05.13Alesis TapeLink USB
Podcast and New Media Gear is here…
The Alesis TapeLink USB allows you to directly digitize your cassette library.
There is something magical about audio tape. Maybe it’s the sound of saturation, or the challenge of finding the brand and type of tape that squeezes the most dynamic range and frequency response out of a cassette deck or reel-to-reel. How about the smell of isopropyl alcohol on a q-tip – methodically cleaning tape residue from those small and delicate tape heads.
…or maybe the droning buzz of a bulk eraser; music to my ears
Don’t get me wrong – I’d never trade in my hard disk (or solid-state storage) for studio recording. A few things I don’t miss about audio tape are the drop-outs, servo-induced jams and the inherent limitations of a mechanical linear transport.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, many of us have cherished memories on cassette tapes. Some (I won’t name names) have hundreds of ‘mix’ tapes. How cool were mix tapes? I still have a few made for Laura.
As we step back into the 21st Century, most of us have long forgotten the cassette. The folks at Alesis have not. The TapeLink USB is an ingenious device. Dust off your cassettes, plug the dual-transport (only side B records) TapeLink into a USB slot and you’re ready to digitize those memories onto your PC, without converting to analog first.
The TapeLink looks like a 90′s era dual-deck from the front panel. The standard transport buttons are all there along with an index counter to let you know ‘about’ where you are on the tape. DNR (dynamic noise reduction – no Dolby), a CRO2/Metal switch for tape formulations and the ability to dub at normal or high-speeds.
On the back of the TapeLink, you’ll find standard RCA phono connectors if you want to go analog. What sets the TapeLink apart is the USB connector. Plug the supplied USB cable into your PC or Mac and you’re ready to digitize those tapes at 44.1 or even 48kHz, 16-bit.
The best part about the TapeLink is the included software. On the CD, you’ll find the well respected BIAS SoundSoap SE application to ‘re-master’ your old works of art. Also included is the freeware audio editor Audacity and EZ Tape converter.
As a package, the TapeLink offers an effortless means of transferring old media to new. My only disappointment is the lack of Dolby noise reduction. However, the inclusion of SoundSoap makes up for it.
If you have a library of cassettes, don’t hesitate to capture them now. Tape is subject to deterioration over time, so your library will never sound better than it does today.
Check out the unique Alesis TapeLink USB and preserve those memories.
Street price at record time – $199
Drop me a line, any time with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com
Best,
MarkJensen
