If you have one of those old voice recorders..and it's too late to record the data that you now have. That is, loved ones have gone on and this is all you have..the following may help.
Start with the voice recorder.
First of all, get new batteries. Replace the ones you now have since they are probably about 5 years old. Clean the record and playback head in the cassette recorder with a small amount of alcohol and a cotton swab. The record head is located in the area that opens to put in a cassette. It is the only item in the area that looks like a silver or black box with either a 1 or a 11 looking marks. These marks are actually the record and playback heads.
On the side or front of the cassette player, you will find an input for mic/earphone. You will find it difficult to find an audio output cable to match the RCA phone plug or pin plug input for you digital recorder. If you do, congratulations! You can use this specialty audio cable to plug into you digital recorder.
Otherwise, do this! Build a sound insulation jury-rig. Take a dry wash cloth and surround the front of a standard dynamic mic have placed the cassette speaker against the front of the mic. Carefully wrap masking tape around the entire area about three times. Make sure that the controls, that is, the play, record, rewind, etc. buttons are not wrapped up in the tape. You have to be able to start/stop your cassette.
It is best to be in a very quiet area when recording. The microphone will pick up additional noise, if loud, from the surrounding area.
You are ready to transfer the old, noisy analog tape to the CD.
Plug in the audio cable to your CD. You might want to play a little of the cassette to see if the volume level is satisfactory.
Initial recording. Put in a blank CD. Follow the instructions for your unit for recording. Always start CD before pressing play on the cassette. When finished, follow the instructions to finalize your CD.
Why do this?
Your analog material will just get worser and worser as time passes. The voices of the past will fade. Your efforts will preserve for others what has been.
This is a great project for seniors who are tired of hanging out at fast food malls and for teenages who are tired of hanging out at fact food malls.
Good luck to all of you. Pleasant Memories!
Gene Smith is an E-Zine writer from West Virginia. He has released his second book, a Thriller, Call of the Defiled and is a long time song-writer. He runs his own recording studio and is listed in Who's Who in America, 2005 and Who's Who in Health Care, 2006.
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