Hi All,

Thanks for your suggestions. I believe Samsonite2010's USB audio card is the most cost effective at $10. While I did buy the Vidbox VHS to DVD device and its accompanying software, I have old VHS tapes that need to be converted to mp4. I also have a dual booting laptop in my Lenovo W550s. Yes, unfortunately I still have some Windows leanings. Boo, from the Linux enthusiasts ! Yipee from the other Windows holdouts.

However, I am of the persuasion that, if software works in one operating system, then use that OS to one's benefit ! I use Debian Linux for most of the day, since running my version of Windows seems to trip the fan on the processor. One thing I have grown to love about Linux (for you Linux enthusiasts out there), is that my processor (a Core i7 quad-core) rarely turns on the processor fan for my intensive Audacity hacks and sound sessions. I don't know why, but whenever I start up Windows 10 on the dual boot, the processor fan turns on at startup. I have to carefully multi-task in Windows 10 just to keep the fan from staying on !

That goes for my other laptop, a MacBook Pro (Early 2011, Core i7). For some reason, when I start up MacOS, the processor fan turns on when I multi-task in MacOS, running about three Mozilla Firefox windows, Filezila 4, and MacOS applications like Terminal and iTunes. Why modern software taxes older processors in Windows and MacOS, I don't know.

I run four Mozilla Firefox windows at different websites, gnome-terminal, Stellarium, and Audacious plus Audacity on my Debian Linux setup. The processor stays quiet ! Only on the occasional long conversion from a wave file to an mp3 song (I do extended and long wave file conversions of files greater than 50 MB) does the processor perk up, but the fan stays off. I wouldn't get a quiet system in Windows or MacOS for those combined activities.

Yeh. I drive a Lincoln for long cruises, a Chevy K25 4X4 for work and a Subaru Forester for most of the time. Like the analogy?

Good luck! Believe is has line/mic in (I know these aren't the same). The plug with extra jacks I think are primary for 5.1 surround sound. If you use the same type of cable for output - Red/White RCA > 3.5mm TRS for input -- best I recall you should be able to record effortlessly. But it has been "a life time" since I've done that stuff.

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I like it, I sure do. Speaking of Linux distributions, what do you use Slacko Puppy Linux for ? Do you have old equipment that still turns on ?

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Apparently OP's definition of "cassette tape" is different from mine. I thought they meant an audio cassette, now it turns out they meant a VHS video cassette.

No, you were correct in your assumption. I meant audio cassette at first.

And then you decided to digitize VHS tapes instead?

Actually, I had a previous desire to digitize VHS tapes before doing a current audio cassette tape transfer last year (2019). When I found an affordable VHS VCR conversion to DVD (and mp4/mp2 file) hardware solution, I bought the Vidbox product from a local Best Buy store.

From there, I continued to convert VHS tapes to digital copies.

When I had found some old cassette tapes that were in my garage, I decided to look for a cassette tape player to listen to them. I wanted to convert the cassette tapes to digital but my cassette tape player that formerly did the conversion stopped working and no longer worked. Then, I was looking for another cassette tape player to do the job.

I found one with a 6.35mm line out port instead of a tape line out (left-right speaker outputs, or the white-red speaker out) port, and wanted to make sure the transfer to my laptop was close to line out and line in as possible. My Lenovo W550s had a 3.5mm stereo headset combination headphone/microphone port and I thought it would accommodate a line in kind of connection. I don't know the schematics of the port yet, and am thinking the combination port will only work with headsets that have an attached microphone (a boom or wired).

Therefore, I embarked on an audio engineering odyssey, and am now publishing my notes on LinuxQuestions. Hopefully, some information may be found out about the headset/microphone combination port and maybe connect my audio cassette player to a line in and recordable Audacity session.

Thanks -- I'll be looking out for that! I have a huge collection of cassette tapes. I do have a portable cassette player (with radio and CD player) that's working fine, so I'm able to enjoy my tapes when I want to. I digitized some of the recordings several years back, but I no longer have the equipment to be able to do that. At this point, if I was gonna do it, it would only be a few of the tapes, certainly not the entire collection. The day has only so many hours, and for some reason the days seem shorter as the years go by...

Glad the OP found what he was looking for -- best wishes!

@djk44883 -- thank you. ebay seller 'could not find' the item. Drats! But, 'if they do, it's half price!"

@G-Raps -- Slacko allows me to troubleshoot, download entire websites and generally do what I want without worrying much about hackers, especially when I buy online, since it runs in RAM and is gone at the off switch.

Yes, machines are old. But, like me, they still work well most of the time. And like my ex-wife, I'll replace her when she fails! LOL

Good thread!

A speaker output is not the same as a Line output, beware! In any case, it is unlikely that your tape deck has a speaker output.
The large 6.35mm output is OK if it's labeled line (or headphone). All you need is an adapter to whatever your USB soundcard wants. In other words: the shape of the connectors is ultimately irrelevant.

We talked about the laptop's plugs already! Mind you, it's just possible that some advanced fiddling will allow you to do what you want, but it also depends on the sound card's capabilities.

WOW. OK, so have you actually played/listened to these yet? Maybe you have an insulated, climate controlled garage. Depending what region you live - they may be "lost".

Considering how long it's been since you've played them, is this just for nostalgia sake? ...it's probably not like you missed them? If you really just want the music, there was a time I'd buy a song for $0.99 from mp3.amazon.com (now defunct, always undercutting for $0.88 from mp3.walmart.com).

If it's just "I want to see if I can" - I kind of get that, good luck.

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I found that one of my old notebooks works for recording audio from my portable cassette/radio/cd player!! HP G72-227WM. The source is the Sony CD Radio Cassette-Corder from Walmart. I can't listen to the audio while it's recording (I'm using Audacity) but I'm so stoked -- didn't think I had the equipment anymore to do this! Just finished recording a full 90-minute tape, playing it back on the computer right now.

Lol, I picked up this laptop back in 2012, for $50 bucks. Donation to Children's Miracle Network. I can hardly believe it still runs.

djk44883:
Yeah, I just want to see if I can play the cassette tapes. I can, and it's great to reminisce the time when I was recording the song, or session, or mix. Of course, Youtube and Amazon have the music most likely in mp3 or flac format, so the question of quality recording or digital potential is facilitated. Then again, sometimes they don't have the recordings that I made, which could have been radio airplay and DJ mix night ! So for those recordings, I have to look elsewhere, like afterhoursdjs.org or through radio remix nights on ClearChannel or IHeartRadio.

m.a.l.'s pa:
Isn't it great to rework one's analog to digital setups ? Especially if one can piece together existing equipment, or find cheap or even free hardware from places like friends and family. Some places like OfferUp (private sellers) and Craigslist are good too.

BTW, when a cassette player or tape deck doesn't work: the most common cause is a thin rubber belt that drives the whole thing being worn out.
Cheap to buy, tricky to replace (well, depends on the tape deck).