It is a cassette unit that is designed to feed the audio signal to a computer to save audio from compact cassette tapes to digital format on a computer.

Sadly it seems not to work with Windows 10.

Is there another way that I can make it work, please?

I have the latest version of Audacity, is there any way that could do it?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2017 07:54PM by matt.

Matt, did you make sure that your inputs in Audicity are set for the cassette machine?

At present my Windows 10 computer cannot see it.

That is until I got Windows 10 rendered it completely useless!

*LOL*

Can you go to the website of the manufacturer and see if they have a win10 driver download? Then manually install the driver.

Or alternatively, if no win10 driver, you could try a Win8 driver, and manually install that one. It might be enough to get it working in Win10.

Sounds like the one I've got and had the same problem after the Windows 10 update. Tried everything and there was no update on the manufacturer's website either.
In the end I got round it by using a different programme I have on my computer, but had to use the coloured audio plugs to connect the unit to computer rather than the usb to usb.

Yorkie, I think we have the same unit and the same problem.

Matt, what I finally used was analog connections rather than digital. I used a cable that had 2 RCA jacks plugged into a cassette deck that joined into a mini jack plugged into an analog input on my computer. I had to go into my computer's system preferences and set the inputs to the analog ports.

This should work, in theory. However, I used a Mac years ago to do this. Now, the analog inputs are gone from the computer and the audio capture software I used doesn't run on the current Mac OS. Fuckin' planned obsolescence, thank you, Mr. Cook & Co.!

You may want to ask around and see if a friend has an older Windows or Mac that's a "legacy" machine that can't run current operating systems and still has the analog ports.

If this seems like too much of a hassle, return the USB cassette machine and use the purchase costs to buy the download.

I'm a classical music geek and the big recording companies are selling boxed sets of many artists for as low as US$3 per disk. I also go to my public library and check out CDs. An advantage there is that "redbox" CD can't be copy protected (if you get my drift). Thus the push for Blu-ray (or other high end formats) to prevent copying.

Damn, I wish we were neighbors and you and I could mess with the technology while having some beers!

Very best wishes! Jobs's Boner.

I second this approach.

Easiest possible solution: Check the (now non-functioning) device manufacturer's website for a driver update for WIN 10. If there, it should have instructions to complete the installation. Don't update a driver from anywhere except an authentic manufacturer website. Hackers know that users become desperate for driver updates, and will name the same malicious file as many different "driver update" names on sometimes authentic-looking sites.

If suspicious, you can save and check a file before executing (running) it. Not 100%, but better than not checking: (free service)

https://virusscan.jotti.org

Check your permissions, and make sure you are running the desired devices and drivers with administrator security levels. If you don't know how to do this, then you probably shouldn't fool with it; find and pay for a local guru. Don't trust anyone except someone you know and trust to "remotely" fix your pc. Take it in.

Win 10 definitey requires knowing users to manually make reg edits, but definitely don't do that unless you back it up, first.

If you're comfortable messing with your pc: (these are open source or freeware)

Free Commander will give you Explorer-like access to your files, but you still have to set your permissions correctly.

Classic Shell will give you greater control of your desktop, colors and other features.

I strongly suggest creating a folder on your C (local primary drive) named something like "Matts Files" and putting important files there. "Libraries" can have a "mind" of their own during updates and clean-ups.

Sorry I can't be of more help, other than to chime in with my disgust of Win10.

I recently received a new PC at work, Win 10 pro, and it takes me three times as long to complete most tasks. Unless I want to play. They made that the easiest thing to do. Took real effort to make it even APPEAR to be a pro machine, about serious business.

I'm having a similar problem. I used to use Win7 to put music on my Sansa MP3 player. One day, my Win7 updated to Win10 automatically. Fine, Windows 10 seems pretty nice, and I lost nothing--except for the ability to load music on my MP3 player. It sees the Sansa unit, and identifies a bunch of folders, but indicates that all the folders are empty. That really confuses me.

Win10 renames all of the "My" folders to plain folder names (My Documents becomes Documents (library)). Some files - like "My Documents" may have migrated to the correct library, others disappear, OR, they may be there, but they may now be marked as "hidden."

