Subject:Anyone routinely digitize both sides of a cassette tape simultaneously?

Posted by: bunyabunya

Date:6/9/2004 5:31:34 PM

Does anyone do this routinely, and how?

It's easy to do in my open reel tape player. I just reverse the backward side in Sound Forge. Cuts the time in half, and works fine.

Subject:RE: Anyone routinely digitize both sides of a cassette tape simultaneously?

Reply by: captn_spalding

Date:6/10/2004 11:03:50 AM

I am curious about what format your reel to reel tapes are and what kind of tape recorder you are using to play them. Are they half track mono tapes that you are playing back on a quarter track stereo tape deck?

..spalding

Subject:RE: Anyone routinely digitize both sides of a cassette tape simultaneously?

Reply by: bunyabunya

Date:6/10/2004 1:33:27 PM

Earliest tape so far is from late 1954, when I was 7. Tape player is Sony TC-399.

Subject:RE: Anyone routinely digitize both sides of a cassette tape simultaneously?

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:6/10/2004 6:19:53 PM

I you could get a cassette player that can play the 4 tracks at once, why not.

geoff

Subject:RE: Anyone routinely digitize both sides of a cassette tape simultaneously?

Reply by: bunyabunya

Date:6/10/2004 8:04:30 PM

Yes! Exactly. It seems too simple a way to cut tape ripping time in half, and potentially in quarter, with the Tascam 4-track unit that goes at 2X. Going to pick one up on Friday and give it a try.

On the Tascam forum Apl said, "You could probably run the tape twice the normal speed, sample at 88.2kHz, and then trick the file to becoming a 44.1kHz, saving another 1/2 time."

Anyone think that would work? How easy would it be to do in Sound Forge, what he is suggesting?

Subject:RE: Anyone routinely digitize both sides of a cassette tape simultaneously?

Reply by: drbam

Date:6/11/2004 6:59:21 AM

I may be missing something here but it sounds like you're wanting to record 4 tracks (from both sides of a stereo cassette) simultaneously. If so, then you need a multitrack app like Vegas. Sound Forge can only record 2 tracks.

drbam

Subject:RE: Anyone routinely digitize both sides of a cassette tape simultaneously?

Reply by: bunyabunya

Date:6/11/2004 7:06:33 AM

Thanks.

So, it looks like I should be able to open the file with the four tracks recorded from the cassette in Vegas.

Then take out the two good tracks individually, and work with them in Sound Forge.

Subject:RE: Anyone routinely digitize both sides of a cassette tape simultaneously?

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:6/11/2004 8:13:33 AM

Of course, you'll also need 4-track input into your computer. Most standard consumer-grade sound cards are only stereo. So, in addition to Vegas, you'd also need a multichannel sound card.

Unless ... you're only recording each side in mono. Then you could record side 1 to the left channel and side 2 to the right channel. In this case Sound Forge would also be sufficient.

Subject:RE: Anyone routinely digitize both sides of a cassette tape simultaneously?

Reply by: bunyabunya

Date:6/11/2004 8:46:10 AM

I am currently playing the open reel tapes to my computer thru an Xitel INport unit, which has elminated all my problems with ground loops, love it. It's a tiny thing, but has a heavy duty component to stop the hum I was getting before.

Not sure if it supports four tracks or not, but I am pretty sure all those cassette tapes were made on consumer cassette recorders, so they are going to be mono.

The INport supposedly does not have professional quality sound, but is good enough for these old voice tapes, and has a nice bit of simple software that works well, the LP Recorder.