tapDancer Virtual Datasette Application icon

tapDancer Virtual Datasette 1.81

1.4 MB / 10K+ Downloads / Rating 4.2 - 277 reviews


See previous versions

tapDancer Virtual Datasette, developed and published by Kicaco, has released its latest version, 1.81, on 2016-02-17. This app falls under the Entertainment category on the Google Play Store and has achieved over 10000 installs. It currently holds an overall rating of 4.2, based on 277 reviews.

tapDancer Virtual Datasette APK available on this page is compatible with all Android devices that meet the required specifications (Android 2.3+). It can also be installed on PC and Mac using an Android emulator such as Bluestacks, LDPlayer, and others.

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App Screenshot

App Screenshot

App Details

Package name: co.kica.tapdancer

Updated: 9 years ago

Developer Name: Kicaco

Category: Entertainment

New features: Show more

App Permissions: Show more

Installation Instructions

This article outlines two straightforward methods for installing tapDancer Virtual Datasette on PC Windows and Mac.

Using BlueStacks

  1. Download the APK/XAPK file from this page.
  2. Install BlueStacks by visiting http://bluestacks.com.
  3. Open the APK/XAPK file by double-clicking it. This action will launch BlueStacks and begin the application's installation. If the APK file does not automatically open with BlueStacks, right-click on it and select 'Open with...', then navigate to BlueStacks. Alternatively, you can drag-and-drop the APK file onto the BlueStacks home screen.
  4. Wait a few seconds for the installation to complete. Once done, the installed app will appear on the BlueStacks home screen. Click its icon to start using the application.

Using LDPlayer

  1. Download and install LDPlayer from https://www.ldplayer.net.
  2. Drag the APK/XAPK file directly into LDPlayer.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

App Rating

4.2
Total 277 reviews

Reviews

4 ★, on 2016-08-26
Had to fiddle with settings and volume, once I figured that out was successfully loading C64 tape images with ease. Very handy to be able to do it from your phone as opposed to laptop/PC. Can't seem to get the auto pause feature to work well for me, it seems to pause when I don't want it to. Also the manual pause button doesn't resume playback correctly, it starts playing from the beginning once unpaused instead of resuming where you paused from. Best to sit there and hit space immediately.

5 ★, on 2016-04-30
It worked great for me. You may need to spend some time adjusting volume settings on your Android device to make this work properly.But that is no fault of tapDancer itself. Also, make sure to read the instructions about pausing playback and about pressing space on the C64 when the tape program is first found. Thanks for creating this great program. :)

3 ★, on 2016-09-07
Great app. Worked great on C64, Speccy etc. Sadly can't get any .uef files for Acorn Electron to work though. TapDancer freezes after selecting the .uef and the convert progress bar stays stuck on 0%. If fixed TapDancer would get full marks

4 ★, on 2016-08-01
Works pretty well once you figured out how to properly use it. For C64, it sometimes stops after the game has loaded, and you have to press PLAY once more for the game to begin.. Like it's waiting for some last bit of data. Apart from that, the scrolling display is kinda annoying. There's no reason it should be scrolling, and not just static. As it takes a second or two for the scrolling text to appear, you're left wondering if it's actually playing or not. That's a bit silly. The overall functionality is great though!

4 ★, on 2017-03-27
App works great on my s7 edge, but having force closing issues on my S4 any time audio is playing and I try to pause/stop/open settings. Hope to see a fix soon!

5 ★, on 2017-05-15
Works perfectly with my spectrum +2 and amstrad cpc464. Expected it to be a pain to get working, was pleasantly surprised.

Previous Versions

tapDancer Virtual Datasette 1.81
2016-02-17 / 1.4 MB / Android 2.3+

tapDancer Virtual Datasette 1.80
2018-08-19 / 1.8 MB / Android 2.3+

About this app

tapDancer TAP/T64/PRG/P00 / TZX / CDT / UEF / CAS to Audio (WAV) Converter ( C64 / 128 / VIC20 / SINCLAIR / AMSTRAD ACORN / BBC / MSX / ATARI)

*** Features ***

Convert .TAP / T64 / PRG / P00 / TZX / CDT / UEF / CAS to audio-out * Pause, stop and re-start playback * Remembers previously-set volume level * High-precision render * Auto-pause functionality * TurboTape compression (Commodore 64/128).

tapDancer converts archives of vintage games and other software into audio waveforms that your classic 1980's-era computer(s) can understand and plays them back, allowing you to once again use these programs on your cherished system(s) using your mobile Android device, and a tape-interface cable or CD-to-cassette adaptor (depending on the computer.)

Currently, tapDancer supports Commodore (TAP / T64 / PRG formats), Sinclair ZX Spectrum (TZX / TAP), Amstrad CPC (CDT), Acorn Electron / BBC (UEF), MSX (CAS) and Atari (CAS).

tapDancer sports a fully-featured playback interface to assist you in reliving those beloved memories of the past. Other features include the ability to auto-pause on tape silences for ease of loading programs, and TurboTape compression of Commodore T64 / PRG / P00 to let you reminisce sooner!

Simply copy your archived software files (of programs you own!) to the SDCard storage of your Android device, then run tapDancer. Press the 'Eject' button, and then navigate to your files. (If your device has multiple SDCard directories, you can switch between them in the Settings menu -- see the documentation for more details.) Select your desired archive and tapDancer will then render the audio. tapDancer even supports extracting files from inside .ZIP and .T64 on-the-fly!

After the audio renders (anywhere up to two minutes, or longer on slower devices), press the 'Play' button after commanding your classic computer to LOAD. Adjust your volume to around 10 (for starters). With luck, in a few moments your computer will recognise the file, press SPACE on your Commodore 64 (for example) as soon as it says 'FOUND *GAME*'. (This step will vary depending on your computer system. See documentation for further details.) If it doesn't, try adjusting the volume up or down, press 'Stop' in tapDancer to reset the audio playback, reset your computer, and try again.

Placing your device into 'Airplane' mode is a good idea, as mobile 'chatter' can disrupt the playback. Also, be wary of magnetism -- keep your datasette / mobile device away from any CRT monitors!

For more detailed usage information and a user forum, tap the Help (?!) icon on the main tapDancer interface screen, or visit the tapDancer website at http://tapDancer.info or by tapping the WWW icon on the main tapDancer interface screen.

*** Highlights ***

* TAP / T64 / PRG / P00 / TZX / CDT / UEF / CAS support (Commodore 64 / 128 / VIC20 / etc., Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX-compatibles, Acorn Electron / BBC Micro, Atari 400/800/XL/XE)

* Configurable TurboTape compression of T64 / PRG / P00 (Commodore)!

* Intuitive user-interface.

* Auto-pausing functionality (for ease of loading.)

* Ability to extract files from .ZIP and .T64 on-the-fly.

tapDancer is a product of kica.co, copyright 2014 by April and Melody Ayres-Griffiths.

New features

Version 1.81:
Fixed buggy UEF support (BBC Micro / Acorn Electron)
22khz playback support for Spectrum (selectable in preference menu)

App Permissions

Allows an application to write to external storage.
Allows access to the vibrator.
Allows using PowerManager WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming.
Allows an application to read from external storage.