How to save music from DAT Files

[TJtennispro]

1 hour ago, marioed said:

Hi TJ,

If your still using Audacity, use the Edit drop down menu & select Preferences. In Devices it should show your Host, Playback & Recording Interfaces. In the Recording part there should be a drop down menu to select which device you want to use.

Regards,

Mario

 

[TJtennispro]

1 hour ago, marioed said:

If your DAT is still connected to the computer via spdif you should see that as one of your options in Recording devices.

 

[TJtennispro]

Will it not recognize since I don’t have the correct sample rate 44.1 or 48? 

[TJtennispro]

I’m trying guys.  

[new_media]

1 hour ago, TJtennispro said:

Output is Optical Digital out port 

 

input is microphone but I don’t see another option? 

 

I think that Apple may have eliminated the TOSLINK input by 2015? I think the port you are plugged into may be output only?

 

I have to use one of these TOSLINK to USB adapters to get an optical digital signal into my 2019 iMac.

 

[marioed]

Hi TJ,

21 minutes ago, TJtennispro said:

 

Yep that's the right place. If the Recording Device selection isn't showing anything other than Built-in Microphone then new media may be correct. You'll need something to convert the toslink from the DAT to usb. You don't need or really want anything with a dac built in, if possible you want everything to stay digital. One other thing to check, if you go into your sound settings on your computer see if you can select line in or digital in for recording. I use a pc and know how to do that on a pc but I'm not sure of the exact procedures on mac's.

Regards,

Mario

[TJtennispro]

1 hour ago, new_media said:

 

I think that Apple may have eliminated the TOSLINK input by 2015? I think the port you are plugged into may be output only?

 

I have to use one of these TOSLINK to USB adapters to get an optical digital signal into my 2019 iMac.

 

 

Not sure why Apple makes this so difficult. 

[TJtennispro]

58 minutes ago, marioed said:

Hi TJ,

Yep that's the right place. If the Recording Device selection isn't showing anything other than Built-in Microphone then new media may be correct. You'll need something to convert the toslink from the DAT to usb. You don't need or really want anything with a dac built in, if possible you want everything to stay digital. One other thing to check, if you go into your sound settings on your computer see if you can select line in or digital in for recording. I use a pc and know how to do that on a pc but I'm not sure of the exact procedures on mac's.

Regards,

Mario

 

Ill check that when I get home. Any idea of what to buy to keep it purely digital? 

[new_media]

56 minutes ago, TJtennispro said:

 

Ill check that when I get home. Any idea of what to buy to keep it purely digital? 

 

The adapter I have is made by Sabrent. There is a DAC in the unit, but I'm pretty sure it's an all digital pathway when just using it as a TOSLINK adapter.

 

Honestly, I don't think I was able to find a unit without a DAC when I was shopping for one. It's probably more cost effective for them to make a Swiss Army knife than an adapter that only does one thing.

[marioed]

2 hours ago, TJtennispro said:

 

Ill check that when I get home. Any idea of what to buy to keep it purely digital? 

Hi TJ,

I used a Cakewalk UA-25 EX audio interface, it's the same thing as a Roland UA-25 EX. They are no longer made but show up on e-bay pretty often. I believe it works with MAC OS but that's something you would want to double check. Something along the lines of the device new media has would probably be the most economical. For new audio interfaces, this one from Native Instruments, https://www.guitarcenter.com/Native-Instruments/KOMPLETE-AUDIO-6.gc , has spdif coax inputs. You'd have to get a toslink to coax adapter and it's a bit overkill for what you want to do.

Regards,

Mario

[mansr]

11 minutes ago, marioed said:

You'd have to get a toslink to coax adapter and it's a bit overkill for what you want to do.

The DAT player should have coax out.

[TJtennispro]

2 hours ago, mansr said:

The DAT player should have coax out.

It does but the goal is to do everything digitally so no lose in quality according to the band. I called Apple and it took a Senior Adviser to inform me that no digital input of my MacBook. 

 

They couldn’t wrap their head around why I would need one to use a DAT tape because he assumed DAT was analogue. I laughed. Apple is really falling apart. It’s impossible to tell the specs of their laptops these days. 

[TJtennispro]

4 hours ago, new_media said:

 

The adapter I have is made by Sabrent. There is a DAC in the unit, but I'm pretty sure it's an all digital pathway when just using it as a TOSLINK adapter.

 

Honestly, I don't think I was able to find a unit without a DAC when I was shopping for one. It's probably more cost effective for them to make a Swiss Army knife than an adapter that only does one thing.

 

Thanks for all your help. I just realized we have the same DS218+ from the other thread. Thanks for helping me out across both threads! 

[TJtennispro]

2 hours ago, marioed said:

Hi TJ,

I used a Cakewalk UA-25 EX audio interface, it's the same thing as a Roland UA-25 EX. They are no longer made but show up on e-bay pretty often. I believe it works with MAC OS but that's something you would want to double check. Something along the lines of the device new media has would probably be the most economical. For new audio interfaces, this one from Native Instruments, https://www.guitarcenter.com/Native-Instruments/KOMPLETE-AUDIO-6.gc , has spdif coax inputs. You'd have to get a toslink to coax adapter and it's a bit overkill for what you want to do.

Regards,

Mario

 

Mario, 

 

appreciate all the help I’ll text my buddy and see what he thinks we should buy. 

[marioed]

Hi TJ,

I just pulled up a spec sheet on your DAT and it does appear to have a digital coax out like mansr said.  You can use that and keep the signal path all digital. The UA-25 EX has both toslink in & out but not coax. It looks like you could use either a used UA-25 or the new Native Instruments interface if the UA-25 works with your OS.

