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The Amazing Way to Digitize Audio Tapes !!!

Printed From: FSI Language Courses
Category: Learning Languages
Forum Name: General Discussion
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URL: http://fsi-language-courses.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=517
Printed Date: 16 January 2009 at 3:14am


Topic: The Amazing Way to Digitize Audio Tapes !!!
Posted By: ahibba
Subject: The Amazing Way to Digitize Audio Tapes !!!
Date Posted: 13 December 2007 at 4:23am
 
Just insert the cassette tape then click in Convert to MP3 button and let it do the rest!
 
PlusDeck 2c offers the easiest and most reliable way to convert the cassette tape to digital filef:
 
http://plusdeck.co.kr/eng/ - http://plusdeck.co.kr/eng/
 
It's available in US and many other countries for less than $100.
 
 
 
 



Replies:
Posted By: liddytime
Date Posted: 13 December 2007 at 8:39am
Pinch  True.  Unfortunately it only works on Windows based systems.  No Mac yet.....


Posted By: Chung
Date Posted: 13 December 2007 at 11:11am
It's cheaper to use your existing tape deck, buy a $10 cable from Circuit City, plug that cable between your tape deck's headphone jack and the computer's microphone jack, and let Audacity (free download) do the rest.


Posted By: ahibba
Date Posted: 14 December 2007 at 3:09pm
 
Unfortunately it only works on Windows based systems.  No Mac yet.....
 
In this case, you can use the other method that Chung mentioned. I think there is a free audio editor for Mac similar to Audacity. But note that:
 
It's cheaper to use your existing tape deck, buy a $10 cable from Circuit City, plug that cable between your tape deck's headphone jack and the computer's microphone jack, and let Audacity (free download) do the rest.
 
That's right. But the problem is that you must adjust the volume in the tape deck and in the PC to make sure that the sound quality of the file will be fine. You need also to watch the recording process in order to stop the tape manually when it finish then edit the silent segments in the audio file.
 
 


Posted By: Zorndyke
Date Posted: 15 December 2007 at 2:36am

That's right. But the problem is that you must adjust the volume in the tape deck and in the PC to make sure that the sound quality of the file will be fine. You need also to watch the recording process in order to stop the tape manually when it finish then edit the silent segments in the audio file.

Nope. I totally agree with Chung. Just make sure the regulator (line-in) is in the middle of the scale and everything is fine. I do it like that and I never had any problems.
One also doesn't have to watch the process. One can either use a programm that allows to stop recording automatically after a certain period of silence or if you don't have such a programm just make sure you are somewhere around when digitizing the tapes. The superflous silence can simply be removed with Audacity or various other programs.


Posted By: ahibba
Date Posted: 15 December 2007 at 4:35am
 
PlusDeck is portable. You can take it with your PC or Laptop wherever you want like CD and DVD drives. See the features:
 
http://plusdeck.co.kr/eng/2c.html - http://plusdeck.co.kr/eng/2c.html
 
http://plusdeck.co.kr/eng/2c_detail.html - http://plusdeck.co.kr/eng/2c_detail.html


Posted By: Rina
Date Posted: 18 December 2007 at 9:18pm
Chung, or Zorndyke - Have any of you done this on a laptop? I've been meaning to use Audacity for my tapes but then I saw mention of a sound card and that confused me completely.
Would the method with the cable work on a laptop just like that?
Thanks!Smile


Posted By: Chung
Date Posted: 18 December 2007 at 9:50pm
I haven't used Audacity on a laptop but I don't see why not as long as your laptop has a sound card.

The method that most of us on this forum have used with desktops, Audacity and tape decks should work on a laptop. Usually the jack for a microphone and line-in are on the side of the laptop. They're usually beside the jack that you use when plugging in headphones or speakers. There should be a little design of a microphone beside the microphone jack.


Posted By: TheBigZaboon
Date Posted: 18 December 2007 at 10:47pm
I think terminology is getting the best of us here. I checked a couple of my laptops and there are only two of the little holes on the side. One is an out-jack with a little symbol for headphones, and the other is an in-jack with a symbol for a microphone. The microphone jack is also the line-in jack we are talking about. The way it is phrased might make some people think there are separate mic and line-in jacks.
 
Also, I think it can be  assumed that all laptops, except some business models bought in bulk for sales operations, etc., will have built-in sound cards. So almost all of the operations performed with desktops are possible with laptops. Just download audacity, and away you go.
 
TBZ


Posted By: ahibba
Date Posted: 19 December 2007 at 10:35am


Posted By: ahibba
Date Posted: 19 December 2007 at 10:42am
 
Most latops today don't have line-in jack. But you can use the microphone jack as line-in by unchecking the option Mircophone Boost from the Sound Control.
 
To do that:
 
1- Double click in the sound icon near the clock, then go to Options menu > Properties.
 
2- Choose Recording and make sure that Microphone is checked, then click OK.
 
3- Click on Advanced Options under the microphone volume slide bar, then uncheck the Microphone Boost options.
 
If you checked it, you will get noisy sounds.
 
 
 



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