Digitize music cassette - how it works
Digitizing a music cassette is not difficult with the right technical requirements. In our practical tip, you can read about the ways in which you can back up your old favorite songs to your PC.
Different methods: digitize your music cassettes
Your music cassettes can be digitized in different ways. Which method is best for you mainly depends on what technical equipment you have or how much money you are willing to spend.
- Cassette digitizer: A cassette digitizer is the perfect device for your project. You insert the cassettes and also insert a USB stick. At the push of a button, what you play is saved on the USB stick.
- Cassette player and PC: If you still have a working cassette player, you can digitize old songs on the PC using the free Audacity tool.
- Service: Various online services offer you to digitize your music cassettes for you. Possible providers include Medienrettung.de and kassetten-digitalisieren.de.
From cassette to PC with Audacity
To digitize the songs with Audacity you need a cassette player with audio output, a jack cable with 3.5 mm plugs, a PC with line-in or microphone input and the free software Audacity.
- Connect the audio output of the cassette player to the line-in or microphone input of your PC.
- Insert the cassette you want to digitize and, if necessary, rewind to the desired location.
- Start Audacity and choose "Settings> Edit".
- At the point "Recording" select the corresponding input of the PC. Select whether you want to record in mono or stereo.
- Then press the record button (the red dot) at Audacity and play the cassette.
- Press Stop on the cassette player and "Stop Recording" on Audacity to complete the process.
- You can now listen to the recording. If you are satisfied, click on "Export audio".
In our next practical tip you will find out what the difference between a cinch and a jack cable is.