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Digital dukebox

If you’ve ever slipped a CD into your personal computer’s optical drive or downloaded an MP3 file from the internet you will know how easy it is to turn your computer into a digital jukebox.

But, if you’re over 30 you’ve probably wished you could convert that pile of cassette tapes from your youth into MP3 file. If you’re closer to 40 you probably count a score, or more, of vinyl albums, too.

The good news is that you can convert cassettes and records to digital music files using a standard record player or cassette deck. If you already have a cassette or record player the only piece of equipment you are likely to need to buy is an audio lead with the right connectors to link your music source with your computer.

REVIVE THAT OLD MUSIC

Before you rush out, check the headphone socket on your source equipment as it will either take a 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm (stereo) or 6.35 mm jack. If the source equipment is modern it will most likely be in stereo (3.5mm) so be sure to buy a lead with a stereo jack on it. Most modern computers have several audio jack points – Mic (for microphones) and Line In are the most common – so be sure the other end of the lead fits one of these.

Different version of Windows have built in sound recording features, but we recommend free audio software “Audacity” because it is far more functional. It also works with Linux and Apple Mac computers. You can download it from www.audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

Now connect your leads. Open Audacity by clicking Windows Orb or Start>All Programs>Audacity. The user interface look like a tape recorder with a few extra buttons like "Skip to Start" and "Skip to End". Before you can start the recording levels need to be set.

Drag the Input Volume to the halfway mark and record a section of your cassette or record, avoiding the recording level crashing into the red and distorting the sound. Like most other recording software, Audacity uses a sine wave to illustrate the peaks and troughs of the recording.

HARDLY ANY HUM

Record the whole album as one file, hitting pause for switching from the first side to the second, and then remove any extraneous noise like mains hum from a cassette deck or clicks and pops from a record. First highlight the recording, as you would words in a word processor, and then go to Effect on the menu to find the option you want.

To cut the album into individual tracks find the flat spot between each track and cut it, and pasting it into a new window. Now, to convert your recording to MP3. Audacity’s default file formats are WAV and OGG so you need a downloadable plug-in to encode your music in MP3. Get it at www.dll-files.com/dllindex/pop.php?lame_enc and copy it from the default Lame-enc folder and go to Edit>Preference>Find Library and click on the lame_enc.dll file.

The Bit Rate you create the file at will regulate the sound quality. 192 kb/s is slightly better than CD quality and is adequate for most recordings and set it under Edit>Preferences.

To create each file go to File>Export as MP3 and type in a track name and you will be asked whether you want ID3v1 or ID3v2. Click on ID3v2 which can record more information like Title, Artist, Album, Track No, Year, Genre and Comments.

Now your file, which can be put into a folder containing the album name, can be played in any media player or burned to CD.

One Response to "Digital dukebox"

1. Karsen says:

   July 2, 2011 at 10:04 am

   What a neat article. I had no inkling.