Tape Player with USB Out

Hey all,

I'm wanting to transfer all of my old tapes to PC.

Now, I don't have a tape player that doesn't eat tapes, so figured if I'm going to buy a new one, I may as well get one that makes things easier for me.

So, does anyone know of any brand of tape player / recorder with a USB out?

Er ..I'm not quite sure why you'd need a tape player with USB. Why not just run the tape deck to input of your soundcard?

whats a cassette?   


Na you would be pushing it J, i dont reckon youd find a tape player with spdif out either.  Record the fuckers as Griff said i reckon

Well, that would be the alternative...

So does anyone know where I can buy a decent tape player??

Not looking for second hand ones as I want to do this properly. I've probably got over 100 tapes, so will be giving it a good thrashing.

I have done some tape - CD conversions for the uni at a small fee its piss easy just takes time

I know just the device you need.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/drives/7a8d/

diddly!

have done the same meself...

bought a nice fat double tape deck just as burnable CDs were becoming the big thing... just in case CDs werent just a fad like broadband
plug it into your sound card... time consuming, but what else can you do?

I knew I had seen one!

thanks Mr Dark!

hey j

i have a wicked denon cassette deck you can borrow if u like.. hasnt had a lot of use this decade

 

 Does it come with Rip Curl stickers

darkydark, you're on it there bud, that's about the only PC tape deck i've seen.

unfortunately it's only got a 55db signal to noise ratio, which for the un-initiated means it'll sound like poo. 

everyone else here is right, buy a good quality tape deck and record it thru a good sound card, you'll  get better results.

there is this one as well...

http://www.firebox.com/product/1849

oooo, nice werk Khem....

Looks sexc.

Not much in the way of specs tho .... 

Please note:
Take That's Greatest Hits cassette not included... sadly!

Awwwwww, that's the only reason i'd buy one ! 
 

Sounds like the sort of name youd call a dirty chicks gina. "dont go banging that, shes got a fire box" 

No problem. Too bad it appears to be less than quality.

I wonder if theres a higher quality alternative out there... A similar device for your pc but with REAL quality!

Theres always trudgin the internet underground to try and download the songs you've got on cassette.

Or sign up for I-Tunes!

If you look long and hard enough you'd prolly find something, only prob is this is very much a "boutique" item these days. Not sure if shelling out that kinda cash is worth it for personal use. I'm sure it would pay for itself tho... alot of ppl out there would happily pay to have their tapes transferred to disk.... might make em realise how crusty things really did sound back then...... 

I reckon for the same price you could buy both a decent tape deck and audio interface off ebay !
 
Personally tho, i've got better things to do .... (like enter the AM Production Comp ! )

55db SNR is bollocks. If you buy an all-in-one cassette to USB thing I bet its got crap A2D converters

buy a 2nd hand Nakamichi, Denon, Tascam, NAD, etc. pro deck n record it to a decent soundcard

Problem with buying second hand is you've got NO idea how much it's been used.

There's still a chance that the tape will get chewed.

I'd risk bad sound over crewed tapes anyday...

I've got sets like MPK and Noddy playing in 94 or 95, PMA playing an all Adelaide production set from when DJs could mix different styles of music, HMC playing dnb...

Whats to say a brand new deck won't chew a tape? Run a few tapes through it first e.g. Boney M Greatest Hits to see how she goes, then give the head a good scrub with some rubbing alcohol on a cotton tip

Don't sacrifice the Boney M !!!!

Put some Milli Vanilli in there or sumthin'...   

Gotta blame it on sumthin... blame it on sumthin!
Blame it on the rainnnnnnnnnn yeaaaaaaaaah yeaaaaaaaaah

hey darkydark......

                  ...........you are one deeply disturbed individual 

why don't you just hit up blakeyblake ??

I've wondered who are actually the voice(s) behind Milli Vanilli

"feature vocals by Charles Shaw, John Davis, Brad Howell, and twin sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco"

taken from the Milli Vanilli Wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milli_Vanilli

...fuk me they sold 30 million singles....... i'm obviously doing something wrong.....

hmmm...   

anyway... back to tapes via usb, or soundcard...

pointless getting the fire box, unless you can fly your firefox (if you have one, there were only two you know.. and on got blown up !! ) to a european post box... on the webpage-link that was posted, under MORE INFO is says
"Delivery details : This product can only be delivered to addresses within the EU."

i got DBX type II on mine, you can alter the speed and all... (9.5cm/sec and 4.8 cm/sec)
the EQ on the high and low frequencies allow shelving and the mid Eq is parametric.. just what you need for tapes, to really fatten that bass out!!
canon inputs yep, the trusty 424 MkII 
and it has a wow and flutter of 0.06%...    (geek i)
and you should clean the heads in the tape path, the pinch roller and the capstan pin after every 6 hours of operation, such is the norm of an non-digital studio
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here's the newer version
>>
http://www.tascam.com/details;9,17,7,16.html
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here's the studio version, way better quality though only stereo
>>
http://www.tascam.com/details;9,20,1,16.html
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pay for it to be done, or buy a machine and do-it-yourself in your own time...

the $$ factor i'll leave up to you

Wow. Mr Third-Eye knows his tape machines! 

Wow. You certainly know how to resurrect a thread!