Alesis (http://www.alesis.com), a manufacturer of professional audio
equipment and studio electronics, has released the TapeLink USB, a
digital-archiving cassette tape deck. It has an estimated street
price of US$199.99.
This dual-cassette deck enables musicians to store their recordings
on hard disk or flash, burn them to CD or take them on the go on
their iPod. Musicians can clean up their old tape recordings of band
rehearsals, performances, demos, jam sessions and song ideas.
TapeLink USB is a dubbing and playback deck that connects directly to
a computer via USB. The plug-and-play USB-audio interface requires no
drivers for use with most computers. TapeLink USB’s CD-quality
16-bit, 44.1 kHz audio output captures tape recordings for secure
digital archival.
Normal and high-speed dubbing modes are designed to save time when
copying music, while dynamic noise-reduction circuitry and Alesis’
software suite assist in cleaning up aging tapes. TapeLink USB works
with metal and CrO2 tapes and contains an LED level-meter for visual
level reference. Full auto stop saves older tapes from breaking.
TapeLink USB comes with a software suite containing three
applications. EZ Tape Converter makes transfer simple and convenient,
Audacity audio-editing software enables musicians to edit their audio
files once they’ve been transferred and BIAS SoundSoap SE
professional noise-reduction software removes hiss, room noise,
rumble, hum and other background noise.
