Community Newsletter: Q&A: 10/20/06 Converting old vinyl records and tapes to digital

Other additional advice from our members

by Lee Koo (ADMIN)  - 10/19/06 5:03 PM

In reply to: 10/20/06 Converting old vinyl records and tapes to digital by Lee Koo (ADMIN) 

Answer:

Hi Ferdi,

I had the exact same decision to make about 4 years ago. I decided to just sell all of my records and tapes. I then went and purchased CD's of the albums I really liked (you can pick up used CD's of your favorite albums from Ebay and Amazon for a fraction of their original price and sometimes cheaper then what you paid for the original tape or record).

The quality from a factory CD produced by a music company is going to be better than anything you can reproduce from vinyl. As you know the tracks closest to the center of the record have large amounts of distortion. When you buy a factory CD, these distortions are not there.

The other consideration is time. What is your time worth? Do you have any idea how long it is going to take you to say convert 100 albums and 100 tapes? To convert a vinyl record album you have to play it at the speed it was originally meant to be played at. If each record album is 40 minutes long, times 100 albums, you are looking at over 65 hours just for the albums.

After I sold my collection and bought their CD replacements, I then purchased an external 120 gig USB hard drive. I ripped all of the CD's onto this external hard drive (ripping a factory CD is lightspeeds ahead of copying a record or tape). I then put the factory CD's back on the shelf and whenever I need music I just copy it off the external drive. When I buy a new CD, I just add it to the drive.

Submitted by: RAM-IT

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Answer:

The cheap simple solution to recording your LPs and tapes is Audacity freeware from Soundforge--Soundforge may be the gold standard in digital recording. Audacity has a pretty good declicker and a rather sophisticated noise eliminator, but there are drawbacks. Audacity records your LP in one continuous track, whereas it provides a track splitter, it is manual. Nero and Easy CD will create a new track wherever there is a pause--used defined length and db level. Having said that, sooner or later you will want to label each track, and that's a manual process; with Audacity it can be part of the track splitting process.

My advice is to try Audacity and gain an understanding of digital recording, identify the shortfalls that concern you, and find a recorder that suits all your needs. OBTW, some very sophisticated recording software can be VERY expensive, and Soundforge makes some of the best--I'm not a Soundforge employee.

Submitted by: Richard H. of Phoenix, Arizona

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Answer:

Well, my recommendation is don't do it! It will take you YEARS of continuous work to convert all your old vinyl and tapes. If you are married, you will end up divorced!

Keep in mind that in order to capture an LP or VHS or BETA tape into digital format, you must play the disk or tape at its original speed. There is no fast way of capturing the tracks like there is for ripping CDs. Besides, even after you digitize the LP, you will most likely need to do some post-processing to remove the hiss, pops, and scratch noises - more work! Then you will need to edit the EXIF data to include title, artist, genre, etc. - more work!

Having said that, there are many offerings (hardware and software) available to do this job if you really insist on it.. just do a Google search. However, be warned: this is a very long job.. sort of like the guy that asked about scanning in all his thousands of Kodachrome slides and making digital images - another job that will take a lifetime if done properly.

I have hundreds of old vinyl records. And I have a turntable. Put one on, turn down the lights, maybe light a few candles and enjoy them for what they are. If you have an old lava lamp, even better. Nothing like a vinyl night!

Submitted by: Paul L. of Toronto, Ontario

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Answer:

Going into answering this would be better served with some links to get you started your computer already has a sound card and is more then adequate in resources. I use Adobe Audition along with a plug-in called ClickFix from http://www.jdklein.com/clickfix/ a much faster and more reliable click and pop remover add on. Adobe's fill a single click function is still very handy for the big nasty pops. The links are from other software and support sites and on the software side I have not used them. These sites will get you up and going on the hooking up your stereo and turntable to your computer, and the basic interfaces you will need to know in your computer. I will say that I have tried some of the less expensive software before landing on Cool Edit Pro now known as Adobe Audition, and probably spent as much on all of them as one copy of the Adobe Software and left unsatisfied with their results most sounded muddy or bubbly to say the least. Adobe Audition is probably much more then you need, unless you are looking for exceptional sound quality in your recordings. I have recorded over 700 LP's/Cassettes using mine and figure the cost of Audition was mute compared to the quality of the recordings and the time spent.

http://www.wincue.org/pc_recording.php Never used the software but has some good pictures of how to hook things up.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/1/1 Very in depth on the process, hooking things up, and computer interfaces you will need to know.

Submitted by: Anonymous

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Answer:

In the last year I have transferred over five years of our minister's sermons from cassette to digital files to archive them. I am now in the process of putting my brother's entire LP collection on CD's.

I use, and am very happy with, Roxio's Easy Media Creator. I have Version 7.5. The new Version 9.0 should work the same or even better.

