CDs or Cassettes?

[haumeaGeth]

I do not own any physical copies of any music, and that kind of really irks me. But, I do not know how I would like to keep my music. I know that CDs offer more storage space, but I also remember them being rather fragile. And cassettes... Well, clack clack, draw on plastic, mmm good hand feel.

Those of you who use more retro music devices, what is your personal recommendation and why?

[Cobra!]

I personally prefer CDs for the convenience of ripping them to your PC, and then listening to the individual tracks whenever I like!

Cassettes on the other hand, is a fun format to own! I love analogue media, so naturally I’m drawn to cassettes.

CDs are generally better quality, but with the right mastering, tapes can sound superior, but this doesn’t happen too often.

CDs are my primary format, but if there’s an album I love, I get it on tape and vinyl as well!

Maybe try and get 2 albums, one on tape, and one on CD, and see which you prefer?

[cult_status18]

Oh I actually have experience with both cds will pretty much last forever if they don't get scratched and cassettes will actually break after using them for to long they have a thin copper sheet that gets bent every time you use it and over time it will weather and eventually break and after that youll have a bunch of cassette tape that doesn't work anymore also the tape can be damaged by any kind of screen tvs phones computers all of them can distort the audio and also tape will typically get worse in quality over time after 50 years they don't sound the same anymore so cds have always been my first option but I do enjoy the feel of cassettes and they can be a lot of fun sometimes and one benefit they have is that they are always cheaper to make that's why so many indie bands sell cassettes its not because its cool or lo-fi its because it's cheaper than cds so its easier to sell so personally I use both but when I can I buy cds

[cult_status18]

I do not own any physical copies of any music, and that kind of really irks me. But, I do not know how I would like to keep my music. I know that CDs offer more storage space, but I also remember them being rather fragile. And cassettes... Well, clack clack, draw on plastic, mmm good hand feel.

Those of you who use more retro music devices, what is your personal recommendation and why?

I do not own any physical copies of any music, and that kind of really irks me. But, I do not know how I would like to keep my music. I know that CDs offer more storage space, but I also remember them being rather fragile. And cassettes... Well, clack clack, draw on plastic, mmm good hand feel.

Those of you who use more retro music devices, what is your personal recommendation and why?

Hi friend I haven't seen you in a while im glad to say hi 

[CATBYTE]

i collect CDs, and i started collecting rather recently. my goal is to get a solid collection built so i can unsubscribe to spotify once i loose access to the student discount. the price of un-discounted spotify is pretty much a new CD anyways. i have a CD player that can play 6 albums consecutively, so that is my primary form of listening to them. i typically always listen to full albums rather than playlists so it's perfect. plus if i ever desire playlists, burning CDs is pretty accessible. also like what @Cobra! mentioned, i like that i can simply rip the files and put my music wherever i'd like, not limiting me to a particular listening style.

CDs aren't that fragile, but they're not that hardy either, they just have to be stored and handled correctly and with care just like cassettes or vinyl would. if you get into collecting CDs be sure to store them vertically, like vinyl, rather than horizontally! i just learned about this recently, but apparently stacking them horizontally can potentially put stress on the discs, damaging them over time.

i've also recently started collecting vinyl in preparation for getting a record player. however, due to the sheer cost difference, i'm only purchasing records of albums that have significance to me. i think cassettes are really cool as a format, but i don't really see myself collecting them as they lack the conveniences of CDs or sound quality of vinyl.

[AY38910]

Uhhhhhh...Pretty much the only reason I have cassettes is because there was a time I used tapedrives as storage...

I prefer a CD over a vinyl because I can stuff more tracks in ;)

[villain]

CDs are def the better option for practicality - you can rip them and stick the mp3s on an mp3 player, you can loop them, you can burn your own, they're relatively easy to store, they last better over time... and the jewel cases have that nice clack clack tactile feeling (though a lot of cds come in cardboard digipaks now).
But! if you buy a CD player you will quite often end up with a tapedeck as well (at least, if you go for a boombox like I did - I like to move it around the house if I'm going to be doing a craft in another room for example!) so you might end up collecting a small number of cassettes too - why not both?
Personally, I go to a lot of local gigs and as others said, small bands often release their music on cassettes because they're super cheap and easy to produce. This is super exciting!! In my experience you can get new cassettes from local distros for like £5-7. Even if you don't pick them up at shows, its well worth researching what labels exist in your area and checking out some :) this is my favourite thing about tapes!

