Convert Cassette Tapes to MP3's / CD's

I have about 200 tapes that I'm looking to convert into MP3's to ultimately burn to DVD's. I have an 2008 MP as well as a cassette player with an optical and analog line out. What's the best way to go about converting these tapes into a digital format? I would ultimately like to get each song on the cassette onto its own MP3 file, but I am fine with just having each tape as a single file. Any help is appreciated.

Well, as you can see by my equipment profile, I don't have a Mac Pro (yet), so unfortunately I can't speak to the quality level of the Mac Pro sound input. Either someone else will have to chime in or you could just give it a shot before buying the iMic. You may well get perfectly acceptable results just plugging straight into the MP's input.
The iMic is not a powered input; it's basically a conduit with, from what I understand, RIAA specs built into it which should offer better input than the Mac's input. AFAIK, most cassette decks require amplification for proper audio, so yours probably needs an amp inbetween the deck and the Mac/iMic in order to get the signal up to Line level.
Note that the iMic has a short cord, about 18 inches, and the cable feels a little more delicate than I'd like, so if you're going to use it, be sure it's in a place that's not going to be trafficked (sp?) at all. I don't use mine often, but I've never had a problem with it. (I bought mine because my headphone jack got damaged, and USB audio output from my mac was the only viable option. I've only recorded Vinyl LP using it, but testing mine through my G4's audio in vs. the iMic, the iMic gave me a significantly better recording.)
BTW, you should also check out other freeware/shareware apps for recording and editing. For example, some swear by Audacity and some simply use GarageBand if they already have iLife. I think the bottom line is that you should try your recordings in the cheapest possible fashion and see if the quality is ok with you, then buy iMic & software if you feel it's warranted.

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How to convert cassette tape to macbook pro

hi
i have a 2009 macbook pro and want to convert cassette tape of me giving a lecture to cd so I don't lose it. the cassette is 35 years old and still works well. my mbp does only has a headphone out jack outlet, not anything for input so I can't see how to connect a cassette player.
any info very wanted and welcome - with thanks

Probably has a combo port.
⌥ > System Profiler…
(ie, hold down Option and choose System Profiler… from the  menu) and post what you get for Hardware Overview > Model Identifier. That will tell us exactly what machine you have. Or you can find out the specs for yourself in Mactracker
<mactracker.ca>
You should also check the user guide which came with your machine.
My guess would be that you can connect your tape player with a 3.5 mm analogue jack and switch to input.
As for the rest, if you search the forum you'll find several threads about digitising audio tapes.

Converting Cassette Tapes To AIFF

Hello all,
I am converting my Fathers cassette tape collection to AIFF, and then to MP3 for his ipod, and am trying to retain the highest sound quality I can.
My set up is I have a Marantz PMD 201, with a live feed into my imac. I play the tapes in real time, while Soundtrack Pro records them in AIFF and puts them into itunes. Some of the tapes are a little stretched making the voices a little too high, is there any filter that would assist in unstretching parts of the cassettes?
Also what filter would be recommend to take out the background buzz? I have played around with a lot of different things but it seems there should be something better out thereAs always thanks for any feedback.

Hi JArmeanio:
If your tapes are physically stretched, the audio inconsistency will be hard to determine as the magnetic medium will be pulled across the heads in an unpredictable way; drop outs, deterioration, etc. will be evident only to you in the digital audio performance of the resulting transferred files. If the tape sounds sped up - due to old cassette player tape speed issues - either check to see if there is a tape speed adjustment knob on the MArantz, or use the very handy re-size/re-tempo features in STP.
Likewise - for hums, unwanted 60cycle or other consistent tones interfering with your files, i cant stress enough the magic of editing the frequency spectrum of an audio file. IT IS A FEATURE MANY STP USERS ARE NOT AWARE OF. It is easy to do:
... in the audio file editor window, select the upper right tool in the window to show the frequency spectrum display instead of the wave form.
Right click the left grey area of the window outside the audio file (where the frequency graph is) and select"logarithmic" view - then right click on the file itself and select "show spectrum controls" - use the minimum and maximum frequency controls to highlight your buzz - which will be visibly obvious.
then select the frequency select tool - right next to the arrow in the upper left window of the file editor (NOT at the top of the session, which contains a different set of similar tools) - once you click on the frequency select tool, you will get a cross hair tool in the audio window. If you use that to narrow in on the visual line of the buzz, highlight it, and then delete those frequencies - you will be amazed at how clean it will sound. Its magic!
http://www.lynda.com/ provides wonderful tutorials - and can be accessed free for a time, in demo mode. Good luck! Sounds like a bit of a painful transfer!

