transfering from tape to cakewalk

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aceteleman77

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I'm totally new to the home recording thing and am learning one step at a time by hands on (my favorite way) but I just wondered if and how I can transfer from my analog (Tascam 424) into Cakewalk on my computer so it is digitized and I can do my mixing there?
 
Sure you can. Most computer have soundcards these days, and most of those have line inputs. Send the taped stuff out your direct outs on each channel, two at a time, while recording on the computer (you'll need a multitrack audio recording application for that). You could also get a multitrack soundcard and record all four tracks at once to a separate track on the computer; that'd be the most straightforward approach.

If possible, record a sharp dry click onto all four tape tracks a couple of seconds before the song starts. This will provide a nice visual reference in the waveform for lining up all four tracks precisely if you do have to do them with a stereo sound card.
 
Thanks for the info, I'm sure I'll learn more as I go along.

One more question, with the stereo sound card I currently have do I need to use a splitter of some kind? There is only one input on my current configuration....
 
If it's indeed a stereo line in and not a mono mic input, the "one input" is usually a stereo minijack, just like the jack for the stereo headphones on a Walkman. That kind of connector scheme is called TRS for tip-ring-sleeve. You can get cables that go two mono 1/4" (or two mono RCA) plugs on one end to a single 1/8" stereo miniplug on the other end.

(Just in case, 1/4" is the size of a guitar plug, and RCA are the smaller ones that you use in standard stereo system interconnects.)
 
Thanks again, and thanks for the quick response. It is a stereo input and I think I have all of the adaptors I need.

Just so you don't think I'm totally unaware, I'm a musician so I do know the different plug configurations.... lol
 
aceteleman77 said:
Just so you don't think I'm totally unaware, I'm a musician so I do know the different plug configurations.... lol
We are just making sure that everything is s-p-e-l-l-e-d out. :D
You would be surprised about what people "know" and "don't know".
Anyway..... "It's better, to be safe, than to be sorry." ;)

peace ....
 
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