[☆ cordless !!]

I definitely think CDs win on convenience and sound. They are both very awesome, but I also think cassettes are a lot more fragile, and easier to mess up. I love the way both look, but cds have a lot more room for customization for disc art, pamphlets, etc. It also takes a lot more time to skip back and forth from songs obviously. I think it depends on how gentle and patient you are, or if you just wanna rock out!!

[dotmidi]

CD       

[Cobra!]

i collect CDs, and i started collecting rather recently. my goal is to get a solid collection built so i can unsubscribe to spotify once i loose access to the student discount. the price of un-discounted spotify is pretty much a new CD anyways. i have a CD player that can play 6 albums consecutively, so that is my primary form of listening to them.

I should look into getting a CD changer, actually. Those seems really cool!

I’ve always imagined hosting a party or having guests with such a player going through various albums on shuffle for background music.

CDs aren't that fragile, but they're not that hardy either, they just have to be stored and handled correctly and with care just like cassettes or vinyl would. if you get into collecting CDs be sure to store them vertically, like vinyl, rather than horizontally! i just learned about this recently, but apparently stacking them horizontally can potentially put stress on the discs, damaging them over time.

Also try to store them in cool dry places with a consistent temperature. Also avoid direct sunlight on them.

A good rule of thumb is if wherever you store them is livable for a human, it’ll be fine for them. I’d try not to store them in a bedroom, though.
I have them in an office room I have, where I try to keep the room ventilated, and have some passive dehumidifiers to soak up moisture.

i've also recently started collecting vinyl in preparation for getting a record player. however, due to the sheer cost difference, i'm only purchasing records of albums that have significance to me. i think cassettes are really cool as a format, but i don't really see myself collecting them as they lack the conveniences of CDs or sound quality of vinyl.

One thing I do like about vinyl is that soundtracks to otherwise digital only stuff get released on it. I have the official Amazing Digital Circus pilot soundtrack on record. The Hypnospace Outlaw soundtrack is also available on vinyl, which I plan to get.

[CATBYTE]

@Cobra!
i got my CD changer for like $15 USD from a local event, someone was selling of bunch of players they had personally repaired at a very affordable price point. i feel kinda lucky because i looked online and i saw people selling the same player used for over $150! o.o

it's become my favorite way to listen to CDs, the biggest downside to it is that they're quite bulky and demand a lot of space, i went from using a boombox so it's quite a difference, but it also gave me an excuse to upgrade my speakers hehe. it's so cool to actually interact with in person, i find the experience of loading each individual CD to be very satisfying. i already mentioned how i mostly listen to music as whole albums so it's kind of a way to curate a long version of a "playlist" for me.

i'm not one to have many guests over, but i will say when my partners over we use the player as a fun way to have a variety of background music that we both like. it feels a lot more interactive than us just picking music to play on a phone or PC too which is neat. he doesn't really collect CDs though so it's mostly just my tastes, but i'm hoping to accommodate the music he likes as well as i continue to collect so it's a more balanced experience too. i will say that the idea of having multiple people bring their own discs sounds like a very cool touch for a social event!

[DiffydaDude]

I have both CDs and tapes and theyre both pretty different. On a CD you can skip ahead and write hq music on it, but unless you have a CD-RW compatible player, you cant rerecord over something. They also only store up to 80 minutes conventionally compared to up to 120 on a tape. If you wanna tape a CD, you need to make sure about what kind of tape you're using, because a chrome or ferro cobalt tape will capture the sound the best compared to a normal ferric tape which will record it perfectly fine but be far more bass heavy.

[FirewireCompatible]

cds all the way!!!!

but cassettes are cool as hell too

i like both the digital aspect of cds and the analogue of cassettes

i mainly collect cds, they're just the best to collect for me

easy to backup, players aren't hard to find, fairly cheap

also i just love sharing/borrowing cds to rip, my friends and i do it all the time