With much of the early Los Angeles punk scene of the scene having remained under-documented and relatively unknown since the’70/80s during which it formed, producer/recording artist Dan Vargas has set about digitising a collection of recordings using Tascam’s CD-A580 Cassette Recorder/CD Player/USB Flash Drive Player/Recorder.

The Los Angeles native cut his teeth in the scene’s salad days as a producer/manager working with artists such as Legal Weapon, Odd Squad, Sludge, The Brat and Cambridge Apostles. Drawing on his unique insight the began what is now known as the Eddie Ayala Project.

‘Renowned East LA musician Eddie Ayala passed away in 2023,’ Vargas says. ‘Eddie was a mainstay as a lead vocalist and frontman [Los Illegals, Orbit, Odd Squad and Cactus Flower], and had a large unreleased catalogue of recordings, primarily in cassette format, along with a few CDRs After his death, I was given access to these recordings in the hope that I could digitise them for Eddie’s loved ones.

‘These cassettes came from three sources and stored in different environments. I tried to use a conventional cassette deck, but some of the tapes were weathered and wouldn’t play. I needed a more robust solution, and the CD-A580 is an easy and efficient tool for projects such as this. I transferred multiple cassettes and CDRs directly into my workstation and the playback results were great. I used the CD-A580 to transfer 21 cassettes and three CDRs in real time – this amounts to roughly 120 songs, including rehearsal and studio takes, all of which were unheard for decades.

‘The cassette function of the CD-A580 is exceptional because the sound quality delivered a faithful audio reproduction of the music,’ he continues. ‘Even though some of the tapes were not well kept and over 30 years old, the CD-A580 transport system was able to play, fast forward, and rewind the tapes effortlessly. In some ways, I think the CD-A580 rescued the music that couldn’t be played on a regular cassette deck. Eddie’s music is his legacy and the CD-A580 brought back the songs that he sang and now the world can hear.

‘To be honest, the CD-A580 is a very intuitive piece of studio equipment and as a result, I didn’t require any support. I will say, however, that past experience has demonstrated Tascam stands ready to assist their customers and they have always been very responsive.

‘The CD-A580 is an incredible tool for use in any home or professional studio’s arsenal,’ he adds. ‘Its audio performance is excellent and it’s a well-made, robust piece of equipment. I experienced nearly effortless transfer of both cassette and CDR content with top-notch A/D converters. Coupled with Tascam simplicity, this project was all music and no fuss. The CD-A580 was a central fixture throughout the project, and I couldn’t be happier.’

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