Convert Music to MP3s

Maybe you want to archive tape recordings of your grandfather's poetry, or burn a CD of an old record album, or you want to listen to a Grateful Dead bootleg on your MP3 player.

Doesn't matter why, but you want to digitize a cassette or record. Digitizing is the process of taking an analog signal (a song on cassette or LP) and turning it into a computer file. It sounds complicated, but with a little time and money, it can be done.

Speaking of time and money
If you want to skip the do-it-yourself process, there are services and local freelancers who can do this for you.  Digitizing charges start at $10 a tape and can go as high as $50-$100 per cassette or LP. Using a service like Craigslist.org you can search for "digitize cassette tapes" to find someone local.  You can also use online services like BuiltByMom.com or Cassettes2cds.com.

One tip: If you send your tapes or records off to be digitized, make a tape copy if you can. God forbid your only copies get lost in the mail or the company goes out of business.

Now back to doing it yourself.

What you'll need:

• a computer (Mac or PC) with an audio input (more on that in a second)

• a cassette player or turntable

• a preamp if you are converting records

• a cable to connect the computer to the audio source

• software to record the incoming audio to your computer

Audio Inputs on your computer
Almost all computers come with some sort of a mini-jack audio input. This should be near one of the headphone or speaker jacks. It may say "line-in" or have some sort of symbol that implies audio coming in. Most likely you will be down on all fours with a flashlight in your mouth trying to figure out which jack is the line-in. It will probably come down to trial and error once you get everything else hooked up. I've been there my friend, I've been there.

Audio Outputs from Your Player
Your cassette or record player will probably have a line-out or headphone jack you can use to export music. Line-out is optimal, headphone jack is fine.

Preamp
If you are converting records to digital files, you will want to use a preamp. The short explanation is that it boosts the audio levels to something worth listening to. Preamps are not too expensive ($30) and you can find them online easily. AudioReplay.net is one site that sells a decent preamp for $29. 

Cables
Once you figure out what your input and output options are, you need to get a cable to connect the two.  You can order these cables online, but if you are the least bit unsure about your connection, head down to your local Radio Shack or electronics store. I'm prone to taking digital pictures of my inputs or taking the device itself down to the store; less margin for error. 

Software
In order to actually take the signal from your cassette or LP and translate it into a computer file, you need a piece of software to do the job. Before you spend any money, check to see if your computer came bundled with any software that can record audio. My PC came with a copy of Windows Movie Maker. It does the trick, and I didn't have to spend any extra money. Many Macs come with Garage Band and iMovie which can also import audio.

You can also buy specialized audio software or download free software online. I like Audacity from Sound Forge. 

Recording
Once you have all the components, it's pretty straightforward.  You connect the tape or record/preamp to the audio input (line-in) on your computer. Open the audio or recording software on your computer. Select the source (line-in), then hit record. Hit play on the tape player or drop the needle on the record player.

You can save your recorded audio as MP3, WAV, or AIFF files depending on how you will be using them. To record onto CD, save them as WAV or AIFF. For portable music players, save them as MP3s.

Best of luck, and may your musical memories be digitally preserved forever.