digitizing cassettes

[memphismac]

I know there are a few older threads on this topic, but the products reference in those are out of stock or out of date, so I'm hoping for some new advice.

I have a large collection of live shows from various bands that I would like to digitize using 2017 iMac (it's my backup machine). I did this 7-10 years ago on an older iMac (maybe a G5?), but I'm running into roadblocks now.

- I purchased an RCA/USB-C, but the iMac doesn't recognize any sound coming from it - I assume this is because it's analog sound coming through a digital port?
- I've read that the audio jack can function as input device, but none of the audio cables I have are recognized. (would a TRSS cable work?)
- I've seen references to Behringer products, but I can't find any in stock from the typical retailers. And even the ones I can find look like USB-A devices, and I want this to work with by my old iMac and my new one (which of course, is all USB-C)

Could I connect the RCA->3.5mm cable to the iMac with this?

Buy USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter

The USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter lets you connect a standard 3.5 mm audio plug to your USB-C devices. Perfect for headphones or speakers.

www.apple.com

If you've got any product recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
And if you can explain how I could do this from 2015-2019 on my older machine, that would help my sanity.
(is it because the old G5's had an analog input?)

Thanks,
Brian

 

[uacd]

- I've seen references to Behringer products, but I can't find any in stock from the typical retailers. And even the ones I can find look like USB-A devices, and I want this to work with by my old iMac and my new one (which of course, is all USB-C)

Behringer UCA222/UCA202 will work just fine via usb-a to usb-c generic adapter. This is how I use mine btw, recorded some live synths with that thing. My Mac is MacBook M1 Air. You gotta find that interface since it is nearly dirt cheap and works with anything - even new iPhones, iPads or Android devices. I guess it even worked with my Lightning iPad via camera connection kit, works with my iMac 2012 too. Quality is decent, will work like a champ for cassettes

 

[MajorFubar]

Best if I tackle these questions one by one in separate quotes which is going to look messy as a reply but will be easier to understand.

- I purchased an RCA/USB-C, but the iMac doesn't recognize any sound coming from it - I assume this is because it's analog sound coming through a digital port?

No. It's either broken or it's only designed as an output not an input. You need an input.

- I've read that the audio jack can function as input device, but none of the audio cables I have are recognized. (would a TRSS cable work?)

No. At the absolute most it might be able to be used as a microphone jack. It's not appropriate for connecting to line-level outputs...speaking of which you haven't mentioned what cassette player or deck you intend to use as a source. Giving us this info would be very helpful.

- I've seen references to Behringer products, but I can't find any in stock from the typical retailers. And even the ones I can find look like USB-A devices, and I want this to work with by my old iMac and my new one (which of course, is all USB-C)

Yeah this harks back to my argument that many of us still have a practical use for USB-A sockets, because many new devices still use them, including a million-and-one thumb-sticks, and, contextually-relevant, many audio interfaces, especially those at the 'affordable' end, which is what I would absolutely encourage you to buy rather than try to make one of those awful RCA-to-USB devices actually work. But I get told to 'get with the times grandad' by people who buy $2000+ Macs just to play on the internet or who in any case have no requirement to connect their computers to anything that isn't USB-C. Bully for them.

Could I connect the RCA->3.5mm cable to the iMac with this?

Buy USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter

The USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter lets you connect a standard 3.5 mm audio plug to your USB-C devices. Perfect for headphones or speakers.

www.apple.com

No that's to provide a headphone socket on iPads and iPhones which don't have headphone sockets. It will not work as an input.

----------------

The cheapest option worth buying is a Behringer UCA222/202. I don't know your typical retailers but there's dozens for sale online. It will work on every machine you own, but you will need a USB-A to USB-C convertor cable to use it on your modern computer which stupidly doesn't have a USB-A socket.

EDIT: Also like I said earlier please tell us what device you are using to play cassettes. It will need RCA outputs to connect directly to the Behringer. At a push you could use a cassette player's headphone socket but you will get a lot of noise and you will easily overload the input of the audio interface, leading to distortion.

