From analogue to digital
 

I want to digitise some cassette tapes to put the music on to a CD.
What equipment and/or software do I need to do this?

--
Alasdair.

From analogue to digital
 

On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:52:53 +0000, Alasdair
wrote:

I want to digitise some cassette tapes to put the music on to a CD.
What equipment and/or software do I need to do this?

A cassette player, and a computer with a sound card. Something to
record with - Audacity is freeware. Plus some CD burning software like
Nero (maybe Audacity already does that - I don't know).

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

From analogue to digital
 

On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:59:51 GMT, (Don Pearce)
wrote:

A cassette player, and a computer with a sound card. Something to
record with - Audacity is freeware. Plus some CD burning software like
Nero (maybe Audacity already does that - I don't know).

d

Is it not possible to buy a made up box of tricks to do this instead
of using a PC?

--
Alasdair.

From analogue to digital
 

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:54:10 +0000, Alasdair
wrote:

On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:59:51 GMT, (Don Pearce)
wrote:

A cassette player, and a computer with a sound card. Something to
record with - Audacity is freeware. Plus some CD burning software like
Nero (maybe Audacity already does that - I don't know).

d

Is it not possible to buy a made up box of tricks to do this instead
of using a PC?

Not with anything like the same facility. There are CD recorders that
might do the job, but you wouldn't be able to mark tracks, adjust
tone, get rid of add noises etc. The PC is definitely the tool of
choice.

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

From analogue to digital
 

"Alasdair" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:59:51 GMT, (Don Pearce)
wrote:

A cassette player, and a computer with a sound card. Something to
record with - Audacity is freeware. Plus some CD burning software like
Nero (maybe Audacity already does that - I don't know).

d

Is it not possible to buy a made up box of tricks to do this instead
of using a PC?

Yes indeed. A stand-alone CD recorder: It's all you need.

http://www.absolute247.co.uk/shop/vi...=hhbcdr830plus

Shop around for best prices.



Iain

From analogue to digital
 

"Alasdair" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:59:51 GMT, (Don Pearce)
wrote:

A cassette player, and a computer with a sound card. Something to
record with - Audacity is freeware. Plus some CD burning software like
Nero (maybe Audacity already does that - I don't know).

d

Is it not possible to buy a made up box of tricks to do this instead
of using a PC?

--
Alasdair.

Yes, there are CD recorders made, but:

- You will still need the cassette recorder for playback
- Editing of the recorded audio is very difficult on a CD recorder
- Unless you record every track of a tape individually, you will end up with
a CD with two tracks, one for side 1 of the tape, one for side two.
This may be OK for you, but it can be inconvenient.

CD recorders are intended to provide an quick and easy recording facility,
where editing isn't required. They are not very popular due to their
limitations. The best advice I can give is always to use the best tool for
the job, and in this case it is a computer, sound card and editing software,
as Don suggested.

S.

From analogue to digital
 

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:02:14 +0200, "Iain Churches"
wrote:


Is it not possible to buy a made up box of tricks to do this instead
of using a PC?

Yes indeed. A stand-alone CD recorder: It's all you need.

http://www.absolute247.co.uk/shop/vi...=hhbcdr830plus

There are a few situations where these boxes are useful. But not
many. Some people seem however, quite inexplicably, to be in love
with them :-)

From analogue to digital
 

"Iain Churches" wrote in message
i
"Alasdair" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:59:51 GMT, (Don
Pearce) wrote:

A cassette player, and a computer with a sound card.
Something to record with - Audacity is freeware. Plus
some CD burning software like Nero (maybe Audacity
already does that - I don't know).

Nero comes with its own audio editor that is capable of recording.

Is it not possible to buy a made up box of tricks to do
this instead of using a PC?

Yes indeed. A stand-alone CD recorder: It's all you need.

A stand-alone CD recorder does not hold a candle to a PC for this purpose.

All of the following is far easier to do on a PC:

Make compendiums
Do fade-ins and fade-outs
Mark tracks
Precise editing
Get rid of noise (you need a stand-alone noise reduction box with the CD
recorder)

The biggest problem with a stand-alone machine is that whatever you do, you
have to do it in real time, and you can only do it once per recording
session. The real-time nature of the CD recorder means that lots of
hand-and-eye coordination is required.

I have both a stand-alone CD recorder (HHB 830) and the PC alternative. No
comparison.

In fact, I do on-site recording with the CD recorder, load the tracks onto a
PC for editing, edit and optimize them on a PC, and then burn new CDs for
distribution. Does that not say it all about the power and ease-of-use
comparison between a PC and a stand-alone CD recorder or not? ;-)

From analogue to digital
 

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:04:36 -0000, "Serge Auckland"
wrote:

Yes, there are CD recorders made, but:

- You will still need the cassette recorder for playback
- Editing of the recorded audio is very difficult on a CD recorder
- Unless you record every track of a tape individually, you will end up with
a CD with two tracks, one for side 1 of the tape, one for side two.
This may be OK for you, but it can be inconvenient.

CD recorders are intended to provide an quick and easy recording facility,
where editing isn't required. They are not very popular due to their
limitations. The best advice I can give is always to use the best tool for
the job, and in this case it is a computer, sound card and editing software,
as Don suggested.

I'm more than happy tio take the advice but how do I physically record
the stuff from the tape on to the hard drive of my computer. My sound
card has six jack sockets: Center/bass jack (yellow); line-in jack
(pale blue); front-out jack (pale green); back surround jack (black);
microphone in rear jack (pink); side surround jack (white).

These are on an Elite PF88 Extreme Hybrid motherboard SiS656. Built in
audio system is a Realtek ALC 850.

I also have a good quality CD/DVD recorder on my computer.

Please, how do I connect the tape player to the sound card jacks and
do I need a special program to record the sound on to the hard drive
in digital form?

I am running Windows XP and the only sound software I have is the
Replay AV8 suite plus, of course, Windows Media Player.

Any help gratefully appreciated.

--
Alasdair.

From analogue to digital
 

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:51:41 +0000, Alasdair
wrote:

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:04:36 -0000, "Serge Auckland"
wrote:

Yes, there are CD recorders made, but:

- You will still need the cassette recorder for playback
- Editing of the recorded audio is very difficult on a CD recorder
- Unless you record every track of a tape individually, you will end up with
a CD with two tracks, one for side 1 of the tape, one for side two.
This may be OK for you, but it can be inconvenient.

CD recorders are intended to provide an quick and easy recording facility,
where editing isn't required. They are not very popular due to their
limitations. The best advice I can give is always to use the best tool for
the job, and in this case it is a computer, sound card and editing software,
as Don suggested.

I'm more than happy tio take the advice but how do I physically record
the stuff from the tape on to the hard drive of my computer. My sound
card has six jack sockets: Center/bass jack (yellow); line-in jack
(pale blue); front-out jack (pale green); back surround jack (black);
microphone in rear jack (pink); side surround jack (white).

These are on an Elite PF88 Extreme Hybrid motherboard SiS656. Built in
audio system is a Realtek ALC 850.

I also have a good quality CD/DVD recorder on my computer.

Please, how do I connect the tape player to the sound card jacks and
do I need a special program to record the sound on to the hard drive
in digital form?

I am running Windows XP and the only sound software I have is the
Replay AV8 suite plus, of course, Windows Media Player.

Any help gratefully appreciated.

You need to get a cable from the output socket of your cassette player
to the line in (pale blue) socket of the sound card. This may involve
some adaptors, but your local electronics shop will have all you need.

The programmes have already been dealt with in the thread - read back.

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com