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The Best Way to Transfer Cassette Music to a CD

The easiest way to transfer cassette music to a CD is to connect a CD recorder to a cassette deck, then use the CD recorder to dub audio playing from the cassette deck. The best way to perform this task, however, is to connect a cassette deck to a computer, use an audio recording application to dub the music playing from the cassette deck, then burn the audio recorded files to a CD. This latter process, while more complicated, comes with more options. For example, recordings dubbed using an audio recording application can be edited.

Things You'll Need

  • Windows 7 computer equipped with a CD burner
  • Blank CD-R
  • Audio recording software
  • RCA male to 3.5 mm stereo male audio cable
  • Cassette deck
  • Headphones (optional)
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Instructions

  1. Connect the Cassette Deck to the Computer

    • 1

      Plug the RCA plug end of the audio cable into the RCA output jacks located on the back of the cassette deck. The red RCA plug goes into the red RCA jack. The white RCA plug goes into the white RCA jack.

    • 2

      Insert the stereo plug end of the audio cable into the computer's stereo "Line In" jack. If you're using a PC, this is the blue jack located on the back of the hard drive.

    • 3

      Connect a set of headphones to the computer or cassette deck for sound monitoring if neither device is hooked up to or equipped with speakers.

    Dub the Cassette Audio into the Computer

    • 4

      Launch the computer's audio recording software. "Sound Recorder," the pre-installed Windows audio recording application, is located in the Start menu at "All Programs," > "Accessories," > "Entertainment" > "Sound Recorder." To use an application with more features and options, download and install Sourceforge's free Audacity audio recorder and editor program.

    • 5

      Open the application's "Properties" or "Preferences" options. Set the "Recording Device" or "Recording Source" to the computer's sound card. Set the sample rate to "44.1 kHz," the sample format to"16-bit," and the channel to "stereo."

    • 6

      Insert the cassette tape you want to dub into the cassette deck. Cue the tape to the place where you want to begin dubbing.

    • 7

      Click the Record button in the audio recording application. Press "Play" on the cassette deck. At the end of the audio track, click the Stop button in the audio recording application. Edit the record to suit your preference (this is optional).

    • 8

      Save the recorded audio file as a ".wav" file type, in the default music folder located at "C:\Username\My Music." Repeat Steps 2 through 5 to record another audio track from the cassette.

    Burn the Audio to a CD

    • 9

      Load a blank CD-R disc into the computer's CD burner.

    • 10

      Open the Start menu. Enter "Windows Media Player" in the "Search" box. Press "Enter" to launch Windows Media Player.

    • 11

      Select the "Burn" tab. Select "Burn." Click "Audio CD."

    • 12

      Browse to find the .wav recordings you made in the previous section in your music library. Drag and drop each .wav file to the "Burn List." Be sure the order of the files is sequenced the same way you want the audio files to be burned on the CD.

    • 13

      Click "Start Burn."

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Recording Music

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