How to Download Audio Tapes Onto a Computer

Copy audio on cassette to your computer.

Audio tapes are now outdated as a popular means of storing and playing audio files. To update your audio files, you need to transfer them to a current medium. This starts by transferring the material to a computer. You can then store the cassette audio files on your system or transfer them to an MP3 player or other device. Windows comes complete with Sound Recorder, which records any sound that is input into your computer's Audio In port. In addition, there are two other popular audio editing software programs: Audacity and GoldWave.

Things You'll Need

• 3.5mm Male-to-Male Stereo Audio cable
• Computer with a sound card

Instructions

Setting Up Your Cassette Player With Your Computer

1. Put your cassette tape into the tape player and arrange the player near the computer.

2. Insert the 3.5mm Male-to-Male Stereo Audio cable into the "Audio Out" port on the cassette player. (The Audio Out port is also known as the headphone jack.)

3. Insert the other end of the plug into the computer's "Audio In" port. (The "Audio In" port is where a user would insert a microphone.)

4. Launch your audio recording software program. Then hit the "Record" button in the interface and the "Play" button on your cassette player.

Programs to Record Your Audio

1. Launch Sound Recorder. Sound Recorder is a Windows-based program that can be found in the Entertainment section of the Accessories folder on your Start menu. The simple interface only requires that you push "Start Recording" to start copying audio from your tapes and the "Stop Recording" button to end your recording session and save the file. Audio files save in WMA format.

2. Record your cassette tapes with the Audacity software program, a popular freeware. It also will record sound coming in through your Audio In port. Just press the "Record" button and Audacity will record exactly what it hears. In addition, Audacity is a full-fledged audio editing program. Once you have recorded your audio, you can edit each audio file to enhance it or edit the length of a track. You can convert your file to a number of formats, including MP3, WMA and WAV.

3. Download audio from cassette tapes with GoldWave. GoldWave offers users an initial free trial. GoldWave is similar to Audacity. The interface is simple to use and it comes complete with audio editing tools. You can add effects or enhance the volume, among other audio enhancement options. GoldWave files can also be saved in a number of different file formats including MP3, WMA, WAV, AIFF, iTunes Plus and AU.

References

• XYHD: Sound Recorder in Windows 7
• AndyBrain: Converting audio cassette tapes to CD, MP3 and other digital formats
• GoldWave: Frequently Asked questions

Resources

• Audacity
• Cnet: Goldwave 5.5