[[email protected]]

A question probably asked a thousand times -

I have a box of old cassettes in the attic (like a
million other blokes). Rather than consigning them
to the dust bin, I'd convert them to MP3 files. Anybody
have suggestions for a converter?

I could buy one blind, from Amazon or Best Buy, but
I wonder if there are differences in quality, among
competing models.

I plan to do one tape per day. It should require minimal
baby sitting - just start it, then let it run to completion,
and switch off, on its own.

PS Some of the tapes are metal, some CrO2, some plain
vanilla (whatever that means). And differing cutoff filters.
So that's a complication. As I recall, there were players which could recognize these various types. How did they do that?

--
Rich

[Nil[_2_]]

On 01 Jun 2018, wrote in rec.audio.pro:

I have a box of old cassettes in the attic (like a
million other blokes). Rather than consigning them
to the dust bin, I'd convert them to MP3 files. Anybody
have suggestions for a converter?

I don't know what kind of "converter" you're referring to. You don't
say if you currently have a cassette deck or a stereo system to hook it
up to. If you do, the amp/receiver should have a spare output that
could then up to a USB audio interface, which you can then hook up to
the computer for capturing with a recording program such as Audacity.

PS Some of the tapes are metal, some CrO2, some plain
vanilla (whatever that means). And differing cutoff filters.
So that's a complication. As I recall, there were players which
could recognize these various types. How did they do that?

The various tape flavors were indicated by different slots in the edge
of the cassette. The tape deck had little feelers that detected the
slots.

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 6/1/2018 6:45 PM, wrote:
I have a box of old cassettes in the attic (like a
million other blokes). Rather than consigning them
to the dust bin, I'd convert them to MP3 files. Anybody
have suggestions for a converter?

I'm aware of boxes that have a cassette transport and spit out audio
data, usually via USB. I suppose they work, and although
analog-to-digital conversion isn't hard to do at least pretty well for
cheap, most probably have pretty poor quality cassette transports. For
$20-$30, you don't get a very precise mechanical assembly. If all you
want to do is get an easier way to listen to what's on your cassettes,
one of those would do. Looking at the "random" selection on Amazon, I'd
guess that the one from ION is probably the best of the lot. At least
it's distributed by a company that also offers up decent quality audio
products.

The best way to do the job, if you care about getting all the sound
quality you can off the cassette, is to get a decent cassette deck and a
decent computer audio interface. In the best of all worlds, you'd have a
Nakamichi Dragon but even a Sony or Yamaha or TEAC cassette deck from a
yard sale or thrift store, with a good cleaning, will probably be better
than what you get with a "converter." Mate a USB audio interface, even
an inexpensive one like a Behringer UCA-202 or -222 will do a better job
than whatever is in a "converter" box. Mate that with a program like
Audacity with its MP3 converter added (or splurge on disk space and use
"full cassette quality" 44.1 kHz WAV files, set the recording level
properly, and you'll get better results than shoving the cassette into
an unknown box and letting it do its thing.

Most cassette decks select the proper equalization curve for the type of
tape based on sensing notches in the shell as someone has explained
here. A deck will let you listen with Dolby noise reduction in or out
and decide which one sounds right if your cassettes aren't marked as to
whether they use it or not. There's no automatic way to detect that.

--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[geoff]

On 2/06/2018 1:15 PM, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 6/1/2018 6:45 PM, wrote:
I have a box of old cassettes in the attic (like a
million other blokes).Â* Rather than consigning them
to the dust bin, I'd convert them to MP3 files.Â* Anybody
have suggestions for a converter?

I'm aware of boxes that have a cassette transportÂ* and spit out audio
data, usually via USB. I suppose they work, and although
analog-to-digital conversion isn't hard to do at least pretty well for
cheap, most probably have pretty poor quality cassette transports. For
$20-$30, you don't get a very precise mechanical assembly. If all you
want to do is get an easier way to listen to what's on your cassettes,
one of those would do. Looking at the "random" selection on Amazon, I'd
guess that the one from ION is probably the best of the lot. At least
it's distributed by a company that also offers up decent quality audio
products.

