk about how true the sound is to what the the artist originally recorded (which is why some audio nuts I know actually dislike adjusting the sound via an equalizer). Whatever the tube might be doing to color the sound, the music had a much improved stereo sound stage, and was far more vivid overall.

Whenever I upgrade audio equipment (especially headphones), I'm looking for a dramatic difference to what I had before. The PA-10 brought a dramatic difference to music I've heard hundreds of times. It was exciting to pull music off of the shelf to hear what it would sound like with the PA-10. I've bought equipment that was much more expensive (and bulky!) than the PA-10 that offered a much less dramatic improvement.

The PA-10 lists for $225, which is pretty approachable for “audiophile” gear. It's also a good way to enter the world of tubes. Swapping around different tubes to get a favorite sound is almost a sport among analog audio fans. It ships with a Chinese 6N11 tube, but you can substitute a Russian 6H23n or American GE 12AU7 for an extra $40.

The simplicity of the PA-10's board layout encourages DIY type hackery, and there are online forums discussing all sorts of ideas for tweaking its performance, which is a big part of the fun. There's also a simple jumper to skip the volume knob if you want the purest performance from this little amp.

One thing that would make me happier would be a phono pre-amp in the unit. I have so many records that I want to digitize to my computer, and it would be a great advantage to have a compact and great sounding pre-amp running the show. A pocket sized tube amp with a great build is a unique product that can make that old music sound a little more lively again.

PA-10 Tube Headphone/Pre-Amp Product Page

Free: 137 Years Of Popular Science

Mike Haener writes, "Here's a link to the entire 137 year history of PopSci magazine for free browsing. What a great archive of historic articles and period advertising.

I spent many a night lying in bed reading these articles as a kid and dreaming about what the future might bring. Amazing just how inaccurate they were! (ie. we were all supposed to be flying around in jet packs by now!)"

It's stunning to recall what a huge impact Popular Science had in the pre-internet days. I remember pouring over the "What's New" section in each new issue in my grade school library when I was only 10 or 11. The weird little ads at the back were the most fun -- a never ending parade of BB guns, hovercraft plans, windmills, canoe kits, small engine repair courses and even the occasional computer kit.

Incidentally, ninety years of Popular Science are in the public domain -- the publishers neglected to renew copyright through 1963.

Search The PopSci Archives

What Really Happened to Mayor McCheese?

Here's a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of an early commercial shoot featuring Ronald McDonald and a large cast of anthropomorphized food characters. What a production! Ronald looks like he just got out of the shower, and younger Retro Thing readers may not remember such a large cast of kooky cooked characters. The "McDonaldland" concept was gradually phased out in the late 70's and early 80's (though it lives on in some McDonald's equipped with a Playland), which is also when several characters disappeared. Why?

Originally the Needham Harper & Steers ad agency hoped to license characters from Sid & Marty Krofft's TV hit H.R. Pufnstuff. Instead they created a similar concept leaving the Krofft brothers uncredited. In 1973 the Kroffts sued McDonald's (finally settling in '77 for over a million dollars) arguing that McDonaldland was a copy of their "Living Island", and that Mayor McCheese ripped off H.R. Pufnstuff who was also a mayor with a massive melon.

The disputed characters were phased out, as was the whole "magical place" aspect of McDonaldland. Today Ronald and newer characters invented since seem to mostly inhabit the real world, wondering where their next Happy Meal will come from.

Vacuum Tube Radio Hat

I cannot find words to convey how awesome this is. [Blue Tube Project via DIY Audio Projects]

HyperSID: Commodore 64 Music Synth For Your PC

The Commodore SID chip is perhaps the most famous sound generator of the 8-bit era. Its 3 channels of analog audio created kept Commodore owners from going slowly mad while waiting for their 1541 disk drives to load games at a snail's pace. As a result, the chip's distinctive sound influenced a generation of electronic musicians and game designers and has remained constantly in demand since its debut in 1982.

