Transferring LP's and Cassettes to CD

One of my customer's today was using an older Windows 98 machine to try and transfer LP's to her computer so she could then burn CD's. I will have some links at the end of this article for products that help perform this feat, but first I want to put into perspective the time involved:

1. The average song is 4 minutes long. By the time you adjust levels, start and restart the song and then end the song to get it just right, you will easily spend double the time per song just to get it from the LP or cassette to the computer and saved.
2. Because you are moving from an analog to a digital format, certain pops, hisses and other noises will enter the equation. Many of the products that I will link up offer software solutions to help 'clean up' the artifacts. On average, it will take approximately 50-70% of the total time of the song to complete this process. 
3. You will need to convert the file from the .wav format to .mp3 to save space on your hard drive. This takes approximately 25-30% of the total time of the song.
4. Lastly, you need to finally compile and burn the CD's. Plan on about 25-30% of the time per song to complete this step.

Taking these four factors into consideration, if you have a four minute song, it will take about 16-20 minutes to complete the process. Multiply this by the number of songs you have and the time investment is HUGE. Yes it is possible, but don't be surprised at the time involved. Factors that will decrease (or increase) this time include:

• Processor speed of your computer
• Available RAM (the more the better)
• Free hard drive space
• Your knowledge of the process and the products. 

All that being said, here are some products to consider when deciding to transfer your old 8-tracks, LP's, and cassettes to CD:

PlusDeck2 

DAK PC Interface Preamp Mixer

Polderbit's Sound Recorder and Editor  

Cassettes2CD's.com - They do it for you! (there are other services out there similar to these guys...shop around and compare time turnaround, guarantee, cost, etc). In the long run, the cost may well be worth your time.

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