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Recording Tapes and Then Transferring to a CDIf you prefer, you can use a traditional tape recorder to record your book, then convert your tape "analog" recordings to digital PC format. I will assume you do not need any guidance on recording with a tape recorder. Once you have recorded your book to tape, you will need to purchase a special cable from a local electronics store. (I know that Radio Shack carries them, and I assume other stores like Best Buy or Circuit City do as well.) You need to find a cable that has a "male" prong on both ends. You will insert one prong into the headphone jack of your tape player and insert the other prong into the "Line In" jack of your PC sound card. (Some sound cards have colored jacks; some do not. The "Line In" jack may be blue, or it may say "Line In" or it may have an arrow pointing TOWARD the jack instead of away from the jack. Once you've used this cable to connect your tape player to the Line In jack of your sound card, you will need softare to capture and convert the analog signal coming from your tape player to a digital signal on your PC. I used the Analog Recorder that comes with Microsoft Windows XP Plus Digital Media Edition, but since this costs money, you could also elect to download shareware programs off of the internet. One that I have used in the past is Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). Regardless of the program you select, you will probably need to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the program. After you've connected your tape player to your PC, downloaded software to convert the audio signal, and familiarized yourself with that software, you're ready to do a test recording. There should be a "Record" button on the software (probably a button with a red circle on it). You'll want to start recording FIRST, and then press play on your tape recorder. Most software programs have a meter that shows then they're receiving sound input, so you should be able to tell visually whether or not the software is recording. Nevertheless, you'll want to stop after 30-60 seconds and test your recording to see if the volume levels are correct. Once you are comfortable that everything is set up properly, you can begin transferring your tape recordings to your PC. Information on burning your CDs is below.

Recording Directly to Your PCThe following directions are for recording your audio book directly to a Windows-based PC. If you want to record your book directly to CD, you will need a PC with a sound card that has a "Microphone" jack (almost all do), you will need a microphone, and you will need software to record your narrative. Your sound card is most likely accessible from the back of your PC. There will likely be a number of small round jacks lined up next to one another. Depending on your sound card, these may be colored. One of the jacks will be for your speakers (possibly the light green one). One of the jacks will be for a microphone (possibly an orange or red one). Plug your microphone cord into your microphone jack. Next, you will need software. I used the Analog Recorder that comes with Microsoft Windows XP Plus Digital Media Edition, but since this costs money, you could also elect to download shareware programs off of the internet. One that I have used in the past is Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). Regardless of the program you select, you will probably need to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the program. Once you have your microphone hooked up to your PC, your recording software downloaded, and you've familiarized yourself with the software, you will want to do a test recording to see if everything is working properly. If it is, then you'll start recording your book. I would suggest that you record for about 5 minutes at a time (saving each 5 minute recording as a separate file). That way, if you mess up, you don't have to go back and redo the whole thing. More information is included below on burning your CDs once you've made your recording.

Technical SuggestionsI mentioned previously I would post some ideas on how to create your audio CDs. You have a couple of basic options: (1) you can record your book directly onto your PC and then burn CDs from there, or (2) you can use a traditional tape recorder and then convert your tape "analog" recordings to a digital format on your PC and then burn your CDs from there. The following comments outline the basics of creating your CDs through each of these methods.