GoKawiilDisk Union and Maxell revive 1970s UD ferric cassette tape formula
Disk Union, in collaboration with Maxell, has released a special-edition run of UD-60U cassette tapes in Japan, reviving the original 1970s ferric oxide formula. The companies are marketing the tapes toward nostalgic buyers who remember the original UD series, suggesting uses like dubbing vinyl records and making mix tapes.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
While pitched as a nostalgia product for music fans, this normal-position ferric formulation is actually well suited to vintage 8-bit computer data storage, since the audio pulses used to save programs on machines like the Commodore 64 or ZX Spectrum work best on this type of tape. That makes the release notable to retrocomputing enthusiasts who struggle to find reliable, high-quality blank tapes for data backups, beyond its appeal to audiophiles chasing analog nostalgia.
- Disk Union and Maxell jointly revived the UD-60U cassette using the original 1970s ferric formula.
- The tapes are marketed for nostalgic mixtape and vinyl-dubbing use in Japan.
- Ferric normal-position tapes are also well suited to vintage 8-bit computer data storage systems.
Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette Tapes — If the Disk Union x Maxell UD-60U revival has you itching to dub records to tape, Maxell's UR normal-position cassettes are the widely available way to start today. They're classic Type I ferric blanks, perfect for mixtapes, home recordings, and feeding a vintage deck.
See Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette Tapes on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: tomshardware.com — Mark Tyson, 2026-08-23
Published there as: “Maxell brings back classic 1970s cassette tapes — 1970s ferric formula is custom-made for vintage PC data drives”
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