Yes Virginia, you can digitize your old cassette tapes.

Yes there is a way to record cassette tapes to a computer and then save them as an audio file (be it .mp3, .wav, etc.)  I’ll try to make this a easy as I can! 

You can either go to the Vermont Country Store and for $39.95 you can buy this Cassette Converter or you can do it yourself!

First download this program, Audacity.  This is the recording software.

Secondly you need this cable, it’s a mini stereo plug to mini stereo plug.  Think of it as a headphone cable without the headphones.

Plug one end into the headset jack of the cassette player and the other into the “line-in” or “microphone” jack on the computer.

Go to the bottom right hand side of your computer (considering it’s a PC—if it’s a MAC email me back and I’ll figure that out for you.

Look for the speaker icon next to the time and right click on it and click on “open volume control”   This is the tricky party because some computers will look different than others but the basics are the same.  In the top left hand side under the “Options” , click “Properties”  It should look something like this...

Click on the “Recording” option.  Looks something like this….

Make sure all “devices” listed are selected if you have them and click “OK”.  Again this may look different.

This is where you control the volume for the inputs one of them; mic, “what U hear” S/PDIF, WAVE/MP3 will control the volume of what’s coming in from the cassette player.  You should be able to hear the cassette player through the computer and turn up/down the volume with a corresponding slider.

Open Audacity

You can keep the project Rate at 44100.  Click the record button and you should see an audio wave form move across the screen. Click the stop button when done.

I believe they have updated the software where you can go to the “save project as” under “file” and save as a .mp3. Once created you can put it on a flash drive or a cd.

If you create a cd you can do it 2 ways (using any cd creation software); if you create a music cd you will only fit about an hour or so on the disc—let’s say about 13-20 4-minute songs.  If you create it as a data disc and add the individual .mp3 files you can fit about 160 4-minute songs. 

I know I’ve thrown a lot out here, once you get it it’s a piece of cake.

I know I have probably left out something, again every computer is different.  If you need help feel free to drop me a line.