On the Roxio main menu there is a link, "Convert LP's and Tapes to CD's". Click on "Recording Set-up", for information on the cable connections. I put a "Y" in the line so I can plug in my head phones to monitor. Next you click on, "Record Tracks". When you do LP's from a turntable, you must go through an amp as it will not recognize it directly.

After you have brought a song into the computer, you have choices to enhance, clean or equalize the sound. After this is done you can export your tracks to your hard drive. You have a choice so save as a WAVE or MP3 file. I save mine as MP3's to save space on my hard drive. When I burn my CD's, Roxio or Nero will automatically change the MP3 format on the files so they can be played on a regular CD player.

Submitted by: Vern S.

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I have tried turning my analog LP and cassette collection into digital CD’s two ways, via my computer and via my A-V system, and I much prefer to do it on the A-V system. Part of the reason is that my turntable and cassette deck were in the family room and moving them to the den where my computer resides was a lot of trouble. For $299, you can buy a Sony RCD-W500C 5-Disc Dual-Deck CD Changer/CD-R/RW Recorder. Put a record on, put a blank disc in, push record, and come back in a half hour to turn the record over. Couldn’t be easier.

Submitted by: Frank B.

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Answer:

Vinyl to Digital

I’m a collector of some 30 years and because I did own and operate a mobile disco in Jamaica, my vinyl collection is extensive.

I have found that in order to preserve some of the warmth and depth of vinyl recordings…the tedious way is the best really. That is to burn using a Digital CD Audio Disc Recorder/Burner, in contrast to a PC CD burner.

However in Jamaica, a radio station called ‘Mega Jams’ used an interface to burn from Vinyl straight to the server, and their set-up was very impressive with several work stations burning just before they went live.

DJ Squeeze was the mastermind behind the project and he was adamant about preserving the warmth and Depth of the Vinyl sound…so to speak.

Some key points for clean recordings, etc.

1. Use a good turntable, e.g. Technics 1200’s
2. Use a good stylus, e.g. Orthophon…properly weighted & balanced
3. Record a ‘0’ pitch adjustment…do not increase/decrease pitch
4. Clean records & stylus prior to use…clean after each recording & use anti-static. Records can be washed but with a team (washer, dryer & packer), to ensure labels are not damaged.
5. Adjust recording levels to reduce distortion and maintain levels
6. Back-up!...make back-up copies and store separately

Good Luck!

Best Regards.

Submitted by: Dwight G. of Kingston, Jamaica

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Answer:

I have been using the ADS Tech Instant Music machine to transfer my audio cassettes to CD. It works flawlessly and all you need is a good quality cassette player to jack into. You can mix tracks or transfer entire cassettes with excellent results. I have not tried to transfer LP's since I don't have the turntable and preamp required for this, however, if it works as well with LP's as it does with cassette it won't be a disappointment. Comes with Nero Soundtrax software (transfer and editing), USB cable, and audio patch cables. Cost at Staples Business Depot here in Canada was $49.95 Canadian.

Submitted by: John D.

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Answer:

Recording phonograph records and cassette tapes to a PC:

Connect both Phonograph and Cassette Tape Player to an Amplifier.
Connect line from Amplifier Phone Jack (use size adapter) to PC.

Software Preference:
• jetAudio by Cowan [Audio Mixing Recorder]

• Adobe Audition 1.5 is my choice of Noise Reduction software to remove Pop/Click & Hiss after transferring music to PC. Audition contains Filters as well as Amplitude to Normalize volume [you select %]. Provides you with the ability to Cut, then Fade In and Fade Out to correct over extension of non-music area (which you will have using this method).

Most software programs allow you to record between an Amplifier and PC. I’ll discus jetAudio since I’m familiar with their Audio Mixing Recorder. Before recording music, you must identify the artist and song title in the Target area – then click Save. Click Start Recording before playing the music. You will have to manually start and end the music by using the Stop button on a Cassette Deck or by lifting the Arm on a Phonograph. This is not jet age science, however you are reproducing music from another era.

Since you are recording through wires, with the help of a program such as Adobe Audition, you will end up with a CD quality recording after some practice.

This method is very simple, yet time consuming. Do not attempt to play music and record with a microphone. The subsequent recording will be a total waste of your time.

Submitted by: Edwin D.

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Answer:

Ferdi,

Below is an online tutorial about Vinyl to CD-R Recording. It covers just about everything your going to need and what to expect when you start converting your old Vinyl & Cassettes over to CD's.

I suggest you take a long hard look at what's involved and then decide which methods you want to use, as there are quite a few. It's not hard to take on this hobby, just a bit time consuming. You can also print out the entire Tutorial on your printer if you need to.

Good luck and happy converting.


