You might be wondering how can you record over cassette tapes if there’s already audio on the tape?
Fortunately, this trick is quite easy to do!
But make sure you digitize your cassette tapes first before erasing the tracks with a new recording.
Whether you want to reuse old cassette tapes in the closet or play over cringe-worthy mixtapes from your childhood, the process is simple if you still have a cassette deck.
The top tab on the cassette tape gives you the ability to record over tracks. All you have to do is release the anti-record device on the tab if you want to record different audio over the cassette tape.
If the tab is removed, then the record button locks up and doesn’t allow audio to be recorded over. So can you record over cassette tapes if the tab is gone? If the tabs are gone on your cassette tapes, there is another trick you can use to record over the audio. Simply cover the tab opening with a small piece of paper or cellophane tape.
Once you have made these adjustments, you’ll record music onto the cassette tape as you usually would with a cassette deck.
Re-Recording Cassette Tape Tips:
- When recording over cassette tapes, oftentimes background sounds from the previous track can still be heard. Some people record “blank” sounds over the cassette tape before re-recording a new track to ensure a better quality sound. If this is your first time recording over the cassette tape, then the sounds should be barely noticeable.
- The most effective way to eliminate background noise is with a tape head demagnetizer (also known as a bulk tape eraser). A demagnetizer removes the magnetic field on the cassette tape to give the newly recorded audio a crisper sound without any remnant recordings from the previous tracks.
- Background noise accumulates the more you re-record a cassette tape. If you’ve done this several times it’s best to use a new cassette tape or a demagnetizer.
Do you want to preserve cassette tape audio before re-recording the tracks? Remember, you can always digitize your old cassette tapes with KODAK Digitizing Box to protect all your analog memories!
