Episode #134
How to copy cassette tapes onto a CD.
Jan, Valencia, CA
You can connect your cassette player to your sound card and record the audio using any recorder. You’ll need to divvy up the songs of course, and you might want to reduce hiss with an equalizer. Andy Walker has a great article on his site, http://www.cyberwalker.com/article/207. He recommends the program All Sound Recorder for Windows XP. It’s $30. You might also take a look at the free Audacity, http://audacity.sourceforge.com.
Sean’s note: What you need is a piece of hardware that will convert analogue audio (your cassette) to digital audio (the CD). I’m a big fan of ADS Tech’s Instant Music, which is a USB device that accepts different audio inputs and converts them to digital format. You can use the software that comes with the product to edit your audio, and then you can burn the audio files to CDs in your favourite CD burning program.
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Air Date: January 16, 2008
TranscriptCaller Questions
- William, Edmonton, AB
- John, Whitby, ON
- Jan, Valencia, CA
Sean's Shinies
- Shure Music Phone Adapter + SE210 headphones
$40 + $180
The design of the iPhone means you can’t use your own headphones with it, thanks to a recessed headphone jack. The Shure Music Phone Adapter not only fits into that recessed slot, allowing you to use your own headphones, but it also adds a microphone, allowing you to use your headphones as part of a hands-free headset. The clip on it is terrible — it’ll break almost instantly — but otherwise it does the job. Just be aware that there’s no special noise cancellation in the microphone so if you’re in a noisy environment it might be hard for people ot hear you. Shure’s SE210 isolating headphones make for a great partner here — they sound awesome, isolate noise in the local area, and have interchangeable eartips…a bit pricey but they’re worth it.
Shiny
- adapter: use your own headphones
- adapter: add voice capability
- headphones: very good quality
- headphones: interchangeable tips
Dull
- adapter: clip is not so good
- adapter: no noise cancellation
- headphones: expensiveMusic Phone Adapter
ShureSE210 headphones
Shure
Kate’s Tips
- Photonhead.com
Photonhead offers quick and easy photography tips for beginners, and intermediate theory and tutorials that provide food for growth. It has never been easier to take a good photograph, but the world of digital photography seems to be getting more complex. Drawing from experience, Photonhead.com is an ongoing and very opinionated effort to help beginners cut through the noise with tips, tutorials, and advanced learning tools.