What computer hardware/software to use to get cassete to computer?

[mauserman]

Hey Gang, Mauserman here.
New in this forum and wondering if ya'll could help me out?
I have maybe 1000 or so shows of all kinds l've collected
my whole life. l also have a mint Nak Dragon. Just not positive
whats the best way to get cassette to digital? l know l need a
"capture card", of some sort, just not sure what to buy?
There is probobaly some good software, etc. l need also.
l'm fairly computer savy, and l think l have pretty damn good
taste in music. So should be able to contribute here with
a little help from my friends! In any case, it's good to have found
this site and looking forward to hearing a response to my questions!

[U2Lynne]

You might want to modify your thread title to include the words "transfer to computer from cassette" or something like that. It may capture the eye of people who have done that better.

[paperface]

5.05 GB/30.02 MB/0.01
Definitely not the best quality but I use a $7 "audio dubbing cable" from Radio Shack. I plug one end into the headphone jack on my tape player and the other into the mic jack on my computer. Then I record on Audacity and hit play on my tape recorder.
Of course, this is the ghetto way to do it. There is much more expensive dedicated equipment out there for quality captures.

[mauserman]

Hey Thanx,
l already got that one figured out.
l was looking for away to make a
"high quality" recording of my cassettes.
l know that on some of my recordings,
l would want to turn the volume up at least.
Others could use some more bass, and maybe
the "flip" deleted when recording to CD.
l know they make cards with software included for
this purpose, just not sure wich way to go?
Would most likley want to have an EQ also.

Thank You for your reply,
and good luck in the new year!

[BjEoThAn]

I am by no way experienced at this but some Google searching provided me with multiple results all about the same.

What I dont know is if there is any benefit to passing the incoming audio through a preamp or other stereo equipment before going onto the PC and Audacity software.

I would assume? there may be slight advantage playing back the tape on a "Nice" audio cassette deck

I have not used Audacity but I presume there is a way to clean up the "hiss" of cassettes within it, or other software.

here are some links that i liked from my search results.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/40...gital-transfer
http://lifehacker.com/software/mp3/a...pes-222394.php
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10163_7-6226087-1.html
http://www.andybrain.com/archive/con...cd-digital.htm

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_can_yo..._digital_files

[BjEoThAn]

umm yeah use the Nakamichi Dragon, unless theres a better option?

[mauserman]

Thanx for the links.
Just not what l'm after.
looking for high quality
hardware and software.
Free is great, but l don't
mind to spend money on
something l want and need.

[Five]

audacity (free software) will perform perfectly well and for soundcard something like m-audio audiophile 2496 will give excellent results for about $120.

with audacity the only tricky bit is to set the bit depth and sample rate in the preferences before you start (should be 16bit/44.1kHz unless you want to get fancy and go 24bit), then you set levels using windows mixer (normally available in the tray, lower-right) to avoid clipping. unless you really know what you're doing and have proper monitors its best to avoid eq and stuff, even if you do know what you're doing its best to keep a raw copy on file (take it from me, I've made mistakes overeqing and throwing away raw copies years back...).

I don't have experience with a high end deck like the nak dragon, but one thing I heard about that one is that it is a good idea to get an auto-azimuth kill switch mod done. the deck is brilliant the way it automatically finds the correct azimuth, but once it finds the setting you can't stop it from adjusting and re-adjusting during playback, which is annoying...

[mauserman]

Thank you "Five",
Will look into the soundcard you mentioned,
and already have Audacity. (Just need to play
with it a little more). Still interested in an EQ,
and curious about your auto azumith suggestion.
Thank you for your reply.

[GRC]

Is the 'final destination' for the audio the computer, or are you looking to archive the cassettes to CD using the computer? Alternatively, are you looking to archive them to a hard drive, either in the computer, or an outboard unit?

If what you really want is to archive the cassettes to CD, whether at 44.1kHz 16-bit, or 96kHz 24-bit, then forget the computer, capture cards, software etc and buy one of these; Alesis Masterlink ML9600

[GRC]

Feed RCA out from cassette deck to RCA in on the Masterlink, and press 'record' on Masterlink, 'play' on cassette deck. No messing around with picking a soundcard, no hunting for software, no installation woes, no need to sit in front of the computer screen, you can put the Masterlink into the HiFi setup and keep the noise of the computer with its fans and HDDs in a separate room.

Masterlink will EQ for you, adjust level, split tracks, apply fades, and, if you want, apply compression and/or limiting if needed.

Google 'masterlink+vinyl' to see forums where people discuss it for archiving their vinyl collections.

Clipping has never been an issue for me; I've used a variety of inputs to it; cassette, tape out from amplifier, reel-to-reel deck, tuner. As long as your cassettes aren't ridiculously overloaded to start with, you'll be fine.....

[mauserman]

Thanx GRC!
l think l may have found just what l need!
Will do some discovery, and get back.
l really appreciate your reply.

mauserman

[GRC]

I've only seen two professional units that will do what the Alesis does - the other is a Tascam unit that costs twice as much.

[zeek]

For transferring I go from a nakamichi CR-5A to a tascam HD-P2.

If you haven't had your deck serviced in a long time, I would get it gone over before you really get into it, jsut to bring it back to spec and get the rubbers changed and moving parts lubed. (try willy herman for nak repair, he's pretty reasonable and a lot quicker than esl labs http://www.willyhermannservices.com/index.htm)

My preference is to stay away from PC sound cards for capture, unless your willing to drop 7 or 800 on a card. if you are, the lynx 2 cards are as good as you can get for A/D Conversion. You also want to have a ton of ram if you go this route and not oppen any processes while your transferring (or you get artifacts in your capture)

The hD-P2 has a great A/D Converter and can be used for a field recorder as well. My next purchase will be one of these

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com...RWXGB&ZYXSEM=0

it has a great A/D, is cheaper than the tascam, and records in 1 bit DSD which is really as the best you can get. The 1bit files pull more into your transfer(and provide the highest possible bit rate for archiving). The 1 bit files are then dithered to 24/96 wave to work with. If you are going to do any post processing, it should be in 24/96. These units also double as a great bit bit bucket but require good pre and mics to get a good field recording.

I use wavelab and UAD cards/plugs for all my editing. I like the features and the layout of wavelab better than the others. It also will capture your transfer as well if you go with an onboard card. For wavelab plugins, I like the nomad and URS stuff. Do some googling and I'm sure you can find a try before you buy for all the above programs

And with Hiss, unless it's so loud it sounds like another member of the band, don't do too much with it. It will end up being more destructive than the hiss was.

I don't know much about Alesis Masterlink ML9600. Alesis makes solid stuff. on some sources I sit for 8 hrs listening to a song and tweaking EQ .5 db to get just the right balance and I have to see the meters while I'm doing it. If your really serious about getting the most from your tapes, you'll have to crossfade tape flips and patch drop outs ect in post processing still even if you EQ on the alesis. I think I would rather cut the onboard EQ out and do it all in one fell sweep in post processing, but thats just my preference.

[direwolf-pgh]

plug the deck into your computer - or hire a pro to do it. holy overkill

example of pricing: http://www.allusionstudios.com/prices.shtml