Q: convert old audio tapes to digital

You certainly should be able to do this because I did this for over 100 cassettes.  It will be time consuming because it is 'real' time.

I used a third party application called Spin Doctor which I do not recommend.  I did not have to use Quick Time and I am not familiar with Audacity.  Look for other third party options.

Ciao.

Your Mac does not have a stereo line input (which is what you need), it does have a mono line input but it's designed for a headset mic and may not work with a genuine stereo line level source, it may work with a mono line level source.

You should buy a USB interface and use that.

I used a Macbook Pro that had a stereo input connection.  If yours is mono, then Csound1's advice must be followed.

In my case, I tapped the RCA audio outputs on the back of the cassette deck to the MBP.  Very simple and the software did the rest.

Ciao.

2010 machines have the all in one audio in and out, which is (a) mono in only (b) at mic level not line level (c) requires a 4 pole plug instead of 3

I have never had a Macbook so I am not privy to such details.  Thank you for the information. 

Ciao.

An aside:  All of the cassettes that I had were made from my vinyl LP collection.  At the time, the newest tape technology that came along was 'metal' ( I used Maxell).  Out of about a dozen boxes of cassettes, three were 'metal'.  Well time had taken it's took it toll.  Many of the 'metal' tapes were fused together, hence did not get copied.  The older non-metal tape, with a couple exceptions, presented no problems.  New is not always better in all respects. 

Ciao.

Yes, audiotape in cassettes has a short life (it starts out bad and quickly goes downhill from there) Maxell had an issue with their tape backings, it had a tendency to stick to itself when warm. It varied by batch significantly hence the randomness of the stick.

And I thought you had several Macbook Pro's of varying size and age (but no 13's)

Csound1 wrote:

 

And I thought you had several Macbook Pro's of varying size and age (but no 13's)

All 4 MBPs are 17" models.  I simply like the large display. 

I have no more cassettes.  When I copied what I could, the trash barrel received all of them.

Ciao.

OGELTHORPE wrote:

 

Csound1 wrote:

 

And I thought you had several Macbook Pro's of varying size and age (but no 13's)

All 4 MBPs are 17" models.  I simply like the large display.

 

I have no more cassettes.  When I copied what I could, the trash barrel received all of them.

 

Ciao.

The 15" and 17" models eschewed the combination sockets (they had space for more) not so the 13", they (from the 2009 models on) got it.

I was one of the crazy guys trying to get decent audio out of cassette tape, I went as far as buying a Nakamichi 700, an expensive flop of a machine, then I wised up and sold it someone else (thankfully there were others back then)

I had two Nakamichi cassette decks, 680ZX, which were considered fairly good for the home sound buff.  What was interesting at the time, they could record and play back 'half speed' (15/16), an effort by Nakamichi to set a new standard.  No other company followed their lead, so it failed.

Ciao.

I remember that model, how fortunate that they were not emulated by others

Tandberg also made a 15/16ths model, but there's was aimed at the pro logging market where sound quality was not relevant (good thing, because their sound quality was dreadful)