was wondering how to go about this. what do i need to have. need it explained in pretty simple terms, as i am techno ignorant. josie
Get a tv card. That will most likely include software for connecting your vcr to it. You can get software to record from your vcr to mpg. You can then de-multiplex the audio and convert it to mp3. sorry for all the techno stuff.
Hello. If I understand you correctly, you just want to copy VHS to MP3 format. If you only want audio and NO video, then follow these simple steps. Most VCRs have a place to plug in RCA cables in the back. Those are the red and yellow or red and black cables that carry audio and video information. Go to the store and get a wire that has at least two RCA plugs on one end and what looks like a headphone jack on the other end (the small one like your portable radio, not the big jack). Go home and plug the RCA end to the back of your VCR. That's two plugs, one for the left channel and one for the right channel. Don't worry, it's written on the back of the VCR which ones carry the "in" and "out" signal, and whether it's left or right. You want them in the left and right audio "out" channel. plug the "headphone jack" end into the "line in" hole on the back of your computer. Usually there are 3 holes in back, for speaker, line in, and microphone. That's it for hardware... Now you need a program (software) to record and encode into MP3 format. You can install the winamp player from http://classic.winamp.com/download and get Chun Yu's MP3 Writer plugin at http://classic.winamp.com/component...000/11/12/P/ChunYu_Shei.exe&componentid=33396 (Follow the instructions in the winamp help files to see how to use plugins). Basically, when in front of the winamp player, press Control key plus the P key. that opens the Options box. Under the Plugins section select Output. Now from the list on the right, select Chun-Yu's MP3 Writer Plugin. Double click it to open the configuration box. It will ask you at some point where to save the output files. put somewhere easy, like My Music, or My Documents. But when the configuration box comes up, you can select a bitrate of 192k right at the top. And make sure you select "high" encoding quality. the press ok! Now you're back at the winamp screen. You'll need to right click on the winamp player and choose Play, then Location. in the box type linein:// and press enter. Now winamp is playing whatever comes through that line in jack on the back of your computer. If you turn on your vcr, you should now hear it through your computer speakers. A note on bitrate... a lot of people seem to think that 128k is adequate. Well, I am a musician, and I'm blessed with very good hearing (Thank Jesus) and I can tell you that you won't catch all the sound with 128k bitrate. 320k is perfect, but honestly, you can catch everything a human will hear at 192k bitrate. 192k is all you need, man. also, open up your volume control box by double clicking the yellow speaker icon down in the system tray by the clock. make sure the line in box isn't muted. and you can adjust your levels there too. ifyou have used winamp, you'll soon see it's very versatile for playing and recording almost every kind of music and file. learn to use the equalizer presets and search the website for many different plugins to alter or enhance the quality of your files. Email me with any questions...