The best way to do the job, if you care about getting all the sound
quality you can off the cassette, is to get a decent cassette deck and a
decent computer audio interface. In the best of all worlds, you'd have a
Nakamichi Dragon but even a Sony or Yamaha or TEAC cassette deck from a
yard sale or thrift store, with a good cleaning, will probably be better
than what you get with a "converter." Mate a USB audio interface, even
an inexpensive one like a Behringer UCA-202 or -222 will do a better job
than whatever is in a "converter" box. Mate that with a program like
Audacity with its MP3 converter added (or splurge on disk space and use
"full cassette quality" 44.1 kHz WAV files, set the recording level
properly, and you'll get better results than shoving the cassette into
an unknown box and letting it do its thing.

Most cassette decks select the proper equalization curve for the type of
tape based on sensing notches in the shell as someone has explained
here. A deck will let you listen with Dolby noise reduction in or out
and decide which one sounds right if your cassettes aren't marked as to
whether they use it or not. There's no automatic way to detect that.



Depending on the nature of the cassettes, a cassette deck straight into
the mic/line in of a laptop or desktop may be sufficient quality.

geoff

[[email protected]]

I have a box of old cassettes in the attic (like a
million other blokes).Â* Rather than consigning them
to the dust bin, I'd convert them to MP3 files.Â* Anybody
have suggestions for a converter?


if the material is available from iTnes or elsewhere in digital format, unless you spend a lot of money and effort on the copy, the quality will be better if you just get a digital version.

Of course if the material is not available, then.....

m

[Trevor]

On 2/06/2018 11:34 AM, wrote:

I have a box of old cassettes in the attic (like a
million other blokes).Â* Rather than consigning them
to the dust bin, I'd convert them to MP3 files.Â* Anybody
have suggestions for a converter?


if the material is available from iTnes or elsewhere in digital format, unless you spend a lot of money and effort on the copy, the quality will be better if you just get a digital version.

Of course if the material is not available, then.....

Yep, I wouldn't even consider wasting time and money unless it is
something you can't live without and can't get elsewhere. Even grabbing
stuff off youtube that someone else has done is probably going to be
just as good.
But if you have rare soundesk recordings of good artists not available
elsewhere, it might be worth some effort.

Trevor.

[geoff]

On 2/06/2018 2:40 PM, Trevor wrote:
On 2/06/2018 11:34 AM, wrote:

I have a box of old cassettes in the attic (like a
million other blokes).Â* Rather than consigning them
to the dust bin, I'd convert them to MP3 files.Â* Anybody
have suggestions for a converter?


if the material is available from iTnes or elsewhere in digital
format, unless you spend a lot of money andÂ* effort on the copy, the
quality will be better if you just get a digital version.

Of course if the material is not available, then.....

Yep, I wouldn't even consider wasting time and money unless it is
something you can't live without and can't get elsewhere. Even grabbing
stuff off youtube that someone else has done is probably going to be
just as good.
But if you have rare soundesk recordings of good artists not available
elsewhere, it might be worth some effort.

Trevor.




If on CD go down to a used record store and buy for next-to-nothing.Then
if a digital file is what you want to end up with simply rip it, and
you'll have the full-quality real CD for backup. An dthe cassette if
thing really get desperate !

Then use you time and effort on the xfers for what isn't on CD .

geoff

[Scott Dorsey]

wrote:
I have a box of old cassettes in the attic (like a
million other blokes). Rather than consigning them
to the dust bin, I'd convert them to MP3 files. Anybody
have suggestions for a converter?

What's your budget?

Playing cassettes cleanly is actually a bit of a pain in the neck, due
to azimuth stability problems. You can buy a Nak Dragon and spend a lot
of money, but it'll let you be able to do unattended transfers without
having to worry about azimuth error. (You'll still have to worry about
getting Dolby levels right, though). For less money you can get a Tascam 122,
spend some money to get new belts on it and add an extender to make the
azimuth screw more accessible.

I could buy one blind, from Amazon or Best Buy, but
I wonder if there are differences in quality, among
competing models.

For the most part, any cassette deck based on a stamped metal chassis is
going to have stability problems.

I plan to do one tape per day. It should require minimal
baby sitting - just start it, then let it run to completion,
and switch off, on its own.

