Converting language cassettes to CD

Is there a tutorial video and/or instructions on how to convert language cassettes to CDs using Audacity with Windows 10?

[u]Tutorial - Copying Tapes, LPs or MiniDiscs to CD[/u].

You can connect line-out or headphone-out on the cassette player to line-in on a regular soundcard. If you have a laptop with no line-in, you’ll need a USB audio interface with line-inputs. (Don’t get a regular “USB soundcard”. They are like laptops with only microphone-in and headphone-out.)

And, Audacity can’t do the final step of burning the CD so you’ll need to use different software for that.

Sorry I’m late in responding, but I still have some questions with respect to recording some language cassette tapes on my laptop and then burning them
to a cd. I presume I connect the headphone out on my cassette player to the headphone out on my laptop to record from the cassette to the laptop. Is there any problem with the cassette being mono? The language lessons on the cassette are formatted in Units/Chapters with only a sound break between them. How do I record the Units/Chapters on my laptop so that I can burn them on the CD in the form of tracks like on a music cd? What is the name of the software that will burn the CD? Thank you for your assistance.

I presume I connect the headphone out on my cassette player to the headphone out on my laptop to record from the cassette to the laptop.

No!!! Sound comes OUT of the cassette player’s headphone output and sound comes OUT of the laptop’s headphone output. (You don’t speak into someone’s mouth, you speak into their ear. :wink: )

The [u]Behringer UCA202[/u] is a popular and inexpensive USB interface with line-inputs. Line-inputs are a good match for a headphone-output (or a line-output of course). You’ll need an appropriate adapter cable for whatever interface you choose. The UCA202 has RCA connectors. A microphone input is “wrong”.

Is there any problem with the cassette being mono?

No problem. Virtually everything is mono-stereo compatible. Presumably, the cassette player is stereo and you should hear the same thing in both ears or record the same thing in both channels.

Audio CDs are always 2-channels so a “mono” CD has two identical channels. Your CD burning software should do that automatically if you feed it a mono file. MP3s and other computer audio files can be mono or stereo and a mono file will play through both speakers.

The language lessons on the cassette are formatted in Units/Chapters with only a sound break between them. How do I record the Units/Chapters on my laptop so that I can burn them on the CD in the form of tracks like on a music cd?

Typically you’d make a separate file for each “chapter”. But, it’s possible to have one-big file and then use a [u]cue sheet[/u] to place the track markers on the CD.

I find the easiest way to make separate files is to select/highlight each chapter (or each song) and then Export Selected Audio, one at at time. Or, you can [u]label[/u] the chapters and [u]Export Multiple[/u] to create all of the files in one shot.

If you also want to make MP3s or other computer files, you’ll need a separate file for each chapter. (i.e. If you buy an audiobook you get a separate file for each chapter and if you buy an MP3 album from Amazon you get a separate file for each song.)

What is the name of the software that will burn the CD? Thank you for your assistance.

Most people use Windows Media Player or iTunes. (I use a special-purpose program called ImgBurn.)

Note that there are two “kinds” of CDs. An “audio CD” doesn’t actually have computer files. You can also make a “data CD” with WAV or MP3 files (or Excel files or whatever)… The data CD with audio files will play on your computer but most audio CD players can’t play it, so it might not play in your car, etc. Sometimes you have to configure the burning application to make the type of CD you want.