How do I record cassette tapes from library on my computer?

Question

I have CD burner to make discs, but have cassette player in truck and would like to listen to taped music from my computer library.

Answer 1

I've done this before as I had the same predicament years ago with my 1985 Dodge Ram having only a cassette deck and wanting to listen to my MP3's on it before portable MP3 players came about. This was 8 or 9 years ago now mind you, but you can still do what I did today. Here's what I did:

Find a dual deck cassette unit capable of copying tapes. Mine was an old boom box that had dubbing in it. In the first deck, the source, put in a cassette to 1/8" stereo jack adapter. These are those dummy cassettes with the wire coming out if it that used to come with portable CD players so you could use them in cars with cassette decks. Plug that dummy cassette into your line output of your computer, or speaker output. Press play on your cassette deck and play some MP3's on your computer. Adjust the volume with the speaker icon in windows so that it sounds just right coming out of your cassette deck player. Too loud and it will be distorted, too soft and the tape hiss will be overbearing. When everything sounds good, put your blank cassette into the second deck. Remember that cassette record times are both sides total so a 60 minute tape will hold only 30 minutes each side. I play my MP3's in winamp and it adds up the time so I make sure I get just under 30 minutes in there for one side. Press play on the source tape (the dummy cassettte), and record on the destination deck (the blank tape). Let it run for a few seconds to get past the tape lead in then hit play on your computer's MP3 program. Voila! Flip the tape when it's done and put 30 more minutes of music on the back.

You probably have all what you need to do that in your house, but if you don't, borrow somebody's or go to a thrift store. Don't buy all that stuff new. Also, if you have a shelf system cassette deck that has line inputs on it, you can use that instead of the dual deck dubbing method. Just get a cable that goes from 1/8" stereo to 2 male RCA's. Most people don't have these laying around like the dual cassette decks, but you can do either or. Just remember these things (with pictures!):
-Method 1-
Cassette Adapter
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00077DDGO.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Dual Deck cassette boom box
http://img.shopping.com/cctool/PrdImg/images/pr/177X150/00/00/00/75/29/29993.JPG

-Method 2-
Cassette deck with line input
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B00000JFM9.01.BACK._SCLZZZZZZZ_V1056649289_.jpg
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B00000JFM9.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_V1056649289_.gif

1/8" stereo to 2-RCA male adapter cable
http://media.zzounds.com/media/fit,325by400/brand,zzounds/CMR-203_0017-bb1cab63ee167a0f57a1a13d09fa0ba6.jpg

Answer 2

You can actually plug it directly into the in( Microphone) jack on the back of your computer. Using a 2 to 1 Y adapter and record the sound using any standard MP3 Player. Music Match, Rio, Windows Media Player etc. Being a library cassete I am sure the quality would be a insult to the digital age but nothing like listening to music retro style. Ah the days of the 8-track and shure phone needles are amongst us again. You would get used to the hiss, (hopefully before your speakers blow.)

Answer 3

Use a portable CD player and a cassette adapter in your truck.

For around $40 you can even pickup a mp3 CD player. I have a Sony PSYC that can read CD-RW's. One mp3 CD can hold about 500 min of mp3's at 128KB/s. Mine will resume from the same spot after turning off, but will loose its place if I take the CD out.

Answer 4

annoying to %. a well-known. I nevertheless have my 8 tax and that i admire them as a results of fact it repeats and repeats. CD's have a sturdy high quality, yet I nevertheless have my cassettes as a results of fact I cant get the different albums anymore and that i refuse to throw away Mandy Patinkin. All of my LP's melted while a water heater burst and that i will variety of never forgive the guy who positioned them on the factor of it. Oh nicely.

Answer 5

There is a player you can get that you link to your PC that does that. I think I saw it on the skymall.com site.