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Digitising cassette tapes

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Shark the Herald Angel
Shark the Herald Angel
Dec 2025
8:44pm, 10 Dec 2025
23,400 posts
Shark the Herald Angel
Does anyone have any hints about how I can save/recover/digitise the cassette tapes I made with my band in the late 1980s? I might have rediscovered them just in time but the B side of one tape sounds like it's slow motion underwater -ie very odd indeed. Most are playable at least on the A sides but -although it seems unlikely some sound like I've lost a channel - there's just drum machine, guitar and bass but no vocals or vice versa. Of course I might have just recorded them like that and am now so senile I can't remember

I know there are companies that do it - any recommends?

I made a lot of recordings on a four track - some the whole band some just me demoing the songs for the others. I'd love to save them. Historic, time travel items that they are. Oh to be a thirty something not a seventy sometihng!
Cerrertonia
Cerrertonia
Dec 2025
7:37pm, 11 Dec 2025
23,861 posts
Cerrertonia
First thing is probably to get the cassettes playing properly before thinking about digitising them. Is the problem with the player, or with the tapes (or perhaps both)? Losing a channel could be explainable by the roller, tape head etc. being dirty or sticky and needs to be cleaned. The fact that A sides are ok but not B sides might be explainable by the tape player's belt being worn.

If you can play a new tape on the player without any problem, then it's the tapes themselves you need to look at. Fast forward/rewinding the tape a few times might help. Obviously with old tapes there is a concern that the tape might get chewed up though. Sometimes just holding it and giving a shake or squeezing it can help the spools move more freely.

The actual digitising is really easy - you just need a cable to connect the cassette player to a computer and then a (free) program like Audacity. The same program can also adjust the speed/ pitch, remove noise and so on, but probably needs someone who knows how to use it to clean the recordings up a bit.
Shark the Herald Angel
Shark the Herald Angel
Dec 2025
7:40pm, 11 Dec 2025
23,401 posts
Shark the Herald Angel
Wow, thanks a lot Cerrertonia that’s really helpful.
Cerrertonia
Cerrertonia
Dec 2025
7:48pm, 11 Dec 2025
23,862 posts
Cerrertonia
An alternative might be to buy something like this:

amazon.co.uk

It obviously wouldn't solve any mechanical problems due to the cassette tapes' deterioration, but you would get *something* before the tapes go completely and at least you could rule out problems with the actual tape player.
Autumnleaves
Autumnleaves
Dec 2025
8:20pm, 11 Dec 2025
21,555 posts
Autumnleaves
digitalconverters.co.uk
If that works - these guys very good at doing VHS conversion, looks like they do tapes too.
um
um
Dec 2025
11:00am, 12 Dec 2025
10,007 posts
um
General thoughts rather than having done it or personal experience ... some in common with the above

1) Probably splash out on a USB cassette (unless you already have a wired / jack connection). Amazon mid range ones seem to be £20 - £30 ish

2) From friends, I know the video transfer has changed significantly in the last year with AI ability to clean up old stuff, so I'd assume sound has similarly moved on, depending how much hiss and distortion you want to remove.

3) The top 'free' SW seems to be Audacity, so a good place to start.

3) Or the industry leader (as per the web) iZotope RX. But it's free for 10 days if that gives you time to prepare everything then push it all through that to clean it?

4) Processing time? No idea. But I suspect a newer pc will make it easier than as old one
Shark the Herald Angel
Shark the Herald Angel
Dec 2025
12:09pm, 12 Dec 2025
23,402 posts
Shark the Herald Angel
I’m on Apple Macs of various ages and types. My main cassette deck is part of a sound system I put together in The Olden Days. Amp, Cd player and record deck all separate
larkim
larkim
Dec 2025
12:30pm, 12 Dec 2025
28,213 posts
larkim
Not cassette, but I am going through the same with vinyl. I was thinking about buying a vinyl to USB deck new from Amazon, but then realised that most people tend to buy these and then sell them on via ebay or Vinted, so in the end I got one for £10 on Vinted which I suspect I'll be able to sell back without costing myself anything.

Audacity is definitely the tool to use here just to grab the basic raw audio files (try to grab lossless flac files or wav files at first, especially if you are subsequently going to run them through some tools to improve the sound quality).
Cerrertonia
Cerrertonia
Dec 2025
12:39pm, 12 Dec 2025
23,865 posts
Cerrertonia
Audacity is free, runs on Apple Macs, and really easy to use in my opinion. I mainly use it to clip off the talking before and after we play a tune, and to equalise the volume on things so that one mp3 isn't louder or quieter the next. I also use it to slow down recordings to play along with. I've never needed to look at the instructions. It obviously needs you to be comfortable installing new software on the computer and using it or access to someone who can help.

If your cassette deck is from 'the olden days', a simple start might be to give it a bit of a clean. Ideally a bit of alcohol on a cotton bud for the metal head and guides, or even just a wet wipe. Water for the rubber roller, let everything dry and see if the sound quality is any better.

For the mac, you'll need to get something which connects it to the headphone output of the cassette player. If you have an 'audio in' on the computer (would probably need to be 10+ years old if so), that's just a question of getting the right cable. Otherwise you'd need to buy a USB adapter. You need one that is working in the right direction i.e audio in - not one that is used to convert USB into audio out for driving speakers.
Shark the Herald Angel
Shark the Herald Angel
Dec 2025
10:43pm, 12 Dec 2025
23,403 posts
Shark the Herald Angel
Thanks again Cerrertonia Really useful again. My 'big' main Mac is in Hastings and I've only got an Airbook Pro here but I'll figure something out. I fairly recently got rid of my huge tower Mac (grrrrrr).

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Maintained by Sharkie
Does anyone have any hints about how I can save/recover/digitise the cassette tapes I made with my band in the late 1980s? I might have rediscovered them just in time but the B side of one tape sounds like it's slow motion underwater -ie very odd indeed. Most are playable at least on the A sides but -although it seems unlikely some sound like I've lost a channel - there's just drum machine, guitar and bass but no vocals or vice versa. Of course I might have just recorded them li...

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