Best way to convert vinyl LP's to cd's - advice for how to convert records

PeterDragon · 11-12-2002, 04:26 PM

As was mentioned by someone else here, I'm noticing fewer receivers have phono inputs. I know I can use a pre-amp to connect it to a receiver, but that got me thinking anyway.

I have around 100 vinyl lp's and many of them are hard to find as cd's (especially without paying). I'd like to copy them to cd, thereby keeping them pristine and still being able to listen in car, etc.

what is the best way to copy them? what software?
should I copy them to wav in order to burn the cd's to get the best copy?

TIA :lookatme:

ClusterF@#$ · 11-12-2002, 06:18 PM

WAV is definitely the best in terms of preserving quality because it doesn't do any compression. If that's the route you choose to go, make sure that you record at 16 bit resolution and 44.1 khz. That is the standard for CD quality... and this will give you the best sounding copy. sidenote.. these files will be HUGE, but it sounds like you just want to keep them temporarily until you are able to burn your cd's and get them off your harddrive.

If cd is your final target medium.... definitely stay away from MP3 as an intermidiary file... mp3 does a lot of compression, it notches out frequencies on both ends of the spectrum.... and overall just isn't as pristine as CD quality. No sense in removing quality/frequency ranges by using mp3 as a middle man.

recording a wav @ 16 bit/44.1 k is a cd quality recording.. (granted your source is not cd quality being a record... but whatever... all the scratches and pops, and hiss of a phonograph is what makes analog records great!!)

I'm not sure about software packages.. i'm sure there are a ton that let you split out tracks and stuff.... check around. I'm sure the techies in here will have some suggestions... I hardly ever burn music to cd.

Edited By ClusterF@#$ on 1037125251

Keyser Soze · 11-12-2002, 07:02 PM

i started a topic here awhile ago asking for good receivers to plug my record player into. you said i could use a pre-amp to do it with my current receiver. do you have any suggesstions for pre-amps?

PeterDragon · 11-12-2002, 07:19 PM

Quote:i started a topic here awhile ago asking for good receivers to plug my record player into. you said i could use a pre-amp to do it with my current receiver. do you have any suggesstions for pre-amps?

I remembered your thread; but I usually avoid pre-amps.
stereo equipment is a funny topic in general; you can spend $100, or $1,000 easily.
What receiver are you planning to match it with? a general rule of thumb might be to check out pre-amp from same maker as receiver/tuner.

personally, a year or 2 ago I was looking to get a dolby or dts receiver. I have a Yamaha that works great, but it is 2 channel (I've had it since around '86). Well, I actually bought a cheaper sony, only to find out it had no phono - that is when I noticed (as you did) it is less & less common.
Kenwood, for example, doesn't add phono until you get around $600 for a receiver.

My current thinking is it is easier to keep my Yamaha, even if only for music/phono.
If you are in a similar position, you might just want to check garage sales, etc. and see if you can pick up an older unit for cheap.

CF,
thanks. You confirmed what I was thinking. Yeah, I'd make the waves, burn the cd's, then delete the waves.
I know Roxio has some kind of software with it's easy cd, as well as music match or total recorder.
they have filters to cut out pops/snaps, but that stuff usually dulls the music as well.

krahzee · 11-13-2002, 12:45 AM

Quote:i started a topic here awhile ago asking for good receivers to plug my record player into. you said i could use a pre-amp to do it with my current receiver. do you have any suggesstions for pre-amps?

Circuit city sells one. It's a small box you plug into the line from your turntable to any tuner you want. Because most TV's and Cd players are already somewhat amplified, and turntables are not, You normally can not plug a turntable into the Aux, or CD input on a tuner. This solves that. Best of all it's only $40. It also lets you use your record player with your existing tuner saving the space a second tuner, speakers ect.. would take up. I have not used this, but would imagine any difference in sound quality this might cause would be offset by being able to use better, new speakers with it.

On Circuitcity.com

Do a search for "amplifiers" then narrow it down to audio, disks,tapes,misc. on the top drag down bar above the results. Should be the first product to show up.

(tried putting a direct link, but no luck.)

