Casette tape to digital?

lotharsnllotharsnl
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I need to back up some really old, valuable, cassette tapes. I am about to order this; http://bittyit.com/TapeLink/



Would anyone advise another route?



Thanks!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    dr millmossdr millmoss Posts: 5,403member
    Your link doesn't work but I would suggest using Audacity (free) and a double male stereo jack set, or an RCA to male jack, depending on the type of output your cassette player uses. If you don't have a cassette player, check around the thrift stores.
  • Reply 2 of 8
    lotharsnllotharsnl Posts: 113member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post


    Your link doesn't work but I would suggest using Audacity (free) and a double male stereo jack set, or an RCA to male jack, depending on the type of output your cassette player uses. If you don't have a cassette player, check around the thrift stores.



    Thanks for the input!



    I considered trying something like that, but I am concerned that the quality of the audio might not be as good as I'd like it to be, and I'm also concerned that these tapes are very fragile, and it would be tragic to lose them. This http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...reetalklive-20 has some sort of measure to protect old cassettes to some extent.



    I know very little about this kind of thing. If someone who does tells me I should go another route, I have no problem with that. I just want quality audio, and to feel confident that the cassettes won't be ruined (at least until after they're archived).
  • Reply 3 of 8
    dr millmossdr millmoss Posts: 5,403member
    Not sure what to tell you about fragile tapes. If they are that old and that important, you might want to have a professional digitize them for you.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    bergermeisterbergermeister Posts: 6,784member
    Here's a good link:



    http://www.wikihow.com/Transfer-Cass...pe-to-Computer





    Here's Audacity's wiki:



    http://wiki.audacityteam.org/index.p...computer_or_CD





    Personally, I use Amadeus Pro for audio stuff (when I'm not using something quite more expensive) and it's awesome for only $40. I've found the noise reduction to be better than some of those more expensive apps (Soundtrack Pro, Logic, Sound Soap).



    http://www.hairersoft.com/AmadeusPro/AmadeusPro.html



    ---

    As Dr Millmoss said, though, if the tapes are that valuable and you are worried about them, you might want to have a pro do it for you. They can pretty quickly and easily slip all the audio onto a CD for you to work with later.
  • Reply 5 of 8
    lotharsnllotharsnl Posts: 113member
    Thanks for the advice! I am going to look for a professional. I have one last question, though.. would you suggest that I look for a professional "editor"? Are there professional converters-to-digital out there?
  • Reply 6 of 8
    dr millmossdr millmoss Posts: 5,403member
    That's two last questions.



    Sorry, I don't know the answers to either one.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,326moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LotharSNL View Post


    Thanks for the advice! I am going to look for a professional. I have one last question, though.. would you suggest that I look for a professional "editor"? Are there professional converters-to-digital out there?



    http://www.vinyltodigital.co.uk/audi...tte-to-cd.html



    It's certainly cheaper to do it yourself and consider that items may get lost in the post.
  • Reply 8 of 8
    joelsaltjoelsalt Posts: 827member
    Try a local university. They often have media labs with all the equipment and a handy tech guy who can do it for cheap or, if you are lucky, free.



    That's what I did.
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