This is a side project of the Russian company DiskiSPb, launched in 2019 by co-founder Albert Yeropkin, who was driven by a desire to create his own cassette.
The name "Crux" refers to the Southern Cross constellation, a theme reflected in the logo, which features four stars surrounding the letter "X."
The company views its mission as a modern reimagining of the compact cassette as a physical object that remains meaningful to collectors and music enthusiasts.
The first batch of 50 custom-designed cassettes was produced in collaboration with GoTape (St. Petersburg, Russia), a company specializing in small-run studio cassette production.
Social media buzz surrounding the cassettes generated significant interest, leading to a quick sell-out of the second batch of approximately 100 units.
From that point on, small-batch cassette production became a regular activity. Original designs are developed in collaboration with German, a member of the music project Oblivion.
The production of modern CRUX cassettes relies on the use of existing components - shells, magnetic tape, and other parts. Raw materials include, for instance, bulk stock originally intended for studio-grade cassette manufacturing.
One example is the ECP 74 batch featuring BASF tape, which was used to create the *Oblivion Sonus* series. In other instances, finished branded cassettes - such as batches from TDK, Tudor, and Memorex - serve as the base material, effectively acting as bulk stock. The company emphasizes its commitment to disclosing the specific source components used for each cassette.
Cassettes featuring exposed metal reels proved to be among the most challenging CRUX products to manufacture. Unlike the decorative reels found on Chinese-made models, CRUX developed its own reel design and mounting mechanism. The reels are manufactured from aluminum and subsequently undergo anodizing and radial grinding. The production process entails a very high rejection rate, with up to two-thirds of the parts being discarded. Experiments were also conducted using brass, but the material deformed during laser cutting. Special gaskets, die-cut to match the shape of the reel, are used in the assembly.
The rollers were initially 3D-printed, but even with high-quality equipment, it was impossible to achieve a fully satisfactory result. Consequently, the reel rollers are now sourced from a Chinese manufacturer that has managed to achieve acceptable quality.
CRUX now has experience producing pre-recorded cassettes.