# MP3 to audio cassette **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2001, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365 "2001-03-25T00:05:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@RickQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickQ)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365/1 "2001-03-25T00:05:51Z")
I would like some help in trying to figure out how I can copy MP3 files onto tapes. The reason is that I only have a tape player in my car at the moment and I really need to get some new music to listen to. As I have a lot of MP3s I thought it would be easier to just copy those onto tapes to make my own little compilation, driving along tapes. So, my question is, how do I hook up my PC to a Hi fi or other tape player to copy them across. I ran a search of the archive and I came across one thread, but to be honest, I know nothing about it, so the thread was a bit confusing. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=51585](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=51585) If anyone could explain this in plain English, I would be greatful. Thanks Rick ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365/2 "2001-03-25T00:16:25Z")
Find the plug that your speakers plug into on the back of your computer. Unplug your speakers. Plug in a headphone mini to mini cable from radio shack. Plug the other end into your tape recorder. Set up your playlist on your computer. Hit “record” on the tape deck. Start playing your music on the computer. ---
**Author:** ![curiousgeorgeordeadcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@curiousgeorgeordeadcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curiousgeorgeordeadcat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365/3 "2001-03-25T05:30:48Z")
I have tried the method suggest by Flymaster above, having had a similar idea, a while ago. However the recording was distorted, very much like the difference between an electric guitar with and without distortion. The other way around, I tried recording a .wav of an audio tape by plugging the mini to mini cable into the microphone jack of my computer. That too came out distorted in the .wav file. And it caused my sound card to temporarily stop working, i.e. no more sound for about 30 minutes. Perhaps with different hardware than I have the method will work. My guess is I would need to buy some sort of converter box to do either of these things with success. Anyone know about this? ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365/4 "2001-03-25T05:43:16Z")
Generally you shouldn’t plug anything except a microphone into the microphone jack of a sound card. Your sound card should have another input, the “line in” input. This is designed for normal levels from audio equipment. Also, if you’re driving a tape recorder from the speaker output of your sound card, make sure the volume isn’t so loud that it overdrives the tape recorder. Lower the volume with the Windows volume control, or your mp-3 player until there’s no audible distortion on the recording (hopefully you’d have some level indicator on the tape recorder, or even better, your sound card might have a line-out jack, so you wouldn’t have to use the speaker outputs). Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![curiousgeorgeordeadcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@curiousgeorgeordeadcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curiousgeorgeordeadcat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365/5 "2001-03-25T05:50:23Z")
I should have said I tried both microphone and line in jacks for recording audio tape to .wav. Neither worked. Come to think of it, I don’t remember exactly which problems (of distortion or sound card not working) occured in which case. But I had both problems trying to record the .wav. Since I vowed never to try such a stunt again, in fear of ruining my sound card, I won’t do another experiment to clarify. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365/6 "2001-03-25T06:23:20Z")
Well, if you used line in, george, and monitored the levels, you shouldn’t have had a problem. I’ve done it many times. I’d guess that you just didn’t have the recording levels set properly. ---
**Author:** ![SouprChckn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@SouprChckn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouprChckn)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365/7 "2001-03-25T06:54:12Z")
There’s a portable mp3 player called a Digisette. You copy files onto the player (which looks like an audio cassette) and just put it into the deck. It plays like a regular tape but its digital. Also functions as a portable unit w/ headphones. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365/8 "2001-03-25T06:56:53Z")
You need a splitter. Get a cable that has a headphone style jack on one end and red/white RCA connectors on the other. Plug one end into your speakers and the red/whites into the red whites on your stereo. Voila. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-to-audio-cassette/59365/9 "2001-03-25T14:59:45Z")
I guess the OP has a lot of new music from new, struggling bands that are happy to have him playing their MP3s, and not pirated MP3 music from established bands that were not paid for their music… right? That editorial comment having been said, I can share how I get MP3s to tape – I own a DVD player that is MP3 compatible. I merely burn a CD with the MP3s on it, then pop it in the DVD player, which is connected to my stereo system, and it plays them beautifully, in full stereo, with no worries about impedence mismatch. My tape deck records 'em, and I can listen to Judy Henske in the car. - Rick