Vinyl to CD-R Recording - A Tutorial
This tutorial describes the transfer of vinyl records to CD-R. It is divided into three sections as follows:
Part 1 deals with playing vinyl records with particular emphasis on the special requirements for digital re-mastering.
Part 2 explains how to make digital recordings on a multimedia PC using its built-in sound card to capture an analogue source.
Part 3 describes the audio restoration of vinyl recordings using Ganymede Test & Measurement’s Wave Corrector program.
Please note that Part 3 of the tutorial refers to an earlier version of Wave Corrector than the current release. Although most of the information is still relevant, a small number of the procedures described have been up revised. The tutorial will be updated soon to take account of these revisions.
The tutorial is also available in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format by clicking here.

The below link (if active) will take you to the entire Tutorial

http://www.ganymede.hemscott.net/tutorial.htm

Submitted by: Larry

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Answer:

I had saved a collection of old cassettes just for the purpose of burning them to CDs when I could make the time. When I finally found the time, I tried to do the job with with the onboard Dell MusicMatch Jukebox. While it would do the job, I found the quality unsatisfactory. To obtain the best quality, I purchased a Creative Soundblaster X-Fi soundcard. I bought it on Ebay for a little over a hundred bucks. There are 5 'levels' of the Creative X-Fi card, from the 'Xtreme Audio' up to the 'Elite Pro'. You can view them on the top left corner of this page: http://www.soundblaster.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=15855 . I believe that the card on the top 4 levels is the same. Only the hardware is different and costs more on the pricier versions. So, if you can live with plugging your wires into the card in the back of your computer instead of into a bay in the front, the 'Xtreme Music' version will get you the same sound quality as the 'Elite Pro'. Then you just run your wires from your line-out ports on the back of your music device (or use Y-jacks to plug into your speaker jacks) to the line-in port on the back of the sound card. It will also take a "3.5mm male audio stereo jack to 2 RCA(F) adapter cable" that you can get for 2 bucks on Ebay. The recording software is included with the soundcard. If you are going to go to the time and effort to record and save your old records and tapes in digital format, it is worth the small investment to get the best quality recording you can. I think that the Soundblaster card will do that.

Submitted by: Mike G.

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Answer:

I think you should contact you nearest Pinnacle Studio software supplier. They have lot of options & software which come along with video capture graphics cards & they are very reliable. Also friendly user & very easy to edit etc.

I have converted my all VHS tape in to DVD though. this software. Of converting analog vhs recording to DVD digital recording is time consuming job. De-Coding will take lot of time. 1st you have to transfer your files to hard disk & then you have to record it on DVD. It is better that put this DVD recording night time while going on slip & morning you will get your DVD ready ! Any how, software will take care of all so you need not worry of anything. Also you will get superb quality pictures.

Submitted by: Sudhir K. of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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I bought one of these for my husband for his birthday last month; it works great! It connects through the audio-in of the computer and uses either the included software or whatever audio recording/editing software you like to use. The included software is for PC-type computers; I have a Mac and use software I already had. This thing is a nice turntable and works well for us....a fairly simple way to get records into a digital format.

AUDIO TECHNICA AT-LP2D LP TO DIGITAL RECORDING SYSTEM

Submitted by: Julie D.

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Answer:

To copy tape or vinyl onto a hard drive I use "Golden Records" By NCH Swift sound. It is inexpensive and does everything you want. It will even save the tracks on an LP as separate mp3's. To edit the mp3's, and to remove any "silence" at the beginning and end of tracks use Audacity. It is free, and one of the best audio editing packages around.

These are the only two pieces of soft ware you need.

Submitted by: Tony

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Answer:

Hi,

I have a similar situation and have been using sound recorder and editor software from http://www.polderbits.com which enables you to record your tapes and records directly to the computer and then edit out gaps etc. It's not expensive either and easy to use. As for transferring video to dvd, I am not using a computer so much as a combined dvd recorder/VCR player, however LG Power Producer will carry out this function for you. I haven't used it myself but that is the next project on my list.

Hope this helps.

Submitted by: Kay F. of New South Wales, Australia

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Go to Google and type in [record recording to computer] then select the link that takes you to Windows Media Workshop and there you will find a step by step procedure on how to do it including pictures and the hardware and software you will need. I used Microsofts PLUS Superpack for WindowsXP which has the analog recorder that you will need. The feature I liked about this software is you can use the record out jacks on your receiver instead of poorer quality headphone jacks. Hope this will help you.

Submitted by: Bill P.

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Answer:

While I'm sure everyone will mention the several fine software products that are available, with the caveat about needing a phono preamp for the existing vinyl turntable (or a special sound card), I find the Teac Phono CD Recorder all in one unit (about $400) to be easy, straightforward, and it produces excellent results.

Submitted by: Allan H. of Chicago, Illinois

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Answer:

I have use the Direct Cut wizard on B's Recorder Gold software from B.H.A Corporation to transfer my wife's cassette sound tracks to my PC then to either MP3 player or burn to CD/DVD.

Submitted by: Wayne S.