Reel-to-Reel to CD?

Hi, all

I have reel-to-reel tape that I want to record onto CD. Can anyone help? I am in Melbourne?

Rudolf

Reply to
Rudolf Ladyzhenskii
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you need sound capturing software, i recomend totalrecorder however it is not free - you need somthing that will show a dB graph or VU meter so you don't overload the input and create distortion (digital audio has NO headroom for distortion once it peaks, its peaked)

from:

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COPYRIGHT: - a quick word here about copyright infringement. To the letter of the law it is of course ILLEGAL to copy any work that is copyright protected. DO NOT be tempted to copy anything that has copyright protection for FINANCIAL GAIN. If you do you will be delt with severely.

That said, making a single backup copy of a tape for your own personal use is not likely to get you into hot water. The enforcement bodies are more concerned with commercial set-ups that make big bucks from duplicating and distributing hundreds or thousands of boot-leg copies of the latest releases.

Hardware: - That said, we now need to know what will be needed to get going. First off of course is a computer. Almost any computer will do this job. You do not need an all singing, all dancing £1200 machine. Far from it. A 400 MHZ processor with 64 MB or 128 MB of ram is quite fast enough. 10 GB or more of available hard disc space will be enough to start off with.

If you do not already have a PC check out the advertisers on this website, the freeads page, or the for-sale columns in your local press for one of similar spec. to this. Any sound card will do the job and can either be built in (to the computers motherboard) or an add-in PCI (PCI = expansion slot) sound card. If your PC does not have sound already you can add a 5.1 sound card plus speakers for less than £25. Next you will be needing a CD writer. Again, if your PC does not have one, you can get one for less than £45. Check out our advertisers or your local computer fair. Always a good source for great bargains and free advice.

So much for the computer, now how about the tape deck. I moved the old (but good) midi system into the computer room, but any reasonable quality personal cassette player will do the job.

Connecting up: - You will now need to be able to connect the cassette player or music systems output to the PC's 'line in' jack. Use the 'headphone out' jack socket (may require an adapter for this) and a stereo jack to jack lead. WARNING- when using the 'headphone out' method of connecting be sure that the volume control is turned down completely BEFORE switch-on. The output voltage from the headphone jack will exceed the line intput jack's voltage considerably, leading to sound distortion and possibly overload of the PC's sound card. Not good !! O.K. so we are 'now wired for sound'.

Software: - surprisingly, this part of your setup is not going to cost an arm and a leg. In fact it may surprise you to find that you may already have all the software you need, at least enough to get you started. Most CD writers are normally supplied with CD creating (burning) software - usually Nero 6, which allow you to capture and burn both regular audio format discs and also MP3 format discs. Also, some PCI sound cards will have an audio recording program such as MusicMatch included with the driver disc. You can download a free version of Musicmatch from their website, however the full version is recommended as it will allow you to record as audio files or MP3, compile and burn to disc, and it is very reasonably priced. Free to download is the very usefull edit and cleanup program 'Audacity' . See the DVworkshop Links page for this and many other useful 'free-bies'.

Settings: - once connected up and with your software installed it is time to get the settings on the PC ready. Firstly though, do check that the volume on cassette player is set to minimum. Boot up the system and then check the Systray in the bottom right corner of your screen. You should find an icon for either 'volume' or 'mixer' or both. If not, click Start > settings >control panel. Select (double click) multimedia. This will bring up multimedia properties. Select the audio tab and tick the 'show volume control on the taskbar' check box. Click on OK and then close control panel. Right click the 'volume' icon and then click on 'open volume controls'. Click Options > properties. Check that your sound card is selected at 'mixer device' and then set 'adjust volume for' to 'recording'. Make sure that 'line-in' is ticked in the 'show volume controls for' panel and then click OK. Now tick the 'line-in' select box, adjust the slider to near to maximum and you are ready to go. Left click the volume icon in the system tray, ensure the mute checkbox is unticked and then set the slider to over half way up.

If you also have a mixer icon in the systray you may find it easier to carry out the above setup from the mixer instead. Either way, you do not have to set up both as changing the setting on one automatically adjusts the other - in fact they are both the same thing.

Select a tape and start it playing. Now slowly turn up the players volume control to bring the sound level from the speakers up just enough to be comfortable. WARNING setting the players volume too high WILL lead to distortion. Leave this set as low as possible and increase as required with the computers volume control.

Recording: - open your audio recording program and adjust the input level to suit, and then re-adjust the speaker volume. Most clean up programs work using WAV audio files, so it is a good idea to record to your hard disc in this format. Set up 2 separate folders within your 'my documents' folder and name them 'raw audio' and 'clean audio', or similar. You can then set the recording program to write tracks into the first folder ready for clean up and restoration work. When cleaned up these tracks will be transferred to the 'clean audio' folder ready for compiling into your choice of artist and tracks, and then writing to disc.

Once you are happy with the levels restart the tape at the beginning and start the PC recording. As each track is done use Windows Explorer to open your 'raw audio' folder and right click the new file. Select rename and type in the track title. Do this as you go to make identifying tracks easier. Double click a track in the Explorer window to play it from the hard drive. If it does not need any restoration work applied to it drag it directly into your 'clean audio' folder ready for burning. If it does require noise removal refer to the DVworkshop Audio page.

