The HC-TT is a compact cassette manipulation device which allows you to manually play a cassette with your hands. The resulting sound can be incredibly similar to scratching a vinyl record. Sound will only be produced while your hands are turning either of the large playback knobs. By turning these knobs you are directly rotating the cassette spindles which moves the tape across the internal tape head. The knobs “play” a regular cassette forwards and backwards. There is no motor in this device, so direction and speed is left to the performer. The illuminated touch switch is a momentary mute for both the mono audio output as well as the CV/Gate outputs. The Arches and Moons touch plates allow for feedback and other strange interactions. This device does not record audio but only outputs pre-recorded audio from any cassette tape. Please see below for additional details.
SPECIFICATIONS:
-Forwards and Backwards knobs w/metal cranks utilize 4 ball bearings soldered into the case allowing for responsive control and manipulation of an audio cassette tape. Scrubbing of audio tape using the two knobs can sounds nearly identical to scratching a vinyl record. There is no motor or automatic playback in this device, you are the motor. [Large Arrow] knob is forwards and [Small Arrow] knob is backwards.
-Momentary Touch Mute [Sunset] for gating audio (tape or external) and/or CV/Gate signals. Touching the mute switch and Feedback Points simultaneously will create strange buzzy tonalities which change based on how much skin is in contact with each touch point.
-A Gain control at it's highest level can get quite loud and add a bit if overdrive to the signal, plus when used in combination with the tone control it can pushed a little more. At it's lowest level it still allows cleaner audio and lower CV out when moving the tape. This is also pre-CV/Gate which means it will be used in tandem with the tone control to send the desired CV/Gate amounts out of the HC-TT.
-A lo-fi dirty Tone control which cuts most bass content at it's lowest level and boosts bass content at it's highest. This control is pre-CV/Gate which means it will allow you to adjust your CV/Gate levels and response. You will hear scrubbing sounds when turning this knob and the audio will also cutout due to it’s placement in the feedback path of the circuit. Turning the knob very quickly creates a bass drum like effect and if you do this while holding the touch mute the tone will change. This can also be used to send out a Gate signal or to “mute” audio destructively by turning the knob.
-3.5mm CV and Gate [Half Moon and Square] outputs which allow you to use your chosen tape's audio content in combination with your playing style as a way to manipulate a modular synthesizer. To put it another way, the HC-TT is also a tape based "controller" or modulation source. Utilize the immediate responsiveness of a mechanical device and analog tape to control your system in chaotic or subtle ways. Hand crank a sequencer using the gate output, "scratch" a VCO with the CV output or make your system sound somewhat similar to the warbled tape you are currently manipulating.
-I/O Feedback Touch Points [Arches and Moons] allowing for touch sensitive analog feedback within the preamp (not to tape). The feedback you create also outputs to CV/Gate. This feedback can greatly distort and mangle your manipulated tape signal as well as incoming audio. By touching only the input pad you will turn your body into an antenna injecting radio signals, hum or static to the audio and CV/Gate outputs (radio frequencies and results vary greatly by location). While touching the input pad [Arches] you can also use your other hand as a lo-fi “circuit sniffer” to listen to the sounds of laptops, cellphones and other equipment which output EMF. While touching both pads [Arches + Moons] and also introducing slight contact towards the sides of the touch mute switch you can change the character of the feedback to sound more liquid. By touching all three directly you will hear bee or mosquito like tonalities which will change depending on the amounts of skin in contact with each of the touch pads.
-The cassette inserts along the front edge by lifting both knobs and then reseating them through the cassette spindles and into the ball bearings below. The cassette is not damaged by this playback method and this technique makes it nearly impossible to tangle a tape.
-1/4" mono output [Up Arrow/left side]
-1/4” mono input [Down Arrow/right side] which allows you to use the HC-TT’s circuitry as a lo-fi overdrive and playable touch feedback processing device. The input does not go to tape. The input is also processed to the CV/Gate outs. The touch mute also mutes incoming audio.
-12v power supply works in all countries and is provided with both a country specific and US plug type adaptor.