Try this, see if they appear (you may have to close and re-open explorer to refresh view):

https://www.technipages.com/show-hidden-files-windows

OK, I have windows 10, the latest audacity download and the USB cassette unit. I recorded 10 cassettes last week - no problem. Today I am trying to record some more. All I get is high squealing. The cassette is moving and sounds fine, but as soon as I hit record on the computer I get a high squeal that changes tones. I tried disconnecting the USB - still can record the squeal. It seems to me that the computer is not accessing the cassette player, but I know I at least have some connection, because without the USB being connected there is no power to the player. HELP. I am not very computer literate, so answer in plain language please. Thanks for your help

Read this all the way through before starting.

First try uninstalling and reinstalling the driver(s) that worked for you. A WIN update may have screwed them up. Read on.



A free, open source player that plays, records, streams and manages most media types:

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

I don't use Audacity, only tried it for a short time, and found it to be as reliable as you described.

VLC is a work horse. It has many, many settings, but likely the only ones you need to fool with will be the file associations. Associate all media types with VLC:

Tools > Interface > Set up associations (button on lower right of window)

Select All

Click Save
Click Save (again, on the main settings window)

VLC will now be the software that is your default main player (won't play blu-ray by default). It will open whenever you "call" for media to be played. The default user interface isn't sexy, but its programming is extremely sexy. I rarely use anything else.

Open Source is software designed and improved by developers all over the planet to make the best software absolutely free for public use. VLC is one of those.

Don't fool around with trying its different skins* and other non-functional settings. Use as is, but customize the toolbar to show the tools you want:

Tools > Customize Interface...

Also, if you are into archiving your media, (also) save those files to a removable hard drive. Trust the world on this.

Fool with the advanced settings at your own risk - take screen shots of the "before" settings if you do fool with them, so you can switch them back if you don't like the results of your edits.



Oh, and a quirk of WIN 10: Your customized settings can (and likely will) be over-written by automatic WIN updates if you don't reboot your machine before the next update. Lose your Outlook and other program/WIN settings? Close all the programs to save the settings, reboot yout machine. This process is like a "settings" vaccine.

That may be how/why your original Audacity installation (and/or driver) settings reverted to default WIN "squealer" settings. A simple uninstall/reinstall may or may not fix a WIN update registry overwrite. You may need a guru to clean it up. There's a free program, but the uninformed can really screw up their machines, powerful as it is:

https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

IF you use it, ALWAYS select to back up your settings.

You would use it to uninstall Audacity, then use its reg cleaner to clean your registry. Then you would re-install Audacity, and reboot to "lock" the file associations. You would then reinstall the driver(s) that worked. Reboot. No guarantee that a WIN update won't screw it up again.

I don't have these problems with VLC.


*skins - user developed, and while all are "safe," not all skins are created equal, and some funtionality can be lost, requiring very special hoop-jumping to get back to the original skin (weirdly not in the skin list), or a skin that works for you. Just don't do it. Stick with the un-sexy, but highly functional original skin.

please run this code

1

[its a homoeopathic software update]



~~~~~~~~~ real answer...do you have the latest LAME encoder?
It's not shipped with Audacity as a standard, because of licence restrictions

Had the same problem until I dusted off my old Windows 7 laptop and it worked. It also worked on my son's MAC. If anyone found a windows driver, please let me know.

Just did a Windows 10 update and using Audacity 2.3.3 and it all works. I needed to set Microphone to USP PnP Audio, and MMD, and Transport Options for Software Playthrough ON. It all works now. Good Luck to all.

Have one of these, but it doesn't seem that the rollers are moving the tape at all. Any quick fixes??

Windows is a virus.

uninstall the program. Download the drivers from the mfg website that apply to your operating system. Reinstall the program and skip installing the drivers. It usually says: drivers already installed.

Just a thought.

"turn it off and then back on" -- everyone in IT

Life is short. Throw the cassette tapes in the trash. Now.

Try running linux mint o/s, then follow these hints:
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=300294

Windows has problems interacting with other devices, linux doesn't. (in my experience).

+matt:
Sounds like your device is a USB device. It has a USB output which you connect to your PC. In that case, it needs a driver.
Options:
1. You could try some Linux flavor. I don't know if it supports your device. I'm guessing install Linux is foreign for you.
2. Find the driver for Win 10 from the manufacterer's website. If your device is old, then most likely no drivers are written by the company for Win 10. Writing drivers cost money.
3. Install an older version of Windows. Win 7 64 bit?
4. Do what BYU Boner said. That will use the sound card of your computer and it will convert analog to digital.

~~~~iceman9090

This post is from Jan of 2017. Matt hasn't been around for quite a while.

I forgot to save my file and inserted a blank SD card into the 3D printer and it just printed me out another SD card.