How can you convert cassette tape to a cd?

[RaNDoMMAI]

Hi

My mom found some old cassette tapes and she would like to me convert them to cd so she can use them in her car.

Do i need special equipment?

Or can i get a regular cassette player and have it connect to the computer somehow?

anyone have a site on this?

thx
~RaNDoM

 

[Mithan]

You can run the audio out of the cassette deck into your PC, then you can either burn on the fly (bad) or record it to your hard drive, convert to wav files and burn the songs. It isn't hard to do, just takes a lot of time.

 

[stringcheeseincident]

not hard at all. i used an old portable tape player that i ran from the headphone out on the player to the line in on my soundcard. i used audacity to record, then burned it. real easy.

 

[Smithyoffline]

what about taking the songs on there and downloading them, so you will have better quality music

 

[RaNDoMMAI]

Hey guyz

@Mithan and stringcheeseincident
is audacity a program that plays the song and will save it to my HD? What is the wire called that plugs into a tape player and into the comp? How do i even open it up to play?
sorry foe noob question, a little confused.

@Smithyoffline
The tapes are from 1992 called Instrumental Gold. I am not sure where to look for this stuff at? never been a real music downloader guy

thx guyz
~RaNDoM

 

[Shawn]

Just download them off WinMX. It's completely legal since you already own the albums and they'd probably be better quality than copying a cassette. Plus you'd save tons of time.

 

[AtTheGates]

Audacity is free recording software. The cable you need is an 1/8" to 1/8" (small headphone jack on both sides of the cable). Plug one end into the headphone jack of the tape player and the other into the line in on your sound card.

 

[McCarthy]

Originally posted by: AtTheGates
Audacity is free recording software. The cable you need is an 1/8" to 1/8" (small headphone jack on both sides of the cable). Plug one end into the headphone jack of the tape player and the other into the line in on your sound card.

Yup, what he said. Make sure to get your levels set right. Remember you're not just copying digital from wav to mp3 or whatever, you have to get the input level right. Don't go for spiking the meter (or waveform display, whatever Audacity uses). You don't want to be in the mud either, but try to have it so at the loudest parts you're not beyond 90%. Then once you get it set leave it there for the whole tape.

If you have access to a good home stereo cassette deck use that instead of a walkman. In that case you'll need a 1/8" stereo to RCA cable rather than 1/8" to 1/8". If you do go with a walkman type player make sure you use fresh batteries (so it doesn't slow down/have more fluctuation in the amplifing circuit during play), set your line in input slider most of the way up on the PC and then run the volume off the player up to where you need it for your levels setting. Likely won't need it over 1/4 volume. Don't move the player during recording, easy to get static from those 1/8" connectors from moving as anyone who's used headphones a lot knows.

Plug in the cable, set levels, record to 44.1/16bit/Stereo wav. Don't record to some other sampling rate or to another format like mp3 - you, or your burning program, will just have to convert them back to 44.1/16/St and you'll lose quality. Your choice if you want to record each song individually or record a side at a time and then break into individual songs. Either will work fine, I'd record a side at a time and break later personally. Really won't take long at all to break up the tracks and burn to CD. Make a nice jewel case liner for her while you're at it.

 

[Bleep]

This is really a good thing to learn how to do. Also how to clean up the music taking out the hiss that is on all casset tapes, a turntable to play vynil records can be done the same way.
There is good money in doing this, you would be supprised how much money can be made just in your spare time. There are thousands of tapes and records in peoples possesion that are worn and the music is not available anywhere that people would like to listen to but dont want to listen to the noise that is on the recordings.
As to WinMx I doubt that the music you are talking about is available anywhere on the net (that is legal) anyway.
I know of a person that made $45,000.00 last year doing this.

Bleep

 

[RaNDoMMAI]

thx alot for the help guyz

I will have to check out radioshack tomorrow for the 1/8 to rca cable.

special thx to McCarthy for that detail guide.

~RaNDoM

 

[gsellis]

I used wavelab in the Creative Labs suite for tape out to line in. Of course, the last time I did it, I actually did it through my DV camera and NLE softeare as I was having issues with the port on my older system.