A simple Java program meant for the creation of input files and as a technology test bed for the CassetteFlow system, currently under development using the ESP32LyraT audio board.
CassetteFlow is a project to make use of old school audio cassette tapes containing encoded data, and MP3/FLAC files in an attempt to simulate digital music playback from an analog audio cassette or reel to reel (R2R). Essentially, the data (track list and time code) stored on the cassette is used to control the playback of MP3/FLAC files stored on the Desktop, RPi or ESP32-LyraT board transparently. So for all practical purposes, it would seem that a typical audio cassette or R2R is outputting high quality digital audio. Think of it has having the Playlist on the cassettes instead of the analog audio. This system is especially useful for bring new life into vintage tape decks which are mechanically fine, but can no longer output good analog audio and they wouldn't be worth fixing.
The latest version focuses on supporting playback control of YouTube videos, as well as making easier for creating analog tapes using the "PlaySide" functionality. There is also basic support for jcard creation using the website https://ed7n.github.io/jcard-template/
In order to accomplish this it makes use of the excellent Minimodem program to encode the generate text input files to wav files for recording onto tape, as well has decoding data from cassettes/R2R.
Please note that this project is not meant to as a way to get cassettes/R2R to sound good. With the proper deck, tape type, and NR technology the audio can sound pretty good, even matching or coming close CD quality.
Here are the key steps to install and run the program on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
- Install Oracle JRE 8 or above (Tested with both Java 8 and 17). When using OpenJDK 8 on Raspian the MP3 player did not work correctly.
- Download and unzip the CassetteFlow.zip release and extract it to the folder of your choice.
- Install Minimodem for your particular operating system Linux, Mac OS + Brew, or Windows 10 + Cygwin.
- Open a Terminal window (On Windows, this must be the Cygwin Terminal), change to the folder where CassetteFlow was unpack, then run "java -jar CassetteFlow.jar" no quotes. If everything installed correctly, then the program GUI should display on the screen.
Installation of the Minimodem program (Steps 3&4) can be skipped if you only want to make regular audio tapes from the loaded MP3s or FLAC. Just add the audio files to the "Tape Side A/B" list, then press "Play Side" to automatically play all the files with a 4 second blank section in between each track. Having these blank sections will allow the AMS to be used on tape decks containing this functionality. There is also basic support for the creation of jcards from the tracks in the Side A/B list as well.
In addition to allowing the creation of regular analog recordings, this program also allows for some unique capabilities when used for recording CF (CassetteFlow) encoded tapes. For one, it allows for attaching track list information for long mixes (i.e. YouTube mixes), synched to the playback time. The track list information is stored in a tab delimitted [tracklist.txt](text file). Secondly, it's now possible to dynamically select the audio files and link them to a specially CF encode tape. These are called Dynamic Content Tracks, DCT, and make it possible to easily create "Mixtapes" without having to specifically record the matching CF data onto a tape every time.