How to get my 4-track recordings into my computer?

Hissfit

New member
So I came across some of my old 4 track cassettes from the early 90s and I'd like some suggestions on how to covert these lo-fi masterpieces to digital. I need a good interface/software option to do this. So my question is three part:

INTERFACE: Best device to use to feed them into my computer. I'd like to be able to keep each track separate, as opposed to mixing the recording down on input. I'd like to make the mix in the computer so I can do some editing and cleaning up, maybe add something, IDK. I have a couple old devices, not sure if they will work for this. An M-Audio Fast Track (the old silver one) and an Mbox 1. I know the Mbox is limited because of licenses and can only work with Digidesign stuff, right? Is it best to purchase some other device either new or used?

SOFTWARE: Considering the first part, I'll obviously be using some kind of tracking software. I was familiar with ProTools back in the day but that's probably not my solution. I do have the Adobe suite of apps which includes Audition, is that good? Or is there a free software that is recommended? Garage Band? I may want to use some effects in some way, so that's something to consider.

APPROACH: How do I do this? I'm guessing I'll have to bring in one track at a time, then line them up in the app? Or would two at a time work, L & R?

Oh, I just purchased a Tascam Porta02 for this. And if this is relevant, I'm working on an iMac, late 2014 5K retina, 32 GB ram, 4 GHz i7

Thanks for any input/advice you can provide!
 
Send the Porta02 back if possible.

You DO NOT want to bring the tracks down one at a time. There's another thread about pretty much the same thing (not cassette) going on about this, though it's devolved somewhat...

You do have a cassette player with 4 line outputs, right? I mean, that's the first requirement. Then, you need an interface with 4 line inputs. Behringer is the cheapest way to get there:

Behringer U-Phoria UMC404HD USB Audio Interface | Sweetwater

Here's what I'd do:
Create a project in the DAW of your choice, add 4 tracks to the project, assign inputs 1-4 to tracks 1-4. Save this empty project as a "template" (should be supported by most DAWs.)

Connect the interface to your iMac, and run cables from the cassette's 4 line outs to the 1/4" inputs on the front of the interface, switched to Line.

Click the red Record button and press play on the tape deck. [All the tracks will be aligned.]

Now, you can record the entire tape and separate songs later, or stop and create a new project (from the template) for each song or tape, as you decide. It depends on how many tapes and much time you want to sit there watching/listening. And it may depend on whether the mix settings you'll apply, like balance, pan, EQ, etc. can generally apply to the entire tape, so doing that and then bouncing separate songs will save time vs. doing it on each song. Of course, you might be able to do a single song at a time, then import the track settings from one project to another (Logic Pro does this - I use it frequently.) Regardless, you'll have something to keep you busy for a long time.
 
Thanks for the detailed response.

I won't be able to return the Porta02. As for a cassette player with 4 line outputs, you mean just a stereo tape deck? No I don't. Do you have an example?

Won't the Potra02 work the same way? If I output the LINE OUT - RCA cables, can't I get the 4 tracks if I split the tracks hard left, hard right, hard left, hard right, so the four tracks will be coming in separately in their respective channels? If so the Behringer looks nice. If not I can always try a song one track at a time and see how they line up. These aren't very special recordings, they're very noisy and distorted to begin with. If so, can I use the Fast Track for an attempt?

Your suggestion is good about running it all at once to save time then cut up later. But I've narrowed down what I want to try first and I'll focus on just a few songs to start, so I can do one at a time.
 
I may be confused, but I assumed a 4-track cassette only recorded in one direction. Playing it in a regular cassette player will only give you 2 of the tracks, because when you turn the tape over, all of the audio from the other 2 will be reversed.

P.S.
And, as raised in the other thread, doing the tracks in separate plays makes some big assumptions about the deck's ability to maintain a precise enough speed to let you sync the results.
 
Yes that's the way it works. That's why I purchased the Porta02.

What did you mean by "a cassette player with 4 line outputs"? I suppose you mean 4 separate line outs. Unfortunately the Porta02 doesn't. Is there something that does this that isn't another version of a 4 track porta studio? I'm already $130 into this with the Porta02 though.

I just looked for a driver for the Fast Track and it's not supported for OS 10.10 and later, so I suppose that device is out of the question.
 
So you have 4-track cassettes, but not a 4-track player, right?

That makes the challenge more difficult. But the Porta02, even though having just a L&R output, can play any of four tracks separately

You can do as you say, hard pan and take L & R out of the line outs to transfer tracks 1 & 2 first, then do tracks 3 & 4.

There are two obstacles to overcome with this method.

The first is aligning the starts of the two pairs of tracks you've recorded into the DAW.

The second, more serious, one is dealing with drift. Because replaying a tape is a mechanical process, it is subject to mechanical distortion, i.e. tape stretch, speed variations and other things that compromise the absolute linearity of the recording. So even if you line up the two recordings precisely at the start, there are likely to be places along the length of the recording where they will go in and out of alignment.

