Using Microsoft Plus! Analog Recorder

By Jake Ludington

What Reader's Are Saying:
I just wanted to let someone know that the PDF Tutorial for Plus Analog Recorder was so well done and straight-forward, I was recording my analog cassettes to my hard drive within minutes of reading it. - Michael M.

Despite the inclusion of Plus! Dancer, which is possibly the silliest waste of CPU cycles ever released by Microsoft, Plus! Super Pack for Windows XP is a great investment. The effects and transitions for Movie Maker 2 are easily worth $19.95.

For anyone with a large collection of audio on cassette or vinyl, Plus! Analog Recorder is a great tool. The conversion process is straightforward, with some great noise reduction technology included for cleaning up the sound files.

For a more comprehensive guide download Converting Vinyl LPs to CD.

If you don't have Microsoft Plus! Super Pack for Windows XP, you can get a copy from Amazon.

Introduction

Converting audio from LPs and cassettes is a time intensive process. All audio must be transferred from its original format to digital in real time (there's no high-speed dubbing like we had in the days of cassette tapes). Microsoft Plus! Analog Recorder simplifies the process, offering a straightforward solution for transferring your LPs and cassettes to Windows Media Audio format. The purpose of this tutorial is to get you started archiving your records and cassettes in digital format as quickly as possible. Whether your goal is preservation of rare vinyl records or the conversion of your favorite books on tape to mp3, I've outlined the process from start to finish.

Hardware and Cabling Required

The rest of this tutorial assumes steps in this section have been followed. Making hardware connections is software independent, following the same steps, regardless of which audio applications are installed on your PC. Some of these things may seem obvious; I'm covering them to be sure you don't miss anything.

To transfer audio from your record collection:

Your Line Out connectors will look like the top red and white connectors shown here.

You need an amplifier with Line Out connectors and a turntable. Line Out connectors are usually labeled Rec Out in the Tape section on the back of your receiver. Newer amplifiers have a pair of one red and one white RCA jacks representing the right and left sides of the stereo spectrum.

If your turntable has a built-in preamp, you don't need the amplifier. In this scenario, connect the RCA Line Out jacks from your pre-amped turntable to the Line In jack on your PC's sound card.

For cassette recording, simply connect the Tape Out connectors on the back of your cassette player to the Line In jack your PC's sound card.

Sound cards use 1/8-inch miniplugs for both input and output connections. When recording LPs or cassettes on your PC, connect the turntable or cassette deck to the Line In, which is frequently the black colored jack.

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Convert Vinyl Records to CD with Spin It Again

Transfer your old 45's and 33's to CD or to your new MP3 player or iPod! This dedicated record and tape conversion software makes it child's play to record and edit your old albums. The wizard driven process guides you through connecting your hardware, getting the correct recording level, and splitting your recording into multiple tracks. The software automatically removes clicks and pops and that unwanted tape hum and hiss. Convert your recordings to MP3s or burn them on to an audio CD! Spin It Again is a dedicated LP and tape recording conversion software application designed to make the process as simple as possible. Download Spin It Again