Chris Trottier on Nostr: Recorded onto Type II cassette with Dolby S! Type II tape is expensive now, so if ...
Recorded onto Type II cassette with Dolby S!
Type II tape is expensive now, so if I’m using it, I have to *really* like what I’m recording—and the album itself has to be harder to find than the tape.
*Psyche* absolutely qualifies.
This is an ultra-rare city pop solo album by composer, arranger, and producer Masayuki Sakamoto. His resume includes producing “Jupiter” by J-pop singer Ayaka Hirahara, composing for the *Tales of Phantasia* video game series, and working on *The Beast Player Erin* anime.
But *Psyche* is the only album Masayuki ever made under his own name.
And what an album.
It’s a tour de force of synths and gated reverb, blending jazz, Japanese folk, ambient, and what’s often called “new age” into one tight whole. The dynamics are incredible. This is the kind of album where you turn the volume UP because you want every little detail.
Getting the CD shipped to Canada costs $88. The vinyl? That would set me back $739.
Now, I’m not against dropping big money on a rare album. And this thing is rare. It came out in 1987 and was never reissued.
But I like the colour cassette gives the music, and my Sony TC-WR901ES gives me one hell of a cassette experience. Type II with Dolby S gets me 82 dB of dynamic range—which is massively superior to vinyl.
And *Psyche* was never released on cassette. So just having this album exist on cassette makes my copy one of a kind. Finally hearing the playback was a treat.
Definitely worthy of Type II.
Published at
2026-09-22 05:47:20 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "Recorded onto Type II cassette with Dolby S!\n\nType II tape is expensive now, so if I’m using it, I have to *really* like what I’m recording—and the album itself has to be harder to find than the tape.\n\n*Psyche* absolutely qualifies.\n\nThis is an ultra-rare city pop solo album by composer, arranger, and producer Masayuki Sakamoto. His resume includes producing “Jupiter” by J-pop singer Ayaka Hirahara, composing for the *Tales of Phantasia* video game series, and working on *The Beast Player Erin* anime.\n\nBut *Psyche* is the only album Masayuki ever made under his own name.\n\nAnd what an album.\n\nIt’s a tour de force of synths and gated reverb, blending jazz, Japanese folk, ambient, and what’s often called “new age” into one tight whole. The dynamics are incredible. This is the kind of album where you turn the volume UP because you want every little detail.\n\nGetting the CD shipped to Canada costs $88. The vinyl? That would set me back $739.\n\nNow, I’m not against dropping big money on a rare album. And this thing is rare. It came out in 1987 and was never reissued.\n\nBut I like the colour cassette gives the music, and my Sony TC-WR901ES gives me one hell of a cassette experience. Type II with Dolby S gets me 82 dB of dynamic range—which is massively superior to vinyl.\n\nAnd *Psyche* was never released on cassette. So just having this album exist on cassette makes my copy one of a kind. Finally hearing the playback was a treat.\n\nDefinitely worthy of Type II.\nhttps://atomicpoet.org/media/185e3b629a2fa9168d056054b2b8b7003632652f9bf0a936ddfc07b0ab11b753.jpg\n",
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