Transfer cassette music tapes to...what?

I have a nice, not huge, collection of about 200 90-minute cassette music tapes that I want to put onto a different media (medium?). I know how to get the music from tape to computer hard drive and then to CD or MP3 player or whatever. What I'd like to know is what is the best type of storage to use. CDs only hold about 75 minutes of music. MP3 CDs aren't playable on all players. Not all DVD players will accept MP3 music. MP3 players have to be hooked up to an audio system that has line-in capabilities unless you use earbuds or headphones. Is there some new thing out there that I'm too old to have noticed that will be just right for me? Thanks.

 

My son bought the wife and i a "vinyl to cd" player for christmas so we could transfer all our old soul music to cd it even transfers it onto sd card or even usb pen so i would think you can buy something similar for tapes, he and his girlfriend always shop at "Hard to find Records.com" try their site, it's http://htfr.com lots of really tech music gadgets.

 

This will sound like a lot but take it step by step and it'll be quick.

First of all, do you have enough storage to convert analogue (cassette) to digital (MP3)? You have two options: Either record one cassette and immediately put on CD/DVD/MP3player/flash card etc... or get a USB external hard drive (they're relatively cheap now Click!). With the external hard drive, you then better group songs to your liking.

Next, all you need is a tape player with RCA jacks and this: Click!. Then plug the mic end into the line in jack on your sound card on the back of your computer and the RCA jacks obviously hook into the tape player (Red-Right, White-Left).

Then, download and install Audacity (and install the MP3 codec with these directions here: Click!)

Open Audacity and in the middle of the third toolbar is a dropdown menu, select line in. Put any tape you want to start with into the tape player and start the player, then, click the button on the second toolbar with the red circle to start recording. Stop recording at the end of the song (stopping the player at the same time), not the end of the tape, it'll be a lot easier to label your songs that way. Edit your new recording, cutting off dead space, checking the volume level, etc.. then in the File drop down on the top toolbar, select "Export as MP3". Save the file where you want it and give it a name that you'll remember (like song title and artist name).

Once all your songs are in MP3 (probably will be a long time since you have approx. 300 hours of tapes) you can better organize them into whatever device you want them in. Use ImgBurn to transfer MP3's to CD that any CD player can recognize.

This should get you started, ask again if you get stuck.

Hope that Helps!

 

Thannks for the replies. I really was hoping that someone would report that a super new device had been invented that would hold as much music as a big flash drive or a DVD in MP3 format, would be as easy to manipulate as iTunes/iPod, and would be universally playable in almost any audio player, including a CD player, a boombox, a computer, a car stereo system. Don't want much, do I?

 

Lemme know when you find one like that....