How to convert audio tapes to MP3s?

I have some audio cassette tapes I want to convert to mp3s.
I have a tape recorder with line in, line out and a mic and headphones socket.
I have a jack adapter, which you can see in the photo below.
My imac 10.8.4 has a headphones port.
I've got garageband and audacity.
In System Preferences, in Sound, I've got the Input tab on Internal Microphone; and the Output tab is on Internal Speakers.
I've tried all possible combinations with the jack adapter; but I can't get anything from the tape deck on to the mac.
What am I doing wrong?
Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

You don't have a line in. Headphones are a line out. You can get various USB things that will take a line in. For instance
http://store.griffintechnology.com/catalog/product/view/id/623/s/imic/category/6 2/

Converting a tape to MP3 using Garageband and my MacBook...

I'm having a problem converting some of my old books on tape to MP3 using my MacBook and my stereo. I have a cord with mini-plig attachments on both ends - one end is connected to the headphone out jack on my stereo and the other is connected to the mini-attachment next to the headphone jack on the MacBook. For whatever reason whenever I try to record all I get is distorted static.
Any ideas on how to proceed with this?

You may need to adjust the volume levels both on the stereo output and the MacBook Sound Input Level in System Preferences. You need to adjust it so that the signal isn't amplified too much resulting in clipping or distortion.
You should be able to preview the sound coming into the MacBook to adjust those levels until it has an acceptable sound quality.

Problem converting cassette tape to digital

Hi. I’m looking to convert a cassette tape to digital using my iMac, a Walkman, a male/male 3.5mm-plug cable, and Audacity. I hooked the cable up to the iMac’s line in / mic jack and the Walkman’s headphone jack, set Audacity’s input to “Built-in Input” and hit “Play” on the Walkman. Nothing.
I know the Walkman is working because I can hear the sound through headphones. I went through these troubleshooting steps:
1. Tested the iMac’s line in / mic jack with a microphone. Good signal.
2. Opened System Preferences, Sound, set the input to “Line In” and played the Walkman. No signal picked up there, either, so the problem doesn’t seem to be the settings in Audacity.
3. Tried everything using my iPhone instead of the Walkman. No signal picked up, so the problem doesn’t seem to be with the Walkman.
Other than a bad cable (it worked last time I used it, less than a year ago), anyone have any ideas about what could be going wrong?
Thanks.

Never mind -- problem solved. All I had to do was turn up the volume on the Walkman. It never occured to me that it could be too low, since it was at a comfortable level when listening with earbuds. But that was it.

How can i convert cassette tapes to a disc

i want to convert a cassette to my mac and then onto a disc. How do I do that?

If you are using the new slimline iMacs, you will need to use a USB audio interface box that includes stereo inputs to connect the tape deck to.
Google's your friend.
Do a search for USB audio interface boxes.
For audio cables, you may need to use RCA style cables with RCA to 1/4" line level in audio adapter connectors OR 1/4" line level audio cable with 1/4" to RCA audio adapter connectors. This depends on whether the USB audio input interface box has stereo inputs that are for either 1/4 " line level connections or for RCA line level connections OR the USB interface box may have both style of audio inputs.
I use a FireWire (instead of USB) audio interface box (with lots of different types of audio inputs and output) made by m-audio and both the free, open source digital audio application called Audacity OR for more serious audio work, I, typically, use Apple Logic Express for most of my.own audio work.
Audacity works great for many types of audio recording and processing.

Problem converting cassette tape to digi

?I tried to use the software that came with my Creative MuVo player to convert some songs on audio cassette to WMA files, but when I tried to play them on the MuVo the volume was so low I could barely hear, even with the player volume on max. The recording level was set on max. What am I doing wrong?

Well you shouldn't connect a audio ouput of a device to the mic i on your computer, as the mic input designed for low voltage input. You should be able to connect the audio out (headphone jack) out of your cassette recording to the line in jack on your computer.
Then adjust the volume out on the cassette recording should allow you to find a happy medium where you aren't over driving the the line input, and aren't getting distortion.
The adjust the line in volume control in your computer mixer settings to get the volume up as high as you want it to be.
When you are done recording your music, if the volume in the recording is still low there are more then a few open source wave editors that can adjust the volume after the fact. I have Nero *ultra edition) that not ony is great software for burning digital music to cd's it comes with a great wave editor application that has great features to ease the recording of music from cassette or LP.
As well as splitting them up and cleaning up the audio, volume etc.

