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I have audacity software but I don't know how to connect the turntable or cassette.

Do I need any special equipment or leads?

2006-09-21 21:12:20 · 10 answers · asked by Freddy 1 in Consumer Electronics Music & Music Players

10 answers

Yes to special equipment. Auxiliry sound in -would help.... I have a tv pcmcia card, i put this into my laptop linked to my video recorder and it re-recorded my old family videos, (keep the files small) from there i used the software that came with the pcmci card and made a new movie added sound altered sound etc.. then burned to cd.. /dvd. So yes i would say extra software. Sometimes the simplest way is the easiest so have a look at your equipment first. Perhaps the easiest way is to simply purchase a dvd recorder and link your tape deck, or turn table to it? Once on cd/dvd you can play on your computer.

2006-09-21 21:21:10 · answer #1 · answered by apollonia4u2000 2 · 1 0

You'll need 5 things:
1 A turntable (stating the obvious I know)
2 An amlipfier with a phono input (increasingly rare but an external phone stage can be bought for only £20) and a tape loop. If you don't have this, you can use a headphone output (see later)
3 A computer with a sound card that has a line-in socket (you can use the mic-in socket if that's all you have)
4 A cable, usually a 2xRCA phono to 1x3.5mm jack
5 Some software (More later)

Assuming the turntable and everything else is already connected up, connect the cable to the computer using the line in socket and connect the other end to the Rec/Out socket of the tape loop on the amplifier. If your amp doesn't have a tape loop (most do and if it's got a built in phono stage it's really unlikely that it won't have), you can use the headphone socket with a special adapter or cable that converts from a standard jack plug to a 3.5mm mini jack. If you've got an '80's mini system with a turntable, it probably won't have a tape loop, but you can use the headphone jack. The cable or adapter can be bought from any electronics store (Maplins in the UK, Radio Shack in the US, can't speak for anywhere else), it also comes free with Audio Cleaning Lab.

There is a range of software out there ranging from the professional Cakewalk stuff through to the freeware Audacity. I use something called Magix Audio Cleaning Lab. It's a bit clunky to use, but has all the feature you'll need and at £20 is pretty cheap. They all work much the same way though.

Once the software is set-up and everything connected, just play the album/tape as usual and start the software, it should register an input from the line-in and you can digitise the input.

Remember that this is a purely analog process, so there will be no track markers, gaps or automatic fetching of track names like there is for CDs, you'll have to do all this yourself and it's a time consuming process. You can also use this set-up to record stuff from internet radio.

As an alternative, you might want to consider downloading the album from the internet. There are P2P services such as eDonkey or Kazaa that will have most of the stuff already digitised, saving you a huge amount of time. The services are free and so strictly speaking illegal, but I suspect that if you have the original album and you don't share the download, then you will be OK (don't hold me to that though, I'm no lawyer).

2006-09-21 23:47:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

I don't know if this is the best way, but I have done it this way, and it works. You will need a mixing board, and the necessary leads to route your line out outputs through the mixing board, and on to your computer. You will also need recording software.

Set your system up so that the line outs connect to the line ins on a mixing board. Then run leads from the mixing board line outs to the computer audio line in. The signal coming from the line out of a stereo system, be it the turntable or cassette deck, is a bit too "hot" for the computer recording program to correctly process. With the mixing board, you will be able to adjust the signal to a point where it will record distortion free. If you bypass the mixing board, the result will be a distorted recording. You will need to do a little experimentation to get the correct levels set, but once you know what works, you'll have it. Also, keep the stereo and the computer within reach of one another. You will be manually turning on and shutting off the recording device and the stereo, and under the best of circumstances it will require a degree of dexterity and coordination. You also need to decide if you are going to keep these recordings in wave format, as they will be recorded (huge file size), or reduce it to MP3. If so, you will need software for that as well. You also need to decide if you are going to record each song individually, or if you will record the entire side of a cassette or LP as one big file. The latter is easier, but if each song is recorded individually, access is easier.

Good luck. It's a fair amount of work!

2006-09-21 21:36:53 · answer #3 · answered by yellowcab208 4 · 0 0

My advice for software would have been "Audacity". Lots of features and it's freeware so well done on finding this. You can also record direct to disc from internet radio with Audacity.

You need to take a signal from your phono 'out' sockets' on your audio system ( or use the 'tape out' signal), and connect this to your 'line in' socket on your PC. It is easy to find the right leads which have the mini stereo jack at one end, and two phono plugs at the other. If you wish to record directly from your record deck straight into your pc then you will need a special amplifer (a phono pre-amp available at Maplin right now for around 15 quid on offer).

If this system allows, email me if you need detailed advice. Happy to help.

Also cool is "waverepair" but I have only had a quick go with this one. The demo version isn't fully functional but it will do all the most important things so is worthwhile. Hope this helps. Derek.

2006-09-21 21:31:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

" Liberate your old media into glorious digital technology with the InstantMusic Vinyl & Cassette Ripper. Simply hook up an old turntable or cassette deck to the InstantMusic and plug it in into an available USB port on your PC. The included software allows you to convert your music to MP3 files, or burn directly to CD."

2006-09-21 21:25:39 · answer #5 · answered by plaibebe 3 · 0 0

I have to answer this question. I have some great tapes but they are getting stuck. CD's are costly or not available. This way if anyone comes up with a good answer, I will know. Thanks for asking this. There should be a rating system for good questions too.

2006-09-21 21:23:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Connecting seems simple enough, but I'm not sure about the software needed.

2006-09-21 21:17:56 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Do you have stereo capability?

You can probably just hook it up using your microphone connections.

If you want a truly professional job, you might want to check out an audio service, if there is one in your area. However copyrights could be a problem.

2006-09-21 21:23:17 · answer #8 · answered by Warren D 7 · 1 0

Download off the net. Quick, easy, cheap. Chances are someones done what you want to and made the result available.

2006-09-21 21:19:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

you can plug the head phone socket to the mic socket on the pc and record an external source. the leads are easy to obtain and cheap.

2006-09-21 21:14:53 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

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