A zine page by Lou Toad, from the Terminal Green.
You didn’t call it recording.
You called it figuring it out.
In a world without budgets, you made do with RadioShack.
Your dad came home with a gift.
Not a Stratocaster.
Not a drum kit.
Not even a 4-track.
Just a karaoke box
and a look in his eye like:
“Let’s see what you make of this.”
You plugged in the mic.
Deck 1 took a blank tape — rough run-throughs of the band, distortion and all.
Deck 2? That was playback.
Fresh tape back in Deck 1.
Hit record.
Sing on top.
Layer.
Create.
Rewind.
What you invented wasn’t just a workaround.
It was your first multi-track.
Your first studio.
Your first glimpse of power in repetition.
[Sidebar: TECH NOTES // THE CASIO METHOD]
- 🎤 Step 1: Plug mic into front panel
- 📼 Step 2: Record instrument track to Tape A (Deck 1)
- ⏪ Step 3: Move Tape A to Deck 2
- 📼 Step 4: Place fresh blank in Deck 1
- 🎙️ Step 5: Press play on Deck 2 and record vocals live over instrument track onto Deck 1
- 📼 🔁 Repeat until the tape gives out, or the hiss becomes music
“I never needed a studio — just a cassette, a karaoke deck, and a little belief.”
From the earliest recordings of Outer Order, recorded live at Meridian street using this exact method. Dedicated to Dad, the true producer.
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