Now you have a highlighted list.Ĭlick on the Burn icon and follow the instructions. Then hold the Shift key down and click the last file. If the files you want to burn to a CD follow each other, click once on the first one to highlight it. This file format takes up a lot of space on your hard disk!) (Note: you may want to clear this folder out from time to time, particularly if you want to record tapes and LPs as AIFFs for burning to CDs. On the right-hand, you will see a display of all your recorded files in the /Music/Audio Hijack folder. Go to the upper-left corner of the window. If you want to copy your files to an Audio CD, you can do so within Audio Hijack Pro. You can pick a script to copy your files to your iPod or Itunes. If you want to copy your files to iTunes when you finish your recording session, go to the Recording tab and click on the Scripts drop-down list. Try the Analog preset to start, or experiment with a Custom setup. You can also try using the Silence Monitor in the Recording tab to automatically split between tracks. Hit it in between tracks, and you'll wind up with different files for each song. When you're done, turn the hijacking off, and disconnect the input device.įor recording audio from a record or cassette, using the Split button will seamlessly create a new audio file each time you hit it. Now start the audio playing from your source, and it will be recorded. Click the Hijack button on the toolbar, then click the Record button on the toolbar. If you want to burn these tunes to a CD, choose “For burning to CD (AIFF)”. If you just intend to transfer music to your iPod/iPad/MP3 Player, select the format “For recording streaming music” for files in the same format as those you purchase from the iTunes Music Store. You have several options for the file type. (Figure 10))įinally, adjust the Recording tab as desired, setting the file type and entering the desired tags. In my case, it was “King Crimson and Pink Floyd”. You pick “Rename” and change the name of the session to your desired name. In that case, go to the bottom of the Session column and click on the gear icon to the right of the minus sign. (Now your Session may say “Built-In Input: Line In” instead of the name you prefer. You can just use “Built-in Output: Internal Speakers” and plug in a set of headphones if you like. In my case, I use a Griffin iMic as the output device for my headphones. Plug in the cable from the tape deck or boombox if you haven’t done so already.Set the Output Device to a set of headphones or monitor speakers. Set the Input Device to “Built-In Input: Line In” (Figure 8). For instance, set the Source Type selector, from the drop-down list, from “Application” (Figure 6) to “Audio Device” (Figure 7). You get a new default session that you change to fit your needs. Make a new Session by clicking on the + sign at the bottom of the column. Once you've done this, open up Audio Hijack Pro.
You plug the RCA jacks into your tape deck’s line-out jacks (Figure 2) and the minijack into your Mac’s audio-in jack (Figure 3).If you use a boombox (Figure 4) or Walkman, you need a patch cable with 1/8” stereo minijacks on each end. For a high-end audio deck, you will need a cable with RCA jacks on one end and a 1/8” stereo Second, you will need a cable to connect the tape deck. You might also try Al & Ed’s Car Stereo stores. You can go to Radio Shack or Best Buy or Fry’s for tape deck cleaning supplies. I assume the readers of this article live in an urban area or close to one. If you have a Walkman, get a head-cleaning tape. You may have a boombox or Walkman.Ĭlean the tape heads with at least denatured alcohol and the cleanest Q-Tips you can find. I am lucky, I have a high-end Sony cassette deck.
The rest of this article will cover how to transfer an old cassette tape into a format suitable for iTunes/iPod/iPad.First, you need an tape player. These formats range from AIFF, for capturing audio you intend to burn to CD, to M4A, the default iTunes audio format, to plain old MP3 for Internet distribution.
It also has the ability to record anything that plays on your Mac to several different audio formats.
Audio Hijack Pro takes its name from its foremost capability, that of rerouting audio in your Macintosh. It is not Free!, it is not open-source, and I am so glad I spent the $32 to buy it.Īudio Hijack Pro v 2.10.6 only works with OS X 10.6 through 10.8.3. So to cut to the chase, I turned to Rogue Ameoba’s wonderful program, Audio Hijack Pro. I didn’t have a lot of time to learn a new piece of software. I only wanted to transfer some of my sister-in-law’s old 80’s mix cassettes to CDs for her Christmas present last year. It is Free!, it is open-source and as a full-featured audio editor, it takes some time to learn. I originally planned to use Audacity, the Free! open-source audio editor.