Arts >> Music >> Digital Music

How to Convert a Cassette to CD with Equipment

Cassette tapes are relics of the past, making it difficult to find cassette players to play them. Many people have large cassette tape collections of their favorite singers and bands and need a way to play them now and in the future. Cassette tapes can be transformed into CDs using a tape player, an audio cable, and a computer with some recording software. If you convert your cassette tapes into CDs, you'll have your music in a more modern format with the option to rip your CDs to digital audio files if you choose.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer with recordable disc drive and line-in stereo jack
  • Blank CD-R disc
  • Cassette tape player with headphone jack
  • 3.5-mm male-to-male stereo cable
Show More

Instructions

  1. Record Your Songs

    • 1

      Place your cassette tape player in the vicinity of your computer. It has to be close enough that your stereo cable can reach from your cassette tape player to your computer's line-in jack.

    • 2

      Plug one end of your stereo cable into your tape player's headphone jack and the other end into your computer's line-in jack.

    • 3

      Put the tape you'd like to convert to a CD into your tape player.

    • 4

      Open the recording software on your computer. You can use the Sound Recorder built into Windows. Click "Start" > "All Programs" > "Accessories" > "Entertainment" and choose "Sound Recorder." There are other options as well, such as Audacity and Cakewalk.

    • 5

      Press the "Record" button in your sound recording software, then press the "Play" button on your tape player.

    • 6

      Save your sound file when a song is done recording by clicking "File" > "Save As" and typing the name of your song. It's usually a good idea to begin the file name with a number. For example, if you record the first song on your tape, start your file name with "01". Repeat the recording and file-saving process for each song on the cassette tape.

    Create Your CD

    • 7

      Place a blank CD into your recordable CD drive.

    • 8

      Click "Start" and select "My Computer," then navigate to the location where you saved your sound files.

    • 9

      Drag your mouse to select all of the files, right-click and hover over "Send To". Choose your recordable CD drive from the list of available locations.

    • 10

      Click "Start" > "My Computer" and double-click your recordable CD drive.

    • 11

      Select "Write these files to CD" from the left-hand navigation bar. This will start the CD Writing Wizard.

    • 12

      Click the "Next" button when the CD Writing Wizard opens. Select the "Make an audio CD" option and click "Next" again. This will open Windows Media Player, which will begin burning your CD.

    • 13

      Allow Windows Media Player to finish recording your sound files to your recordable disc. When the process is finished, you can remove your newly recorded CD from your recordable disc drive and close Windows Media Player.

Digital Music

Related Categories