PS Some of the tapes are metal, some CrO2, some plain
vanilla (whatever that means). And differing cutoff filters.
So that's a complication. As I recall, there were players which could recognize these various types. How did they do that?

They used notches in the back of the tape, but you're better off not trusting
the notches because they aren't always correct. Some people would deliberately
set them up wrong to make tapes brighter (to compensate for the azimuth always
being wrong).

God, I hated cassettes.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Nil[_2_]]

On 03 Jun 2018, (Scott Dorsey) wrote in
rec.audio.pro:

Playing cassettes cleanly is actually a bit of a pain in the neck,
due to azimuth stability problems. You can buy a Nak Dragon and
spend a lot of money, but it'll let you be able to do unattended
transfers without having to worry about azimuth error. (You'll
still have to worry about getting Dolby levels right, though).
For less money you can get a Tascam 122, spend some money to get
new belts on it and add an extender to make the azimuth screw more
accessible.

What is this "extender" of which you speak? I have a Tascam 302, which
I guess is more-or-less a double-well version of the 122. I adjust the
azimuth with a small screwdriver, but a tape in there it's difficult to
see to find the screw.

[Scott Dorsey]

Nil wrote:
On 03 Jun 2018, (Scott Dorsey) wrote in
rec.audio.pro:

Playing cassettes cleanly is actually a bit of a pain in the neck,
due to azimuth stability problems. You can buy a Nak Dragon and
spend a lot of money, but it'll let you be able to do unattended
transfers without having to worry about azimuth error. (You'll
still have to worry about getting Dolby levels right, though).
For less money you can get a Tascam 122, spend some money to get
new belts on it and add an extender to make the azimuth screw more
accessible.

What is this "extender" of which you speak? I have a Tascam 302, which
I guess is more-or-less a double-well version of the 122. I adjust the
azimuth with a small screwdriver, but a tape in there it's difficult to
see to find the screw.

Little piece of stainless steel that replaces the screw and gives you a
little knurled knob that you can turn. It doesn't wear out after a short
while the way the original screw threads will wear out if you constantly
change the setting.

Tape Warehouse used to sell them for the 122 back in the eighties, I am
sure there are plenty out there.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Nil[_2_]]

On 04 Jun 2018, (Scott Dorsey) wrote in
rec.audio.pro:

Little piece of stainless steel that replaces the screw and gives
you a little knurled knob that you can turn. It doesn't wear out
after a short while the way the original screw threads will wear
out if you constantly change the setting.

Tape Warehouse used to sell them for the 122 back in the eighties,
I am sure there are plenty out there.

OK, thanks. I can picture it. A quick look around doesn't find any but
I'll keep looking.

[Bill[_20_]]

In message , Scott Dorsey
writes
God, I hated cassettes.

Yes, and I'm perhaps in the same position as the OP. I have a bunch of
cassettes made of live shows. I used them to listen in the car to get a
feel for structure and problem areas before editing the master tapes for
broadcast.

I should be ashamed to admit that, when I saw a cassette to usb
converter in the local Aldi supermarket's remainder area for just under
5 UK pounds, I invested in it.

It's "good enough" and a very handy way of doing it. In my case, I dump
the audio into Audition, lay down the odd marker, and either store it or
put it onto something that will play in the car now.

I just couldn't be bothered fiddling with azimuth etc. for ultimate, but
still mediocre, quality.
--
Bill

[geoff]

On 4/06/2018 10:18 PM, Bill wrote:
In message , Scott Dorsey
writes
God, I hated cassettes.

Yes, and I'm perhaps in the same position as the OP. I have a bunch of
cassettes made of live shows. I used them to listen in the car to get a
feel for structure and problem areas before editing the master tapes for
broadcast.

I should be ashamed to admit that, when I saw a cassette to usb
converter in the local Aldi supermarket's remainder area for just under
5 UK pounds, I invested in it.

It's "good enough" and a very handy way of doing it. In my case, I dump
the audio into Audition, lay down the odd marker, and either store it or
put it onto something that will play in the car now.

I just couldn't be bothered fiddling with azimuth etc. for ultimate, but
still mediocre, quality.


You can easily do some coarse EQ to maybe improve things, with little
effort. WFT. Good enough for purpose !

cheers

geoff