This from the Small Dog newsletter:
How-to Convert Tapes or LPs to CD
by Ed Shepard (
[email protected])
Back in 1992, I bought an old Jimi Hendrix tape called "Rare
Hendrix," from a pawn shop in Rapid City, South Dakota. It contains
some of the best Hendrix I've ever heard. That tape has permanently
influenced my taste in music. However, the songs on the tape really
are rare - the only other place I've seen the songs listed were on
rare and expensive British import LPs. I've always been worried about
the tape breaking again (it already broke once) or losing it forever.
I finally decided to digitize the tape and convert it into a CD.
We get many questions about how to do this (and it was our most
requested demo in our store), so I will outline the process.
First, you need a combination of hardware and software to perform the
transfer. The hardware is used to interface the stereo with the
computer, and the software is used to record and process the
digitized audio on the computer. Here is the equipment I used:
- Stereo with tape deck
- Belkin 3.5mm Stereo Y Adapter - two RCA plugs on one end, one 1/8"
headphone jack on the other.
http://www.s...65/atkibbles- Griffin iMic 2
http://www.s...37/atkibbles- 12" Powerbook (any computer running OS 10.2 or higher with USB
ports will work)
- Soundtrack Pro (though other programs can be used to digitize
audio, which I discuss)
My stereo has a pair of RCA outputs. These are very common - most
televisions, receivers, phonographs, and boom boxes have them. RCA
outputs are the two round ports on the back of the stereo, generally
color-coded red and white. I plugged the Belkin Y-audio cable into
the RCA ports, and then plugged the 1/8" headphone jack on the other
end of the cable into the iMic. The iMic then plugs into the
computer's USB port.
I don't recommend plugging a cable from the stereo directly into your
computers mic jack, because the straight connection does not have
enough power to deliver a quality signal. The iMic resolves this issue.
Once the iMic is plugged in, you'll want to turn on your computer and
then launch System Preferences. Find the System Preferences as the
fourth option under the blue Apple in the upper left corner of your
computer screen. Click on Sound, then select the Input menu. Under
Input, you should select "iMic," and then make sure the input volume
is turned 3/4 of the way up. If the iMic is not listed under sound
input, restart your computer and repeat.
Once the iMic is set up as your audio input, you'll need to launch
the software application that will be recording the music. The iMic
comes with a handy program called "Final Vinyl 2.0" that makes
recording the audio very easy. I recommend using this program to
record your tapes and records to your computer's hard drive. You can
also record the audio into Garageband, Quicktime Pro, etc. For "Rare
Hendrix" I chose to record into Soundtrack Pro, which is very fast
and responsive.
Here's how to set up your favorite audio app for digitizing your
tapes and records. First, in the audio application's Preferences,
make sure the iMic is set as the audio input. You already did this in
the computer's system preferences, but it's important to make sure
the application you're working in recognizes the iMic.
Now, do a test. With everything connected, press "play" on the tape
player, or put the needle on the record. You should be able to see
and hear the audio playing through your audio application. You may
have to turn the volume on the stereo up or down to make sure the
audio is not inaudible, or distorted. Once you are satisfied with the
audio levels, you can click "record" on the computer, to begin
digitizing your audio files. Again, if you are using Final Vinyl, you
only have to click one button to begin recording.
I let the computer capture side one and side two of "Rare Hendrix,"
before going back and manually cutting and dividing the tracks. I
then exported each track as an AIFF file. The exported AIFF files
will be dragged & dropped into iTunes, where they'll be burned to CD.
Now, I have digital copies of my favorite tape.
This can take a while - it all records in real time. Final Vinyl
makes the recording very easy. There are a number of excellent
programs to help with the digitizing and naming of the audio. The
best is CD Spin Doctor, part of the Roxio Toast and Boom Box software
packages. See this here:
Roxio Boom Box
http://www.s...27/atkibblesRoxio Toast 7 Titanium CDR Software
http://www.s...37/atkibblesIt works great. Now I've got Rare Hendrix is playing out of my iPod,
and if the iPod is lost, I'll have it backed up in digital perfection
on the computer's hard drive.
Have fun digitizing your tapes and LPs!
Everything that you need in a bundle!
Bundle with 15-inch PowerBook G4:
PowerBook 15in G4/1.5GHz 512/80/combo/AP/BT with iMic, Boom Box and
Cable - $1469
To order:
http://www.s...15/atkibblesBundle without the computer:
Griffin iMic, Roxio Boom Box and Belkin cable - $79
To order:
http://www.s...17/atkibbles
