4-trk tape to CD

[magic man]

We would really appreciate any help here. We're a new band and trying to record a 3-song demo ourselves in our practice space. we use a Tascam MK 4-track (the light gray simple Fisher Price-looking one that records onto cassette tapes and allows you to record 4 tracks simultaneously) ...i need to find out how to get our tracks off the Tascam and transferred to a digital medium so i can burn a CD of our material. i have a computer, but it only has a mono 1/8" input for sound. i don't have Pro Tools.

what do i need to transfer the tape to CD? the Tascam has standard RCA outs for mixing down to a tape deck, how do I interface this to a computer or some other digital unit to burn a CD?

we are a power-trio with minimal effects and our sound it straightforward and raw. we like the 4-trk because it is always there in the practice space and easy to use, but its 2006 and i'm not going to send a cassetee tape to a promoter.

if you have any advice that would be great. thanks

 

[ido1957]

You should be able to do it using these steps:

Buy a music software recording program like Sound Forge/Cubase or download one for free (like AUDACITY). Install it on your computer.

Get a stereo RCA to 1/8" cable or adapter. Connect the line out of your 4 track to the line in of your computer.

Turn on the record function of the music software program. Push play on your 4 track. Mix the music down to the computer.

Once the song is done, press stop on the software program. Then save the file on your hard drive (you choose what format; it can be a WAV file (best quality) or MP3 (not as good but way smaller file size)).

Copy the music file from your hard drive to a CD-ROM using the CD burner on your computer. Or you can email or post the MP3 file on the Internet for others to hear.

 

[magic man]

Am I not then going from a Stereo OUT from the 4-track to a Mono IN with the computer? Seems that technically it should work with a Y-adapter, but will it come in to computer with the left and right? also i thought about bringing in each raw track in to the computer separately and then re-mix them together with a software program. How hard is it to sync the tracks up properly? i've never used any computer mixing software so i don't know if it has a click track or what...

thanks for replying

 

[A Reel Person]

The Tascam 424 (std).

The typical Line-In on your typical soundcard is a 1/8" stereo jack.

The recording software should be able to select a 16-bit/44.1kHz/stereo WAV file format as a destination file, from your typical stereo Line-In source.

E'thing else our friend above said.

 

[magic man]

thanks, i give it a try....