How to Buy Blank Cassettes

By eHow Electronics Editor

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If you want your custom-mix tapes to sound their best, you have to start by choosing good tapes. Match the tape you choose to both your tape deck and what you're recording.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Blank Cassette Tapes

Step1

Check your tape deck's manual for the manufacturer's recommendations.

Step2

Buy "normal bias" Type I tapes for use with mini-recorders.

Step3

If you're playing tapes on a boom box, personal stereo or low-end car deck, buy Type I tapes unless the playback unit has a switch for "high bias" Type II tapes.

Step4

Choose "metal bias" Type IV tapes if playing tapes on a high-end cassette deck.

Step5

Check the Maximum Output Level (MOL) specification to compare tapes and brands within a type. Higher numbers are better.

Step6

Buy Type I tapes for recording speech.

Step7

Choose Type I tapes or lower-grade Type II tapes for dubbing from one cassette to another.

Step8

Buy Type II or Type IV tapes if recording live music on a deck.

Step9

Select higher-grade Type II or Type IV tapes for recording from LP or CD.

Tips & Warnings

Higher-grade tapes within a type are typically distinguished by an "X" or an "S" model number.
Most tape decks automatically set the bias for the type of tape by reading notches on the cassette.
"C" indicates the total number of minutes on the tape.
Type II tapes can record higher frequencies than Type I tapes and have a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Type IV tapes are even better.
C-120s use thinner tape, which is more prone to jamming and breaking.