how do i do it? can it be done for free?

Sony soundforge....records whatever your soundcard is doing.

http://www.sonymediasoftware.c ... s/ShowProduct.asp?PID=961

I'm using XMMS and Beep Media Player in Linux, and mp3 streams can be written to disk using the Options -> Input Plugins -> MP3 Plugin page.

I suspect the same thing is available in Winamp as well.

In Winamp, there is a WAV-Writer-Plugin installed by default. The downside with this plugin is, it will be ONE large wav-file.
Streamripper (there is a winamp-plugin of this, too; if you use Winamp, I would recommend this) can cut and rename the music files automaticly (but only if there are ID3-tags in the stream AFAIK)

Oh, and yes, it is free

sorry to Necro-Post, but my Mum is trying to convert her old tapes (Audio Cassette, not VHS!) to CD, and she was using "Magix" (a resource hog and with a bad Ui, but only bought it for the cable!), it did the job, but now she has wiped her pc (read - so full of crap it had to be wiped to boot up within about an hour) and has lost the disc - and instead of buying it i wondered if there was an easy (...open source and free too!) alternative, it needs to take the sound from the line-in (Stereo plugged in to the line-in you see), and then convert it to a nice mp3, wma, ogg etc file (hard disk space isn't much of an issue, but i don't like the idea of working with a 50 mb .wav! You see, i take the track on my memory stick (Silly BT router doesn't like the way we network, so refuses to let us network until we connect to it over wireless, so that's out the window!), then edit it into tracks using Movie Maker (i know - its all i have, it's easy to use, but is there anything better for just splitting tracks up?) and burning them to a cd)

Audacity for this sort of thing is pretty good. It records all sound output your computer makes, so turn MSN and any s**t that makes noise off :-)

Quote from duke_toaster :

Audacity for this sort of thing is pretty good. It records all sound output your computer makes, so turn MSN and any s**t that makes noise off :-)

several programs do that - but it isn't the pc making the noise, the noise cos from the hi-fi into the pc

I use Audio Editor http://www.dandans.com/EasyAudioEditor.htm

It records "What you hear" and is very good, and clear. Then if the music is that good, and the DJ keeps quiet, I burn it to CD, and have it for my car

Where I live, we don't really have any good Dance Radio stations, so this way, I can tune into London Radio, and get all the latest and greatest Dance Music

Quote from duke_toaster :

Audacity for this sort of thing is pretty good. It records all sound output your computer makes, so turn MSN and any s**t that makes noise off :-)

Me too Audacity , turn it on, set up the internet radio sort out your volume levels and record simple, I cant imagine it legal either but thats another story
And Certain radio stations have an issue with "temp" files wink wink

Recording with audacity etc. degrades the audio quality, because you're transcoding an MP3-stream to uncompressed wav, and then back to MP3 again. Streamripper is a much better option because it rips the MP3 directly from the stream without transcoding. And use MP3 directcut if you need to trim the mp3 afterward(no transcoding there either)

I just use the software that followed my Soundblaster card.

You can set it to record "What U Hear"

well looks like i'll have to try Audacity then, but she only has AC97 - no soudblasters there!

Quote from Jakg :

well looks like i'll have to try Audacity then, but she only has AC97 - no soudblasters there!

If you are gonna use audacity ( I hear ya Lautsprecher[NOR] )
a lil tipp for ya when you install audacity and begin recording the program is set to record at something silly like 9100hz > change it to 44100hz jakg

i already would - although i think it will probably take more digging finding the codec options

Just make sure you set the record source correctly in the soundcard options and provided you've connected the hifi properly then any of the aformentioned utilities should do the job.

As for splitting them into tracks, well the easiest although somewhat laborious way of doing that is probably to make seperate recordings for each track, so that they exist as seperate files.

Quote from Smax :

As for splitting them into tracks, well the easiest although somewhat laborious way of doing that is probably to make seperate recordings for each track, so that they exist as seperate files.

would be easiest, but i can't, looks like movie maker is the only way

Quote from Jakg :

would be easiest, but i can't, looks like movie maker is the only way

Laborious no! movie maker no!illepall

- Do a test firstly with the tape to make sure your volume levels don't exceed the max.
- Start recording on Audacity, play the tape make sure all is well.
- Walk away let that side of the tape finnish.
- What you will be left with is the full length of the tape in one wav on screen.
- The different tracks will be easly recognisable from the gaps in the wavewform
- Highlight each section(Track), left click>export as whatever.mp3
continue this right the way through and Walla! non laborious

hmmm, might try that with Audacity Tho...

If you are recording of tape, it's hard to polish a turd. I particularly prefer bit rates that keep size down at the expence of sound quality myself, but 128 is a nice compromise.

for me ill probably go for wma if i can, and either 192 or 320, but it depends on the program

just trying to set it up so i can access her pc (...and thus the files) over VNC (cba to keep going between rooms!), but it says "59:50" remaning, after recording 10 secs of audio - does this mean its a program limit, or her HDD will be full in that time? she often goes over 1 and a half hours!

EDIT - Never mind, just read the text, it says "59 Hours 50 Minutes" - i'm not surprised if it's full with almost 2 and a half days of audio!

Quote from Jakg :

for me ill probably go for wma if i can, and either 192 or 320, but it depends on the program

If its going to be a "cd" for the car/house with only say couple of tracks you would be better off leaving the tracks in .wav format.
Better sound

CD - for my Mum's dancing lessons, most of her material is on Tapes, and CD's (ESP Tracks) make that so much easier that i'm converting her whole collection - but tbh the quality sounds the same when i was doing it in movie maker and so the new way would only sound better, and the stereo isn't "amazing" so at this level i just can't be bothered!

IF you'r gonna put it on a CD anyways, don't bother with converting it to MP3 or ([heavenly creature] forbid)WMA. Nero etc. is just gonna have to convert it back to wav, and then you've worsened the audio quality even more.