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Cassette Tape Choice - Convert to CD or MP3?


This is a visual representation of a cassette tape being converted to digital.
Audiomover - Convert tape to Digital

One of the most common questions we are asked when people are having their cassettes transferred to digital is "which do you recommend, CD or MP3?"


The truth is, it's hard to go wrong with either.


There is really one primary question to ask yourself - Where will you most likely be playing the audio we are capturing? Here's a simple way to look at it:

  • If you have a CD player and you like using your CD player, let us make CDs.

  • If you like playing things on your computer, your MP3 player, or other player that recognize MP3s, let us make MP3s.

Sometimes I am asked about compression and loss of quality. It's true an MP3 is considered a "lossy" compression, while an Audio CD, in theory, is considered "lossless." In order to make an MP3 file so small, the audio has to be compressed. But at AudioMover, when we convert a cassette to MP3, we set the compression at a very high level; 192 Kbps for stereo files, and 96 Kbps for mono files (we can set it even higher if you want). Having worked in the professional audio business for over two decades, I can tell you from experience, that I can't hear a differnce between an Audio CD and a high-quality MP3 file. This is especially true if the audio is the spoken word and not music.


The great thing for you as a consumer is that you aren't stuck with one or the other. If you have a tool like iTunes loaded on your computer, you can make Audio CDs from MP3s, and conversely, you can make MP3s from your Audio CDs. So pick the one that best suits you right now. You can't lose. :)

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