52 Tapes are Digitized!!

I continue to digitize my audiotape collection.  I have gotten more selective, though.  I have weeded through tapes that are copies, and if I own the originals, I have set the copies aside to be recycled.  I am NOT, I repeat, NOT digitizing my whole audiotape collection!  I am looking through the contents, selecting the one or two songs that I have used in the past and think I may want in the future, and converting those to .mp3 files.  The process is simple:

1. First, I use a separate tape player to rewind/fast forward and find the selections -- does anyone remember how cumbersome that process is?    
   
2. Once the song is cued up, I take the tape and load it into the AGPtek player.  
   
3. Open GarageBand and start a New Project.  Choose Voice.  
   
4. Save As... [title of song].band  (Don't worry about Tempo, Signature, Key), and Create.  
   
5. Automatically there will be two tracks:  Male Basic and Female Basic.  Just ignore these.  You can delete if you want, but I did not.  
   
6. Plug the AGPtek USB into your MAC computer (this unit did come with PC directions, too).  An acknowledgement window pops up that you have added an input.  Select "Yes" that you want to use it.  
   
7. Add a new track (+ sign on the bottom left corner) by selecting Real Instrument (the Microphone) and Create (it will say "No Effects" and that's fine).  
   
8. I found that if I pressed "play" on the AGPtek first and then quickly pressed the GarageBand Record button, the recording starts smoothly.  But you can always "Command T" and cut excess or unwanted portions from GarageBand.
9. In order to hear what was recording, it will be necessary to wear headphones attached to the AGPtek   
10. Next, select File "Save As" again to make sure the title is what you want it to be. 
11. Then Share -- "Send Song to iTunes".  If I was using more than one song from a tape, I went into iTunes ahead of this step and set up a Playlist.  Be sure to give as much information as you know so that you can recall later who the artist is, album name, etc.  

That's it!  Sounds like a lot of steps, but it goes quickly once you get in the groove.  It is time-consuming because you are waiting around for the selections to actually record.  There is no "hi-speed dubbing" with this process.  But remember, the AGPtek was only $20!!

I am delighted to have these songs in my iTunes Library now!  I have 52 tapes digitized at this point, but of course I'm not done yet.  The important thing, as I've said in a previous post, is that I understand the process for how to do this.

I would love to hear from you if you try this process and it works for you.  Or, if you have another way of doing this, I'd love to hear that too!