Recording(burning?) cassettes to CDRs

[Methodical]

What do I need and need to do to be able to record cassettes to CDRs? Is it possible? I know you probably wondering why, why. I have music that you just can't get on CDs and I want to be able to play the music in my car.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[MDS]

You need a tape deck (obviously ), a sound card with a line input in your computer and software to record.

I would recommend an audio editor (I use Sound Forge) to do the recording as you will have to do some editing after recording is done - things like split into tracks, fade-in, fade-out, etc.

You need to get a cable that has a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo mini plug on one end and 2 RCA connectors on the other end. The RCA connectors go to the output of the cassette deck and the stereo mini to the line-in of the sound card. Configure the sound card to record from line-in, arm your recording software to begin recording, and then play the tape. Once the entire side of the tape has played, you will have one giant wave file on your hard drive. Split it into tracks and edit if necessary and save each individual song as a wave file.

Once you have all the songs on the hard drive, then you burn them to CDR.

 

[ChrisJam]

What do I need and need to do to be able to record cassettes to CDRs? Is it possible? I know you probably wondering why, why. I have music that you just can't get on CDs and I want to be able to play the music in my car.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm helping a friend do this right now. He found a box of old cassette tapes in his basement. He hadn't heard them in 10+ years, but seeing them brought back memories. Knowing some of the software I have, he asked me if I could burn them to CD-R discs.

I haven't owned a cassette player in ages, but my friend still had a dual-deck Teac, and he loaned it to me for the project. Hook-up to my computer is easy--two RCA cables coming out of the Teac and ending in a stereo mini plug. That goes into my sound card's female mini plug socket.

Sometimes I have to do some tweaking with my audio importing/editing software to make the tapes sound good, but most are still in good shape. Once I have a cassette tape ripped into separate files--one AIFF file for each song--I burn them to a CD-R.

I could tell you what software I use and explain how to use it, but first I should say that I use Macs. Unless you do, too, my explanation would be pointless. I know, though, that there are sound-editing apps for other operating systems. A quick Google search should find you many of them, assuming you need them. If you use Mac OS X, feel free to ask me for some how-to tips.

Chris

 

[ChrisJam]

You typed faster than I did

You need a tape deck...

You beat me to it, MDS.

Chris

 

[Methodical]

Hey thanks for the help. Now, I need help in determining whether or not my sound card has a line in input. Do I have to open the CPU or is it externally located at the back of the CPU. I have a HP and a Dell with the XP Media Center capabilities. I think they both have the integrated sound card - if that helps.

It was stated to configure the audio card to record from line in. How is this done? I'm not too computer savvy so please bare with me.

Oh yeah I knew I needed a tape deck

 

[MDS]

You don't have to open the computer case. The jack for line input should be colored light blue and usually will be right next to the other jacks like speaker output (green) and microphone input (pink). On some machines with integrated sound, the outputs are on the back and the inputs are on the front panel.

To configure the recording level:
- Double click on the speaker icon in the system tray by the clock to bring up the volume control applet. Alternatively you can get to it from control panel->sounds and audio devices->audio tab.

- If you got the volume control applet by double clicking the speaker icon, you have to click on the options menu->properties and then select the radio button that says 'adjust volume for recording'.

If you got the volume control applet via sounds and audio devices in control panel, click the volume button in the section that says 'sound recording' and the volume control applet will open already set to show the recording controls.

- Now start whatever application you will use to do the recording and arm it for recording (this varies with the application). Hopefully your application will have peak level meters so you can set the record level. Start playing the tape but do not hit record, just watch the level meters. Move the volume slider for line-in until you get the meters to around -3 dB. You can go higher but you never want to see the meters hit 0 dB or light the clip indicator (if your meters have a clip indicator). - 3 dB is a reasonable level that leaves you plenty of room for peaks in the music unless you want to listen to the entire tape and watch the meters the whole time so you don't end up clipping the input signal. You can always make it louder using normalization or compression in the audio editor after recording is done.

- When you think the level is right, rewind the tape, start playing, and hit record. You will have to wait until it is done and hit stop on recording as the software cannot know when the tape is done playing (unless it offers timed recording and you can just set it to 30 minutes or whatever and walk away).

 

[ChrisJam]

Hey thanks for the help. Now, I need help in determining whether or not my sound card has a line in input. Do I have to open the CPU or is it externally located at the back of the CPU.

I have a HP and a Dell with the XP Media Center capabilities. I think they both have the integrated sound card - if that helps.

You wouldn't have to open your computer's box. If your soundcard has a line-in input, it'll be obvious. Just look at the back of your computer--unless it's a laptop, don't move it around much with the hard drive spinning!--and see if you have a 1/8" stereo mini plug socket. That's the same kind of socket that a small pair of headphones would use with an iPod, another portable MP3 player, or a Discman. If your box has one, it might be labeled with a small microphone icon next to it. You probably have another one, too, where you can plug in a pair of headphones. You might see a headphone icon next to this socket, depending on the manufacturer. If you have the microphone input--a line-in input--you're all set.

As I said I'm a Mac user, and all Macs come with a decent soundcard. I've read that Win users can buy a good soundcard for very little money, so if your box doesn't have one, it wouldn't set you back much. Someone in this forum could give you recommendations.

Note: Depending on your soundcard, you might see other inputs, too. For example, mine has optical-in and optical-out, so I can work with digital signals, as well as the analog ones that the mini stereo plugs provide. So don't be worried if you find extra sockets back there. Having more options is good.

It was stated to configure the audio card to record from line in. How is this done? I'm not too computer savvy so please bare with me.

Oh yeah I knew I needed a tape deck

I never had to do any soundcard configuring. I just attached the tape deck, opened my sound-importing and sound-editing software (it's the same app), and I was in business. That doesn't help you, I know, sorry. But see if you have a control panel for sound. If so, look at all its parts, and see if there's a setting you need to choose to import sound with your line-in input. After that, get the cables MDS and I recommended, hook up your tape deck, and experiment. The Windows people here will be able to help you if you get stuck at some point.

G'luck,
Chris

 

[ChrisJam]

Again!

You don't have to open the computer case...

LOL--you again typed faster than I did.

Chris

 

[MDS]

Happens all the time. I don't see any current response and then when I hit submit suddenly there is a response before mine or directly after mine as in this case. It would be nice if there were a way to see 'ChrisJam is responding' like in instant messaging clients.

 

[Methodical]

Again, thanks. I am now researching the software that MDS recommended. I appreciate all of the assistances. Thanks

 

[ChrisJam]

Happens all the time. I don't see any current response and then when I hit submit suddenly there is a response before mine or directly after mine as in this case.

Makes sense. With almost 2,400 posts to your credit, it must almost be a regular thing for you. For me it's new, because there are few threads where I feel qualified to give advice.

Chris