HyperSID is a stand-alone MIDI-driven hardware unit that contains a microcontroller and a SID chip. A companion software plug-in lets you edit and play genuine SID sounds from within your favorite computer-based music recording program, integrating 8-bit sound with 21st century technology.

The hardware support all versions of the SID chip (8580 / 6582 / 6581) and includes a balanced mono audio output. The OS can be upgraded via serial port and the front panel backlight brightness can be controlled by MIDI events.

The software incorporates a flexible preset manager with save and load functionality. It can run as a stand-alone program or as an integrated VST instrument. There's even an ultra-fast arpeggiator which can produce classic multi-note arpeggios at a tempo of up to 4000 bpm.

The program is donationware, while the HyperSID hardware costs $299 with a pre-installed SID chip. If you have ninja soldering skills, you can buy a bare board for only $49 and build it from scratch.

HyperSID hybrid sound synthesizer system

The iPod Ammo Box

This might sound a bit odd, but when I was about 8 years old my school snack shack started selling old army surplus ammo boxes. These days, that would probably trigger an immediate lock-down. But back in the cold war I simply plunked down most of my meager allowance for a green metal box wrapped in torn brown paper. It was battered and worn, yet perfect for lugging around my most important childhood possessions.

Fast-forward three decades and Thomas Spaans has created the A-BOX, a a high quality portable iPod amplifier integrated into a fifties design M2A1 ammo box.

He says, "The iPod/mp3 player can be connected on the outside of the A-BOX as well as the inside so you can listen to your tunes while running around with the A-BOX for example or just protecting your iPod from bullets and stuff.

the A-BOX comes in 2 models: the light version with 2 x 25 watts rms amplifier and woven glass fiber speakers (carbon color) this model will cost 350 euros. and the heavy version sporting 2 x 70 watts amplifiers and woven kevlar speakers (the yellow material used in bullet proof vests) this version will be selling for 475 euros.

both versions have indication lights in the bass tube which will indicate the status of the battery with white, orange and red colors. the heavy version however has an extra feat, indication lights behind the speakers which will warn against distortion when driven too loud."

Thodio A-BOX Portable iPod Amplifier

Altair 8800 Micro Replica Nears Release

Vince Briel is famous for his replicas of vintage Apple I and Commodore KIM-1 computers. His latest machine is the Altair 8800 Micro, a miniaturized (10″ x 7.5" x 3″) recreation of the Altair 8800, which appeared on the cover of the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics, billed as the "World's first minicomputer kit to rival commercial models."

While the original was based on the Intel 8080 processor, the new machine emulates the original CPU using an Atmel AVR microcontroller. It includes 32K RAM, SD flash memory card slot, VGA or composite video output using an Integrated PockeTerm serial terminal and PS/2 keyboard support.

A couple of days ago, he proudly announced, "After a month of intense programming, the Altair 8800 Micro is now functional. Early tests show it runs all 4K BASIC commands and 8K is now being tested. The Micro version is one of 3 planned versions of the Altair replica line. The full sized panel will also be available with a future option of the AltairPC, a complete PC Case with the look of a Altair and your latest PC inside."

There's still some more firmware development required, but it looks like the world will see the release of a new Altair computer in 2010, thirty-five years after the original sparked the home computer revolution. I can't wait.

Altair 8800 Micro Prototype

Homemade SLR Camera

I often find myself amazed at the projects people undertake in their spare time. In the days before the Internet, many slipped by unnoticed. Mercifully, that happens much less these days. A case in point: an intrepid Frenchman named Denis decided to create an SLR camera more or less from scratch. He documented his progress on a camera forum with lots of stunning pictures.

Denis says that he had this project in mind for 25 years, but didn't have the technical skill or expertise necessary to complete the project until now, at 42. His goal was to avoid reusing parts, except for the cloth shutter and the occasional ball bearing and screw. He even made his own first-surface mirror and ground glass viewing screen. Along the way, he ran into challenges -- especially light-proofing the body and getting the shutter to work properly. 

Boitier appareil photo réflex maison "homemade SLR camera" [via Make]