Transfer Tapes To Digital Files

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  • #611117
    Harotzehbilumshmo
    Participant

    I have two questions, and appreciate any help that you can offer.

    1. I have a few tapes that I want to transfer to digital format. I attempted to do so using the sound recorder that comes with Windows. Results were very poor. Recording was way too low and quality too poor to enjoy. Is there a simple way to do this with better results for someone who is not too familiar with such procedures?

    2. I have a few hundred tapes, less important to me, that I would transfer if there was a way to do so that was not too difficult. Is there any device that I can buy that would do a high speed conversion from the old analog tape format to a digital one?

    #986133
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Yes, there are such devices.

    #986134
    Little Froggie
    Participant

    High speed audio devices are very costly, they start at about $1,400. There are USB regular speed converters, they’re about $30 – $50. Most of them come with a kit – so it will guide you how to get the best recording possible.

    #986135
    Harotzehbilumshmo
    Participant

    Do you know of model numbers? For both of your suggestions? I would look for a used option for the expensive one and of not take the cheaper option. Thanks

    #986136
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Google “2013 Best Cassette to MP3 Converter Comparisons and Reviews”.

    If you use high speed, you will lose sound quality. It might be okay for speech, but not for music.

    #986137
    SaysMe
    Member

    u can get a simple cord n plug a tape player’s headphone output into the computer’s sound input. Not dbl speed though. You can download audacity (free i think) as a decent sound program/recorder

    #986138
    Harotzehbilumshmo
    Participant

    I did that, using the sound recorder that comes with Windows but the quality was terrible and the volume so low that it was all but useless

    #986139
    bekitzur
    Participant

    I know a service that does it for $5 a tape.

    #986140
    farrockgrandma
    Participant

    Did you connect the ‘audio out’ headphone jack on the tape player to the microphone port on your computer?

    #986141
    Harotzehbilumshmo
    Participant

    I connected it to the audio in on the sound card. I would pay $5.00 a tape. Not for the 100’s of tapes that I mentioned, those are shmuzen and shiurim, would cost me too much (probably have over 1,000) but for the few important ones I certainly would

    #986142
    Participant

    To get a good transfer you need a tape player with an audio-out jack and a sound card with an audio-in jack. If your tape player only has a headphone jack or your sound card only has a microphone jack you need an attenuating cable but it still won’t give you the same quality (but good enough for speeches).

    #986143
    kkls45
    Member

    I think that you can do it in Costco for pretty cheap.

    #986144
    Harotzehbilumshmo
    Participant

    I called Costco. They do not do it.

    #986145
    bekitzur
    Participant

    If you live near me, you can use the service I know about.

    Mods… is there any way I can contact Harotzehbilumshmo?

    #986146
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I know someone good in Israel (kiryat sefer) that both digitizes it and works on the sound quality. Mods – how do we give specifics?

    #986147
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Check out the Vktech Mini USB Audio Capture Adapter Converter for Music Laptop PCR1BO for a low cost option.

    #986148
    Harotzehbilumshmo
    Participant

    Any reason to think that will give me a better transfer than the standard cable that I got in Radio Shack?

    #986149
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    It plugs into the USB port, not the audio/microphone in jack.

    #986151
    Harotzehbilumshmo
    Participant

    I ordered it. I suspect though that I wont get true music quality. Thanks

    #986152
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Let me know how it is, please.

    #986153
    Harotzehbilumshmo
    Participant

    Will do

    #986154
    yaff80
    Participant

    I have a little machine made a company called “ion” that does just this. It is called “tape express”

    It looks like an old style Walkman that plays the tapes to the computer whilst the computer records the cassette as an mp3 format.

    I bought this on ebay.

    Only drawback is that there is no facility to speed up the process.

    #986155
    TorahMom
    Participant

    I bought an ion tape to digital converter about 2 years ago, but I have never been able to get it to work properly – the tracks come out all out of order. This is especially a problem for story tapes. Do you have any idea what I can do to get it right?

    #986156
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    TorahMom, can you change the file names to be in order?

    #986157
    TorahMom
    Participant

    I actually did reorder the tracks with one tape, but it was very time consuming. I would think that it would keep the order of the tracks the tape is played in. Why would it mix them up?

    #986158
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    How does it name them?

    #986159
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    I would have to see the software, but I would guess that there’s a setting to control how the files are named

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