Have a bunch of audio cassette tapes that you still find valuable? Here are some of your options for preserving the tapes - or the content of the tapes.
1. Convert to CD or MP3 (or other digital format) yourself.
Lifehacker provides instructions, as does WikiHow and How to Do Things.com.
There are also special gadgets you can use, such as InstantMusic Vinyl & Cassette Ripper, the Plus Deck Cassette Converter, and the One Touch Any Media iPod Uploader.
2. Pay someone else to do the conversion.
Here are some folks who provide that service, which will give you an idea on costs: AVConvert, Euro Video, Birdman Productions, and Cassette Tape to CD.
Feb. 29 addendum: Adams Video Services in Pacifica, CA also provides this service. I've used Tom's video transfer service in the past.
3. Store them as is.
If you just want to store the tapes, there are still companies selling storage products.
Cassette carrying cases are one option. Update on March 20, 2015: I'm no longer finding this product.
Gaylord sells audiocassette albums.
Grundorf makes cassette tape cases, too.
Conservation Resources sells cassette storage boxes.
You can get nice wood cassette tape racks.
And Gaylord sells a number of cabinets, from Sandusky Lee and Riss Bassett, designed for storing cassette tapes - or other media, such as VHS tapes and CDs. School Outfitters also sells the Sandusky Lee cabinets, including the one shown above.
And here are more media cabinets that can be configured to hold cassette tapes.
Finally, Lorentz Design has this cassette tape storage cube. Update on March 5, 2013: The company that made these seems to have disappeared.
[first photo by draggin / jason toal]
4 comments:
One More:
Accept that the 70s are over and that you're never really going to listen to those moldy home mixed tapes again. Then THROW THEM OUT.
If lost youth is too hard to give up, you could also burry them in a time capsule in the back yard along with some wool leggings and that ancient SLR you once used for black and white photography but you know will never see the light of day again now that you have digital.
I think I'll go do this right now.
Missbossy, I'm totally with you on the old mix tapes that will never be listened to again.
But sometime those cassette tapes are books on tape or lecture series or classical music or something else that really DOES get listened to!
I work in video tape storage and found this page on a search. There are some great mobile storage solutions as well. Many people need to keep their tapes stored neatly and securely and there are some great mobile storage systems for this purpose.
Video Tape Storage, I'm glad to know about the Denstor storage systems. That's a more elaborate answer than many people need (or have room for), but for some people it could be perfect.
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