digitizing cassette tapes in stereo

[Tom_ZeCat]

I have an Ion Tape Express for digitizing cassettes. I've been using Audacity to convert tapes into OGG or MP3 files, but I can't seem to get it to work in stereo. I've tried every setting imaginable. The left track always has sound, but the right one is blank in most settings. (In some settings I get neither.) I've had the same problem with Audacity under Kubuntu and Audacity under Windows 7. I'm starting to think maybe the Ion unit itself has problems. I'm using it for the first time in about three years. I've set Audacity to mono, which is fine for digitizing talk tapes, but not for music or some meditation tapes.

I'm wondering if maybe I should try using a regular tape player instead. I have one that's in great shape and has a headphone output. Is there such a thing as a cable that plugs into such a headphone outlet and then into a USB port? If so, maybe that's what I should be trying. I have some old music that simply is not available on CD anywhere. It would be good to digitize this while the tapes still work.

An update:
I downloaded and installed Ion's default software, EZ Vinyl Tape Converter (under Win 7) and tried it. Same problem. I can't get stereo out of this thing to save my life. Maybe I can digitize from a regular cassette boom box somehow.

[vinnywright]

perhaps the Ion Tape Express is doing it's thing in mono,,,,,, dose it have some settings that control it's output ?

their is such a thing as a cable that will plug in to the tape player's headphone jack and then into the computers line-in or mic !

VINNY

[przxqgl]

i have a gadget that is a Behringer UFO202 Line/Phono pre-amp with a USB cable attached -- http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2_USB_1_1.html -- it takes a stereo RCA cable input from your regular tape player, or from your turntable, and produces a stereo output that is automatically detected by audacity. the only thing that i've found that works better is my USB turntable, which automatically does what the pre-amp does, without using the pre-amp.

if you've got something like that, and it's still producing a mono output, then you've either got mono tapes to begin with, or you've got some malfunction in between the tape and audacity.