46 replies to this topic

[TK826]

I wasn't sure either.
I thought about shifting the songs around, but was concerned that it
might mess up the overall track times, when I move to "phase 2".



If anyone would like to make their own, here it is in three easy steps...

- First of course, you'll need a blank 8-track tape.
These can be had for a few dollars on ebay.

I used a Memorex, although all tapes are pretty much the same size:



Next, you'll need this image:



I believe the easiest method would be to print the image onto decal printer paper.

While in "Print Preview", be sure to set the print size to 7.5cm Wide.
(the length will fall into place at 12.84cm)

I would also suggest printing at best quality, to ensure the song text remains sharp.

After you have removed the old tape label, and cleaned off all of the adhesive,
(.. use soap and water as "Goof Off" or similar will eat into the plastic case)
you can apply the new one.
* Start from the bottom edge so that the label is in the same position as
the one shown in the film.

For this example, proper decals were printed by BBC's own "JKNLWUD",
...AKA "Liquid Reality".
Liquid Reality Studios




- The final result:



Next Up...
Adding sound.


Enjoy,
- Damian
TK826


* Note:
"The Best of Sam and Dave" never did exist in this form.
This fact alone (along w/ a couple additional subtle details) will always
distinguish it from the real thing.
This is strictly a prop replica.

Edited by TK826, 16 April 2009 - 08:48 PM.
added a sentence

[Ghostbluesman]

Damn, TK...that's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen....

Thanks for sharing all your hard work!
Rob

[TK826]

The friendly neighborhood UPS man just delivered a couple items to my door. http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/forum2/public/style_emoticons/default/icon_cool.gif

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•  Recorder01.jpg   36.97K   35 downloads

[Ghostbluesman]

Niiiiice, TK!
Rob

[TK826]

It's a poor quality camera phone video, but check it out...


Success!

[The Soul Man]

Great work!

[TK826]

Thanks for the good words.


That is the same tape as shown in the earlier posts.

* I see there are a bunch of broken links in this thread.
That is because I reorganized my FTP space and, after a certain amount of time,
you can not edit posts here.
Sooo.. I am unable to correct the links.

The music was recorded from the original white tape, onto the black tape.
As a result, the songs are out of order.
The cool part however is that it is a genuine 8-track to 8-track recording.
The sound doesn't get any more authentic than that.

But... the next step is to ultimately rearrange the songs using the modern CD version,
and then transfer that back to the 8-track.

There is also some physical alterations that need to be done to the tape itself.

TBoS&D is 42mins long, meaning a 45min blank tape has to be used.
Because of this, 45secs of tape has to be removed and the remaining tape spliced back together.
Otherwise there will be long pauses, before the track jumps to the next one.


Not quite finished... but almost there.

[Blueblood]

I applaud your passion!!

[TK826]

Thanks.

I figure, If I've gone this far I might as well do it right.

If all goes well, I may be able to offer them up here.
(if anyone is interested)

[jonrev]

Nice work! I'd be interested in one. I just got an old 8-track player working and have been looking for a Best of Sam and Dave.

[TK826]

This project has been on the back burner for a while now, but it is now moving forward again.

I have the PC synced with the 8-track recorder (talk about a technology clash) , and have made the first master tape, by recording the mp3's directly to the 8-track tape.

(The songs were also run through a filtering program to remove much of the static "noise" (ie: hiss), in the original recordings)


I swear though... 8-track has got to be Thee most frustrating media to work with.

First, I recorded all the songs and thought I was rolling along...
Then, on playback, I saw that there were long pauses before the track would change.
Upon timing the tracks, I discovered that this 45 min. tape actually has over 48 mins. worth of tape, stuffed inside it. So, all the tracks had to be re-dubbed, with the same amount of space between each song.

Then... When reviewing the recording, I noticed some irregularities.

I would play a song and then (perhaps) I would hear a split second pop or crackle in one part of the song. With 8-track not having a rewind option, you have to go through the entire track, back to the same spot and listen for it again... if you miss it... repeat the same process.
If you catch it, re-record the song (w/ proper spacing) and review once more.

This happens every time there is trouble.
(improper spacing, audio flaws, problems with 30+ year old equipment and tapes.. etc)

Record... Review (cycle through several times)... re-record... repeat.

It took several hours just to record 42 mins. of audio.

The sad part is... I think I'll have to do that for every tape, judging by how much tape is actually in the cartridge.
Or... I'll have to cut and re-splice each tape, to the appropriate length.

The good news though, (for those who want one) is that each tape will be a master,
recorded directly from the source files on the computer.



But... I now have my first complete tape, with the songs in the proper order and equally spaced on their individual tracks.

