Do you remember cassette tapes? They had a certain charm, didn't they? The slight clunking noise when you first turned on the tape player, and the quaint way in which you actually had to turn the tape around when one side had finished. They were brilliant, too - it was so easy to record music from the radio, or make a copy of a friend's tape. And unlike those bulky LPs, you could take cassette tapes with you wherever you went.

Nowadays, though, cassette tapes are more or less obsolete - but if you've hung on to yours, then you know that the music you recorded is still there. And some of it can be quite rare. But how often do you get around to listening to it? These days, CD players and MP3 players are much more common , but if you want to listen to your tapes, you need to convert them into digital audio files first.

Here's the good news: if you are interested in converting your old cassette tapes to audio, Audio Record Wizard is the software you need. In order to make the most of your cassette tape collection, you can convert them all into digital files, quickly and painlessly:

Step 1: Connect the external device to the Line In jack on your sound card

The type of cable you will need for the connection depends on the type of output jack on the external device. You may need RCA to 3.5mm stereo cable, Here is an example,
http://www.amazon.com/SF-Cable-3-5mm-Stereo-Splitter/dp/B0016LFN2C

Or 3.5mm stereo to 3.5mm stereo cable. Here is an example,
http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-3-5mm-Stereo-Audio-Cable/dp/B004LU1U2M

Note - This is just for your information, we are not recommending it.

There are many other types of output jack. For examples, 6.35mm stereo, XLR. Just get what you need depends on the type of the output jack.

Then you will be able to connect the left and right Audio Out or earphone jack on the external audio or video device to the Line In jack (which is often blue) on your sound card.

Step 2: Choose an appropriate source

In this example, the device is connected to the on-board sound card which is the primary sound card, "Realtek High Definition Audio", so we select "Line In" within "Realtek High Definition Audio" section.

Note - Names for devices are provided by its manufacturer, so different sound cards have the different names.

"Line In", "Line Input", are used for recording from Line-in jack on the sound card.

Step 3: Choose an audio file name

Click the Add/New Button to choose an audio file, or give a new audio file name. For example: test.mp3, test.wav, test.flac

Audio Record Wizard will record sounds directly into this file. After recording, you can play the saved audio file on your computer by using a media player program.

Step 4: Start recording!

Click the Record Button to begin recording

Adjust the Recording Volume Level as required

Step 5: Let the sounds go through your speakers while recording. (Optional)

Now, Audio Record Wizard will be able to record from Line In. But, no sound will go through the speakers while recording. In other words, you will not hear what is recording. In order to enable it, please click Source to open Control Panel.

Select Line In and click Properties,

Go to Listen tab and enable Listen to this device,

This same process can be used to record from many other external media devices, including keyboards, TV, Radio and more.