Can I transcribe an old cassette tape? Yes, once it is digitised.
Yes, after you digitise it: play the cassette into a computer (through a USB cassette player or a deck connected to an audio input) and save the sound as MP3 or WAV, then upload that file, up to 10 hours or 5 GB each. Packs start at $4 for 300 minutes, and credits never expire.
Tape to file to text
Digitising takes as long as the tape; transcribing does not.
Play it into the computer
A USB cassette player, or a deck plugged into a computer's line input or a USB audio interface, turns the tape into a recording on the computer. A free recorder program such as Audacity can capture it; menus vary by version. It runs in real time: a C90 takes 90 minutes.
Save one file per tape
Record side A, flip, carry on into the same recording, then export as MP3 or WAV. One file per tape keeps the order clear and gives one transcript per tape. MP3 is small enough for the box here; a long WAV can go through the upload page.
Treat old tape gently
Fast-forward and rewind once before playing a tape that has sat for decades, to loosen the reel. If it squeals, sticks or sheds, stop; forcing it can break the tape. This page offers no digitising service, only the transcription once you have the file.
What comes back
Timestamped text, chapters, a brief with the thesis and takeaways, and the names, places and dates mentioned. Voices are named in the summary, key quotes and chapters. Tape hiss and music are left out; the speech is what gets transcribed.
Before and after
A shoebox of tapes, or a shelf of transcripts.
✗ Tapes nobody can play
The player is gone, the labels have faded, and every year the tape gets a little more fragile.
- No working deck in the house
- Labels in pencil, half rubbed out
- Hiss and wobble on playback
- Hours to find one story
- One copy, slowly degrading
- Relatives asking what is on them
✓ Each tape written down
Digitise once, keep the file, and read what is on every side.
- One MP3 per tape
- About 3 minutes per C90
- Chapters for each topic
- Names and places listed
- Speakers named in the summary
- DOCX to print and share
Sample output
An interview from an old tape.
Invented, illustrative lines; not from a real cassette.
Export
One transcript. Five clean formats.
Every pack exports all five — no format is held back for a higher tier.
Plain text
De-ummed paragraphs. Ready to paste.
SRT captions
Timed to the speech. Every video editor reads this.
WebVTT
HTML5 player + YouTube uploads.
Show notes
Formatted with chapters and pull-quotes.
Machine-readable
Timestamped text for your own tools.
Pricing
Honest pricing, no surprises.
A pack from $4 (300 minutes) opens the full transcript. After that, no subscription and no auto-renew — every tier is a one-time minute pack, and credits never expire. Buy once, use the minutes whenever you need them.
Casual pack
$4/300 min
5 hours of audio — $0.80 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 300 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$18/3,000 min
50 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 3,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
Bulk pack
$32/6,000 min
100 hours of audio — $0.32 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 6,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
Cassette tapes, answered.
How long is a cassette?
A C60 holds about 60 minutes across both sides, a C90 about 90 and a C120 about 120. Microcassettes from dictation machines are shorter. What is counted is the actual running time of the file you upload.
What does a box of tapes cost?
Ten C90 tapes is 900 minutes and goes on the $18 pack of 3,000 minutes. Thirty tapes, 2,700 minutes, fit the $18 pack of 3,000 minutes. Credits never expire, so you can digitise slowly and transcribe as you go.
The tape is noisy and muffled. Will it work?
Clear speech over hiss usually transcribes well. Very muffled, quiet or warbling passages are where words go missing, so check those against the audio using the timestamps. A cleaner playback head and a deck in good repair often help more than any software afterwards.
Should I clean up the audio before uploading?
It is optional. Strong noise reduction can make voices sound underwater, so if you try it, keep it mild and keep the untouched file as your archive copy.
Can I upload microcassette dictation?
Yes, once it is played into the computer and saved as a file. Dictation is often one voice, which suits transcription well. Microcassette players with a headphone socket can feed a computer the same way as a full-size deck, with a cable to the line input or an audio interface.
Is a family tape kept private?
Yes. Tape files are transcribed on our own servers and never used for training, and you can remove the recording and its transcript from your Library whenever you want.
Related
More on old recordings.
The tape in the drawer. Written down in minutes.
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