@matrix I can't fully explain it either but somehow casettes just are satisfying enough for me. they're cheaper than vinyls, more compact and I'm also planning to get portable with them. I admit I never actually tried vinyls, but right now I wouldn't even have any space for them

as for the flaws, I haven't run into any mechanical problems or degradation yet, perhaps I just accidentally managed to avoid some common mistakes. the sound isn't FLAC-tier but it's not that bad, I like the warmth

the ultimate goal was to record some music directly to tape and 100% bypass a computer, but that turned out to be hard in current year as multitrack tape recorders haven't been made for decades. it is what it is