Transfering audio from analog to digital

byn234

Transferring audio from your recording device to your computer is relatively simple if your recorder has a built in USB port. However, most of us are equipped with older recorders that did not have the USB port on them. So is all lost for getting the audio to a digital form? NO! It just involves a little more work, and time.

I have an older GE model 3-5377A mini-cassette recorder that I love using for EVP. Having the hard copy of the audio on tape is a little old fashioned, but I like having the tape as physical evidence to compare the digital audio with.

So how do we get the audio from the tape onto the computer? It involves using a male / male connection wire, also sometimes called a FireWire. Both ends of the cable have the male plug that fits in most headphone and microphone jacks. The easiest way I can think of explaining the process is to take the firewire and plug one end into the headphone jack on the recorder, then plug the other end into the microphone jack on the computer.

Here comes the tricky part… open your audio editing program on your computer and start recording a new audio file. Make sure that the software is set to record from the microphone. Once the program is recording, hit PLAY on your recorder. You should now be recording the exact same thing onto your computer that was recorded on the cassette. The main drawback to having to get the audio onto the computer this way is the fact that it has to be done in real time. If you have 2 hours of tape, your computer will be recording off the tape for 2 hours.

AbbeyGal · Mist Joined: 18 Mar 2008 Posts: 138

So that's what a firewire is! I'd heard the term before but never an explanation about what they were. I've always heard them referred to a patch cables.

Personally, I had to give up on analog. I have a magical ability to influence every tape recorder I've ever owned to be a tape eating machine.

byn234 · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:25 pm Post subject:

Hehe... yeah, I have heard of that happening. Plus the fact that tapes are expensive in the long run makes digital so much easier to work with.