Cassettes to Imac Recording Settings

I am trying to record cassettes from a basic cassette top my imac.
I have attached them by connecting 3.5mm cable jack into cassette mic socket and other end into Audio In port to Imac.
However,when using Audacity,there only seems to be levels going in when the cassette player’s speaker is on.Therefore i am wondering if the recording is only
being done by the imac’s mic rather than through the connection?

Do i need to change any Sound settings in the Imac’s Sound preferences?

Thanks in advance!

This set of tutorials from the Manual should help: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorial_copying_tapes_lps_or_minidiscs_to_cd.html

WC

On the Mac you’re connected to the circle with two black triangles, right?

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/MacLineIn.jpg

The cassette machine connection should be the stereo headphone out, not the Mic-In.

Go to the Audacity input device pulldown (microphone symbol) and make sure you’re recording from the Built-In Line-In, not the Mic-In.

Koz
builtInInput.jpg

If it’s a big cassette player, they you may have an actual Stereo Line-Out as RCA connections.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/MacLine-In.jpg

For that case, you use one of these.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/RCAMiniStereo.jpg

Koz

THANKS ! All connected now BUT when i play back the recording,i get silence though it does seem to have recorded the input. However,it is only recording on left side.
My Mac sound preferences are: OUTPUT:Headphones (also available:soundflower 2ch/soundflower 16ch
INPUT: LINE IN (internal mic/soundflower 2 and 16 also available).
any ideas?
Thanks again!

Do you have your earbuds plugged in to the Mac? Isn’t there a setting for Built-In Speakers?

So you have this, but you only have one set of waves, not two?

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/Audacity1_playback.jpg

Koz

Yes,only got one set of waves.Any ideas? (i can now ‘hear’ the recording though)
Thanks again.

Exported as mp3 to itunes but sound only coming out of one speaker.
Help please!

Please describe again exactly how the cassette deck is connected to the iMac. It sounds like you might have a bad cable.

– Bill

Is the jack plug in a mono plug like this:

or a stereo plug like this (note the extra “ring” behind the tip of the plug):

Hi Steve,
Thought you may have been on to something there but checked,and it DOES have the two rings.
Still sound from one speaker only.

As Bill wrote - you could have a bad cable (or a bad socket). Are you able to test the cable?