How to Convert Cassette Tapes to CDs or MP3 Files

Setting Up the PC (Cont’d)

Connect the tape deck to an AC outlet and turn it on. Press “play” on the tape deck. (You should start hearing the tape playing through your computer’s speakers. If not, you should double check all the steps that you have performed thus far.) Press “forward” or “rewind” on the tape deck until you hear the part of the audio program that you want to record. Make sure to play a part where you think the audio is at its highest level.

Now, start paying attention to the Audacity’s record level indicator, which is comprised of two moving red bars above the microphone icon on the top of the screen. You should adjust the input level (screen shown in Figure 9) up and down until you have the sound touching, at its maximum peak, the 0 dB line. Audacity assists you by adding dark red vertical lines where the sound level peaked for the past few seconds.

In our case, the default configuration of “50” made the sound level too high, so the sound was distorted. See Figure 10. In Figure 11, you can see when the input level is configured too low. And in Figure 12, you can see the input level correctly configured, which was achieved with the input level at “17.” Note that on your computer the correct level may be at a different value. The difference between Figures 10 and 12 is that in Figure 10, the two bars were always filling the boxes (i.e., they didn’t move with the audio program), while in Figure 12, the bars were moving and touching the 0 dB level only during peaks. If you are not 100% sure where to set the input level, set it on the low-level side, as you can always electronically increase the level/volume later inside the program, but if audio level is recorded too high, the sound will be distorted and you won’t be able to fix it.

Figure 10: Input level is configured too high

Figure 11: Input level is configured too low

Figure 12: Input level correctly configured

The final adjustment is to enable Dolby Noise Reduction (“Dolby NR”) if your tape deck has this function and if your tape was recorded with this function enabled. Enable Dolby Noise Reduction and listen to the audio program to see if the audio quality got better without a background white noise (a sound similar to an old TV set to a channel without any image being broadcasted). However, if the recorded sound got “muffled,” it means that the audio was not recorded with Dolby NR enabled, and it should be left disabled, as it will decrease audio fidelity.

Now that you set up your system, let’s transfer the audio from your cassette tape to the PC.