Cassette and Reel-to-Reel Tape to Digital Service
Bring the voices back.
Cassettes and 1/4-inch reel-to-reel tapes, converted to clean WAV or MP3 files by our own team in Orange, California. Drop them off at our studio or ship them in. You pay only for the sound we recover, never for blank tape, and your originals always come home.
Piano recitals, family conversations, voice letters mailed home. Those voices are still on the tape.
Cassette and reel-to-reel tape to digital, at a glance
- Cassettes
- $20 per hour of sound
- Reel-to-reel
- $40 per hour, $40 minimum
- Billed by
- The hour of sound recovered
- Blank tape
- Never charged
- Turnaround
- Call (888) 405-2685 for current processing times and priority ordering
- Where
- Orange, California; drop off Mon to Fri, 8AM to 4PM
Cassette and Reel-to-Reel to Digital Prices
You pay for sound, not tape. Priced by the hour of actual sound recovered, and blank tape at the start, end, or middle of a recording is never charged.
Audio cassettes
Standard cassette tapes of any length.
- Converted to WAV or MP3
- Input levels and volume adjusted
- Blank tape trimmed and never charged
- Not sure how long they run? Start at 60 minutes per tape
Reel-to-reel (1/4 inch)
- Open-reel 1/4-inch audio tape
- Played on proper reel equipment
- Levels adjusted, blank tape trimmed
- The format that carried a generation of voice letters
We convert recordings you created. Commercial copyrighted music cannot be converted.
How Much Does It Cost to Convert Cassette Tapes to Digital?
Because we bill by the sound recovered, the honest answer is an estimate until we listen. Here is a fair starting point at about 60 minutes of sound per tape.
| You have | About this much sound | Approximate cost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 cassettes | 5 hours | $100 |
| 10 cassettes | 10 hours | $200 |
| 1 reel-to-reel | 1 hour | $40 |
| 4 reels | 4 hours | $160 |
A cassette that is half blank costs half as much, because you only pay for the sound. We tell you the actual total once we know what is really on the tape.
Why Old Audio Tapes Go Silent
Audio tape is a magnetic recording on a plastic ribbon, and both parts break down. Some of the loss is gradual, and some of it ends a recording for good.
Sticky-shed syndrome
The binder holding the magnetic coating absorbs moisture and turns gummy. The tape squeals, sticks, and sheds when played. Once it sheds, that sound is gone.
Print-through
Over years of storage, sound bleeds faintly from one wrap of tape to the next, creating pre-echoes. Recovering it sooner keeps it cleaner.
The signal fades
The magnetic charge that holds the sound weakens over decades, so recordings grow quieter and hiss creeps in.
Mold and brittleness
Tape stored in garages and attics grows mold and turns brittle. Caught early, most still plays. Left long enough, it snaps or sheds.
If a tape squeals, sticks, or smells of vinegar, stop playing it at home. Each pass can strip more of the coating. Send it in and we handle it with the right equipment.
Questions to Ask a Cassette Tape Digitization Service
A tape is played and captured once. How that capture is handled is what you keep.
| Question to ask | Legacy Digital | Typical big-box lab |
|---|---|---|
| What am I billed for? | The hour of sound actually recovered | Per tape, blank or not |
| Charged for blank tape? | Never | Often |
| Levels adjusted and dead air trimmed? | Yes, included | Rarely |
| Where is the work done? | In-house, in Orange, CA | Often shipped out |
| Lost media? | Never lost an item, across more than a million | Loss reports online |
Which Audio Tapes Can Be Converted to Digital?
If it is your own recording, chances are we can rescue it. Some of the most treasured recoveries are the simplest: a grandparent's voice, a child's first words, a soldier's message home.
- Family conversations
- Piano and dance recitals
- Wedding and event audio
- Oral histories and interviews
- Voice letters mailed home
- Sermons and lectures
- Band practice and demos
- Dictation and notes
We convert content you created. We cannot convert commercial copyrighted material like your favorite band's album.
Cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes, the two audio formats we convert.
Reel-to-reel tape comes in many reel sizes. We play each one on proper reel equipment.
How Our Audio Tape to Digital Service Works
Gather your tapes
Drop them off at our Orange, California studio, ship them with a prepaid kit, or ask about local pick-up. A guess at how much sound is on them is fine.
