Professional cassette to CD transfer?

[Sean88gt]

Before my Grandfather died he recorded a tape talking about his life, his time in WWII and surviving 27 months in a POW camp. The tape is roughly 20 years old at this point, perhaps older as he died 20 years ago this June.

I want to take it in and have it transferred so I don't risk damaging perhaps the greatest story in the history of my family. I would also like to get it transcribed, put into a book and printed. My uncles each have a tape as well as my dad. I don't know if each is the same or different, but I know NONE of the 3 brothers have ever listened to it.

Any suggestions would be great.

[cobrajet69]

Here's a suggestion... shoot the 3 uncles and give one of the copies to me!

Seriously though Sean, put me down for a copy please.
Also, my uncle passed away last week and I have an album he recorded that I would like to transfer to CD. I'm looking for that now and if I find a place, I'll let you know.

My uncle was a self taught piano player and played many of the grand opening nights for a lot of night clubs, like the Copper Kettle and many others.



David

[cobrajet69]

If you want to try and do it yourself, a quick google search came up with this:

This is a pretty easy process but it will take some time. Basically we have to do a two-step process: Getting a digital version of the audio tapes, then burning those digital audio files to standard CDs.

First we need to rip the data off the cassette tapes. You’ll need one special piece of hardware in addition to a tape deck: You need a cable that connects from the audio-out jack on the tape deck (this could be standard Red/White RCA Cable or a Red/White RCA to 1/8 Mini Jack , depending on your deck) to your computer (which will accept a 1/8-inch mini speaker plug). Connect the tape deck output to the AUX IN input on your PC. (If you’re using a laptop, you’ll have to use the MIC IN jack.) Make sure you turn this input on in Windows, as by default it is off in most cases.

Now we’re about ready to start ripping, but you need software to make this happen. There is a ton of free software to turn audio into MP3 or WAV files. I’ve used Media Digitalizer to do this exact thing in the past, but many alternatives exist (and Digitalizer only comes with a 14-day free trial, then it’s $40). You’ll find good advice on how to use another tool with audio tapes, a free piece of software called Exact Audio Copy, at Kuro5hin. There’s a little trial and error involved in getting the volume levels set properly, but it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get it running smoothly.

Treblemaker recommends CD-RWs just in case you make a mistake. You can record one side of each tape as one big MP3 file, or split it up into chunks, whichever you prefer (and if the tapes are too short or too long, you might fit more on a CD by ripping into 10-minute chunks).

Once you’ve ripped all the audio, simply burn it to an audio disc with any music software. Your ripping program will probably contain a CD-burning feature, or you can do what I do and simply import all the MP3s into iTunes (or another music player) and burn the CDs from there. This is the easy part and should give you no trouble at all.

You’ve probably figured out the catch with ripping audio from tape: It has to be done in real-time unlike ripping from CD, which can take only about 60 seconds to rip a five-minute song. What are you going to do while all this ripping is going on? Well, you’ll probably sit there and listen to the tape… which may obviate the need for you rip to CD to begin with. If you have a large number of tapes you want to convert to CD, tying up your stereo and computer (and your time) for so many hours may simply not be an option. In the end it may just be simpler to stick a portable tape deck on your passenger seat and listen that way.

Thanks to Christopher Null for the tutorial.



Read more: http://www.methodshop.com/2006/10/ho...#ixzz1IUW1zoia

David

[yellowstang]

Call some of those places that Xfer VHS to DVD or CD's, they probably have the equipment to do it, or as mentioned above, get a cassette deck with audio out, and a TV card for a computer. I xfered a VHS to CD that way several years ago, plus I could watch TV on my computer by hooking the cable to it.

[Sean88gt]

I hate to attempt it. No clue what shape the tape is in.