Can anyone suggest a method for transferring cassette recordings to a computer for the purpose of cleaning up the audio and converting to mp3? Way back in the day, the 90's I recorded band rehearsals on a tape deck from radio shack, recently found a box of tapes with some interesting recordings and wanted to preserve them.
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Transfer cassette recordings to mp3
- Thread starter joeaba
- Start date
Clean the tape-heads before starting and if possible use the same tape-deck you used for recording the tracks.
Hope you've still got your vintage cassette deck.
Most of the tape decks around today (if you can find any) won't handle the high-end tapes of yesteryear. All they play is "normal" cheapo tape. And do a crappy job of it at that.
I used a vintage deck to convert mine. It was a good deck and then it died later.
Tascam still makes cassette decks. Don't know how good they are though.
Most of the tape decks around today (if you can find any) won't handle the high-end tapes of yesteryear. All they play is "normal" cheapo tape. And do a crappy job of it at that.
I used a vintage deck to convert mine. It was a good deck and then it died later.
Tascam still makes cassette decks. Don't know how good they are though.
Many laptops have a stereo 1/8th inch "line in" jack... Connect the RCA outs from the deck to the 1/8th" jack into the laptop. I converted quite a few cassettes that way.
A clean cassette machine, and non-shedding tapes will be fairly easy to transfer. However, some cheap tapes (and some Ampex tapes) will require "baking" to be able to play without ruining the deck.
A clean cassette machine, and non-shedding tapes will be fairly easy to transfer. However, some cheap tapes (and some Ampex tapes) will require "baking" to be able to play without ruining the deck.
It's the art of gently heating a tape to manage "sticky shed syndrome." Some tapes separate - iron particles from glue (or binding material) from tape - and create a huge mess, which can "gum" up the recorder/playback machine. "Baking" helps "glue" it all back together just long enough to transfer tracks from tape to different media.
Check out "Sticky Shed Syndrome" for more info, including which tape brands to be aware of...
I've experienced this more with reels than cassettes. If you have a dual well cassette machine, try using the play side first... Look at the heads after a song or 2... If they still look clean, you should be ok. If not, then bake the tape and clean the heads.
Once you find a decent cassette player that has output for stereo, you can use a USB interface that has a good DAW. The interface will need 2 "line signal" inputs, to record the Stereo outputs from the player. Instrument inputs on the interface will not be of the same signal, and you'll have problems unless you use DI boxes for each channel.
Also, there's not much you can do to clean up a mastered track. The best you can do is digital remaster, which is adding some clarity with EQ, removing some mud frequencies with EQ, and adjusting the volume level.
Also, there's not much you can do to clean up a mastered track. The best you can do is digital remaster, which is adding some clarity with EQ, removing some mud frequencies with EQ, and adjusting the volume level.