Burning:- or writing to CD. Once you have recorded all the required tracks from a tape and removed any tape hiss or noise, it is a straightforward task to write the tracks onto a blank CD using your CD writing software.

First decide if you want an audio CD or would rather make up an MP3 disc. A normal CD will play in any domestic player, but an MP3 CD needs a player that can cope with this format. They are now more widely available than previously, most domestic DVD players - some in car CD players and some personal CD players will play MP3 'tracks' or files. The big advantage with MP3 format is that of capacity. A normal audio disc can hold say 20 tracks of average length (80 minutes or thereabouts), while an MP3 format disc can hold about 10 to 20 albums !! This is done using data compression techniques which result in much reduced file sizes with very little loss in sound quality. So, unless you really need to replace every tape in your collection with an equivalent CD, consider making MP3 discs as a serious space and time saving alternative to burning audio CD's.

Once you have decided between these two types of CD you can make your assembled audio tracks into an audio CD or into a data CD (MP3 disc). It's that simple. Still undecided? Make your first album into both and then compare the playback from each. There's not much in it as regards playback quality. Try it and see !!

Label and Case Insert: - go on. You've got this far. Finish the job off properly. Pre cut self adhesive disc labels are available for pence, and they are easy to design and print. Do get a disc label applicator though. An out of balance disc won't do your CD or DVD player any good. Happy listening.

Reply to
Matt2 - Amstereo

"Rudolf Ladyzhenskii"

** Do you have a machine that can play the tape ?????

This is essential to know as folk with capacity to dub to a CD rom will not likely have a RR machine.

............ Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

Cheap and nasty way if you have a pc.

Just connct the output from the reel to reel to the line in input on your pc's soundcard.

Check the output levels from the reel to reel first to be safe.

Record as a wave file. Then later if necessary can filter or run it through a few programs to clean up the sound remove hiss / noise etc

Then if you have a cd burner , just make an audio cd. Can use one of the many cd burning programs. Nero is easy to use from

formatting link
(for windows)

Can easily do this with windows , mac osx etc

Alex

Reply to
Alex Gibson

This is the first problem -- I do not have the RR machine.

Second problem is that I do not have any "musical hearing" and I will not be able to clean the sound myself. I need someone who can do it professionally. For a resonable fee, of course.

Rudolf

Reply to
Rudolf Ladyzhenskii

"Alex Gibson"

** Like the famous recipe book says - first catch your RR machine.

BTW

Try reading **all** the posts from the OP.

............. Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

be

course.

OK, so tell us what format the tape is, and how much and what type of processing is required, and you are prepared to pay for. (Will depend on the current tape condition and intended use)

MrT.

Reply to
Mr.T

Thanks to all who replied, (except Phil of course)

Tape is 15 years old. Keep in mid that I was not involved with RR at all, so my description might be vaque. Recording is about 1 hour long -- two channels (left and right). Originally, it was professionally recorded. I would like to have good quality on CD. I do understand that I will not get "digital restoration", but as close to it as possible. Recording is a phonogram from a play in amatuer theater and it is memory I would like to preserve.

As for price -- I really have no ideas what service like that would cost. Tell me, please.

Someone had send me an e-mail already and I will contact him tomorrow.

P.S. Phil -- I am surprised! Someone with an IQ of a bean can actually type and post on the Internet! Wow!

Reply to
Rudolf Ladyzhenskii

so

Originally,

Tape width, tape speed and number of tracks must be known to match with a suitable tape deck.

it

You will have "digital restoration" if it is to be transferred to CD. The quality though will depend on the source tape, the quality of tape deck and digital recorder used, the ability of the operator, and the care taken.

It will depend heavily on the type of tape deck needed, and how much manual processing is required. A basic transfer of a 4 track stereo 7-1/2IPS tape for example, would cost you about $50 from a non pro studio. Tape baking, recorder re-alignment, editing, track indexing, proper noise reduction or custom equalisation will cost more.

MrT.

Reply to
Mr.T

That said, it should be pointed out that Australian copyright law is more restrictive sometimes than US law: In Australia it is not even legal to create a backup copy of a copyright item for personal use. That's right: You can't legally even put your own CDs on your iPod.

When you purchase a recording (or software or a book) you are only purchasing the right to use the work *as provided*.

Be aware of this as you transfer any material. The chance of being caught (much less prosecuted) is minimal, but it is still illegal.

Cheers! Rick Measham

(NB. I am not a lawyer or law expert, readers are advised to seek their own legal counsel before believing a word I have to say)

Reply to
Rick Measham

The generally understood meaning of "illegal" is that you have committed an offence punishable by State or Federal authorities. Copyright infringements of the type you describe are only "illegal" in the sense that the copyright holder is entitled to sue you for the damages that you have caused him plus, in extreme cases, extra punitive damages. It is in the same category as not paying your rent. It is also difficult and expensive to prove an infringement because it requires a court order to come and inspect your iPod (or computer) and the damages that the copyright holder would receive would be about the cost of a CD.

To put it another way, the acts that you have described are not as "illegal" as the current "Piracy is Theft" advertising campaign.

Reply to
David Segall

"David Segall"

** "Contrary to law" is the more accurate definition.
** Same as defamation is illegal - in some cases criminally so.
** Nonsense - that is merely a minor breach of a private contract.

........... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

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