Digitizing an Old Audio Cassette

egproductions

egproductions

Veteran
I have an old audio tape (circa 1979) that I need to capture.

  • What is my best option for a playback deck. I have an old portable cassette player, more modern Aiwa stereo/boombox type unit, or a 70s/80s magnavox cassette deck (part of a stereo/receiver system).

  • I'm afraid the tape is going to tear when I try playing it, should I take any precautions?

  • Should I just feed the output into my H4N or should I first go through my mix Pre-D?
 
Is the cassette a very long-playing variety (which uses thinner, more fragile tape)?
Do you have other cassettes you can try on your three players? To confirm that they are operating nominally and not at risk for tearing tape?
Nobody here is in a better position than you are to test playing the cassette on the three players. (Assuming they are all still operational?)
It would be preferable to play the cassette on the same machine that recorded it, if possible.
Also, since it sounds like you aren't using cassettes anymore, it us accepted practice to "tweak" the azimuth of the tape head to optimize the playback performance.
 
I recently digitized a tape I recorded in 1984. I had recorded my parsha, haftorah, and speech days before I did it for real. It's great to have.

I can't answer your question but perhaps, if the content is important, it may be worth it to pay a professional to do it, or at least hear what he has to say upon inspecting the cassette.
 
Spool the tape backward and forward (FF & Rew) end to end 2-3 times each way to loosen up the tape and get it moving freely before actually playing it.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. What are your thoughts on putting a mix pre-d in the chain, does that make a difference?
 
egproductions said:
Thanks for the advice everyone. What are your thoughts on putting a mix pre-d in the chain, does that make a difference?
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I cannot see any benefit from putting anything in the chain. Cassette recordings were never noted for their high-fidelity, and you can't add something that isn't there.do
Putting sewer water in a golden chalice provides no apparent benefit.
 
The MixPre would do little , unless it's necessary to go from -10dB unbalanced to +4 balanced.
As Richard stated, it's common practice to tweak the head geometry, but if you don't know what you're doing, don't fork with it. +1 to spooing the tape a few times as well as cleaning and demagnetizing the heads and tape path. Additionally, cassette deck speeds vary, in my experience, consumer decks tend to spin a little fast, so a pro deck with a pitch control can be useful.. if you know the exact key of a song or other pitch/speed reference. Using the same recording deck would be recommended if possible.
The integrated sound interfaces that come with computers are normally not good, so a pro converter would be recommended.
 
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Also having done a fair amount of old tape transfer "tearing" isn't an issue but with some tapes from The 70's mostly, pealing of The oxide is. So FF and RW ing The tape would destroy it if that were The case. Take a pencil and stick it in one of The reel holes and wind The tape along a bit. If it's sticking you will hear it and if you look close you will see it. The part of The tape facing you should be a bit dull and The side facing away will generally be shinny. If it's The reverse or it sounds like pulling scotch tape then you will need to "bake" The tape. It's not rocket science but you do have to do it right so at that point you have to decide how valuable that tape is. I've baked plenty but I have also just tossed them.

BTW "baking" does NOT involve an oven/ or any kitchen appliances.

You should also clean The heads of your cassette player before you transfer it since they have probably been sitting un touched for many years and who knows what is on The face by now.

What others have said is definitely true, consumer cassette's are very variable in their playback. Not to mention that there were various settings that were not available on all machines. So for instance you want to know if noise reduction was used and if so what kind. There was Dolby B and Dolby C and DBX ( and Dolby S on a few higher end machines). There were also high Bias and regular Bias tapes.
 
I have never experienced the infamous severe 'shedding' problem with cassette tapes , like the late 70's early 80's R-R tape stock. Most notorious, the Ampex 456.
I have had cassette tapes break though, but that usually happens at the ends (unless damaged elsewhere) Either way it's a pain to repair.
 
I haven't seen it with Cassettes either and maybe it's not an issue. I would still make sure the tape moves freely before putting in under The stress of a fast forward.
 
It might be surprisingly easy to find a place to do the transfer. I'd start at your local public radio or TV station. They'd be set up to do it (probably) and would access to a pro deck with noise reduction if you need it. It's worth asking them, anyway. Not sure how much they'd charge, but I doubt it would break the bank.
 
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