If you're like me, you've probably got a massive collection of old audio cassettes, taking up valuable space in a cupboard or stashed away under the bed. You kind of want to throw them out but at the same time you can't! Enter the USB Cassette Deck! A fast, easy way to convert all your old 'taped' tunes to CD or MP3.
Ion's Tape 2 PC is a USB cassette deck that takes any old audio tape and converts it to brand new digital format - MP3s and CDs. It looks and behaves just like a regular cassette deck, except it has a USB connection as well as the usual connections to hook it up to your home stereo.
The deck features an old school dual cassette deck and it's very quick and easy to get all your c90, c60 and any other tape collections onto your computer. You just press play on the tape deck and the music is recorded to your PC (or Mac!) Upgrading your old music and recordings couldn't be easier.
You get everything you need with the USB Cassette Deck, including a very simple to use bit of software called 'EZ Tape Converter', from MixMaster and another really good tool called Audacity. Audacity has a lot of editing features but is especially good at cleaning up music and other recordings from tape.
Just think how much fun you'll have re-discovering those old classics! You might even find some tunes you'd completely forgotten about. And how about those 'mix tapes' that everyone used to make? It's not a chore transfering cassette to usb, it's a lot of fun.
This audio gadget makes light work of converting your tapes to MP3s or CDs and even importing the tracks directly to iTunes®.
Ion USB Cassette Deck (Tape 2 PC) Key Features
Transfer all your tape music onto PC or Mac
Easy to use software
PC software: Audacity & EZ Tape Converter (Vista & XP compatible)
Mac Software: Audacity & EZ Audio Converter (OSX 10.4 or later)
Here's a blast from the past that nostalgia lovers will appreciate. Back in the 80s, when the c90 cassette was the cutting edge in audio entertainment, one thing people used to take great pride in was their mix tapes.
The USB Mix Tape @ Firebox £19.96, lets you relive those memories and also give someone a very cool present too. Instread of recording tracks to the cassette, it comes with a cool little pop-up USB stick that can hold 64mb of tracks.
The only difference being that the tracks you put on the mix tape won't sound like crap. (Some things are better left in the past!)
Just drag some tunes you want to give someone from your PC onto the USB Mix Tape, write the all-important track listing out, and then preset thenm with their mix tape. It's just like making one in the 80's. You can even scribble on the cassette. This is a really fun gift, recommended for anyone who has ever made a mix tape in the past.
We've all got 'em - stacks of old C90s, C60s and a whole host of other crazy formats that used to be popular in the 80s! So if you're feeling the pinch at the moment and want a cheap way to get your old school tunes onto your PC then what are the options?
As you've probably noticed, your sound card at the back of the PC has a number of different inputs on it, next to the place where your speakers are likely plugged in now. These inputs take a standard 3.5mm jack. If you've got a spare 3.5mm male to male lead lying around, as well as a tape deck, then you should be able to record your old cassettes to PC this way.
Just connect the jack from the headphone socket on the tape deck, to the line in on your sound card. Now, we'll get to the recording part at the moment. But it's also worth noting that you've got a couple of important volume controls here to play with. On your PC, you've got the system volume sliders. On the cassette deck, you can adjust the output volume too.
So what can you use to record the the tapes to your computer? The best tool you can get, for free, is Audacity. This has some special filters to help when recording from tape. And also has the ability to clean up your recordings, and remove noise. Recording with this tool is pretty easy to do, and there's some sophisticated digital levels you can monitor to make sure your old albums are going to sound their best once they're recorded.
If you're looking for a SUPER EASY way to make high quality recordings from Cassette to PC, we recommend the USB Cassette Deck. Compare prices here and get a good deal on one today.
Yes, both the casette deck and the software are Mac compatible. Audacity is an open source tool that works on both operating systems. And there is a version of the recording software included for both PC and Mac.
What will the quality be like?
The output quality of the audio will depend a great deal on the quality of the original cassette recording. And while the sound will not be CD quality, you will be pleasantly surprised how good the quality is. There are a number of filters that can be quickly and easily applied to remove background noise and other problems in the audio.
Where's the cheapest place to get the USB Cassette Deck?
There are a number of places online where you can purchase Ion's Tape2PC product. The prices can vary as much as £30. There's a good list of places to buy this product on this page. They're ranked in order, with the cheapest first, and this page also shows the current delivery costs.
Can anyone use this product?
One of the good things about Ion is that they've been creating X to PC type products for years and they always make them easy to use. If you're thinking of buying this for a relative who isn't particularly computer savvy then you can rest assured. The software, setup and everything else is genuinnely easy.
One of the free tools included with Ion's USB Cassette Deck is a free audio editing program called Audacity. While the software is an open source freeware program, it's a great inclusion here and worth looking into what it can do if you're looking to convert your old tapes to digital format.
Audacity has been around for some time now and one of the reasons it's been so popular, as well as the fact it's free, is that it's compatible with just about every kind of computer out there. It will run on Windows, Mac and also Linux. Although the software is included with Tape2PC, it's definitely worth going to the website and downloading the latest version once your USB cassette deck arrives.
The software can perform a number of really handy tricks such as editing recordings and improving the quality of the sound. Unlike a lot of software, it's also easy enough for new users to use. Audacity has also been designed to work with audio from a range of inputs, including cassettes.
Here's a screenshot of Audacity in action:
How can this tool help convert your tapes to MP3 & CD?
The editing side of things is going to be of use to anyone converting tapes to their PC. The reason being is that you can chop bits out, remove unwanted sections, and even mix different recordings together. While this would have been a lot trickier to do in the 80s, with cassettes, it's easy with this tool.
The other thing that you'll probably way to use this program for is to clean up your old recordings. Back in the day, we were prepared to put up with a lot from our music. There was even dolby noise reduction buttons on any tape decks worth their salt. (Although I could never work out if they made it sound better or worse!)
But the point is that Audacity has a great range of tools that will help clean up your cassette recordings. You can remove static, hiss, hum and all those other annoying background noises so that the music will sound a lot better. You'll actually be surprised at the quality of your recordings.
To sum up, Audacity is a great tool that is a really good companion to the USB Cassette Deck. Make sure you get the latest version and play around with some of the editing and correctional tools.
Here's an interesting video that covers the main features of Ion Audio's Tape2PC gadget. It shows exactly what the deck does and gives you a glimpse of the software in action too. Prepare for a bit of nostalgia too - take a look at that noise reduction button.
Type Stereo double cassette deck Track System 4-track 2-channel Tape speed 4.8 cm/sec Frequency Response(-20dB recording) Chrome tape 40-15000Hz (±3dB) Normal tape 40-14000Hz (±3dB) (0dB recording) Chrome tape 40-8000Hz (±3dB) Normal tape 40-8000Hz (±3dB) S/N ratio 58dB Wow and flutter <0.2% (DIN45500) Crosstalk 40dB (1kHz) Harmonic distortion less than 1% (at 1 kHz, OVU 3rd H.D. normal tape) Channel separation 40dB (1kHz) Deck A Playback Deck B Recording/playback, 2-gap ferrite head for erasure Motor DC servo motor x 2 Fast forward/Rewind time ~100 sec w. C-60 cassette
If you're like me, you've probably got a massive collection of old audio cassettes, taking up valuable space in a cupboard or stashed away under the bed. You kind of want to throw them out but at the same time you can't! Enter the 
Here's a blast from the past that nostalgia lovers will appreciate. Back in the 80s, when the c90 cassette was the cutting edge in audio entertainment, one thing people used to take great pride in was their mix tapes.
One of the free tools included with Ion's USB Cassette Deck is a free audio editing program called 