It is possible to fix this to a certain extent. For example, in Reaper (and other DAWs too, but I use Reaper), you can stretch or contract tracks at will to get them to line up with each other.
 
Yes that's the way it works. That's why I purchased the Porta02.

What did you mean by "a cassette player with 4 line outputs"? I suppose you mean 4 separate line outs. Unfortunately the Porta02 doesn't. Is there something that does this that isn't another version of a 4 track porta studio? I'm already $130 into this with the Porta02 though.

I just looked for a driver for the Fast Track and it's not supported for OS 10.10 and later, so I suppose that device is out of the question.
Ah, I didn't realize it was able to output the tracks in pairs, so it will let you get the data off, but as [MENTION=45599]gecko zzed[/MENTION] says, likely not without some alignment issues, but maybe within a single song it might not be an issue. Good luck.

P.S. Since you're only capturing 2 tracks at a time, you could get by with an interface that only has 2 inputs, to save a little money.
 
AFAICS the Porta02 only has two outputs, but you need four. If you're thinking of taking two runs and syncing afterwards in a DAW, that just doesn't work. Been there. The speed of an analogue tape is so inconsistent that the two "takes" are totally useless next to each other and in my experience, it's not something you can ever align even with a DAW because the speed changing constantly in an inconsistent manner. You need something that can read and output all four tracks separately on a single run.

I share the playback part of the problem - I got ways to record, but not play. Those 4-track tapes done on Tascam 144 back in 80-90'ies are slowly rotting away and I'd dearly love to salvage that material while still possible, but I don't want to pay 500-700€ on Ebay for an unreliable second-hand device from the eighties that I'd only need once for that single task. If somebody knows of reasonably priced, relatively modern device that can just read and output the four tracks of a c-cassette at once, preferably without all the mixer etc features of an actual multitrack recorder, pointers would be awesome.
 
You might consider paying a service to do it - expensive but if it's an important recording (to you at least), they probably have the equipment to do it as best possible, before you scrub all the oxide off or stretch/break the tape in some old player of unknown quality. I found one (not cheap) - there are a lot that do this kind of thing but very few that do 4-track cassette tapes, from my searching around.

Convert 4-Track Cassette to Digital Audio
 
Keith:

Yes, if I do go with the 2 tracks at a time options I'll only need an interface with 2 inputs. That's be much cheaper from what I see. I suppose the Behringer is still a good option, the UMC22 then.

Turre:

YES! That was my problem, I'm only going to be doing this once and don't need all the things a larger recorder and mixer etc offers. That's why I went so simple with the Potra02. I should've considered something else though, realizing that now. I was wondering the same thing when I started this - is there something that simply plays/outputs the four tracks in the same direction.

So anyway, the problem is, if the 2 tracks at a time doesn't work, I wold've wasted money on the UMC22 only to need the 4 channel version in the end. I wish there was an easy way to get them into my computer to test it. I may have to just sell this Porta02 and start over. At least I was able to hear the tapes and I know what's on them, so it served some purpose.

Thanks guys.
 
Since you have the tape deck and interface there is one thing you could at least try.
Yew you can drag tracks to an exact start time. But that presumes actual equal and identifiable start points. (Did they all drop into record at the same very beginning point, or perhaps have a common 'count in to reference or align to?

Regarding drift, if they do drift out, it might be possible to pick one as the guide (ref track) and cut/slide others as needed. This would amusing they have quiet gaps to place cuts -i.e. not continuous or sustained.

However, 'stereo pairs -like drum overheads etc... Likely not doable at all.
Even very small drifts (a millisecond or more) will play havoc with the image shifting to the earlier track!
 
Yes I'm going to at least try to match them up, as a starting point. I'll line up the start point on each, then stretch the tracks at the end of the song to match up and hope there isn't too much drift in between. We'll see.

So the thing to do for now is pick a DAW and see if I can get it to recognize the Fast Track, before I commit to a new device. As I mentioned, I do have a full version of Audition, so I can try that. Do you think that will suffice for basic stuff? Or should I use the free version of Reaper? My needs would be - 1. ease of use, and 2. decent effects and plug-ins that come with the basic version.
 
Yes I'm going to at least try to match them up, as a starting point. I'll line up the start point on each, then stretch the tracks at the end of the song to match up and hope there isn't too much drift in between. We'll see.

So the thing to do for now is pick a DAW and see if I can get it to recognize the Fast Track, before I commit to a new device. As I mentioned, I do have a full version of Audition, so I can try that. Do you think that will suffice for basic stuff? Or should I use the free version of Reaper? My needs would be - 1. ease of use, and 2. decent effects and plug-ins that come with the basic version.

