What is the besy way to transfer music on cassettes to cds?

Question

We finally have a computer with a cd burner. I have a lot of cassettes I'd like to transfer to cd. What is the best way to do it? Please explain in detail, I'm a bit electronically challenged.

Answer 1

well, for starters, i would suggest if you can purchase some of the music on CD's, then do that. the quality will be much much better than what you'd get from your cassettes.

however, if you still want to continue, i will try to explain it.

there are a few things to consider. audio cassettes aren't quite near CD fidelity, espically pre-recorded cassettes. another problem with pre-recorded cassettes is most of them were encoded using Dolby noise reduction technology, which can negatively impact the quality of the music. the main reason pre-recorded cassettes are so poor sounding is because they are mass-duplicated at high-speeds, which reduces the quality at which audio is put on to the tape...not to mention they generally use the cheapest tape available. Dolby, while a good system when it can be properly optimized, on pre-recorded cassettes usually greatly hinders the quality of the music. Dolby works by pre-emphasizing the audio before it's recorded....it basically levels out the volume of all the high frequencies and gives them a boost using an amount that's specified in the circuit design. this, in theory, puts the high frequencies (all the treble) at a louder volume on the tape than the noise, which then a general filter is applied to take out the unamplified signals and restored the modified signals to their original level. sadly, since pre-recorded tapes are cheaply produced, the system worked for the tape once or twice, but then wouldn't be as effective because the treble gets worn off the tape.

only tapes i've ever heard sound good are mass-masters (the master cassette they use to create the duplicates), and home-made recordings using expensive decks that are calibrated for the cassette tape.

Ok, so, if you still want to proceed after my quick intro to cassettes, here's what you'll need.

I'm guessing you already have a sound card..most computers do, and most of the basic sound cards i've encountered have a line-input. normally i would throw my engineering expierence and say get a good card..but you're going from cassette tapes..if you're wanting to make CD's from these rather than repurchase the music remastered from the original studio tapes (i'm talking the reel-to-reel stuff, not cassettes), then obviously sound quality is low on your priority list.

the next thing you'll need is a cassette player. now, you could cheap out and use a walkman...but, if you want to do at least a good job, pick up a component tape deck...an external unit that hooks up to stereo systems. these will provide much better quality and you won't have to worry about messing with any volume settings. if you don't have one...you might try visiting thrift stores in your area, it's a long-shot, but, i've picked up a couple of quality components between Salvation Army and Goodwill stores...you could also do the usual ebay. I paid $15 for the couple i have each...no body really wants these, so, they usually sell for little. If you're purchasing one of these...look for a unit that has Dolby B noise reduction (NR) on it...I will explain that a bit later.

the next thing you need to obtain is the wire to connect the audio output of your tape deck to your computer. these can be slightly hard to find depending on the stores in your area. if you're going from an external unit, then you'll need what is a cable commonly known by it's connections... RCA male to headphone minijack. you might recognize these connectors as the ones on your DVD player or any other home theater equipment..and the headphone minijack is recognizable as a headphone jack. it should be pretty obvious what end goes where...RCA to the tape and the headphone jack into the computer...now as for what jack you use...i cannot tell you. every computer is different and uses a different location. generally it is colored light blue, labeled "Line In", or...sometimes it has some lines to represent sound with an arrow pointing toward the center. if you have a radioshack around you, go there and pick one up, i know they have them. sometimes i've seen them in the electronics section of wal-mart and target and occasionally best buy. http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2005/220/h220SATRCA-f_dg.jpeg is where you can find a picture of what one looks like, so you know what you're looking for.

Now..the next part of how to do this involves recording the audio in to the computer...this is something i really don't want to get in because there are LOTS of programs you could use...some free...some let you try them long enough you could do some...some want money.

there is a 100% free audio editor called Audacity that will allow you to accomplish transferring the audio from the tape in to the computer, and someone's already written a book on how to use it...i've looked through it and would highly recommend going that route because, well, it's already written out in detail. you can get audacity at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ and you can start reading the online book at http://audacitybook.org/html/ch-recording-vinyl.html

they supplement what i've written nicely because i've explained as best as i can how to hook up the tape deck to the computer, which is what the book assumes you've already done.

i do have a few additional tips. if the tape was done using dolby that you can tell, then record with it on...hopefully you have an ok enough deck it won't completely sound bad...if you play a dolby tape on a non-dolby unit, or with dolby turned off...all the treble will be louder than normal, and it's not something you can just fix using an equalizer because it applies dynamic range compression (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_level_compression ) to the treble, granted it's not much and if you prefer the sound of having it turned off, then by all means feel free...i'm just speaking as an audio engineer.

if you decide to get daring and play around with audacity a bit more, trying the various effects...it is possible to remove some of the noise from the recording..it's a real touchy trick and i'm not exactly sure how advanced it's tools are...however, if you try to remove too much noise, you start degrading the quality, so, always settle for a happy medium....if you want to do it bad enough, trust me, you'll teach yourself how..i did.

just remember, what you'll get from a cassette tape isn't even close to what you'll get from a commercial CD.

Answer 2

All you choose is a recording application and a valid card on your laptop. in case you have a pc, probability is it could have one geared up in. For this technique, you need to use residing house windows record or greater suitable, obtain something like Audacity. connect the output from the cassette participant on your computing device's sound enter socket. For this you choose a cable - 3.5mm plugs on the two ends. Then all you need to do is to initiate this technique to record, press play on your cassette participant, and so forth. and bypass. it is likewise possible to edit the record later and get rid of hiss, and so forth.

Answer 3

Detailed instructions here:

http://www.infopackets.com/channels/en/windows/gazette/2003/20030218_how_to_record_an_audio_cassette_to_cd.htm

Answer 4

download the free audacity.com or go to kimkommando.com or go to pcworld.com or go to zdnet.com or go to webmasterfree.com or go to freedownloads.com