Converting cassette tapes to digital format

Here's some information for anyone who wants to digitize music from vinyl, cassette or any other analog device with RCA outputs.
The Alesis phono link RCA to USB adapter has finally become available. This device digitizes analog input from a cassette player or turntable and uses a USB connection to your Mac for input of the digital audio. GarageBand works well with this device.
Information about the Alesis phono link adapter is here.
It's available from B&H in NYC.

I did a search on this but was unable to find anything.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1015944
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1284669
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1557705
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1161010
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1809629

How Can I Convert A Tape Cassette To An Mp3

Help,
I have a bunch of school information on tapes that I would like to convert to Mp3s but I cannot figure out how to do it. Also, I am very naive so you really will have to explain it to me.
Here's what I have: An iBook G4 with iTunes, an iMic with Final Vinyl, a cassette tape recorder (crappy, Radio Shack), and the cassette tapes. What am I missing? And if I am not missing anything, what do I do? I am lost! Help!

I'll tell you the way I converted tapes to .mp3's - it may work for you.
Simply go to radioshack and buy an audio cable with two male ends. Plug one in the output of the tape player - and the other in the microphone jack of your computer. Then find a program you like that records audio (I use Amadeus II but I believe Garageband will do the same). Just press play on your tape player and the record button in the software and let it go. Just make sure the audio levels are right before recording the whole thing.
Hope that helps!

Converting Tape to Mp3

So I know this is more of a hardware issue...I posted this problem in the Mac Forum and haven't gotten any responses. I'm hoping some Garageband users might have an answer?
"I'm having a problem converting some of my old books on tape to MP3 using my MacBook and my stereo. I have a cord with mini-plig attachments on both ends - one end is connected to the headphone out jack on my stereo and the other is connected to the mini-attachment next to the headphone jack on the MacBook. For whatever reason whenever I try to record all I get is distorted static.
Any ideas on how to proceed with this?"

when i tried that from my stereo it was waay distorted; i bought a non amplified cassette deck from radio shack and that works great (i think i paid $30 for it). i also record tapes into audacity instead of GB. you can probably find an old tape deck on craigslist or at a thrift store for nothing.

Ion Tape-to-MP3 Converter/Player

I can no longer use the Ion Tape-to-MP3 Converter/Player to rip cassettes into my iTunes Library. When I try, Ion insists that there is some window on iTunes that I must close. I can't this open window on iTunes.

Contact ION.

Converting analog cassette tapes to CDs

Hi everyone!
How do I convert analog cassette tapes to CDs? I don't have any fancy equipment or anything. Just a nice tape player.
Thank you!
PowerBook G4 17 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Hi, zoopop - This subject was discussed recently, and several options for achieving your aim are described in this topic:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=250698&tstart=0
Good luck!
Tuttle
1432/8140

CONVERTING TAPES TO MP3 USING GARAGEBAND

HELLO I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO CONVERT TAPE TO MP3 USING GARAGEBAND. I HAVE ALL THE EQUIPMENT:
TAPE DECK
AUDIO INTERFACE
COMPUTER
I JUST NEED HELP WITH SOFTWARE?

http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/FAQPages/RecordCassette.html

Cassette tapes into iTunes library

Please can I ask for your advice on the best way to acheive optimum quality when converting/transferring cassette tapes into my itunes library.
Thank you in advance for your assistance,

I'm not sure what you need covered here. Do you already have a mechanism by which you can convert the cassettes to digital files on your computer or are you asking that too?
Tapes will have hiss. Some of this is deliberate as Dolby Noise Reduction technology of the time, some will just be the tape. Dolby NR is probably best handled at the tape end of things if you make sure you use Dolby filtering on your player for tapes on which it was used originally (you'll only know if it was marked at the time of recording). If you don't have it you can try using computer filtering. I did a bit of this with a program called Amadeus many years ago. It let you sample a bit of the digitized recording which is supposedly blank to get the background noise, then apply it acrosss the whole file. There's always a bit of risk in doing this because you may have something in the recording that looks like the noise signal but is part of the actual sound. Audiophiles can have a field day discussing this.
If you're being really picky, I found I had a bit of noise just produced by my equipment I was using. I would record a few seconds with no tape playing at all just to see what was being produced by my equipment.
Audacity is a free audio editor, but I have never had time to figure it out.
Obviously you are going to want to record your files and edit them in a full-quality lossless format such as AIFF. I archive mine in FLAC format (you could use Apple lossless too), then create a mp3 or AAC version for everyday use.

Convert Cassette Tapes to MP3's / CD's

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