I want to make CD-R recordings of some out-of-print cassettes and vinyl records that I already own. This is not to violate copywrite as I don’t go for that – this is simply for personal use. I have some brand new high-end PC’s so, that end I got covered.

What software do I need?
Is it Freeware or commercially available?
How can I enhance the new sound files before creating the CD copies?
Which file format is best?
Should file compression be used?

Do I just plug the playback device directly into my sound card or is there more to it than that?

Or is it better to hire the work done by someone who knows what they are doing?

If you got links to reference websites, that would be great. Thanks.

5 Responses to “How Do I convert vinyl records and audio cassettes to CD’s ? What computer software exists to do this?”

1. tcindie on June 30th, 2010 9:26 pm

   The easiest way to do this is to plug in to the ‘line-in’ jack on your soundcard.. Obviously for vinyl you need to run it through a preamp first.

   Then you’ll record (in real-time) the tracks, splitting them after recording if necessary, and burn the cd.

   To record you can use something like

   Audacity (Free)

   Kristal Audio Engine (Arguably the best free program around)

   You won’t want to use any compression if you’re burning audio CDs, as they are burned uncompressed. For file format, on a PC it’s WAV, on a mac it is AIFF.

   You can use equalizers and whatnot to enhance the sound prior to burning.. there are also tools available to remove hiss/pop/rumble etc, but they are not free.. AudioSoap is one of those. As for burning the cd, you should be able to do that with utils included with your operating system, on either a mac or PC.

   If you have a LOT of cassettes to convert, you might also consider one of these:

2. eyeglassed_c4t on July 2nd, 2010 9:00 am

   Usually I use software Sony Sound Forge to copy from cassete or movie’s song from VCD/DVD. It’s commercials, the best format I know is .wav (of course it takes a lot of memory) But .wma also good, you can compress the file without dropping the quality (similar to the source)
   Plug your playback device directly to your soundcard, and play it while the software record.
   You should give a try yourself. It’s not difficult. I learn it by trying.

3. salvador m on July 5th, 2010 12:56 pm

   For the tape recordings the sound might be okay but some slight quality loss, but the vinly recording your going to get a buzzing or scratchingsound of some sort when making the recording. What you need is a preamp or Digital/analog converter. Or buy something like this.

   It will come with all the software you need.

4. seven_eleven1971 on July 6th, 2010 3:23 pm

   none its called a stereo

5. WOODY on July 9th, 2010 11:21 pm

   A company called ION has a usb turntable and software for 149.00
   you can check it out at americanmusicsupply.com

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