-The entire construction is made from 6 x heavy duty 2mm and 1 x 1.6mm thick Immersion Gold PCBs (composite of woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy resin binder + copper w/thin gold plating for oxidation resistance)
-Weight: 0.8lbs
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
Product Overview
The HC-TT is a compact cassette manipulation device which allows you to manually play a cassette with your hands. The resulting sound can be incredibly similar to scratching a vinyl record. Sound will only be produced while your hands are turning either of the large playback knobs. By turning these knobs you are directly rotating the cassette spindles which moves the tape across the internal tape head. The knobs “play” a regular cassette forwards and backwards. There is no motor in this device, so direction and speed is left to the performer. The illuminated touch switch is a momentary mute for both the mono audio output as well as the CV/Gate outputs. The Arches and Moons touch plates allow for feedback and other strange interactions. This device does not record audio but only outputs pre-recorded audio from any cassette tape. Please see below for additional details.
SPECIFICATIONS:
-Forwards and Backwards knobs w/metal cranks utilize 4 ball bearings soldered into the case allowing for responsive control and manipulation of an audio cassette tape. Scrubbing of audio tape using the two knobs can sounds nearly identical to scratching a vinyl record. There is no motor or automatic playback in this device, you are the motor. [Large Arrow] knob is forwards and [Small Arrow] knob is backwards.
-Momentary Touch Mute [Sunset] for gating audio (tape or external) and/or CV/Gate signals. Touching the mute switch and Feedback Points simultaneously will create strange buzzy tonalities which change based on how much skin is in contact with each touch point.
-A Gain control at it's highest level can get quite loud and add a bit if overdrive to the signal, plus when used in combination with the tone control it can pushed a little more. At it's lowest level it still allows cleaner audio and lower CV out when moving the tape. This is also pre-CV/Gate which means it will be used in tandem with the tone control to send the desired CV/Gate amounts out of the HC-TT.
-A lo-fi dirty Tone control which cuts most bass content at it's lowest level and boosts bass content at it's highest. This control is pre-CV/Gate which means it will allow you to adjust your CV/Gate levels and response. You will hear scrubbing sounds when turning this knob and the audio will also cutout due to it’s placement in the feedback path of the circuit. Turning the knob very quickly creates a bass drum like effect and if you do this while holding the touch mute the tone will change. This can also be used to send out a Gate signal or to “mute” audio destructively by turning the knob.
-3.5mm CV and Gate [Half Moon and Square] outputs which allow you to use your chosen tape's audio content in combination with your playing style as a way to manipulate a modular synthesizer. To put it another way, the HC-TT is also a tape based "controller" or modulation source. Utilize the immediate responsiveness of a mechanical device and analog tape to control your system in chaotic or subtle ways. Hand crank a sequencer using the gate output, "scratch" a VCO with the CV output or make your system sound somewhat similar to the warbled tape you are currently manipulating.
-I/O Feedback Touch Points [Arches and Moons] allowing for touch sensitive analog feedback within the preamp (not to tape). The feedback you create also outputs to CV/Gate. This feedback can greatly distort and mangle your manipulated tape signal as well as incoming audio. By touching only the input pad you will turn your body into an antenna injecting radio signals, hum or static to the audio and CV/Gate outputs (radio frequencies and results vary greatly by location). While touching the input pad [Arches] you can also use your other hand as a lo-fi “circuit sniffer” to listen to the sounds of laptops, cellphones and other equipment which output EMF. While touching both pads [Arches + Moons] and also introducing slight contact towards the sides of the touch mute switch you can change the character of the feedback to sound more liquid. By touching all three directly you will hear bee or mosquito like tonalities which will change depending on the amounts of skin in contact with each of the touch pads.
-The cassette inserts along the front edge by lifting both knobs and then reseating them through the cassette spindles and into the ball bearings below. The cassette is not damaged by this playback method and this technique makes it nearly impossible to tangle a tape.
-1/4" mono output [Up Arrow/left side]
-1/4” mono input [Down Arrow/right side] which allows you to use the HC-TT’s circuitry as a lo-fi overdrive and playable touch feedback processing device. The input does not go to tape. The input is also processed to the CV/Gate outs. The touch mute also mutes incoming audio.
-12v power supply works in all countries and is provided with both a country specific and US plug type adaptor.
-The entire construction is made from 6 x heavy duty 2mm and 1 x 1.6mm thick Immersion Gold PCBs (composite of woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy resin binder + copper w/thin gold plating for oxidation resistance)
-Weight: 0.8lbs
Technical Specs
Shipping Details
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