I'd venture to say that this repro 8-track (mainly because of the source files used) sounds even better than any original S&D "Best of" 8-track tape.


More info to come....

* If anyone is (still) interested in one of these tapes, please send me a PM.


edit:
SandD Project pictures by TK826 - Photobucket


.

Edited by TK826, 24 February 2010 - 04:31 AM.

[videobob]

This is the one I have, an original.
It's not for sale but feel free to use the graphics.
If there is a demand for it I could replicate the label and the entire cassette
if need be, but this one is not for sale. Sorry.
Thanks!!

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[Ghostbluesman]

Nice tape, Bob!
Rob

[videobob]

I'm glad I found this original, because making copies of an original's artwork and music and then selling it on the internet would be a Class-D Felony with a possible 6 months penitentiary so I'm gonna just stick with my original one!

LOL
Just kidding!!!

[TK826]

That is if someone were to intrude on a currently available item.
8-tracks haven't been available for over 30 years.

In addition, the tapes shown above never even existed in the first place.
so there is no intrusion on artwork.
(They also include disclaimers right on the label)

And for those who want music on the tapes, (some people don't)
that's free...no charge.

The only thing I charge for is a blank 8-track tape, and my time to put it together.
Which amounts to pennies.

All of which is legal.

They are also not available across the internet, (such as ebay).
Only in this very thread, to help out BBC members only.

But, if you can show anywhere Atlantic sells S&D 8-tracks, (or any other source)
I'll stop offering them.


* Wiki is not the best source for legitimate information.
:razz:
LOL
Just kidding!!!

Edited by TK826, 14 December 2010 - 01:19 PM.

[BlueAgate]

Oh egads I have enough problem to keep my digital music from shuffling out of order when I burn a CD. I'd really get confused doing the back and forth however, since you guys are describing your methods you will probably get a good chuckle out of this story. You have to keep in mind that my Dad is totally electronically challenged. We are talking a man that goes thru a cordless phone at least once a year. Dad and electronics just are not a good combination. Hey maybe he's like Harry Dresden and he's got the same kind of energy signals in his body and it just blows them to pieces but honestly, I think he just doesn't have the patience to learn how to use them properly. He's 79 now so you can understand. On to the story.

He was bemoaning the fact that he hadn't been able to listen to some of his favorite vinyl albums because of lack of replacement needles on the stereo. Yes he still has a floor model stero that has a radio, 8 track and turntable. All unworkable at this point whether thru his ineptness or age I'm not sure. Any way, he hauls himself off to Radio Shack. They sell him this turntable and a box and told him this would copy his music. They didn't bother telling him that he needed a computer to do it. It is the EZVinyl software that uses iTunes. As soon as he read me that I'm like Dad you have to have a computer. He's arguing me down saying they told me I didn't need a computer. Dad, iTunes is on the internet and to get to the internet you need to have a computer and subscribe to the internet in some fashion. How the h*ll do I do that? This went back and forth for almost three solid months driving me nutty on the phone and my poor sister-in-law. They live near him. We're 3 hours away. I only had to deal with him on the phone LOL! He drug the entire thing over to my brother's house to get it to work. Needless to say between several three-way confereces we couldn't get the darn thing to work properly. I told him to wait till I got there for the holidays and I would take a look. I'm kind of the family computer guru (just don't ask me about cameras). I brought my laptop along and sure enough he had to be hooked up to the internet. I explain how this works and that he had to have a computer. I got him set up with Earthlink. I figured he wasn't going to spring for it any longer than it took him to burn theses things. Mind you I'm not quite up with the burning stuff yet (I've gotten better). After three days of frustration I'm like Dad you need to get your own computer or rent one for a while to do this. So that's what he did. Well that didn't work out right either because what they rented him was too old to deal with the software. He gets on the phone with DELL and orders a laptop. Its got VISTA in it. We all know what happened with VISTA. Needless to say there was no way I was going to be able to guide my Dad through the intracacies of VISTA unless I sat beside him 24/7 for a few months (maybe a year). H*ll I had a hard time dealing with VISTA on that laptop. He eventually gave up on this however, I had to give him Kudos for sticking with it that long. So here he sits with an $800 laptop, software he can't use and a turntable that can't hook up to anything else but a comptuer to work.

He still wants to do this but he's starting to get used to the fact that he may not be able to do it. Then he gets it into his head that well since I can't copy my vinyls maybe I can find something that will play all the music that I like with no commercials. Enter satellite radio. I'm like oh sh#t what in the h*ll did he get now. He bought the boom box and the unit. He got it all hooked up and expected it to play. He didn't realize that he had to subscribe to it like cable television or the internet! Again, this wasn't too long before the holidays so I'm like hang in there till we visit and I'll get you set up. Fortunately, that wasn't that painful and he actually didn't mind paying for the package he got because he got all the music he likes so he's satisfied finally.

