Tape to MP3

[admin_exported]

I would like to convert some of my girlfriend's old mix tapes to MP3 so that she can listen to them on her iPod. I'd like to say that this is a surprise Christmas gesture of love, but actually she's been nagging me about it for years.

I have a fairly basic laptop with just a microphone-in jack. Now, I could just run a cable from my (quite good) tape deck to my laptop and record with Audacity, but I doubt the sound quality would be up to much.

Would it be worth getting some kind of external USB sound card? Because this is a one-off, I don't want to be spending big bucks on it. Would something like this do it?

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=669&product=17751&nav=1

Looks like it might be overkill, but it's the only thing I can find on the PC World website.

Any other suggestions? Will I get appreciably better sound quality than just using the mic-in jack?

 

[fatboyslimfast]

TBH, it rather depends on how good the tapes are. What you can do with audacity, is sample a small portion of the file before the music starts, and then use the Noise Reduction facility to strip out all the tape and sound card hiss...

works pretty well for me. I wouldn't bother with the soundcard - unless you are recording from something like a Nakamichi...

 

[John Duncan]

Yeah not worth spending money on it - you could probably buy the lot on CD for the cost of an external card.......

 

[Anonymous]

OK, so transferring from tape isn't ideal but you have mix-tapes, not mix-CDs so if you want the best from the tapes and your 'quite good' tape deck, get an external soundcard.

Also, if all you have is a true mic-in jack, it is not designed to take line levels as an input, and secondly even if you did manage to get something from it, it will probably be in mono as I've yet to find a mic in on a laptop that is stereo!!!

And of course, an external soundcard won't just be useful for transferring tapes, it will be an upgrade over the laptops built in sound

 

[professorhat]

I have mix-CDs...

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice so far guys.

JohnDuncan:Yeah not worth spending money on it - you could probably buy the lot on CD for the cost of an external card.......

Well, I'm told that these are mixtapes of super-rare late 80s early 90 dance vinyl - lots of promos and small-run stuff. Almost impossible to find.

Would that gizmo from PC world do it then?

 

[John Duncan]

tractorboy:Well, I'm told that these are mixtapes of super-rare late 80s early 90 dance vinyl - lots of promos and small-run stuff. Almost impossible to find.

I'd burn them then

tractorboy: Would that gizmo from PC world do it then?

On the face of it, actually, probably not the best thing - let me have a dig around in pro audio cards......

 

[Anonymous]

professorhat:
I have mix-CDs...

I have mix CDs too lol

Well in the case that's it's not stuff you will probably ever get a hold of on CD or itunes then it's well worth transferring them! Why people always give the answer "Just go and buy them all on CD" baffles me, the main reason I still have my tape deck despite only using it twice a year, bought myself a turntable and have a £300 soundcard is to transfer audio that I can't get elsewhere and will probably never be released again!

I don't know about that soundcard in particular, I personally prefer E-mu (Creative's professional division) for my sound needs (they don't just do £300 soundcards, you can get great USB devices from them as well)
But on a budget, that product you're looking at will probably satisfy your needs.

 

[John Duncan]

Right, to get proper RCA inputs, you're going to have to spend more (60 quid and up), so I'd suggest this, which seems to get good reviews and is a third of the price.

However, have you tried recording through your headphone jack already? You might be surprised by the results (which will be limited more by the age of the tape than your soundcard, at a guess).

 

[Anonymous]

That product for that price that'll probably do the trick, and if it doesn't... well you've only spent the best part of £15

 

[professorhat]

There's also this - bit more expensive though. Have bought from Dolphin before though if that counts for anything!

 

[Anonymous]

JohnDuncan:tractorboy:Well, I'm told that these are mixtapes of super-rare late 80s early 90 dance vinyl - lots of promos and small-run stuff. Almost impossible to find.

I'd burn them then

Well, we're just about to move house and there's always the danger that something will get lost...

Thanks for your time and suggestions guys. After careful inspection (of my wallet, rather than necessarily of the products suggested!) I've ordered the Asonic £10 wonder. It'll be after Christmas before I get a chance to try it out, but I'll let you know how I get on.

Ta very much.

 

[Anonymous]

So the Asonic external USB external soundcard duly arrived, link here.

It looks cheap, it feels cheap, hey, it IS cheap - less than 15 squid including post and packing, and it works absolutely fine. I'm now MP3ing the tapes via Audacity, and the results are absolutely fine.

For those that are interested in a cheap as chips offboard soundcard, you won't go far wrong with this. Highly recommended for those on a tight budget (or those who are just tight).