Recording from Computer to Cassette

The set-up you've described should work - it's the way I do it and it works fine (I actually connect to the line input of an audio amp most of the time, but switch to the AUX input of a Sony cassette deck for recording).

Does the line out from the PC work OK with speakers or headphones?

Have you tried the cable with anything else, or can you test it or get it tested?

Have you tried connecting anything else to the AUX input of your music centre?

Didn't know you could do that.

I have had cases were the cables were bad working with old equipment.

I use a stereo jack that splits to two phono plugs, from the ear pip socket of my computer speaker, to record on the aux of my cassette recorder or my CD burner.

Do your ear pips work out of the computer speakers?

You should not use the speaker output to record to a cassette, if the speakers do not require an amplifier. A headphone output might work since it is a low signal in the preamp stage. Check the sound card's manual to see what they suggest to use on any recording device. You may have to get a sound card with more specialized outputs.

I didn't mean to post off topic and can't change it during the editing nor can copy and paste to another post. Crap!

I agree that (unless the output level is turned way down low) you may get 'orrible clipping & a thoroughly nasty sound, but you should at least hear something.

BTW - I've given you a GA to try to bring you back on topic.

I have seen problems like this that were software-related, but that depends what kind of system you're using.

As I recall (it was a long time ago) I had to change the settings to send audio out as I wanted to.

on an xp system double click the speaker icon which will open up the full menu of in's & outs. you can also get there through control panel, along with some other settings that affect line out

Thanks to all for help.

I seem to be doing the right thing.

My PC runs on Vista and the speakers work a treat. The sound card has 6 coloured sockets for a choice of stereo & 5.1 surround sound.

The speakers of the music centre also work a treat.

It looks like I need to check the AUX input.

I'll come back to report progress asap.

Check to see if the aux inputs work with an mp3 player like ipod or zune. If so, you need to plug your 1/8" stereo phono plug into the headphone jack on the computer. The other end of the cable should have two RCA plugs which connect to your aux in inputs. Check your headphone out jack on your computer to make sure you hear sound in your headphones. This is usually very straight forward and I do this all the time with no problems.

Regards,

Keywalker

You have received some good and some irrelevant information already.

may I suggest that you download and install Audacity from here:-

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

Then anything you play over the line in (or with a proper microphone over the microphone socket) can be recorded and saved in one of many different formats (I use MP3 for example!).

Recording using Windows is very "Fraught"....I cannot recommend it. Why BG thinks that this is adequate I cannot imagine. Luckily other software writers think otherwise......

This is a repeat of post 15. Somehow my avatar got lost. And I have added a PS.

Thanks to all for help - John G etc

I seem to be doing the right thing.

My PC runs on Vista and the speakers work a treat. The sound card has 6 coloured sockets for a choice of stereo & 5.1 surround sound. The speakers of the music centre also work a treat.

It looks like I need to check the AUX input.

I'll come back to report progress asap.

PS in reply to 16. For those wondering why I want to make a cassette recording.

I have an elderly Aunt and Uncle (in their 90's). They will have been married 64 years next week. Aunt Doreen is in a nursing home - very frail and nearly blind.

The local radio station (Radio Bristol) broadcasts a request programme late Sunday evenings for old records to be played together with a short message to commemorate the occasion. Uncle has arranged secretly for a loving tribute to played - but Aunt would not be able to tune in (or stay awake) even if she had a radio.

So the idea is make a tape recording to play back to her. Uncle cant do this - he doesn't have a recorder - and I cant do it because I live a long way from Bristol way out of transmission range. But I can get Radio Bristol via the internet.

So I will record the cassette here and give it to Uncle to play to Auntie when he visits her.

PPS I have since found a headphone socket on my pc. I will try that.

PPPS Thanks Andy German - I have downloaded Audacity

Once you have the recording on your PC courtesy of Audacity, you can easily put it on a cassette (in this case) or any storage media, and play it back at will.

I hope everything goes great for you and your family....

Good point - this will also give an opportunity to use Audacity to clean up any extraneous noises (DJ talk-over etc. at start/end of track).

I agree, Audacity is a great free program for manipulating audio. I use it all the time. However, our OP just wants to record the audio from the internet directly to his cassette tape for playing back to his 84 year old Granny. Pretty straight forward to just use the headphone jack out to the inputs on his cassette tape recorder.

Regards,

Keywalker

If I understood the OP correctly, he also needed to record the music first from the web....Audacity is great for that.....

Bit of 6-and-half-a-dozen here, Andy. He could record directly to the cassette in 'real time', i.e. while the program was being 'listened to' (while the stream was being received), but it would probably be easier to record to file (with Audacity) first.