How To Turn Cassettes Into CDs

Back to Computer Technology > How-To's

We all have cassette tapes floating around the backseat. Some are artist originals, and many are forgotten mixes that once captured the zeitgeist of an era old. Perhaps a past love or road trip inspired these unwanted gems? In the age of digital music, we often pass by these memories in lieu of fancier, high-tech formats. This cannot go on! With this guide, you can convert all your long-lost bootlegs into MP3s and immortalize them in the latest digital compression format.

Setup
In order to convert your cassette tapes to digital CD format, you must first prepare your PC with the proper hardware and software for the job.

RCA-to-headphone Cable

To start, you will first need to connect your stereo system to your computer with a stereo RCA-to-headphone cable. One end of this cable should be connected to your amplifier's line-out, and the other end should be plugged into the line-in of your sound card. This cable is available for just a few dollars at Radio Shack or any audio component store.

  Line-Out      Line-In

Second, you will need a software application that is capable of recording sound through the line-in jack of your sound card. We recommend MusicMatch Jukebox for its ease of use.

Finally, you'll also need a recordable CD-ROM (CD-R) player in your computer. CD-R is a recordable CD format that is used for both recording data and audio CDs. CD-RW is another type of recordable disc format, but it is better suited for storing data, as many stereo systems are not compatible with CD-RW discs. If you would like help installing a CD burner, consult Help & How-To's Installing a CD-RW.

Step One

To begin recording, start MusicMatch and choose your input source from the following menu path: options, recorder, source, and line-in.

The "recorder" window will appear underneath the music library. (If it doesn't, click the REC button.)

Click on "artist" and "album" to change the name of the file and enter the song title on the right before recording.

Now, simply press the record button in the window and begin playing from your tape deck. When your recording is complete, press stop, and the new track should be recorded and placed at the bottom of your music library. Repeat this process for each track you record.

By default, each track is saved in 128kbps, which is more than sufficient for most high-quality tape recordings. Once you have completed your first recording, you should play the file and confirm that it was recorded at the proper volume level. (If the track is distorted or too soft, you can adjust the volume input level on either the stereo system or from within Windows by double-clicking the speaker icon on your task bar, which is at the bottom of the screen. In the "play control" window, select options, properties, recording, and finally, OK. A "record control" window should appear, where you can choose a proper volume level. Be sure that the mute button is not selected, or else you may record silence and frustrate yourself to no end. See Figure A.)

MusicMatch offers a host of additional, advanced preferences for recording as well. (See Figure B.) You can configure these options by choosing from the menu path: options, settings, recorder tab, and advanced. Options include fades, off-set, and more. As you become more familiar with making your own MP3s from cassette tapes, these preferences can help you make near professional-sounding recordings from your old analog music. Once you have compiled 74 minutes (or less) of MP3s, you can make an audio CD.

Once you have garnered enough MP3s, you can organize a list of tracks that will be copied onto the recordable CD. The upper, right-hand window of the MusicMatch Jukebox is the playlist. (See Figure C.) To copy a song onto the playlist, drag any file from your music library to the playlist window. In general, blank CD-R discs hold up to 74 minutes of music. (MusicMatch does not currently support the new 80-minute CD-R format.)