Once you have the tracks "in the can" if Reaper or AA do not have the plug-ins you need, get fully setup then download the trial version of Samplitude ProX3. You get the full fat version with no restriction for 30 days (send "them" to Dland for a week!) And if Sam px3 does not do the bizz, get Sound Forge from MAGIX as well.

Dave.

---------- Update ----------

Yes I'm going to at least try to match them up, as a starting point. I'll line up the start point on each, then stretch the tracks at the end of the song to match up and hope there isn't too much drift in between. We'll see.

So the thing to do for now is pick a DAW and see if I can get it to recognize the Fast Track, before I commit to a new device. As I mentioned, I do have a full version of Audition, so I can try that. Do you think that will suffice for basic stuff? Or should I use the free version of Reaper? My needs would be - 1. ease of use, and 2. decent effects and plug-ins that come with the basic version.

Once you have the tracks "in the can" if Reaper or AA do not have the plug-ins you need, get fully setup then download the trial version of Samplitude ProX3. You get the full fat version with no restriction for 30 days (send "them" to Dland for a week!) And if Sam px3 does not do the bizz, get Sound Forge from MAGIX as well.

Dave. Now peeps! I did NOTHING there save hit the Post button. The twirly thing twirled for 5 seconds or so then the double post came up. No crap about "Leave this page" this time. NB, this never happens on other forums.
 
Yes I'm going to at least try to match them up, as a starting point. I'll line up the start point on each, then stretch the tracks at the end of the song to match up and hope there isn't too much drift in between. We'll see.
At least in my case it was exactly the all drifting within the song that was the final nail in the coffin. But then, I had to use a stereo tape deck for playback so I had to play the other half in reverse and then speed up + revert in DAW. With an actual four track recorder you can hope to do somewhat better, at least the tape is rolling at the same direction on all tracks!

So the thing to do for now is pick a DAW and see if I can get it to recognize the Fast Track, before I commit to a new device. As I mentioned, I do have a full version of Audition, so I can try that. Do you think that will suffice for basic stuff? Or should I use the free version of Reaper? My needs would be - 1. ease of use, and 2. decent effects and plug-ins that come with the basic version.

You might want to check out Audacity which is an open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder. It's free of cost, plenty capable and much simpler to use for this kind of task than some of the full-fledged DAW's. Mind you, I don't have experience with Reaper or Audition so can't compare.
 
Once you have the tracks "in the can" if Reaper or AA do not have the plug-ins you need

You don't need a plugin in Reaper to stretch or shrink tracks. It's part of the basic editing process. You can adjust the length of the tracks to match, but also match the tracks within their length.
 
You don't need a plugin in Reaper to stretch or shrink tracks. It's part of the basic editing process. You can adjust the length of the tracks to match, but also match the tracks within their length.

Right. I have bought Reaper but hardly ever use it.

Dave.
 
I just looked at the OM that I have online and there are 4 separate tape outs. Why not take them into an appropriate 4 channel interface device.
Then you can do all at once.
 
The easiest thing obviously is to be able to play all four tracks into a DAW simultaneously, for which you need a player with four outputs, and an interface and software which can record four simultaneous inputs. My experience doing it one or two tracks at a time is there _will_ be drift, and getting the exact same starting point for playback is also frequently a hassle.
If it's something where you just have say a half dozen or fewer songs to transfer, and lots of time to mess with it, then give it a shot.

If OTOH, you have a lot of these tapes, it might be worth picking up a 424 or similar machine that will play all four tracks out individual outputs.

The other alternative, unless you're going to be doing it a lot, and/or feel like you have to do it yourself, is find someone with the equipment to do the transfer for you, and move on. I do a lot of these for people who no longer have the right machines for playback, and trade a few dollars for a lot of headaches. I can't speak for other people who do this, but in my case, it's probably not as expensive as you might expect.
 
FWIW, I imported a 4-track recording two tracks at a time and then aligned them in Reaper using the stretch method. I did this before I read anywhere on line that you "shouldn't bother with this because it's a mess." I just thought, "That should work, so why not." And it did ... and it was easy.

All I did was record four clicks before the beginning of the song (on each track of the tape) and then four clicks at the end of the song (again on each track of the tape).

Then I brought them into the computer two tracks at a time and snipped each stereo file so that they encompassed from the first click (beginning of the song) to the last click (end of the song).

Then just align/stretch the tracks until the beginning and ending clicks line up as closely as you can get them. You may have to go through the align/stretch process it a few times. In other words, align the beginning click, then stretch the ends until the last click aligns. Then check the first clicks to see if they were affected and then check the ends, etc.

The whole process took me about 2 minutes once I had transferred them into the computer. It was very easy, and the results sounded absolutely perfect---i.e., I couldn't hear any sync/drift issues at all.

This was with a Tascam 414 4-track. I know that the Porta 02 is much more of a bare-bones machine, but unless it has a very unstable transport, I don't see how it would be any more of an issue.
 
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