Cassette tapes to Garageband

I am not exactly sure what you mean by "audio adapter". I thought I just had to connect the source (Yamaha tape deck) to my computer via various cables. I have tried a cable which goes from the RCA Audio Out jacks in the back of the Yamaha deck and connects to my computer with a USB A connector. I have also tried a cable which goes from the from headphone jack on the Yamaha deck to a USB A slot on the back of computer (iMac, late 2015 running Monterey 12.7.5)

I do not believe my 2015 computer supports Mic Modes. But when attempting this same process on my MacBook Air, the Mic Mode was set to Standard.

Garageband is listed as an app which had access to the microphone in the Privacy and Security settings.

The Yamaha shows up as USB Audio 1 (0 ins/2 outs) and USB Audio 2 (1 in/0 out) on the MIDI set up.

Am I incorrect in thinking I can just make the cable connection and analogue audio can be transferred to a digital file on my computer?

I have recently purchased and attempted various connections with:

1) Vention 2 RCA Audio to USB C Cable - from Yamaha deck through RCA Out jacks to MacBook Air, running Sonoma 14.5 on Apple M2 chip

2) DCHAV RCA Audio to USB A - from Yamaha deck through RCA Out jacks to: a) iMac late 2015 running Monterey 12.7.5, or b) MacBook Pro (mid 2012) running Catalina 10.15.7

3) MOSWAG Audio Jack (headphone) to USB A - from Yamaha deck through headphone jack to: a) iMac late 2015 running Monterey 12.7.5, or b) MacBook Pro (mid 2012) running Catalina 10.15.7

When recording on MacBook Air

there is no movement on the VU meter (and in fact I cannot monitor the recording process). Both the input and output register as UC02. If I change the input to MacBook Air Microphone and the output to MacBook Air Speakers I can successfully record clapping, and I can see the VU meter move as I clap.

When recording to the iMac:

using RCA to USB - Garageband does not recognize any input either using the USB A receptacle on the back of the iMac or a USB bus.

using the headphone jack to USB A - Garageband recognizes input as (USB Audio). When recording the VU beside the track being recorded barely registers - never goes above a small green segment. The "Record Level" is set at maximum in both the "Record Settings" pane and in the slider beside the track being recorded. The VU meter at the top right ("Master Volume") also barely registers. But still no discernible actual sound on the track.

When recording to MacBook Pro:

using RCA to USB - Garageband does not recognize any input using the USB A receptacle on the MacBook Pro (I assume, therefore, that the DCHAV RCA Audio to USB A cable is basically useless.

using using the headphone jack to USB A - Garageband recognizes input as (USB Audio). When recording the VU beside the track being recorded barely registers - never goes above a small green segment. The "Record Level" is set at maximum in both the "Record Settings" pane and in the slider beside the track being recorded. The VU meter at the top right ("Master Volume") also barely registers. But still no discernible actual sound on the track.

(Well, that is actually not true. When the cassette tape is playing and Garageband is recording I can hear the faintest of sounds via the headphones plugged into the MacBook Pro. I hear the same level of sound on the headphones when playing back the track. Even choosing maximum output volume gives only a only the lowest of sounds. Not a sound file I could save and share with friends.)

I should mention that these are old audio book tapes, so only speech, no music.

(For MacBook Air, iMac, and MacBook Pro, Garageband has permission to access the microphone.)

I am stumped.

Mic mode set at Standard results in no recorded signal, Mic mode set at Voice Isolation results in no recorded signal.

Neither Track nor Master volume indicators show any movement.

There is no change whether I use the built in speakers or the "UC02" as the output mode.

All of "Sound", "MidiSet up" and "Garageband" have UC02 as the input.

I began to think it was the RCA out plugs which were not working because the Record Levels on the front of the Yamaha do not move when the Vention is attached to the RCA out jacks, but if I use the RCA out jacks to attach my headphones the Record Levels show, and I can hear the content just fine.

I was mistaken when I stated that I could monitor the sound from the tape deck in Garageband.

When the Vention is attached to my MacBook Air using the RCA out jacks I can neither monitor the sound input in Garageband, nor monitor the sound via the headphone jack on my Yamaha deck.

(Interestingly enough, if I connect the RCA out jacks using the RCA to USB A cable I have, the Record levels on the Yamaha are active and I can monitor the sound using the headphone jack on the tape deck.

That is, as long as the USB A end is not connected to either my MacBook Pro or iMac. It seems that as soon as connect a USB end to a computer the signal is blocked.)

Thank you. I was beginning to think that the problem lay with the Yamaha deck, and that for some reason it, (now some 32+ years old), is incapable of managing a connection via any means to a computer. I have exactly the same result if I try to use an RCA out to USB A connection to either my iMac or MacBook Pro.

That problem never occurred to me because I had not seen it on any of the discussion threads I looked at, but it is the only explanation which makes sense.

It seems the only answer is to use a different cassette player as the source.

Again, I appreciate your efforts on my behalf