How to convert cassettes tapes to mp3
If you had a Sony Walkman when you were younger, then there’s a good chance there’s a box of old cassette tapes in a box because you just couldn’t bear to throw them away. These might be mixtapes, bootlegs of long-forgotten concerts, demo tapes from your old band, or just albums that never quite made the transition to the likes ofSpotify.
But what can you do if you want to listen to them on your phone, tablet, or PC?We show you the simple way to convert analogue cassettes to digital formats.
How do I transfer cassette tapes to my computer?
In order to convert cassettes to mp3 you’ll need a tape player, cables, a PC, and some audio software such as Audacity.
If you still have your old Walkman, that’ll do nicely as it should have a 3.5mm headphone jack, but an old hi-fi with a headphone output or RCA phono jacks will work too. Check both your player and PC to see which audio cables you’ll need.
Your computer will need some kind of analogue audio input, such as a line-in or microphone minijack.
As a rule of thumb, laptops tend to limit the options to a 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack these days, while a desktop PC is more likely to have a separate mic input and 3.5mm minijack input. It’s best to use the one markedLine Into connect your tape player if you can.
If you don’t have a working tape player then you might want to consider one that has a USB output designed specifically for sending audio to a computer, and this way your computer doesn’t need to have a Line In.
These are quite cheap online, with the Tonor Portable Cassette Player Tape Converter available at the time of writing for£16.95 on Amazon UK. US buyers can get theDansrue Super USB Cassette Capturewhich costs $21.99.
Audiophiles may want to search for something a bit more up market, but for the majority of us who just want to salvage old tapes, these devices will be fine. Let’s not forget, the quality of cassettes was never great in the first place. And as we mentioned, it’s worth checking to see if the album or songs you’re trying to convert are available on Spotify or YouTube as even when converted to MP3 format, the quality you’ll get from a cassette is relatively poor.
Some of the modern tape players will come with their own conversion software, but if not you can useAudacity, which is free and has all the tools you need.
How to convert cassette tapes with Audacity
Attach the cassette player to your PC via USB or (as we are doing here) via the Line Input, then clickStartand search forControl Panel.
Select it from the results that appear. Next, navigate toHardware & Sound > Sound. This opens a new window in which you want to select theRecordingtab and then ensure that you can see the Line In listed and that it says “Plugged in”. If you’re using a USB player, check that this is also in the list which it should be if you have Windows 10. If it isn’t there, it’s likely you’ll need to install the correct driver for it, and you’ll need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to do so.
Launch Audacity, then from the menu bar at the top of the screen chooseEdit > Preferences > Devices.
You’ll see a section in the main panel markedInterface. In here should be a drop-down menu withMMEas an option. Select this.
Just below is another section entitledRecording. Be sure that the settings in theChannelsfield is2 (Stereo)and that your player is the one chosen in theDevicefield.
With the settings in place you can now set the levels for recording. To do this, press play on the tape and then check that the two green bars in the upper right corner don’t go into the red, as that will distort the sound. To change the input levels you can either adjust the volume control on your player, or the input slider control (the one with a microphone icon) in Audacity.
Once you’re happy with the levels you can rewind your tape to the beginning, click record on Audacity and press play on the cassette once more.
When the tape reaches the end of side one, pause the recording, turn the cassette over, then resume.
After the contents have been recorded into Audacity you’ll be left with one, long continuous track. If you want to break this into individual tracks for each song then it will take a little editing.
Place the audacity playhead back at the beginning of the first track then selectTracks > Add Label At Selectionfrom the menu bar at the top of the page.
Type in the name of the song, then pressEnter. Now repeat this process, looking for the gaps between tracks that will be evident by the flat areas in the recording.
Now all you need to do is go toFile > Export Multiple, select the format you desire, and finally clickExportto send your sparking new digitised music to your hard drive. Note that Audacity doesn’t come with an MP3 encoder due to licensing, but will give you instructions on how to download and install the Lame MP3 Encoder.
If you have any old records or video-tapes that need transferring, then be sure to also read ourHow to convert vinyl to mp3andHow to convert VHS to digitalguides.
Author: Martyn Casserly, Contributor
Martyn has been involved with tech ever since the arrival of his ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s. He covers iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, writing tutorials, buying guides and reviews.
