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cassette to macbook pro, tape deck not recognized?

So, I have old tapes of family music and other recordings on cassette tape, and I want to digitize on the macbook pro, running Catalina. I don't like itunes, so I downloaded audacity, planning to use that instead. I'm coming off of the tape deck with the RCA style connection, going into an 'audio grabber connection' I got off Amazon like this;


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079CBGDST/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


which is supposed to convert for usb connection into the macbook. So far, so good. Now,...I go to System Preferences, and set up input for USB PnP Audio Device, which is my only choice other than the built in mic;




MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jul 10, 2020 3:59 PM

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6 replies

Jul 10, 2020 4:03 PM in response to eeler1


And set output for headphones in the output tab (not shown). Then, when I play a tape, the little input level scale seems to reflect input, as it mirrors the equalization bars on the tape deck. BUT, I get no sound out of the headphones, nor anywhere else. Audacity doesn't seem to recognize the input at all, as I can get no reaction in audacity regardless of settings.


I've ditched the converter, switched to RCA/3.5mm connectors, a firewire (I think, it's a port on the back of the tape deck) to usb, and about every other means of connecting the two machines together. Thinking that this may be some kind of 32 bit v 64 bit issue, I also tried it in my 2013 iMac desktop in all configurations as well. Still don't work.


I figure maybe I'm doing something wrong. Or at least missing a critical setting somewhere, relating to sound or input, or something. Appreciate any advice on this issue. I'm afraid these tapes are just going to deteriorate and I don't want to lose them.


Jul 10, 2020 4:12 PM in response to eeler1

I would try and simply if you have the option.

Use the headphone jack out of the cassette player to the audio in port. That would be male-male connection.



You don't mention what macOS is running on the older 2013. Anything pre Catalina is 32 bit compatible.



Your hot link ref shows:

 Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP, Mac OS 10.11 and more. [Not so promising !]

Jul 10, 2020 7:29 PM in response to leroydouglas

hmmm, well that's on me, I assumed it meant Mac OS 10.11 or later!! At least it was pretty cheap.


So, I've been playing around, my iMac initially refused to open the tape deck manufacturers software (Marantz), as it was from an unidentified developer. But I figured out how to force it to, and now I can record tapes into iTunes. So, it's working, although in iTunes.


I have no idea where to find. iTunes files on my iMac. Question now becomes how do I open an iTunes file in Audacity so I can work on it? The idea is to then save it as an mp3 or wav file on usb drive.

Jul 12, 2020 8:25 AM in response to eeler1

To update, a success story. After quite a bit of research, I ended up with Audacity 2.3 (32 bit encryption, a Legacy download), and downloaded additional files/software (an FFmpeg import/export library thingy to take iTune files and put them into Audacity, and a LAME MP3 encoder to allow export of the edited audacity file in MP3 format). I can now take cassette tapes, download/convert into iTune files using Marantz software with the iMac OS at 10.9.5, then drag the iTune file into Audacity, do my editing thing, and export the edited file as a MP3! Turns out that all of these things have to be sympatico or it don't work. Who knew!! It's a cumbersome method, and quite time consuming, but accomplishes my objective. I'll have many happy hours, days and months ahead converting old cassette recordings.


Now I just gotta get up to speed in Audacity. I see it has some batch processing capability, too.

cassette to macbook pro, tape deck not recognized?

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