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How to Transfer Cassette Tapes to a CD/DVD

Before CDs, cassette tapes were the preferred medium for playback in cars. They were small, easy to load into a dash player and easy to record at home, using vinyl or radio as source material. Because of their low transport speed and narrow tape size, they were also prone to signal overload, hiss noise and breakage. Dolby noise reduction ameliorated the hiss and better transport mechanisms abated breakage, but they still wear out. Converting cassettes to CDs and DVDs can be fairly simple.

Things You'll Need

  • A cassette to USB converter or
  • A cassette deck with RCA outputs with 3.5-millimeter stereo male to dual RCA male adapter cable
  • Audio editor and recording program
  • CD burner program
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Instructions

  1. Using a Cassette to USB Converter

    • 1

      Load the audio recording software and CD burner software bundled with your cassette to USB device.

    • 2

      Load a cassette into the cassette-to-USB device.

    • 3

      Plug the USB cable of the cassette to USB device into the computer.

    • 4

      Start the recording software on the computer. Start playing back the tape. Click the record button on the recording software.

    • 5

      Start up the CD/DVD burner software and select the type of disk you want to record. Drag and drop all the WAV files created in Step 4 onto the burner list and click "burn."

    Using a Component Cassette Deck

    • 6

      Plug the red RCA plug of the adapter cable into the right-channel output of the cassette deck. Plug the black or white plug of the cable into the left-channel output. Plug the 3.5 mm stereo male into the microphone jack of the computer sound card or laptop.

    • 7

      Load and start a free audio editor/recording program on the computer. Set the recording device preference for microphone in. Set the input level on the software mixer module.

    • 8

      Start playback on the cassette deck. Click the record button, then the pause button. Re-adjust the input level on the software mixer module. Rewind and restart the cassette deck. Unpause the software recording.

    • 9

      Load and start a CD burner program, choose CD or DVD and insert a blank CD or DVD in the computer's burner. Drag and drop all WAV files generated in Step 3 into the "Add files" window of the CD burner and click "burn."

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Recording Music

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