[peel] Re: New Member - Not The First Time This Has Been Asked?

[Philip Edwards]

700 Blimey.
There was me thinking I had a lot (500+).
What era are we talking about here?
Phil



On 6 July 2010 22:19, isector100 <paul4epbev@btinternet.com> wrote:

>
>
>
>
> Hi Stuart,
>
> Thanks, doesn't sound as complicated as I thought!
>
> I'm using a laptop rather than a PC, will this affect the quality of the
> sound card? The laptop is less than 12 months old.
>
> (Sorry if this is a stupid question), but what sort of size of file will a
> c90 tape produce? I've got quite a lot of tapes (over 700 I think) and I
> wondered how much space might be needed.
>
> Paul
>
>
> --- In peel@yahoogroups.com <peel%40yahoogroups.com>, "Stuart" <stuartb@...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Paul
> >
> >
> >
> > Welcome to the group!
> >
> >
> >
> > Starting with the source end of the conversion chain..
> >
> >
> >
> > I assume you still have a decent Cassette Recorder! If not, then there
> are
> > plenty available on eBay, I got a great condition Nakamichi which has
> pitch
> > control and easily adjustable azimuth.
> >
> > If you are still using your original machine which you used to record
> your
> > tapes then there is every likelihood that they will play back OK without
> > fiddling with anything.
> >
> > If playing back on a different machine then there are certain things you
> > need to do to ensure good sound quality.
> >
> > By far the most important is to make sure the playback azimuth is spot
> on,
> > or the sound will be shushy and mufffly. For this you will need to be
> able
> > to access the azimuth control. Some decks have an azimuth knob but for
> most
> > it involves removing the cassette door and using a small screwdriver to
> > adjust the head angle until the treble content sounds clearest. Do a
> Google
> > search for further info and pictures.
> >
> >
> >
> > I also tend to keep Dolby off on playback, there is nothing worse than a
> > mistracking Dolby. This is very important as it is exceptionally
> difficult
> > to compensate for digitally.
> >
> > Pitch control is useful on a deck though rare, though at least this can
> also
> > be altered in software afterwards. There are quite a few shared tapes out
> > there where JP's voice is audibly fast or slow!
> >
> >
> >
> > Now that the most important bit is sorted, you will then need a twin
> phono
> > to 3.5mm stereo jack to connect the cassette recorder to your sound card
> on
> > a PC or Mac. Best results will be gained if you have a proper sound card,
> > though for cassette recordings then most onboard motherboard sound will
> also
> > be fine.
> >
> > I use Audacity software (the latest beta) to record with. This allows you
> to
> > choose which audio channels on your PC will be recorded, you want Line In
> if
> > available, or What You Hear making sure that any microphones and other
> > Windows sound schemes are disabled. A test recording should be made
> making
> > sure that the sound level meters on Audacity don't rise into the clipping
> > zone (0dB on the bar meters or +/-1 on the trace).
> >
> >
> >
> > Then just press play on the tape player and record on the Audacity
> software.
> >
> >
> >
> > Audacity will record in its own lossless format and these recordings can
> be
> > edited, cut and pasted etc. You can also export to mp3 (you will need to
> > download the mp3 dll separately to enable this) and I suggest a minimum
> of
> > 192kbps recording quality. It will also encode into flac which is another
> > lossless format, though iPods will not be able to play these files back.
> >
> >
> >
> > Then, should you wish to share the results then you can upload the files
> to
> > a site such as Mediafire, let us know through the Mailing List and update
> > the pages on the Wiki if you can date the show.
> >
> >
> >
> > I know I've not gone into any great detail in any of the above steps but
> > just do a Google Search for anything you're stuck on or get back to the
> > group!
> >
> >
> >
> > Stuart
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _____
> >
> > From: peel@yahoogroups.com <peel%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:
> peel@yahoogroups.com <peel%40yahoogroups.com>] On Behalf Of
> > isector100
> > Sent: 06 July 2010 19:44
> > To: peel@yahoogroups.com <peel%40yahoogroups.com>
> > Subject: [peel] New Member - Not The First Time This Has Been Asked?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> >
> >
> > Just joined the group. I've started to listen again to my J P Show
> cassette
> > tapes and found you via the John Peel Wiki.
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm sure this is not the first time this has been asked, but can someone
> > point me in the direction of help / guidance on making digital copies of
> my
> > tapes. I'm aware that cassette tape recordings don't last forever and I
> > would like to be able to help preserve what I've got if possible.
> >
> >
> >
> > Paul
> >
>
>  
>