Ripping from cassette tapes

[simsim]

I want to record a whole stack of tapes into mp3. I am planning to get a cheap dual cassette deck off ebay and stick it into my computer. But that's about as far as I've got.

What's the cheapest soundcard I need to achieve this?
Any recommendations on software?
Any other tips?

Thanks.

[dave87]

Soundcard - you can use the onboard line in.

Software - something like Audacity

[Funkstar]

i'd agree with dave87. Quality of the sound card wouldn't be a great concern to me, it's going to be better quality then the cassette anyway, especially if you use "a cheap dual cassette deck off ebay"

[simsim]

Okay, thanks.

BTW cheap cassette decks off ebay are ones that cost £500 10 years ago - I mean, who uses tapes. Well, except me. :-)

[simsim]

Another question then, do I need an amp to go with the cassette deck, or could I just use the output from the phono sockets straight into the line in on the computer?

[arthurleung]

The phono will be fine. The line-in jack is sensitive enough. Using an amp will just decrease signal quality.

Amp is for increasing signal strength not signal quality.

[simsim]

Excellent, thanks.

[Craig321]

You don't need a sound card. I recorded tapes to my PC easily and perfectly using a tape player and the line in port on my motherboard along with Audacity making sure the sound doesn't go too high.

[dave87]

Craig - You need a sound card, but you don't need to buy a dedicated one - the one integrated into the motherboard is fine.

[Craig321]

Oh right, I thought when you posted that you needed a sound card you meant you needed an actual dedicated one

[machinist]

I used goldwave as the software to 'rip' my tapes. Was a bit fiddly tbh, as you have to carve up the mp3 at the end in to individual tracks, but it worked.
Goldwave is free too btw

[Funkstar]

Another thing. Personally i would save the recorded files as FLAC or another lossless audio format. That way you can transcode to any other format in the future without incurring any further quality loss due to compression artifacts.

[htid]

Good thread, i've been wondering if you can do this for a while. Hopefully I could use cubase rather than audacity, so I'll give that a go when i go home at christmas.

[chuckskull]

Yeah cubase should be fine, almost every audio editing app can record from the line in.

I did this with a load of rare frank zappa stuff ages ago. Time consuming, but not hard work.

[htid]

Yeah cubase should be fine, almost every audio editing app can record from the line in.

I did this with a load of rare frank zappa stuff ages ago. Time consuming, but not hard work.

haha mine will be more like Clubbers Guide to Ibiza 2000 and Gatecrasher tapes

[spazman]

I recorded quite a few tapes a long time ago with mixed results, the hissing on some caused by the low quality of the tape was very very bad. I did find a program at the time which would 'remove' the hissing. It worked but also removed alot of the music aswell. I gave up in the end as tapes are such crappy quality (especially these ones as id played them to death).