Grateful Dead

Good question paisley - I should have explained my set up a litle better: Nak DR-3 (analog RCA out) > Tascam DA-40 (analog RCA in) Tascam DA-40 (digital coax out) > Sony CDR-W33 (digital coax in) There is indeed one generation added when going from the cassette to DAT - not any different than the generation added when going from cassette directly to CD. The copying from DAT to CD is a clone - digital-to-digital exact bit-for-bit duplication. Just like DAT > DAT or CD > CD as long as the digital in/outs are used. No generation added at all for direct digital copies. This, of course, is why I even own two DAT decks. I traded analog cassettes for years before making the DAT investment. Well worth it, though. Recordings that sound as good as the source every time, no matter how many copies of copies of copies your tape came from. Anyway, hope this explains the generation thing.

...shall we go, you and I while we can... You mean to say that with your important position moderating this technical discussion that your bosses won't just buy you one? Maybe you could deduct it if you bought it yourself as a job-related expense! (Yuck Yuck Yuck) I can imagine that conversation with the IRS....

that standalone burner sounds like the answer to my prayers. Now to win the lotto...

...shall we go, you and I while we can... Hmmmm... so you don't think you're losing anything putting in that extra generation? cassette>DAT>stand alone burner must sound good to you and I respect that. I wonder how they would sound to me...anyway, whichever way your pleasure tends!

I've enjoyed reading this thread - thought I'd put in my two cents. In order to maintain the best sound quality with cassette to CD transfer it is really best to just use audio equpiment - forget about a computer.Don't get me wrong, I love computers and am very actively taking part in the "new" digital age of music sharing, but sometimes the old trusty gear is still the best way to go. Going directly from a tape deck into a standalone CD burner keeps the sound "pure." That is, no file conversions, downsampling, dithering, etc. that you may get when using a computer. I have no doubt that making tape to CD transfers can be accomplished successfully with a computer - it just gets complicated with all the software choices, file type choices, compression choices, etc. Using good ole audio equipment is just more straightforward and easier for this old school trader. I read that some of you are putting an EQ between your tape deck and standalone CD burner. I've often considered doing that myself, but have always chosen just to leave the cassette source unaltered, transfer it to CD, and then EQ it while I listen. I do, however do one thing a little differently than the other folks who have posted here. Rather than go directly from cassette to CD, I record to DAT first. Here's my setup: Nakamichi DR-3 cassette deck > Tascam DA-40 DAT deck > Sony CDR-W33 standalone CD burner There are two reasons why I make the analog to digital conversion via DAT rather than CD. 1)As mentioned in previous posts, when burning directly to CD, you have to push a button on the fly to insert track start ID's. You can't just burn the whole CD, then go back and add the start ID's later. Because DAT is a magnetic tape media, rather than optical, it is totally editable after the recording process. I just hit play on the Nak, record on the DAT, and let 'er go. Then, when the recording's done, I can go back later and write the start ID's exactly where I want them. Much easier to get the start ID's in just the right spot for things like Alligator > Caution > Feedback, than doing it on the fly. 2) The A/D converters in my Tascam DA-40 are superior to the ones in my Sony CDR-W33. The results I get with this setup are excellent. I use DAT to record vinyl to CD also with excellent results. That's more than enough of my rambling, for now - I just love talking about this stuff! On a side note . . . anyone still trading DAT's. If so, let me know . . .

I Use A Software Program That Captures Live Streams And Converts To MP3's. The Problem I Am Having Is The Music Cut's Off When Changing Tracks. As You Know Alot Of Song's Turn Into Other Song's IE:Cryptical>The Other One>Cryptical. I Get Silence When The Seperated Tracks Change. Is There Software To Clean It Up To Make A Contius Flow Like A Live Store Bought Album?

I don't know what kind of analogue/digital converter this unit uses, and the owner's manual doesn't go into that aspect. As for the recording files, the unit records actual audio files in the Red Book standard. In other words, the HHB 830 creates digital audio files that are the same as those on a manufactured CD. They are not wave, mp3, FLAC, shn or ape files.Some additional information for those who may be interested is that you can record from LPs and DAT sources. In addition to the RCA jacks, the unit has digital coaxial and optical inputs for recording from digital sources. It also has a built-in sampling rate converter, which allows it to automatically adjust to the digital source, from 32kHz to 48kHz. It will also allow you to copy 44.1kHz DTS and HDCD discs. I have copied some of my LPs to CD-R using this recorder, and some of them sound better than the commercial CD releases. It will accept all recordable CD formats (CD-R, CD-RW, and Audio CD-R), so you can use the same discs you use when burning via your computer.

...shall we go, you and I while we can... I'm that old,too!! do you know the process by which this happens? I mean what kind of analogue/digital converter there is in that machine and what kind of files it makes to load onto the disc? Just curious...

I have been transferring my old cassettes and reels (yep, I'm THAT old!) for a couple of years now. It's a time-consuming process, to be sure, but the results are worth it. I have found that most of the programs and devices that connect from your tape deck directly to your computer result in CDs of considerably lesser quality that your original tapes. I am using an HHB 830 "Burn It" CD recorder that hooks up to my stereo system just like a tape deck. It works just like a tape deck, too, except you record to CD-Rs instead of tapes. It makes perfect copies. You can easily adjust levels and balance, and it has an adjustable fader feature for smoothing out the beginning and/or end of your recordings. Hook the HHB up to your tape jacks, and the tape deck to an AUX input, and record from the tape deck to the CD recorder just like you recorded cassettes in the old days. You can insert track indexes as you go by pushing one button. When you're done, you push 2 buttons, the disc is finalized in about 2 minutes, and you can play it on just about any CD player. This is a professional recorder, and is used by lots of musicians to make their own demo CDs. I saw a picture of Danny Elfman (composer of music for "The Simpsons" and many other movies and TV shows) in a magazine interview, and he had one of these units in his equipment rack in his own studio. I paid about $500 for mine at Sam Ash Music, and they have stores all over the country, or you can order online. It's the best 500 bucks I've spent on recording gear in a long time.

I have several east coast shows recorder on a converted Sony Beta machine (it was a better format than VHS) Problem is it was stolen. I have tape and no way to play them . Question is does anyone still have one they can lend, rent or sell? The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese.