harpgirl, your CD tracks can be copied to your hard disk directly from the CD-ROM drive on your computer. This is preferable, since you are then doing a direct digital to digital transfer. When you record via a patch cord, you're doing a digital/analog/digital transfer. Assuming you have your peripherals (tape deck/phono, etc.) connected to an amplifier, you need a patch cord from line-out on the amplifier to line-in on the sound card. Then you can use one of many software programs for the actual recording (I use and like MusicMatch, but there are many others available).

If you're transferring music to make 'favorite tracks' compilations on CD, I'd recommend against using RealProducer at all. All you really need are the .wav files saved on your hard disk for your burner to copy to the new CD, which your recording software will do for you.