One interesting trend that has emerged more recently is the use of the USB bus audio specification for audio devices, which enables direct transfer of "bit transparent" audio to Windows PC (including Windows 7) and Mac OS X, without the need for proprietary drivers. It is a really plug-and-play technology. For more information, see this PDF document. This simplifies the digitization process immensely.
Item |
Description |
Price |
Beginners' kit |
| Alesis TAPELINK-USB |
While I haven't used this unit myself, I can recommended it based on the premise that it seems to be well-designed, inexpensive, and is offered from a company that has an excellent track record in professional audio. This unit connects to your computer's USB bus and gives you audio at so-called "CD quality," which is stereo 44.1 kHz, 16-bit. |
$200 |
| Audacity |
Audacity is a free multi-track audio editor. It is easy to use, stable, and cross-platform. I have used it a lot and think it is perfectly adequate as part of a digitization workflow. |
free |
Intermediate kit |
| Sony TC-WE475 cassette player |
This is a decent cassette player with a stereo tape-level output. It is designed primarily as a listening device, not an archival device, but it will do the job nicely. |
$150 |
| Sound Devices USBPre |
The USBPre will give you two things that other, similarly priced devices won't: superb quality of A/D conversion, and a dedicated tape-level input. The conversion is at 48 kHz, 24-bit, which is adequate for speech, though some might prefer 96 kHz for archival purposes. |
$500 |
GoldWave stereo audio editor |
GoldWave is a fantastic waveform editor. It is very stable, easy to use, and inexpensive. |
$50 |
Advanced kit |
TASCAM 202mkV cassette player |
This is the last professional cassette player available, so hurry! A few years ago, Tascam discontinued their reel-to-reel players, so this one will be phased out eventually as well. I have used this recorder and it is very good, but you don't really have much choice, do you? It has stereo line-level outputs (unbalanced) |
$400 |
| Benchmark ADC1 |
It is a fabulous A/D converter that will use USB to channel digital data directly to a PC. Read their article on their native USB solution here. This unit may seem expensive, but remember that it saves you money by obviating the use of a digital audio card that most converters require. It has a line-level input (balanced), so you will have to carefully match the connecting cable to your analog recorder. Benchmark tech support will help you figure it out. I have used a Benchmark DAC1 converter and it is fantastic. |
$1795 |
Steinberg Wavelab software |
It is a professional digital audio editing and mastering program. It is expensive, so you can still use GoldWave with equally good results. I have Wavelab 4 and like it, though its interface has a steeper learning curve than most. |
$550 |
If you would like to read more about audio digitization (A/D conversion) please, refer to 