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If you're a music fan, you probably already know that you can turn tracks from a store-bought CD into digital MP3 files. But if you still haven't left the analog age of vinyl LPs or cassettes behind, don't fret: You too can enjoy the fun of making your albums into CDs or putting them into an MP3 music library.

Any standard PC with a sound card can record and archive almost anything that you can play through a stereo system. That includes old 33, 45, and 78 RPM records; reel-to-reel and cassette audio tapes; FM radio broadcasts; and soundtracks or live concerts recorded from a telecast onto VHS videocassettes. With one of a number of free or shareware software packages, you can organize your favorite songs on your hard disk and then put them into easily accessible music libraries or onto custom discs.

Unlike vinyl records and cassette tapes, you can't scratch a .wav or .mp3 file, and they don't decay or degrade no matter how many times you play them. Even better news: Filters built into sound-editing software can reduce or eliminate pops, crackles, and tape hiss, making your digital music files sound cleaner than the originals.

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