Cassette tape to MP3

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I have quite a few cassette tapes I wish to convert to MP3 and import into iTunes or burn to CD.

I have been looking at buying the ION USB cassette (archiver) deck
ION TAPE2PC TAPE TO PC USB CASSETTE ARCHIVER - available from Superfi UK Visit http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/product_id/4119 for details
which comes with two conversion programs, Audacity and EZ Tape Converter 2.

In people's opinions on here would this suffice or can anyone recommend a alternative/better approach to this?

Much obliged,
 

RavingMac

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I have quite a few cassette tapes I wish to convert to MP3 and import into iTunes or burn to CD.

I have been looking at buying the ION USB cassette (archiver) deck
ION TAPE2PC TAPE TO PC USB CASSETTE ARCHIVER - available from Superfi UK Visit http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/product_id/4119 for details
which comes with two conversion programs, Audacity and EZ Tape Converter 2.

In people's opinions on here would this suffice or can anyone recommend a alternative/better approach to this?

Much obliged,

If you already have a cassette player, why don't you try recording the track in Garageband and exporting to iTunes? (Cost is free)
 
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I have quite a few cassette tapes I wish to convert to MP3 and import into iTunes or burn to CD.

I have been looking at buying the ION USB cassette (archiver) deck
ION TAPE2PC TAPE TO PC USB CASSETTE ARCHIVER - available from Superfi UK Visit http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/product_id/4119 for details
which comes with two conversion programs, Audacity and EZ Tape Converter 2.

In people's opinions on here would this suffice or can anyone recommend a alternative/better approach to this?

Much obliged,

A few years back I converted a couple of hundred cassettes to MP3 to upload for podcasts. I simply used an existing cassette player I had composite audio out and ran a left/right composite to stereo 3.5mm audio jack adapter from the cassette player to the mic input of my iMac and captured the audio with Wire Tap Pro from Ambrosia Software. Worked like a charm. Now I wasn't looking for hi-fi stereo reproduction, so depending on what quality you're after, you might have to find something with better specs. I sure couldn't complain with the results, though.
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Razormac: Can you elaborate on that please. Are you saying it's possible to use my existing tape deck to record these tapes track by track to MP3 via Garageband. How would I connect my existing tape deck to my iMac?

As you can see I have never tried this before.
 

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Take the headphone out jack on your cassette player with a male to male audio cable into the line in jack on your Mac (have to play with that in general settings, I think to select using it as input). Then in Garageband you start a new project/song and record the input. Do what ever adjustments, balance and trim you want and save it. When you are happy with the results (I think the option in the Menu is called Share) you choose export to iTunes and you are done.
Probably a little more time intensive than a specialized program and piece of equipment. But it does have the advantage of being free.

I have done this several times before so I know it works (though admittedly not recently--so I don't remember all the specifics). Its not hard to do, but it does take some playing with unless you are better about reading manuals and help files than I am. :)
 
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Thanks Razormac. Interesting. Will have a think about that! :D
 

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You're welcome
 
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chas_m

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I do this all the time. Here's my method:

1. Buy an iMic ($35). It's basically a 1/8" mini stereo plug to USB converter. So cassette output RCA-to-1/8" adapter is also needed (dollar store).

2. I use Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack Pro ($32) for the sound capture. LOTS of effects for cleaning up the sound included.

3. Once captured, I use Amadeus Pro ($32) for editing. If you're just capturing music and want to split the songs -- a bit different than what I do -- then you might want to capture to MP4 or MP3 in the first place, then open the file in Fission (again, $32) and edit them losslessly into individual tracks. I do radio commercials and podcasts mainly so I prefer Amadeus, but it's a real editor not just a trimmer.
 
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I have quite a few cassette tapes I wish to convert to MP3 and import into iTunes or burn to CD.

Here are links to some tutorials on how to do this, and a couple of different approaches:

Electric Pi Journal: Converting Audio Cassette Tapes to CDs

How to Digitize Your Old Tapes and LPs with Your Mac

Digitizing Your LPs and Cassettes with Your Mac

From Tape to CD | Music and Audio - Page 1 | Macworld

___________________________________________

Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
OS X Maintenance And Troubleshooting
___________________________________________
 
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I do this all the time. Here's my method:

1. Buy an iMic ($35). It's basically a 1/8" mini stereo plug to USB converter. So cassette output RCA-to-1/8" adapter is also needed (dollar store).

2. I use Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack Pro ($32) for the sound capture. LOTS of effects for cleaning up the sound included.

3. Once captured, I use Amadeus Pro ($32) for editing. If you're just capturing music and want to split the songs -- a bit different than what I do -- then you might want to capture to MP4 or MP3 in the first place, then open the file in Fission (again, $32) and edit them losslessly into individual tracks. I do radio commercials and podcasts mainly so I prefer Amadeus, but it's a real editor not just a trimmer.

Cheers for that, more to consider chas.

Here are links to some tutorials on how to do this, and a couple of different approaches:

Electric Pi Journal: Converting Audio Cassette Tapes to CDs

How to Digitize Your Old Tapes and LPs with Your Mac

Digitizing Your LPs and Cassettes with Your Mac

From Tape to CD | Music and Audio - Page 1 | Macworld

___________________________________________

Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
OS X Maintenance And Troubleshooting
___________________________________________

Cheers Randy, Great links, thank you very much.

Update: After considering all the suggestions and doing some further reading on the Net I went the route suggested in the Electric Pi Journal using Audacity as the conversion software. After a few 'testers' did my first two cassette tape conversions, exported as AIFF into iTunes and burned two CDs.

Brilliant, quality is fine.

My thanks to you all for your help and suggestions. This Forum is the Bee's Knees!

Cheers! :D:D
 

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