
I was talking to a mate a while back about throwing out all my old tapes. This might’ve changed my mind.
The Alesis TapeLink USB is a dual-well cassette deck designed to digitally archive audio. The device allows users to transfer cassette recordings onto a hard disk, flash memory, CD or iPod.
Connection to a computer is provided via USB, with support for 16-bit, 44.1 kHz CD-quality recordings. Two different dubbing modes support either normal or high-speed dubbing. The deck also features full auto-stop capability to keep irreplacable old tapes from breaking. It works with metal or CrO2 tapes and features on-board LEDs for visual reference to sound levels.
The device comes bundled with three different apps to assist in archiving: SoundSoap Standalone Edition (SE) for reduction of background noises such as room noise and electrical hum; Audacity, a lean, clean, excellent piece of audio-editing software; and EZ Tape Converter to assist with transfers.
TapeLink USB is compatible with Mac OS X and carries an estimated street price of £140.
Why hasn’t anyone done this before?
Reach for the lasers, safe.