Transfer:
DIgitize Cassettes? Good News!
Yes! You can digitize cassettes and listen to those old interviews, mix tapes, recordings of band practices in the garage, and bedtime stories from Grandma, as long as they still play. Cassette conversion will continue as long as there are working cassette players and computers.
Options for Converted Cassettes
After digitally capturing audio cassettes on a computer, there are two choices for using them. Originally, CDs were the media of choice, which included the option of adding tracks between songs, allowing the listener to ‘click’ back and forth between songs, a feature not available with cassette tapes.
CDs require CD players in the same way that DVDs need DVD players. DVDs have almost disappeared, and manufacturers of DVD players have scaled back from their peak in 2005/2006, when DVD sales were over $15 billion. DVD and Blu-Ray combined sales in 2022 accounted for less than $3 billion. CDs will eventually follow suit. The best strategy to protect your cassette conversion investment is to make digital copies. Listen to your music again with these copies via today’s devices. Listen to the files directly or create new CDs to replace the damaged or lost discs.
Audio players are today’s best method to play converted cassettes. Normal file options are mp3 or wav files, which play on all your devices, including smartphones, smart TVs, laptops, tablets, and desktops. There are even devices whose sole purpose is to lay mp3s, while wav files are the preferred format for detailed audio editing.
Other Considerations
Cassettes come in multiple sizes, or lengths: 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 120 minutes are the most common. If you choose to use CDs for your digital conversion, keep in mind that the maximum CD time limit is 78 to 80 minutes per disc. The implication is that tapes containing more than 78 minutes (like 90-minute tapes and 120-minute tapes) require two discs per cassette.
Anywhere from a few songs up to 20 or more reside on cassette tapes. Fast forwarding and rewinding are cassette features, but there is no method for automatically skipping to a desired song. CDs can optionally contain tracks to allow skipping songs. The conversion from cassette to CD turns old mix tapes into custom listening experiences.
Converting cassettes to digital files also has unique benefits and options. Captured cassettes produce single files that include all audio on both sides of the tapes. Recorded conversations, like with grandparents, use this option because there is no need to break up the audio stream.
For tapes with songs on them, they can be separated digitally into individual songs, similar to creating tracks for CDs. The difference is that individual files (mp3 or wav) are made for each song, which allows the listener to play one song at a time or to reorder the songs into custom playlists.
Caring for Digital Files
If CDs are chosen when you digitize your cassettes, the most important issue to address is backup, which is accomplished simply by making additional copies. Disc copies are an easy and inexpensive way to protect your cassette conversion investment.
Digital files can be backed up simply by making copies on hard drives, USBs, phones, laptops, mp3 players, and/or the cloud. Safety is assured through multiple copies in multiple locations. Ironically, CDs can be recreated from the digital files if CDs are lost or damaged, making digital files a great way to back up CDs.
Sharing Converted Cassettes
Customers often digitize cassettes so that they can share old memories with friends and family. Mailing shared CDs or delivering them in person is the way to share discs, but to share digital files by making copies of USBs, send them through email, or the cloud.
Damaged Cassette Tapes
Things happen. Tapes break. Cassette players “eat” tapes. Dogs eat tapes (I’ve seen it). Mold eats tapes, and Coke spills on tapes. Humidity causes sticky shed syndrome (doesn’t that sound awful!). Some damage is fixable, some damage is not. Converting cassettes requires tapes in good working condition.
The most common damage is tape breakage. Players mangle a tape when a cassette deck “eats” it, often breaking the tape. Malfunctioning players sometimes just break the tape for reasons unknown.
A second form of breakage is at the leader tape that connects the magnetic tape to the reels inside the cassette. Leader tape connects to magnetic tape with glue. Over time, the glue becomes brittle and subject to breaking. Fast forwarding the tape, followed by rewinding, restores tape tension for best capture results, but breakage at the leader joint is common.
If both ends of the broken tape are still visible outside the cassette, then the repair is simple. Trim the ends and splice. Unfortunately, most broken tapes end up inside the cassette. Disassemble the case before repairing the tape.
Some cassettes cases screw together, facilitating a simple repair. Welded cases, however, are the most common. To repair tapes in welded cases, remove the tape reels from the original case, place them in a new case, and splice the tape. Break the welded case apart to access the broken tape before removing it.
Convert Audio Cassettes to Digital: Get Started
- Call or text Jamey: 720 204-5464
- Set an appointment (every project receives my personal attention)
- Drop off your tapes (and records, cassettes, slides, or negatives, too)
- Pick up your new digitized video in a week or less.