Regards,

Mario

[marioed]

Hi TJ,

I had remembered reading something about spdif to usb convertors somewhere and found it, http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/HW/SPDIF-USB.htm .The last two may be what your looking for.

Regards,

Mario

[TJtennispro]

On 5/2/2019 at 7:42 PM, mansr said:

The DAT player should have coax out.

 

Sorry man you’ve been nothing but helpful. I disregarded your idea out of my own ignorance. Sorry. Just frustrating trying to get this going. 

[TJtennispro]

On 5/2/2019 at 10:57 PM, marioed said:

Hi TJ,

I just pulled up a spec sheet on your DAT and it does appear to have a digital coax out like mansr said.  You can use that and keep the signal path all digital. The UA-25 EX has both toslink in & out but not coax. It looks like you could use either a used UA-25 or the new Native Instruments interface if the UA-25 works with your OS.

Regards,

Mario

That’s great news. I wish I could find s tutorial somewhere but either way I’ll have to purchase something else to make it work. Thank you all! 

[TJtennispro]

Behringer U-Control UCA202 Ultra-Low Latency 2 In/2 Out USB Audio Interface with Digital Output https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KW2YEI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FJU4CbNWENYBB

 

I purchased this device. Will this work? If so how would I hook it up? 

[mansr]

1 hour ago, TJtennispro said:

Behringer U-Control UCA202 Ultra-Low Latency 2 In/2 Out USB Audio Interface with Digital Output https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KW2YEI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FJU4CbNWENYBB

 

I purchased this device. Will this work? If so how would I hook it up? 

That device doesn't have a digital input, which is what you need.

[TJtennispro]

9 minutes ago, mansr said:

That device doesn't have a digital input, which is what you need.

 

Thank you! I’ll send it back and try again. 

[new_media]

The device I've been using is still available on eBay.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Sabrent-2-0-External-Sound-Card-Box-USB-SND8-Surround-Audio-for-Laptop-PC/123323005533?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D3bdf3f6d26474598afbd2b6249788bcd%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D15%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D382156018082%26itm%3D123323005533&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A412b1107-7b42-11e9-9ca6-74dbd18058af|parentrq%3Ad70b686d16a0ab6b9af9707dffe3eb18|iid%3A1

[TJtennispro]

On 4/30/2019 at 5:03 AM, Patrick Cleasby said:

DAT is 16bit. You need to know if the individual tapes were recorded at 48kHz or 44.1kHz. The Sony SHOULD indicate which. Use S/PDIF and set Interface/computer/software accordingly.

 

Thanks for everyone help but we all knew I needed a digital audio input. Not a device with an digital output since I’ve got that. New Media I’ll order the one you used. I got burned by someone trying to help but my fault for not doing more due diligence. 

 

https://www.macworld.com/article/3205890/how-to-replace-the-missing-optical-digital-audio-output-on-newer-macs.html

 

I’m not sure why I thought this would work. 

[PeterSt]

Small advice from me: Don't have high hopes you will be able to copy anything from that Sony DAT via the digital out.

https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/res/manuals/W000/W0003935M.pdf

See page 22 under #3 (top left).

 

The general consensus back then was that it was allowed to make your digital copy from CD to DAT, but you could not copy that through to a next generation DAT. Or computer for that matter, although that was not the target. But the mechanism is the same: the digital out will be blocked when the recording from CD is detected (and it will in your case).

 

Back at the time special DAT players were available with a hack, or which allowed to be hacked regarding this. I recall a Tascam (I think I still have it, but it died) and a certain model of Technics (stolen from my house).

 

What I have laying around for more than 10 years is a specific brand of computer backup DAT drive with driver and cables for PC control and "rip usage", which does not have the copy protection and moreover allows ripping at twice the speed normal. I never got around to get it going for real, hence still over 400 DAT tapes laying around for ripping.

 

Something else is that DAT tapes for audio are quite useless for the first one or two tracks, because the small pillar that connects the beginning of the tape to the spool sticks out a little which implies a too hard pressure at that spot per winding (I refer to the full spool now and thus actually the end of the tape). This means a scratched sound per (de-)wind, hence molested digital data. One prerequisite to let this happen: don't play the tape for a year or so.

And you know what ? this would make backup tapes (what out of all DAT was made for) useless just the same. Not that people knew (that I ever heard of). But same thing: try a restore from a DAT tape not used for a year, and it is worthless.

 

So much for the bad news. I don't have any better.

Blurp.

[mansr]

11 minutes ago, PeterSt said:

Small advice from me: Don't have high hopes you will be able to copy anything from that Sony DAT via the digital out.

https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/res/manuals/W000/W0003935M.pdf

See page 22 under #3 (top left).

 

The general consensus back then was that it was allowed to make your digital copy from CD to DAT, but you could not copy that through to a next generation DAT. Or computer for that matter, although that was not the target. But the mechanism is the same: the digital out will be blocked when the recording from CD is detected (and it will in your case).

I got the impression these were original recordings made to DAT. There should be no problem exporting those.

 

14 minutes ago, PeterSt said:

Back at the time special DAT players were available with a hack, or which allowed to be hacked regarding this. I recall a Tascam (I think I still have it, but it died) and a certain model of Technics (stolen from my house).

 

What I have laying around for more than 10 years is a specific brand of computer backup DAT drive with driver and cables for PC control and "rip usage", which does not have the copy protection and moreover allows ripping at twice the speed normal. I never got around to get it going for real, hence still over 400 DAT tapes laying around for ripping.

Or you build one of these and hook it into any player: