Connect the output of the cassette player to the input of your laptop. Most cassette players have stereo RCA outputs, and most laptop computers have 1/8-inch mini stereo inputs. You can purchase a special RCA to 1/8-inch cable from any store that sells home audio equipment or a store that sells musical instruments and supplies. If your cassette player uses 1/4-inch stereo connectors, you may have to order a special 1/4-inch to 1/8-inch stereo cable because these are a bit less common.
Open the program that you want to use to record the cassette tape. Many computers come with dedicated recording programs such as GarageBand for Apple computers. Some PCs do not have dedicated recording programs, but the programs are widely available. Programs such as FL Studio or Cakewalk are fairly inexpensive and easy to use.
Set the input on your recording program. This usually is done in the menu at the top of the screen. Select the appropriate audio input, which usually will be labeled as mini stereo input.
Select a track to record on. In the recording program, there will be a mixer window that shows different tracks. You want to record on the first stereo track available, especially if you want to record multiple tracks.
Begin recording in the computer program and start the cassette player. When the track has stopped, stop the recording in the computer program and on the cassette player.
Bounce the track to a computer audio player such as iTunes. Bouncing is the process of converting the track into a listenable file like an MP3 or AIFF file. In the top menu of the recording program, there should be an output menu that will allow you to send the music to the program of your choice.
Open your computer audio player and locate the track. Move the track to a special playlist and burn the CD. If you do not have an audio program that will burn CDs, you can get a program such as Toast or CD Forge for very little money.