This cable comes with a 3.5mm and R/L audio connector inputs that will connect to your cassette tape recorder and an USB audio grabber on the other end that can work with both your laptop or PC. If you don’t have the right cables, then I would recommend purchasing the DigitNow audio to digital converter cable. However, laptops tend to be limited to just a 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack these days. Generally a desktop PC has both the RCA outputs and the 3.5mm minijack inputs. Check both your player and your PC/Laptop to see which audio cables you will need. To use this method, you will need to make sure that your tape cassette player has either a 3.5mm minijack (often used for headphones) or two RCA phono outputs (red and white output connectors). If you don’t have an old style player in your possession, it is also possible to look for an old version at a flea market or on EBay. The cassette player may be part of your home stereo system, a Boombox, or Walkman. Digitising from an old audio cassette player is easy. If you still have an old style cassette player in your possession (preferably in better shape than the one pictured), you’re in luck. The first approach requires scouring your attic or garage for this: Photo by Tamim Arafat on Unsplash Method 1: The Audio Cassette Tape/Recorder

All you basically need is a tape player, cables, PC/Laptop and audio software.

However, the equipment required for both is pretty short. Which method you choose will probably depend on what equipment you already have and how much money you want to spend. Luckily, there are two easy ways to convert audio cassette tapes to a digital format such as MP3. Which got me thinking, ’How do you digitise old audio cassette tapes?’Ī little Google researching later, I found the answer. I needed a digital file to use Happy Scribe’s audio to text transcription software. Hesitantly, I asked my uncle, ‘How was the interview recorded?’ His response was as I had feared: by cassette tape. ‘Well, I know how to convert audio to text quickly! Just give me the tapes.’Īs the words flowed out of my mouth, I was simultaneously thought of a huge problem. My eyes got all big too! I began thinking about how lovely it would be to capture this rare interview of my grandmother and convert her story into text for all of the family to read. ‘I started to transcribe the interview, but I gave up. He excitedly went on to tell me that he had conducted an extensive interview with my grandmother several years ago. At some point in the conversation, I mentioned to my Uncle David that I was blogging for company that transcribed audio to text. During a break, my family started reminiscing about old times, as well as discussing what we were doing with our lives. Earlier this week I was at my grandmother’s house helping my mother, aunt and uncle clear out my late grandmother’s belongings.

Best cassette tape converter