Dear friends in computer land.  Do any of you know how I can copy old  tapes onto my computer.  Can I connect my laptop to my stereo through my stereo's headphone jack?  If so what cord do I need ? etc

Quoting from [kivi]:


Dear friends in computer land.  Do any of you know how I can copy old  tapes onto my computer.  Can I connect my laptop to my stereo through my stereo's headphone jack?  If so what cord do I need ? etc

Yes, Kivi you can!

Parts required:

1. a 3.5mm (1/8-inch) male-male stereo audio cable, or a male-male headphone cable with an added female-male 3.5mm plug
2. a free download of software from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/?lang=en
3. a sound card with a Microphone input

Once you download the the freeware from the above site attach your cable from the player to the Microphone input or even better if you have a "line in"on your sound card.  Next, boot the software and make sure that the device selector is set to line in or Microphone.  then set the Channel selector to stereo.

The software is very easy to navigate from here.  Just make sure you only record a 10-15 second clip so that you can check your volume level to make sure your not getting alot of static and popping.  Also make sure you set the Export File to .wav  Ltter you can burn the file to CD or DVD.  There is a noise reduction setting in the software but try the doing the 10-15 second clip with reducing the sound level first.

If you have any old sound device LP, 8-track ect.  you can add it to your computer in the same way.   This is what it means to digitally remaster something.

Hope this helps you get it all saved.

Ranger

Quoting from [Ranger]:

Yes, Kivi you can!

Parts required:

1. a 3.5mm (1/8-inch) male-male stereo audio cable, or a male-male headphone cable with an added female-male 3.5mm plug
2. a free download of software from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/?lang=en
3. a sound card with a Microphone input

Once you download the the freeware from the above site attach your cable from the player to the Microphone input or even better if you have a "line in"on your sound card.  Next, boot the software and make sure that the device selector is set to line in or Microphone.  then set the Channel selector to stereo.

The software is very easy to navigate from here.  Just make sure you only record a 10-15 second clip so that you can check your volume level to make sure your not getting alot of static and popping.  Also make sure you set the Export File to .wav  Ltter you can burn the file to CD or DVD.  There is a noise reduction setting in the software but try the doing the 10-15 second clip with reducing the sound level first.

If you have any old sound device LP, 8-track ect.  you can add it to your computer in the same way.   This is what it means to digitally remaster something.

Hope this helps you get it all saved.

Ranger

Thanks a lot.  I appreciate the information.  It helps me and I am quite sure that it will help some others.

Quoting from [kivi]:


Dear friends in computer land.  Do any of you know how I can copy old  tapes onto my computer.  Can I connect my laptop to my stereo through my stereo's headphone jack?  If so what cord do I need ? etc

For better sound quality  used RCA connectors on both devices because you tapped in from pre amp source.

Quoting from [ians]:

Quoting from [kivi]:



Dear friends in computer land.  Do any of you know how I can copy old  tapes onto my computer.  Can I connect my laptop to my stereo through my stereo's headphone jack?  If so what cord do I need ? etc

For better sound quality  used RCA connectors on both devices because you tapped in from pre amp source.

Please explain.

Quoting from [ians]:

Quoting from [kivi]:



Dear friends in computer land.  Do any of you know how I can copy old  tapes onto my computer.  Can I connect my laptop to my stereo through my stereo's headphone jack?  If so what cord do I need ? etc

For better sound quality  used RCA connectors on both devices because you tapped in from pre amp source.

Please explain.

As far as I know, Most of good player either Cassette tape or reel tape have the standard RCA terminal in this case "line out" and connected to the amplifier RCA terminal mark "line in".The signal before being amplified have better S/N ratio.

Ranger said is right:

Quoting from [Ranger]:


attach your cable from the player to the Microphone input or even better if you have a "line in"on your sound card. There is a noise reduction setting in the software but try the doing the 10-15 second clip with reducing the sound level first. 

In this case if connected to your laptop microphone input you have to try it because you cant install a sound card with "line in" input in laptop. But I am almost sure that Sound card with a RCA input will produce must better in sound quality .

Reducing the noise  will sacrified the sound quality but it can be compensated if the software has a graphic equalizer feature.

But again the sound quality from tape itself degraded toward time and played count.

Quoting from [ians]:


As far as I know, Most of good player either Cassette tape or reel tape have the standard RCA terminal in this case "line out" and connected to the amplifier RCA terminal mark "line in".The signal before being amplified have better S/N ratio.


Ranger said is right:

Quoting from [Ranger]:



attach your cable from the player to the Microphone input or even better if you have a "line in"on your sound card. There is a noise reduction setting in the software but try the doing the 10-15 second clip with reducing the sound level first. 

In this case if connected to your laptop microphone input you have to try it because you cant install a sound card with "line in" input in laptop. But I am almost sure that Sound card with a RCA input will produce must better in sound quality .


Reducing the noise  will sacrified the sound quality but it can be compensated if the software has a graphic equalizer feature.


But again the sound quality from tape itself degraded toward time and played count.

Thanks for the info

you can entro your earphone jacket of the stero to the computer ,even a simple sofware can fullfil it .

Hail Ranger

You saved my life...

A good friend asked me this question many times... the answer was right in front of me and i couldn't see it.

10x

thank you! i'll have a try.