Twin Cities · cassettes & reel-to-reel

Audio cassette and reel-to-reel transfer in Minneapolis

Voices are the thing people most regret not having. Answering machine tapes, dictation microcassettes, a wedding recorded on a portable deck, band practice on quarter-inch reel, all of it transfers.

  • 6 Twin Cities drop-off counters
  • Originals always returned
  • Digitized by hand in Minneapolis

Why local matters here

You should not have to mail your only copy out of state.

The national services ship everything to one enormous facility hundreds of miles away. We are a small Minneapolis shop, and you can hand your box to a person.

Drop it off, or mail it in

Six Twin Cities counters open regular retail hours, and a padded box with a prepaid label if you would rather not travel.

Nothing leaves Minnesota

Every item is handled in our Minneapolis shop. It is not shipped to a central facility in another state and it is not outsourced.

You approve the price first

Payment is collected when you place your order. We recount your media on arrival and may adjust your invoice if the actual count differs.

What we actually do

How your audio get handled

Prices shown are the live per-item rate before volume discounts. One rate applies to your whole order and every format counts toward it, so the more you send in one go, in any mix, the lower it goes.

Audio

Cassettes · microcassettes · reel-to-reel · DAT

Audio tape sheds the same way video tape does, and a cassette played a hundred times is thinner than it was. We capture at 48kHz or higher with no compression, and you get both MP3 and WAV so you have something to share and something to keep.

Reel-to-reel is priced by running time rather than per reel, because a ten-inch reel at 7.5 inches per second is a very different job from a five-inch reel at 3.75.

What is included and how to prepare

Included with every one of these

  • 48kHz or higher, uncompressed capture
  • MP3 and WAV both provided
  • Broken shells and snapped tape repaired in-house
  • Multiple speeds and track layouts supported
  • Hiss and hum reduction on request

Condition matters. A cassette chewed by a player is usually recoverable, we splice and re-shell it. Bring the whole thing, including any tape that came loose in the machine.

How it works

Four steps, and we do three of them.

You do not need to sort, label, or identify anything first.

Get my estimate
  1. Tell us roughly what you have

    Two minutes online. Rough counts are fine, and if you do not know what is in the box, say so, we will identify it.

  2. We take it from here
  3. Drop off or mail in

    Six Twin Cities counters, or a mail-in kit from $9.99 with a prepaid label sent to you in two to three days.

  4. We digitize by hand

    Inspected, cleaned and transferred individually in Minneapolis. You get an email when the box arrives and when work begins.

  5. Everything comes back

    Digital files by private link, originals returned, and a physical drive if you asked for one.

What Twin Cities families say

They already trusted us with the only copy.

