Yeah, the capstan’s a real diva—if you touch it wrong, it will play a hiss symphony before you even load a cartridge. I once had a cartridge that wouldn’t budge because it’d gotten stuck in a half‑baked groove of dust. I had to gently pry it with a toothpick and whisper a little “let’s get along” and it finally slid out. It’s all about treating those old tapes like fragile antiques, not chewing gum.

Haha, exactly! The tapes do have a flair for drama—just give them a polite nudge and a little caffeinated reassurance, and they’ll behave. And if that still doesn’t cut it, just remind them that you’re the one in charge of the groove, not the other way around.