Music used to be stored in magnetic items called tapes that can carry 20 to 120 minutes of audio. However, times have changed. MP3 players have come into the scene, bragging of being able to store thousands of music files all in one tiny device.
But, what can you do with huge storage capacity when your old favorites are still in tapes and not in MP3 format? Here are the steps on how to let your oldies but goodie songs migrate from tape format to the MP3 format.
Requirements for the Format Change
For you to change your audio tapes into the MP3 format you need the following things:
- A computer equipped with a sound card
- A WAV File Recording Software (Ripping Programs)
- An application that could change the WAV files format into a MP3 file (Encoder)
- A Cable that has a 1/8” on every end
After acquiring the pre-requisites, you can now change your tape files into MP3.
- Connect the mini-plug to the earphone output that is in your receiver. Your receiver is also hooked to the audio tape player. You can use the jack in your earphone integrated in your audio tape player.
- Connect the other side of your cable to the Line In of your Sound Card. (This is usually green.)
- Start the Ripping Software in your computer for the Line In Recording. Together, press Play for your audio tape to start playing. Your audio tape is supposed to be recording in your computer in real time. It is vital to observe that you have to save the audio recording in WAV format; after which, you can change it to MP3 format.
- Once the full recording of audio is done, save and store it in your computer in WAV format. Next, encode it using the MP3 encoder program. Most of these ripping programs already have this feature. Now, the old audio tape is saved in a digital file and can be played on almost any computer or can be stored in a CD, even MP3 Players and Ipods.
Why Change the Format?
A lot of people today refer to the MP3 Format as the best digital format for their music. Most people agree that the sound quality of MP3 is at par with that of an original Audio CD.
Another advantageous feature of the MP3 format is its compression rate. It can compress a song/music/audio file to smaller sizes.
The only problem commonly seen is that other MP3 formatted audios are not compatible with applications and MP3 players. These media often have audio tapes and vinyl records.