Intermittent Recording

Using Windows 10 and Audacity 3.0.4. Trying to record from a cassette tape capture usb but recording only happens intermittently. I am wondering if the tape capture usb device is not suitable.

Is it one of these (below).
We hear of lots of people having problems with those. They are manufactured very cheaply and are not reliable. If you still have the receipt you may be able to send it back for a refund.

Hi kenwestgate

Steve’s correct, I wouldn’t chance putting a cherished, rare or collectable cassette in one these.

These devices came about in the 1990’s as response the decline of musicassettes, cheaper computers and the advent of programs such as Audacity on the horizon,

The marketing angle was “digitize your memories and keep them for ever” and numerous programs promised this, with wonderous gizmo’s such “Tape-Hiss-be-Gone” or one click fixes.

If you are serious about digitizing cassettes, it’s worth considering seeking out separate (stand alone) cassette decks from several manufacturers with a long pedigrees, such as Technics, Pioneer, Akai.

Have a look in the local free-ads, freecycle websites, even word of mouth.

If you do acquire a deck don’t put any valuable cassettes in it before giving it a thorough shakedown.

I can post a shakedown list here if admin permit it.

Good luck

Perhaps make a new post about “Tips for recording cassettes” (or similar) on this forum board: Audio Technology - Audacity Forum
Then you, and others, can link to it whenever appropriate.

General tips about what is OK on the forum and what is not:
Genuine help relating to effective use of Audacity is always welcome. Spam / advertising are not.
External links to third party resources should be kept to a minimum. Only use external links when they are directly relevant to the discussion.
Links to the Audacity manual, Audacity wiki, and other official Audacity resources are fine.
Uploading images to the forum is better than linking to external images.
Basically, it’s just about keeping this forum a safe, family friendly, spam free resource for the Audacity community. If in doubt, feel free to ask :slight_smile:

Cheers mate, nice one. I just want to pass on a lifetimes knowledge.