 

[memphismac]

Best if I tackle these questions one by one in separate quotes which is going to look messy as a reply but will be easier to understand.


No. It's either broken or it's only designed as an output not an input. You need an input.


No. At the absolute most it might be able to be used as a microphone jack. It's not appropriate for connecting to line-level outputs...speaking of which you haven't mentioned what cassette player or deck you intend to use as a source. Giving us this info would be very helpful.


Yeah this harks back to my argument that many of us still have a practical use for USB-A sockets, because many new devices still use them, including a million-and-one thumb-sticks, and, contextually-relevant, many audio interfaces, especially those at the 'affordable' end, which is what I would absolutely encourage you to buy rather than try to make one of those awful RCA-to-USB devices actually work. But I get told to 'get with the times grandad' by people who buy $2000+ Macs just to play on the internet or who in any case have no requirement to connect their computers to anything that isn't USB-C. Bully for them.


No that's to provide a headphone socket on iPads and iPhones which don't have headphone sockets. It will not work as an input.

----------------

The cheapest option worth buying is a Behringer UCA222/202. I don't know your typical retailers but there's dozens for sale online. It will work on every machine you own, but you will need a USB-A to USB-C convertor cable to use it on your modern computer which stupidly doesn't have a USB-A socket.

EDIT: Also like I said earlier please tell us what device you are using to play cassettes. It will need RCA outputs to connect directly to the Behringer. At a push you could use a cassette player's headphone socket but you will get a lot of noise and you will easily overload the input of the audio interface, leading to distortion.

Thanks for the response/information!

My cassette deck is an Onkyo TA-RW255. It has RCA outputs - I just need to find the right device(+adapter) to get the sound recorded onto the iMac.

 

[MajorFubar]

Thanks for the response/information!

My cassette deck is an Onkyo TA-RW255. It has RCA outputs - I just need to find the right device(+adapter) to get the sound recorded onto the iMac.

In which case you can definitely get away with using the Behringer and a USB-A/C cable. You'll spend $30 tops combined.

EDIT: you could decide to spend more, especially if you definitely want something that natively connects to your modern computer by USB-C: there's a lot of good choice around the $100 mark. But from a technical point of view you don't need it. Solely for digitising cassettes, buying audio interfaces that can capture 32 bit 192kHz is crazy overkill.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Yes you need some sort of USB audio device that handles audio IN. That iMac doesn't have an audio IN port.

The cassette side of the equation can be tricky. Does the player you're using run at the same speed (they definitely vary) as the original recorder? Speed can be corrected on the digital side, however. More importantly…the sound you get off the cassette player is affected by the alignment of the play heads on the tape. If they don't match between original recorder and the current player there will be a loss of fidelity. Some cassette players have a screw adjustment for this alignment.

Additionally, tape bleed-through will probably exist on the old cassettes…but there's nothing you can do about that.

 

[Solarflares]

If digitising old cassettes, then be sure to clean the playback heads and pinch rollers with cotton buds and isopropyl alcohol for each side of every tape. The oxide will shred, and build up will affect fidelity.
Also good to fully rewind side 2, then rewind side 1, before digitising. Don’t wind an old tape forward before doing this.
Have a couple of new or good spare cassettes around, as you might need to put some of those tape reels into new housings to get them to spool smoothly. I sometimes used silicone on the flanges of the spools too.
Don’t be tempted to apply any EQ or correction during digitisation. Just get the thing onto your computer.
Then use an Audio Restoration program/app to possibly remedy any shortcomings.
Main thing is to get good level, and playback with minimal wow and flutter.
I bought a good used Technics cassette hi-fi separate especially for this purpose. It was £40, but was worth getting. I gave it to a charity shop afterward.
Get a machine with front panel meters, then you have good indication of correct azimuth, and whether the playback head might need adjusting slightly.