So there are some releases (https://vgmdb.net/album/34996) that, (https://vgmdb.net/album/5142) for whatever reason, (https://www.discogs.com/HOH-Livin-In-A-Casket/release/3533968) were only made available in (https://vgmdb.net/album/29110) cassette tape. (https://vgmdb.net/album/17759)

So what should I know before attempting to transfer any tapes to PC?

I have an RCA RP3503-B (https://www.amazon.com/RCA-RP3503-Shoebox-Cassette-Recorder/dp/B000HX6SI8) with headphone out (and REM?) that I tested and works. Do different tape players sound different EQ-wise? Speed? I have a soundcard I can hook up stereo jacks to (only problem is turning both knobs to exactly at the same volume... should I max the volume on the soundcard but lower it from the cassette player?)

Also, the speaker is supposedly crap, but does that matter if I use headphone out? I only have blank/second generation-recorded tapes right now, but I have one of these coming in the mail to test out my setup: https://vgmdb.net/album/5002

What bitrate/sampling rate should I save at? What frequency do tapes cut off at? How should I split the tracks (should I even do that when archiving files)? Is Ozzy ever going to tour again? Are there aliens in Area 51?

Thanks for any questions answered.

Cassette transfers can be a pain in the butt.

You can do it easy, or you can do it well. Pick one. ;)

That cassette deck you have mentioned appears to be mono, and will produce extremely poor quality sound.

If you're serious about doing this, you have a number of options.

1. Get hold of a decent deck. Only a handful of decks are made these days, and of those almost none of them are decent. I believe Tascam is still making some semi-decent decks. Steer well clear of those USB cassette decks. They work, but they sound awful. Your best bet would be to get a second hand deck off eBay. You should be able to get a decent mid-1990s mid-range deck for �40-50 ($50-60) If you want something that can help you get the best quality out of your tapes, expect to pay �200-300 ($250-350) and you may have to do a bit of maintenance beforehand. Depending on the age of the deck you get, the belts could be perished and need replacing. You might be comfortable to do this yourself, or you would need to find a mechanically-minded person to do it for you.

2. Send off the tapes to someone with the equipment and know-how to get this right.

Headphones out: Headphone output is the wrong impedance to feed into a sound card but should work pretty well as long as you set the levels right. Better to use a line output if you have it.

Speakers: Speaker quality doesn't matter as you're bypassing it but be aware that the deck could just be bad. (The model you mentioned is a table-top deck meant for voice recording.)

EQ: They should be roughly the same but think about Dolby NR. If the tape is made with Dolby noise reduction and you play it back on a deck which doesn't have it, the EQ will be wrong and you will have to take additional steps to fix it. Also read up about Azimuth. If your Azimuth is out of alignment, your tapes will sound dead and lacking top end.

Bitrate: Use lossless if you possibly can.

Sampling Rate: Cassette's usable frequency range is significantly under CD. There's no hard cutoff, but expect to see loss above 14khz and almost nothing above 17khz. Just sample at 44100 for safety and to maintain compatibility.

I can transfer cassette - I have high end refurbished Sony and Denon decks to do the transfers. They can sound incredibly good: https://picosong.com/wKWQa/ (I did this one a few years ago.)

If you want to talk further feel free to PM. :)

That cassette deck you have mentioned appears to be mono, and will produce extremely poor quality sound.
Mono headphone out? The hell?


Send off the tapes to someone with the equipment and know-how to get this right.
I was looking at this site and considered it... http://www.dvdyourmemories.com/services/audio-transfer/

...until I saw this guide from them: http://www.dvdyourmemories.com/blog/guide-how-to-transfer-your-audio-cassettes-to-cd-or-mp3-files/ which recommended virtually anything that plays tapes, including walkmans.


Bitrate: Use lossless if you possibly can.
Sorry, I meant bit depth.


Sampling Rate: Cassette's usable frequency range is significantly under CD. There's no hard cutoff, but expect to see loss above 14khz and almost nothing above 17khz. Just sample at 44100 for safety and to maintain compatibility.
Is this dependent on the tape? I've heard that different tape releases may have different freq quality? Do '90s tapes differ from '80s tapes?



I can transfer cassette - I have high end refurbished Sony and Denon decks to do the transfers. They can sound incredibly good: https://picosong.com/wKWQa/ (I did this one a few years ago.)
Cool! Is this a cassette-only release? How long does the process take?

Mono headphone out? The hell?

A great many of these new decks are only using mono heads. It's shocking. You can buy a cassette deck in the store today that's not as good as a crappy pocket Walkman from the 80s... but it'll have a load of "OMFG RETRO 1980s SUPER WOW!" stickers all over it... Have a look at this and weep:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsm7HIYLONo

This is a two speaker boombox deck, and it's wired as mono.


Sorry, I meant bit depth.

16 bit is fine. CD specs cover everything on the cassette and then some. 44.1 / 16 will be completely fine.


Is this dependent on the tape? I've heard that different tape releases may have different freq quality? Do '90s tapes differ from '80s tapes?

There can definitely be variance... There were many cassette duplication methods around which gave vastly different frequency responses, though the worst ones were around in the 70s. But the best tape on the best deck, tuned to perfection, in mint condition, best case scenario all round... will not outperform CD and will max out around 20khz... and we're talking about legendary decks like the Nakamichi Dragon here. CD specs will cover everything, even the best tape on the best deck. :)


Cool! Is this a cassette-only release? How long does the process take?

It had an LP release as well, but I could never find an LP in decent condition for a sane price to transfer, so I went with the tape. :)

Process usually takes ~10 minutes to tune up the azimuth and set the levels + the length of the cassette + ~30 minutes to add cue points (splitting the tracks) and tidy up before exporting to finished product. Not really long. A bit longer if you need stuff like noise reduction but honestly a decent tape (particularly if it's a Dolby recording) has fairly low hiss and I find it not usually worth messing with.

A few years ago I did this experiment - recorded the same music once without Dolby S and once with to measure the hiss difference:

https://picosong.com/wBypw/

The hiss is definitely there, but to me it was no big deal.

Just checking to see if you're getting my messages, because I haven't been getting any responses. Your profile shows that you were logged in today.