Open Reel Conversion

if you can play audio cds or mp3 and you can hear th music you have a sound card

This is a difficult question. Perhaps while we think about possible answers, you might Google for how to make a sound recording. Maybe you can find a decision tree of some sort that would guide you step-by-step through the rather arduous process of determining if your computer has a sound card. If the room where your computer is kept has a light of some sort, you will be well ahead of the game, because then you could just look and see.

Some smart aleck may show up here and write that the chance that your computer does not have a sound card is about 1 in 1,000,000. Ignore such people. Do a thorough study.

If someone tells you to melt down the tapes and reels to make CDs, ignore them too -- they would be kidding.

You may need an USB to line in adapter if you are using a laptop, which generally only have a single [mono] input

here's more detailed info about the conversion procedure

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/103292

Assuming you have the reel-to-reel player, and the sound card (if your computer has a headphone jack or speakers connected, it has a sound card), then the process is pretty straightforward. Do a search on "cassette to CD" or similar, and you will most likely find many sites that have step-by-step instructions available, the only difference is, exchange the term "reel-to-reel" where they say "cassette". The audio software you use to "capture" the analog signal can be one of many that are available, some for free, some you pay for. Better packages have "wizards" and features that will make the process easier, and have better end results. Do a little Googling, it will pay off.

Tom

Good advice above, but 1) you don't necessarily need a sound card if you have USB input;

and 2) Also be aware that if your reel to reel machine only has line out jacks, you may need a pre-amp to go to a USB sound conversion adapter that plugs into your pc.

I recently bought a very nice adapter to transfer vhs to digital that included conversion software. I bought it through newegg but here's the manufacturer's website. It also comes with software to just deal with audio transfers. Please note that I have no financial interest in their products. I'm just a satisfied customer.

Hooker