In an era where everything’s disposable and streamed, Cryptic Carousel is keeping physical media alive. This Q&A digs into a US based operation that’s been holding down the underground indie musician with media duplication, 8- and 7-inch vinyl records, lathe cuts, VHS runs, handmade audio/video instruments, and more.
If you’re an artist, label, or visual creator on a budget looking for small runs, custom duplication, print services, graphic design, video editing, or audio mastering, we cover why this may be your go-to spot.
How long have you been doing this?
I have been working at record stores, dubbing tapes, and involved with music stuff all my life but running the duplication service for about 10 years or so now.
How many people does it take to run this type of business or are you doing everything yourself?
I have had some helpers off and on over the years but at the moment it’s mostly just myself along with some strategic manufacturing partnerships.
You’ve got overstock blank tapes from past duplication runs, random lengths, different colors, etc. Are more artists asking for these lately?
I do often end up with some extras and random overstock. They are very popular when I list them for sale.
That 1-minute blank run (30 seconds a side) in pink, lime, and blue, who’s actually using those?
I think those were random overstock loaded in error but they were popular. Not sure what they ended up being used for.
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When would you say the resurgence of old-school audio formats like cassette tapes and vinyl really started coming back?
For me personally it never fully went away and handmade merch like tapes, CDR, lathe cuts were always a part of the underground music scenes. I think the cassette craze seemed to happen maybe 10 years ago and seems to be going strong today.
Are you seeing real differences in your business because of these trends? If so, how?
Back when it started to catch on, this thing I was doing as a hobby became more of a day job, was the main change for me personally.
What are the main pieces of equipment that constantly need repair or replacement?
None of the equipment used for cassette or VHS manufacturing is being made anymore really, so it can be a challenge keeping things running. I try to keep an eye out for similar models of tape machines and VCRs in order to salvage parts from them as needed. Heads on tape machines as well as the drum inside VCRs tend to wear down over time.
In today’s economy, especially with tariffs, how hard is it to manage material costs and keep the business alive?
It can be a challenge as all of the world’s tape shells and most of the world’s cassette tape is made overseas, so it is a challenge no matter what but the tariffs add additional cost, shipping delays, and confusion. The polycarbonate plastic used for lathe cuts has been a little easier to get in as I think some is manufactured domestically, but retooling to make cassette shells and cases appears to be too expensive to set up here.
You sell customized Walkman instruments are they selling? Are artists bundling them with releases?
Yeah for a long time I was modding and selling a lot of circuit bent cassette players that musicians used for sound art and noise experiments. I haven’t had as much time to focus on those these days but they do still sell regularly. I am not sure if anyone has done a bundled player plus album release deal, but it would be a great idea.
10,000 CASSETTE TAPE COVERS
You have vintage cassette machines from NRS/tapes.com and the KABA cassette duplication system, how do you find deals like that?
I have been a regular customer to all of the tape companies for maybe 20 years or more now so occasionally I might hear about a piece of equipment up for sale but mostly I am just searching eBay and forums for old machines like everyone else.
What is an endless loop tape?
Endless loop is a cassette that plays in one continuous loop perpetually. Can be good for sound art and also similar to old answering machine tapes and eight track.
Are you seeing more musicians and visual artists pairing cassette releases with VHS tapes as a complete package?
Yes, all sorts of VHS releases as well, lots of indie films, live concerts, music videos, A/V art!
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What mistakes do first-timers usually make when prepping audio for lathe cuts?
For the lathe cuts really, anything will work. The only thing I might recommend is that if you are wanting the final cuts to be a little louder you don’t want to push the digital masters into the red with a ton of distortion. A clean master will be easier to amplify into the heads resulting in a slightly louder cut.
What are your biggest sellers right now?
I think cassettes are still the most popular, but I am doing a lot of lathes and VHS work these days.
What should artists have ready before reaching out for a custom quote?
If they have all of the templates, audio, and order specs ready to go that is great but if not I am here to help!
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INTERVIEW: LaMont R.
EDITOR: LaMont R.
IMAGE: Cryptic Carousel