I get another call a few months after the satellite radio fiasco and he says guess what I found. I'm like oh no please don't tell me you got another computer (thinking to myself). He found this nifty doodad that will play your vinyl all sizes, CD's or cassettes and burn them to a CD with the push of a button no computer or internet needed! I'm like yea right Dad I'm sure. I'm thinking here we go again I'm going to have another migraine. Believe it or not, he actually burnt a few of his vinyls that he knew were particular favorites of mine and sent them to me. I was rather impressed. He did a good job. He was frustrated with the shuffling though. It took me a bit to get used to that with playing music on the computer and how to tell it not to shuffle. This whole incident has become known as the music fiasco. It had a happy ending finally and when we move there, I get to borrow it so I can burn copies of all my cassettes! I got some that have not been released on CD. He said I could take it to our place because he can't handle my musical preferences which are quite varied as you can see on my intro. I don't think he could handle Ted Nugent, AC/DC, Metallica then all my blues, R&B, soul, and 60's funk he'd just walk out LOL!

I vaguely remember 8-tracks. They didn't last too long did they? It was like when they first put movies on vinyl album looking thingys for an early version of the DVD.

BlueAgate

Edited by BlueAgate, 15 December 2010 - 09:02 PM.

[TK826]

That's a pretty good story.

The self contained unit is a pretty sharp device.
I looked at those about a year ago, but wondered what I would do with it after all the albums were transferred. :-P

But for those who have extensive album collections, or like your father, want to preserve some of their favorite music, it seems to be just the ticket.

What happened to the other equipment that he bought?
Are they now large paper weights ?

[BlueAgate]

LOL! I got the laptop and I'm not sure what happened to the turntable. Its probably turned into a dusty paper weight somewhere. I knew I would wind up with the laptop so when he asked me what to get I told him what I would get. I know a little mean but hey I deserved something for that aggravation. Actually that little unit plays the CD's and cassetes and albums if you want to wax nostalgic with the scratchy analog (which I think is just fine) that you burn so you wouldn't lose the use of that bit at least. It sounds pretty good too from what I got from him. I love Marty Robbins second hits album and he burned that for me but it shuffled on him and he couldn't figure it out. It doesn't work quite the way iTunes does on that so I'll have to bone up with the users guide if he hasn't pitched it! Thank goodness for the internet I'll get the user guide from the manufacturer's site LOL! Poor guy you gotta feel sorry for him. He called me today trying to figure out how to get his DVD player to work. He had to get that stupid digital box thingy to make his telly work and now he's got three remotes. You really have to feel sorry for technologically challenged people. I'm just photographically challenged. I'm sorry we lost all our vinyl collection back in 95. My hubby wrecked the moving van in a seizure. He wasn't supposed to drive it but would he listen no! I had the original AC/DC stuff with Bon Scott (Brian Johnson is great too) but still you know what I mean. I had all the Led Zep's, Pink Floyds etc. All my blues, soul, R&B and funk are on cassettes. Along with all my other favorites. Too expensive to convert all of it to CD although I did break down on some things. You just have to have some albums on CD to survive. I got the original cassette soundtrack from the first BB movie that I want to burn first (naturally). I have the Definitive Collection Live at the Universal Amphitheater of BB on CD. I'm surprised they didn't put She Caught the Katy on that one. You can get these nifty little units at Target for about $200 but I'm sure that Amazon has them and probably cheaper. For that price, it was a really good buy. That's about what he paid for it. I don't remember where he got it at but he wouldn't have been able to get it at a Target or Walmart where we're going to be living near him and my brother's family. You have to go to Dover Delaware to shop there UGH! I'm going to go thru withdrawals.

BlueAgate

[Bullitt]

Wow, what is going on, $90 for a used "Best of Sam and Dave" 8 track.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260716156910&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

[BlueAgate]

TK826 said:

That's a pretty good story.

The self contained unit is a pretty sharp device.
I looked at those about a year ago, but wondered what I would do with it after all the albums were transferred. :-P

But for those who have extensive album collections, or like your father, want to preserve some of their favorite music, it seems to be just the ticket.

What happened to the other equipment that he bought?
Are they now large paper weights ?

Hey TK I found out what happened to the turn table from the EZ Vinyl Recording debacle. It's sitting on the floor model stereo that no longer works beside the nifty electronic doodad that copies all forms of music. So I guess in answer to your question is yes, its turned into a dusty paperweight LOL! I finally turned him on to Matt "Guitar" Murphy the other night and he really liked him. Now he wants me to add the Blues channel to his Sirius satellite radio thingy. That is the only thing that is electronic that he likes and can operate too (for the most part)!