I feel so lucky to have found this company! I wish we had more media to send because it was such a positive experience, something that seems so rare in business anymore. We were in communication with John throughout the process and start to finish I was so happy to come across Family Media Transfer.
Jordan Baker Google review
John was incredible to work with as he helped me sort through literally hundreds of cassette tapes containing my father’s old sermons and recordings. From the very beginning, he was communicative, professional, friendly, and genuinely cared about the importance of what was on those tapes.
Drew Bendell Google review
Wow! This service/company is amazing. I found these family tapes from the late 90s/early 2000s that were from an old handheld tape recorder. I tried to watch them on the recorder and hooked up to TV and it worked once, and then it didn't. I thought they were broken for good.
Emma Lee Google review
I had an excellent experience with Family Media Transfer. I had several 8mm films digitized, and thanks to their work I’ve been able to watch and relive childhood memories that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to enjoy without the proper equipment. Seeing these moments again has been truly priceless.
Pam Baker Google review
We recently worked with the team (John and Nick) at Family Media Transfer to digitize our Wedding photos from the late 1990's. We dropped off our negatives to a drop off site, they were picked up quickly, and in a matter of days, the project was done and all the images were in the cloud in a very organized format, labeled consistent with how we dropped them off. Two digital formats were provided.
Michael Google review
John Heinen, Founder/Producer of Family Media was a delight to work with. We gave him bags of DVDs, CDs, vintage video tapes, audio tapes, photo chips and he was able to convert all the various types of media into wonderful viewable movies/audios that we are now able to enjoy again after many decades. He delivers what he promises, on a timely basis. We are extremely pleased!
Linda Google review
I couldn’t be more impressed with the exceptional work this family owned company delivered. From start to finish, the entire process was handled with professionalism, efficiency, and incredible attention to detail. Every step was clearly communicated, timelines were respected.
Diana Parra Google review
From start to finish I cannot say enough about how much I would trust John and Family Media with our treasured memories. Communication was always stellar throughout the process and we are just delighted with the finished product! Being able to hear an old audio 1/4” reel tape of our parents 1955 wedding!! Such a gift! We will absolutely use John and team again!
Margaret Shoemaker Google review
Can't say enough about how great my experience was with Family Transfer Media. They transferred 3 Super 8mm films from the 1970s and did a super job. Received the link with the videos within 3 days and it was super easy to download and share. And my films arrived back home safe and sound a few days later in the mail. Highly recommend!
sean healey Google review
I recommend A440 Studios for film and video digital transfers. I had a mix of old media that I wanted to convert, and my previous experience with A440 doing a promotional video for a nonprofit organization gave me confidence they'd do well with the media conversions. And so they did! Thanks John and Nick, keep em flyin'!
Mark Thornsjo Google review
Family Media Transfer is incredible! They helped my family convert 20 year old family tapes for a Christmas present, and they not only had excellent turnaround time, but gave us childhood memories to watch with clear visual and audio. Thanks to them we have these memories to look back on for a lifetime!
Bennett Oelkers Google review
I've had direct business contact with the staff at Family Media Transfer and they do not disappoint! All of my projects have been dealt with professionally and the personnel were great, not missing any detail of audio or video and always taking my viewpoint into account.
Joan Schubert Google review
We are so glad we found family media transfer! The cost was much less than other companies and they were great to work with. Pick up and drop off was done personally by John H. and he was so helpful and accommodating! We highly recommend this company.
Judy Madsen Google review
I sent in a cassette tape that had been broken in my cassette player. They were able to successfully repair it and convert the contents to MP3. My tapes were over 30 years old, and contained sentimental family memories. Thank you!
Laura Graber Google review
The Family Media Transfer team did a great job with my family memories, turning old DVDs into consolidated thumb drives for the whole family. It was fast and easy and they helped me with several questions. Highly recommend!
Ann Page Google review
I am very pleased with the personal, prompt service I received from Family Media Transfer. I would recommend for anyone looking for assistance with old photos to transfer to digital. Great job!
Claudia Nixon Google review
I found how to do this. Great work. The DVDs came out great. I'm sure I'll have them for a long time. I'll refer you to my friends if they need some work done. Thank you, John Tibbits
John Tibbits Google review
Great work. John and Nick went above and beyond the call of duty. Our transfers were organized, high quality and on time...all within our budget. Thanks for a great job!!
Paul Lemenager Google review
Had a 40-year old VHS tape needing to be converted to digital and was quite happy with the result. Great service and fair pricing too. Highly recommend this provider.
Dennis Shostak Google review
My family was blown away by the quality and the cost to digitize all our old movies and photos. I would highly recommend Family Media!!! Thank U again!!!
Mark Boldt Google review
John and his crew do fabulous work. They deliver high quality results and are laid back and easy to work with. I was very satisfied. Highly recommended!
Jeff Perry / Sonic Dream Music Google review
The guys were very professional, friendly and finished 14 of my tape in a timely manner. My early 1990’s pictures turned out great, I love seeing them.
Cindy Grisco Google review
Great work!! Nice to finally have that old media in a more secure and usable medium. Thanks Nic and John.
Dave Larsen Google review
Very satisfied with this company of high integrity. I would definitely recommend them.
David King Google review
Really quick, truly excellent customer service and communication!
sathert Google review
Very prompt, high quality digitalization of my old slides.
Pieter Visscher Google review
Read all reviews

Common questions

Before you hand over the box

If yours is not here, call or text (612) 649-4707 and a real person will answer.

Ask us anything
Do I get my originals back?

Always. Your originals are returned with the digital files, whether you dropped them off or mailed them in.

Can you clean up hiss or background noise?

Yes, on request. We keep an untouched transfer as well, so you always have the raw capture alongside the cleaned version.

Where exactly can I drop off in the Twin Cities?

Choose one of our six drop-off counters: Groth Music in Bloomington; Down in The Valley in Golden Valley; Prairie View Framing & Home in Eden Prairie; Steller Handcrafted Goods in Minneapolis (NE); Down In The Valley in Maple Grove; Music Connection in Forest Lake. Check the address and current hours before visiting. Steller accepts walk-ins Thursday and Friday, 10am to 4pm; closed on other days.

What if something is damaged?

We repair it in-house first, snapped tape, cracked shells, mold and film with vinegar syndrome are routine here. If something cannot be recovered, you are not charged for it.

How long does it take?

Standard is three to four weeks from check-in. Expediting is available for an extra fee, two to three weeks, or one to two weeks.

Ready when you are

Start with one box. You can always send more.

Mixed boxes are welcome, tapes, reels, photos and slides can all go into the same order, and the per-item price drops as the collection grows.

Call or text, a real person answers, usually John.

Drop off in person

  • Groth Music Bloomington · 8056 Nicollet Ave
  • Down in The Valley Golden Valley · 8020 Olson Mem Hwy
  • Prairie View Framing & Home Eden Prairie · 942 Prairie Center Dr
  • Steller Handcrafted Goods Minneapolis (NE) · 1121 Jackson St NE, Suite 143
  • Down In The Valley Maple Grove · 13633 Grove Dr
  • Music Connection Forest Lake · 77 8th Ave SW