Hope that helps

Edited By krahzee on 1037148564

AdolescentMasturbator · 11-13-2002, 06:43 AM

Once you get the wav's you can convert them to .shn or .ape which will reduce them to 25% of the original .wav size without losing any quality in audio unlike mp3.

radioguy · 11-13-2002, 10:08 AM

Quote:I have around 100 vinyl lp's and many of them are hard to find as cd's (especially without paying). I'd like to copy them to cd, thereby keeping them pristine and still being able to listen in car, etc.

What type of music is this? (So much has been remastered for CD)

Also, you could try using two receivers to amp. a turntable, an older one with phono pre-amp, output to a more recent one. I've re-equalized certain tracks this way for tape and CD.

PeterDragon · 11-13-2002, 05:15 PM

Quote:What type of music is this? (So much has been remastered for CD)

Quote:(especially without paying).

While some is hard to find (Ten years after, the Who's "Odds & Sods"), most of it is stuff I don't feel like paying for again, and is unlikely to be found for free (if you search for "The Who" or "Neil Young" on Direct Connect for example, you get few hits)

As for my playing the phono, I'll either keep the Yamaha receiver for music, and get a new DD/DTS receiver for DVD's, or buy a good receiver that will do both.

Lots of good advice as to what to record them to - anyone have preference to software?

Rookie · 11-13-2002, 05:53 PM

Steinberg Wavelab and Sonic Foundry Sound Forge are both very good software packages for recording and editing wav files. You can probably find "trial" versions of both on Kazaa.

What I am wondering is this. If you need a pre-amp to get a signal from your turntable to a receiver without a phono input, wouldn't you need one to get a signal from your turntable to your sound card as well? Last I checked, sound cards don't have phono inputs...

krahzee · 11-13-2002, 07:25 PM

Quote:Lots of good advice as to what to record them to - anyone have preference to software?

I'm pretty sure I have "friendly" version of Sound Forge with all you need to set it up. let me know, and I'll Email it to you when i get home later tonite ( probably like 3AM).

It works fairly simple once you tweak it to the right levels. A friend of mine actually uses it off his mixer when he Dj's to break apart by track and burn his live mixes. The only advice is this: record to the pc a track at a time. The way the software works, it takes forever to seperate a full side to seperate tracks on most pcs. It's also alot easier to shave ten seconds off each end of a song, then to seperate tracks out.

Quote:What I am wondering is this. If you need a pre-amp to get a signal from your turntable to a receiver without a phono input, wouldn't you need one to get a signal from your turntable to your sound card as well? Last I checked, sound cards don't have phono inputs...

Good question. Most DJ mixers like the one my friend uses amplify the signal coming out of them somewhat. i have never seen a turntable hooked directly into a pc. I say try it without any signal boost, And if it doesn't work spend the $40 dollars on the booster I recommended a few posts up.

Edited By krahzee on 1037215608

PeterDragon · 11-13-2002, 08:45 PM

Quote:If you need a pre-amp to get a signal from your turntable to a receiver without a phono input,

I have a Yamaha receiver that has phono output; it was Keyser that didn't, and I was talking about future.

Krahzee,
thanks. I probably have a version of sound forge somewhere - I know some software came with my soundblaster live mp3, and I know there are various programs "bundled" for test that I've picked up.

If you have access to Nasty Ham's ftp server, just upload it there - this way anyone who needs it can get it from there. If you don't have access, it wouldn't hurt - visit opieanthony.net or #opieanthony and ask. If you do this, email me that it is there, rather than send it to me.
TIA.

sblueman · 11-14-2002, 12:18 AM

I have a version of Total Recorder with a Registration key generator. Email me or IM me on AIM (SBlueman Radio) and I can hook you up with it. Total Recorder will record any sound that comes thru your sound card to wav. or mp3 format and you can change the bitrates and frequency as well.

PeterDragon · 11-14-2002, 03:27 AM

Quote:I have a version of Total Recorder with a Registration key generator. Email me or IM me on AIM (SBlueman Radio) and I can hook you up with it. Total Recorder will record any sound that comes thru your sound card to wav. or mp3 format and you can change the bitrates and frequency as well.

Thanks - I have that. Oh and Krahzee, I also have sound forge 6d, as well as mixmeister, cdwave and a few others....
(it's amazing what you can find on usenet) Rolleyes

I'll just see which does best job I guess.....

oh Sblue, does total recorder record cd's like musicmatch, or just from cd input? I couldn't get it to start/stop in conjunction with cd like you can in musicmatch.