I am listening to an album called "Gospel Chestnuts" (for the first time in years) right now, the cut called "I'm Tired" by the Bright Lights Quartet. This true chestnut of audio has lived on a cassette tape since I originally recorded the actual VINYL Record from a friend.
I LOVE it!
My favorite is the original version of "Progidal Son" by Rev Robert Wilkins. Mick Jagger sung this tune on Beggars Banquet. This gospel recording is what inspired him. And I can listen to it because I DIGITIZED IT! It's in iTunes now- not a cassette anymore! YAY!
Last night I got the rack of gear up and running. I'm playing the cassettes through a Nakamichi deck into my Motu 896 Firewire audio interface and recording with GarageBand, then importing the cuts into iTunes on the music server iMac.
I've digitized the Ventures, B-52's Cosmic Thing, Tippy A-GoGo"s SOUL-O-Works, a radical tape of "precious messages" I saved from my old answering machine, and several other tapes. The well grounded turntable's focus is funky 45's right now. I am enjoying listening to things I love after a long time- it's like a happy reunion or homecoming.

Here's a snapshot of the special space attached to our iMac music slave/server assembled to enable my current digitize-the-audio frenzy...

torchstar.diaryland.com/images...web.jpg

Happy Ears!