We capture them in-house
Professional decks feed professional audio software. We monitor levels in real time, trim the blank tape, and reduce noise where it helps.
Listen together
WAV or MP3 files on a drive, organized and ready to share. Your original tapes come home with them.
Audio Conversion Reviews
The goal: voices the whole family can hear again.
“Legacy Digital Productions did an incredible job when I reached out to have the audio removed from a tape that was over 5 decades old of my brother singing at 5 years old, and they had an amazingly quick turn around and the prices are reasonable! I will definitely recommend them and look forward to using them again in the future.”
Nicole Dibiasi · Google review
“I've had a number of items (old reel to reel and slides) done by Legacy. Great work and communication!”
Kim D · Google review
Our Satisfaction Guarantee
We stand behind every transfer we perform. If you're unhappy with the quality of our work, we'll make every reasonable effort to make it right, at no additional charge. And if another professional service can produce a visibly better transfer from the same originals, we'll match their quality or refund what you paid us for the affected transfer.
See Our Full Satisfaction Guarantee →Cassette and Reel-to-Reel to Digital Questions
How much does it cost to convert cassette tapes to digital?
Cassettes are $20 per hour of actual sound recovered. A full 60-minute cassette comes to about $20, and a full 90-minute cassette to about $30. Blank tape is never charged, so a half-empty cassette costs less.
How much does it cost to convert reel-to-reel tape to digital?
Reel-to-reel is $40 per hour of sound recovered, with a $40 minimum whenever any reel work is on the order. Blank tape is never charged.
How do I estimate how much sound is on my tapes?
It is hard to tell from the outside, and a guess is fine. Start at about 60 minutes per cassette or reel. Your bill always follows the sound we actually recover, which is often less.
What digital format do I get, WAV or MP3?
WAV or MP3, your choice, on a flash drive or hard drive. WAV is lossless for archiving, and MP3 is smaller and plays anywhere.
How long does cassette and reel-to-reel conversion take?
Processing times depend on our current queue and the size of your order, so call us at (888) 405-2685 for current processing times. Working toward a date? Ask about priority ordering, and we will tell you honestly what we can finish by then. Once your tapes are in production, most jobs finish within days.
Can you remove hiss and noise when converting old audio tapes?
We adjust input levels and volume, trim blank tape at the start and end, and apply noise reduction where it helps. Hiss and dropouts that are part of the original recording have limits, so the result is as clear as the tape allows.
Can you convert commercial music cassettes?
Only recordings you created, like family conversations, recitals, interviews, and sermons. We cannot convert commercial copyrighted material such as a band's album.
Can you convert a broken, tangled, or squealing tape?
Send it in rather than trying to fix it at home. A tape that squeals, sticks, or smells of vinegar can lose more of its coating with every pass in the wrong deck. We look at every tape and handle it with the right equipment.
What happens if a tape cannot be converted?
You are not charged for its conversion, and any amount already paid for it is refunded. We tell you which tapes could not be converted, and why, before the final invoice, and the original comes back to you either way.
Where can I drop off cassette and reel-to-reel tapes in Orange County?
At our studio at 202 W. Lincoln Ave., Suite A, in Orange, California. Walk-ins are welcome Monday through Friday, 8AM to 4PM, and after hours by appointment. Not close by? Ship your tapes yourself, order a prepaid shipping kit, or ask about local pick-up.
Is it safe to ship my original tapes to you?
Every tape is logged and tracked, handled in-house in Orange, California, and returned to you. Across more than a million reels and millions of items, we have never lost one.
Can my audio go on the same drive as my videos and photos?
Yes. We place everything on the same drive in organized folders, so your whole archive lives in one place.
Other questions? Call us at (888) 405-2685. A real person answers, 7AM to 7PM, 7 days a week.
Have more than tapes?
Video, film, photos, and slides all go on one drive with your audio, in organized folders.
The voices are still on the tape. Let's bring them back.
Get a free, itemized quote. You pay only for the sound we recover, and your original tapes always come home.
202 W. Lincoln Ave., Suite A, Orange, CA 92865
Walk-ins Mon to Fri, 8AM to 4PM
Evenings and weekends by appointment
Phones answered 7AM to 7PM, 7 days a week
