Can I transfer cassette demos to PC using the tape deck on a Technics hi-fi?

iggystooge

New member
Hello,

Is it possible to use the tape deck on a Technics Hi-fi (SC-EH760) and transfer some old cassette demos to my PC?

I have a Saffire Pro24 pre-amp and use Live 9.

Can it be done and what else would I need please?

Thank you.

iggystooge
 
Hello,

Is it possible to use the tape deck on a Technics Hi-fi (SC-EH760) and transfer some old cassette demos to my PC?

I have a Saffire Pro24 pre-amp and use Live 9.

Can it be done and what else would I need please?
I tried to ponder the online manual for that mini/coupled set of components and it *looks like* there's a stereo VCR (ext) OUT pair of RCA jacks. If they have signal when you're playing a cassette, then those would go to the LINE IN 1/4" jacks on the back of your Focusrite. So, you'd need a stereo pair of RCA to 1/4" (male) cables, or RCA cables and a pair of RCA->1/4" plug adapters for the ends of the RCA cables. But, it's not obvious whether there's any magic required to get audio to the VCR OUT jacks, or if it's always there.

Assuming you have a live signal into the Focusrite, you'd have to configure your DAW to use those inputs and assign each to a separate track, or both to a stereo track.
 
Thanks for the useful info. I'll look into getting a cable and just chance it, I don't imagine it'll be very costly. I'll report back later. Cheers.
 
Like Keith, I can't find a decent picky of an actual 'Tape Out' but there must be something. Push comes to shove you could use a headphone out but don't if you can avoid it.

If the tapes are Dolby encoded I would still copy them over with Dolby off. Unless the tapes were made on that machine AND it was carefully aligned at the time for that specific tape, Dolby NR will shunt the response all over the shop. Better to have a brighter but consistent playback. N also B, if using 'strange' tapes there is no guarantee that the head azimuth will be right. It is usually in order to 'rock' it a bit for best HF but make a test tape before you twiddle.

I don't know Live but if you are well into it fine but you could use something very basic like Audacity?

Dave.
 
Be sure to clean and demagnetize the tape path before putting anything irreplaceable in the deck. That is, unless you want to erase the tape a little each time you play it.

You'd be a lot better off using a proper deck.
 
Can you suggest a proper deck and roughly how much would it cost please? The two tapes are old, recorded around 1987, not on my deck. They are TDK D60 and AD60 and belong to a mate of mine.
 
Any good home cassette deck is probably adequate, as long as it is in good working order and cleaned/demagnetized. I wouldn't be too comfortable doing it on that all-in-one stereo system. The transports were pretty cheap on those things.
 
What do you think about these machines that transfer vinyl and cassette to CD? A family member has just had one for Christmas I could use if they're any good.
 
The USB enabled turntables and cassette machines I've seen have been mostly junky. One or two turntables looked kind of okay, but I don't think even those compete with decent conventional hardware. The cassette digitizing decks I've seen seemed to lack a lot of features, like specific Dolby settings. Cassette is a pretty imperfect medium so optimizing playback is desirable.
 
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