Advertisement
Canada markets closed
  • S&P/TSX

    22,167.03
    +59.95 (+0.27%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,254.35
    +5.86 (+0.11%)
     
  • DOW

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • CAD/USD

    0.7388
    +0.0015 (+0.20%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • Bitcoin CAD

    95,991.08
    +2,367.60 (+2.53%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • RUSSELL 2000

    2,124.55
    +10.20 (+0.48%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2060
    +0.0100 (+0.24%)
     
  • NASDAQ futures

    18,465.00
    -38.75 (-0.21%)
     
  • VOLATILITY

    13.01
    +0.23 (+1.80%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     
  • CAD/EUR

    0.6845
    +0.0040 (+0.59%)
     

Rewind: the Elbow aims to put new spin on the cassette

Rewind: startup trying put new spin on cassettes
The Elbow is seen here.

A Lithuanian design company is trying to put a new spin on a seemingly outdated technology.

BrainMonk is considering the feasibility of building the Elbow, a mod intended to make it easier for music collectors who have been clinging on to their cassettes to listen to their old favourites, or for the next generation to experience what it was like to hit play on that perfect mix tape.

The company revealed new details about how the device, which was initially unveiled last year, would function.

According to its website, the Elbow would use a pulley and an optical sensor to maintain a constant playback rate.

ADVERTISEMENT

The device’s biaxial arm, which rotates in two directions, would mirror the functionality of a record player.

Users could lift and swing the arm between holes, negating the need to eject and flip the cassette.

The arm would also feature a wheel that would allow users to control the volume, direction and speed.

That’s likely music to the ears of cassette collectors who would no longer have to hunt down a pen when the tape comes off the wheel or if they want to manually rewind.

The Elbow would be equipped with a 3.5 millimetre audio jack and USB port for charging and transferring audio from the cassette to a computer. A small pin would also allow users to attach the device to their clothes.

While the device is clearly in its early stages, the question remains how much demand there is for new cassette technology, which has long since fallen out of use after the popularization of digital music.

However, following the completion of a market research survey in March, BrainMonk said there is a group of music fans who have a need for the product.

“The rise of cheap and convenient digital formats have made all physical media out of date, if not altogether extinct. Still, there remains a niche audience willing to appreciate the tape medium, with all its intricacies and flaws,” it said on its website.

“The tactile intimacy of physical formats is dearly missed.”

And there is some broader evidence that supports their belief.

According to Forbes, sales of cassettes in the U.S. jumped an astounding 74 per cent in 2016. This figure represents a faster growth rate than any other music medium.

However, the overall sales amounted to just 129,000 tapes, which is dwarfed by vinyl records (13 million) and only represents a small piece of the total 200 million albums sold, which includes CDs, vinyl, digital and cassettes.

Some experts have attributed the revival of analog media, such as cassettes and to a much larger extent vinyl, to the return of the local record shop, nostalgia among older people and millennials’ desire to collect music in a tangible way.

It also a means for musicians to get their fans to listen to entire albums in the digital age, rather than them simply streaming or downloading single tracks.

However, cassettes still have significant drawbacks compared to newer media.

Depending on how they are stored, tapes begin to degrade after 10 or 20 years, so those cassettes you listened to over and over in your youth, might be worthless.

And, unlike records, standard Walkman-era cassettes also don’t offer a higher sound quality, although, the large reel-to-reel tape decks do.