CONVERTING CASSETTE TRACKS TO WAV

[nwg]

Using the Audacity Wiki instructions, I have tried to begin the process of converting hundreds of 1980s cassettes to WAV files, which I will then import into iTunes...but half a step into the process, I am already daunted and wondering if it is worth it.

I have a brand-new Lenovo ThinkPad, which means that I have my cassette deck's RCA cables plugged into my laptop's mic jack (stereo tip).

Issues:
a) When I hit PLAY on the cassette deck, no music is heard through my laptop's speakers - until I hit "Start Monitoring"
b) The playback is incredibly distorted - sounding like someone is playing the song on a merry-go-round, getting LOUDER THEN softer then LOUDER THEN softer...
c) Unlike the Wiki instruction set, I cannot manipulate the Input (RED) sound level bars at all; clicking on them only stops or restarts monitoring - and the levels retain their pinningly loud range.

Is this worth it?

[billw58]

Don't connect the output of the cassette deck to the microphone input of your laptop. The microphone input is expecting a signal about 1000 times smaller than the one provided by the cassette deck, thus the distortion. Your laptop likely has settings in the system sound control panel to facilitate VOIP, and is trying to control the volume, thus the louder-softer-louder phenomenon.

You manipulate the recording volume with the Mixer toolbar, not the Meter toolbar.
http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Mixer_Toolbar
but is won't do any good since the distortion is being created in by the sound hardware in the laptop, before the sound gets to Audacity.

Only being able to hear after you click "Start Monitoring" is normal.

You need a USB line-level interface, such as the Behringer UCA-202.

-- Bill

[waxcylinder]

Also see: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Tuto ... iscs_to_CD

WC

[nwg]

Thanks to those who have already replied.

I guess my first issue to solve is the connection to my computer...which means I need to go RCAs from the cassette deck (line out) to...??? What type of connection do those RCAs have to convert to to input into my laptop...and where? USB? Is there an RCA-to-USB connector?

Thanks again,
NWG

[billw58]

Is there an RCA-to-USB connector?

That would be the Behringer UCA-202, and others. See: http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9477

-- Bill

[nwg]

Again, my thanks for the continued advice and assistance.

I just received my Behringer UCA202 and have it hooked up.

Sadly, none of the Wiki tutorials from Audacity hold any truth, in terms of what menu items should be available once I enter Sound Devices and so on...oddly, nothing that is written is what actually appears in my Lenovo's Control Panel/Hardware & Sound/Sound windows. Each page takes me to another page that holds information that does not match with what I am seeing.

I even downloaded the Lenovo SoundMax file - but was told that it would not run until I restarted, which puts me at another impasse.

Regardless, I have headphones plugged into the UCA202 and am listening to a cassette right now. The "merry-go-round" doppler effect has disappeared (not sure how/why because it was still there when I first plugged it in)...Woops! Spoke too soon: there it is again! Dang.

Anyhow, within Audacity, I've adjusted the mixing bars to reduce the ear-splitting sound coming in and going out - but the monitoring bars are uneven for the R and L speakers; R is still pinned and L is more reasonable.

About one more attempt from giving up this effort.

NWG

[steve]

I've adjusted the mixing bars to reduce the ear-splitting sound coming in and going out

The UCA 202 manual says:
"The VOLUME control adjusts the volume level of the
headphones output. Turn the control fully to the
left before you connect the headphones. This helps
you avoid the damage that is caused by high
volume settings "

In Audacity, set both the recording and playback devices to the USB option (Edit menu > Preferences > Devices).
Near the bottom of the Transport menu, set "Software Playthrough" to OFF (not ticked).