Take a closer look at the Alesis TapeLink USB, which offers a comprehensive and familiar solution for transferring your old cassette tapes into digital audio.
Donald Bell
Donald Bell has spent more than five years as a CNET senior editor, reviewing everything from MP3 players to the first three generations of the Apple iPad. He currently devotes his time to producing How To content for CNET, as well as weekly episodes of CNET's Top 5 video series.
If you're itching to drag your old cassette tapes in to the digital age, the Alesis TapeLink USB ($299 list, $199 street) makes the transformation relatively painless.
2 of 7 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Alesis TapeLink USB (back view)
On the back of the Alesis TapeLink you'll find RCA connections for stereo input and output, along with an attached power cable, USB output, and a small gain control knob for boosting the audio signal to your computer.
3 of 7 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Alesis TapeLink USB
Included with the TapeLink are two RCA stereo cables and a CD of recording software compatible with both Mac and PC.
4 of 7 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Alesis TapeLink USB (front view)
Aside from the USB port on the back, the Alesis TapeLink is indistinguishable from the cassette deck you probably owned in the '80s.
5 of 7 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Alesis TapeLink USB (side view)
The TapeLink measures 16.5 inches wide by 8.5 inches deep by 5.25 inches tall, and includes slots for two cassettes.
6 of 7
EZ Tape Converter
The most basic piece of included software is a PC-only program called EZ Tape Converter (a more limited, Mac-only version of the software is also included). The program includes an easy to follow step-by-step process for recording, labeling, and exporting your songs. It also includes a feature that detects the silences between songs and automatically splits the incoming audio into separate tracks.
7 of 7
BIAS SoundSoap SE
The BIAS SoundSoap software (Mac/PC) included with the Alesis TapeLink USB does an outstanding job removing hiss from recordings, but it adds an extra step to the already tedious process of archiving your old cassettes.
