The FM radio stations in Chicago would pile up with mixes from some of the greats during the early 80s. The happy and young music lover in me would flock to the radio to record mixes. Much joy would come to my ears as I listened to mixshows. Shows like Friday Night Audio (WKKC 89.3 FM), Saturday Night Live (WBMX 102.7 FM), and others were the leaders.
There were many others that kept listeners glued to the radio. The college radio stations were memorable like the "big station" counterparts. This provided opportunities to recorded from many sources. You could pick and choose your mixshows and replay them back on the cassette tapes. All that was necessary was to have some tapes available.
It's The Kind Of Tape
A casual trip to Walgreens to gather up some Tonemaster cassette tapes by the pack was the norm. It was hard to choose from the 60-minute or 90-minute tapes at times. Yet, each had its place as I bought both. Many of the 60-minute or 90-minute cassette tapes were Tonemaster or some other brand. It made no difference to me. I recorded on whatever I could find at a discount. The normal bias tapes were the cheapest. The tradeoff was in the quality.
I recorded my "better quality" attempts at mixing on the higher quality tapes. Maxell, TDK and Sony comes to mind. Now, some of these types of mixes I gave away or sold for extra cash. I was buying records weekly. Any extra money helped to fuel my next purchase. The idea was to have enough tapes on hand to handle any recording task of the day.
Recording Off Of The Radio
The mixshows ran for a few hours, usually four. Most of the mixes that were on the radio went for about an hour. So, a 60-minute tape could do the trick. The only thing was that you would have a 30 second gap when one side of the tape got to the end. And it could have been the best part of the song or mix, lost in oblivion.
The 90-minute cassettes gave a good run to an hour-long mix. You did not have to worry about the 30-second cutoff like you get with the 60-minute cassette tape. I would record the commercials, promotions, and mic breaks of the dee jays at the top and bottom of the hour. I believed that it was a way of capturing history and preserving a great part of the art. I enjoy listening to the talking or mic breaks along with the music. The experience is like being there when it happened.
Nowadays, I edit out any commercials or mic breaks and focus on the music. With today's short attention spans, the listener prefers hearing more content than talk. The majority of the mixes on Chicago House Radio do less talking and play more music.
And What's On The Tape Anyway?
I started putting dates on my tapes to have some sort of historical reference for the future. This may have started for me during the late 80s. I wish I would have done it much sooner. I have a bunch of tapes that I have no idea when or where I made the recording.
Many of the mixes I have gotten from other dee jays are missing dates as well. I have developed a system for determining the air date. I take the most current song in the mix and search for the release date. This is not foolproof. It does narrow down the closest date of the mix. Also, with me recording the mic breaks, the dee jay may say something I could refer to.
Quality vs. Quantity
I do regret not recording those mixes on better, high-quality cassette tapes. Back then, I was happy with the sound, or at least I did not make a fuss about it. The normal bias tapes are the lower end of the spectrum. The sound quality lags behind the more pricer, superior cassette tapes. It makes an extra step in the studio for enhancing the sound.
A good tool I recommend is Adobe Audition. The normal bias tapes will give off a hiss or other background noises. Audition has noise reduction features to clean up the sound. I follow this method with some equalization to balance out the levels. I can also trim unnecessary sounds and talk to put the focus back on the music.
The Trade-off
Me and many of my dee jay buddies would trade tapes like baseball cards. It was impossible to be everywhere all at once. On the weekends, many of the mixshows would air at the same time. So, if a good friend had recorded a mix that I didn’t have, well, that would be a likely trade. And, it was also likely that one of them recorded a better version.
This would open up a conversation about the music played in the mixes. This would also add a discussion about the "tricks" the dee jay applied while mixing. I most would try to mimic what I heard and practice until I thought I had it. The result was not always good. But, it was fun to do so.
Where Are The Mixes?
Today, you can hear many of the mixes from the past on Chicago House Radio as well as Mixcloud and Soundcloud. This gives listeners a chance to hear what many radio stations and dee jays were playing. I often find myself surfing through these online portals. I've discovered many mixes from other areas of the world. This would not be possible without the old cassette tapes that aficionados recorded. This is something I appreciate.
Many listeners are uploading mixes from the past to share with others. You can find some of your favorite dee jays to follow from Chicago House Radio. The great thing is you can expand your ears to our first recordings that become available. We are starting a new channel to will only cover past shows and mixes. Now you as the listener can choose what satisfies your tastebuds. We will continue to give you the current releases that you love on our main channel. Remember, the past is available to you.
That makes an opportunity for you to enjoy what you have missed. Search through and listen to the mixes that we play here on Chicago House Radio. If you want a more on-demand approach, visit our Mixcloud page. We are uploading the enhanced mixes as they become available.
Got Mixes?
Do you have mixes that you want to share? Contact us here at Chicago House Radio. Share your recorded mixes regardless of what city or region you may be in. Donate your cassette tapes and have them refurbished in our studios. For enquires, contact us today! Call 773-609-0650 or send an email to: info@chicagohouseradio.com In the subject line put: Got Mixes
We are looking forward to sharing classic mixes from our collection as well as yours. I have several mixes from all the past mixshows I have hosted as well as those recorded from the airwaves. Now go and dig out those cassette tapes and please share. Let’s get into the mix!
