Interference from cassette player
in [UK Mac]
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From: T i m on 17 May 2010 08:13 On Mon, 17 May 2010 11:49:46 +0100, Martin S Taylor <mst(a)hRyEpMnOoVtEiTsHm.cIo.uSk> wrote: >I've been trying to transfer some old cassette tapes onto the iMac by >plugging a cassette player into the audio input and using Amadeus to record >the output. > >You know that "Bzzzzz-bzt-bzt-bzzzzz-bzt-bzt" noise you get from time to time >when a mobile phone is too near the Mac's external speakers? Well I'm getting >that on all the recordings I make. I've taken the iPhone out of the room, but >it seems to be the tape recorder itself which is causing the interference, as >the sound only happens when the motor is running. > >At first I thought it was just affecting the speakers, but the sound is on >the recording, too. Moving the cassette player further from the computer >helps, but not enough. > >Any thoughts? > Yes, what is the construction of the cable you are using for the audio from the player to the Mac? I'm presuming it's a 3.5mm stereo jack at the cassette player end and possibly the same at the Mac end. However, there are screened and unscreened types and they might look the same from the outside. You might be able to tell if it's screened if either plug can be opened (ie, not moulded) or, if you can feel a screen / braid under the outer sheath (as opposed to just 3 wires). Cheers, T i m
From: Peter Ceresole on 17 May 2010 08:53 T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: > Yes, what is the construction of the cable you are using for the audio > from the player to the Mac? I'm presuming it's a 3.5mm stereo jack at > the cassette player end and possibly the same at the Mac end. However, > there are screened and unscreened types and they might look the same > from the outside. On the other hand, I used to record stuff to the Mac via a 3.5mm unscreened lead (it was *very* unscreened, cobbled up from a length of two-core flex soldered to jacks at either end) from a cassette in a plain Walkman, and this produced no problems, no noise, no hum. -- Peter
From: Woody on 17 May 2010 09:01 Martin S Taylor <mst(a)hRyEpMnOoVtEiTsHm.cIo.uSk> wrote: > Peter Ceresole wrote > > Have you tried with another cassette player? > > I would, but it's the only one I own and so few people have them these days. > I bought this on eBay specifically to transfer my tapes. > > I'm not sure it's a motor fault, anyhow, since the problem is reduced when I > move the cassette player further from the computer. Would you expect this > from a motor fault? This noise, exactly how is it? You said it was like a phone noise, but a phone noise is a series of short buzzes in a pattern, followed by a long one, and is unique to phones (that noise isn't generated by anything else). If it is a motor noise it would be like a high pitched constant noise. if it is a mains loop, which I think is less likely on a mac, it will be a constant mains frequency buzz. I think the type of noise will tell you where it is coming from. -- Woody
From: T i m on 17 May 2010 09:30 On Mon, 17 May 2010 13:53:42 +0100, peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk (Peter Ceresole) wrote: >T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: > >> Yes, what is the construction of the cable you are using for the audio >> from the player to the Mac? I'm presuming it's a 3.5mm stereo jack at >> the cassette player end and possibly the same at the Mac end. However, >> there are screened and unscreened types and they might look the same >> from the outside. > >On the other hand, I used to record stuff to the Mac via a 3.5mm >unscreened lead (it was *very* unscreened, cobbled up from a length of >two-core flex soldered to jacks at either end) from a cassette in a >plain Walkman, and this produced no problems, no noise, no hum. I think you can get lucky with these things, depending on the design of the motor and how well it is suppressed and shielded. Then you have the sensitivity of the input, the impedance matches between input and output and output signal to noise ratios. You may have been in a better position for setting such things (volumes, because of your background) than many. Maybe you could make another lead out of bell wire or damp string and send it to Martin? ;-) Cheers, T i m
From: Peter Ceresole on 17 May 2010 09:37
T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: > You may > have been in a better position for setting such things (volumes, > because of your background) than many. Of course I'd like to think that it was sheer skill, but I know it was really luck. -- Peter |