Converting Vinyl Records to CD - Comments Page 2

Hi Bob, Good topic. But I'd appreciate more details on process,details on using the TEAC or Audio Technica products, advice on better product and software recommended,if needed for the MAC. Can ITunes handle this?

EDITOR'S NOTE: The all-in-one boxes should come with a user manual that explains the process. iTunes does not the audio recording or editing features, as far as I know.

I just had to chime in here... been researching this topic for a while - as I have a large vinyl collection. There are 'other ways' to do this which may be better suited to the digital world. For example, if you really want to get good audio out, you might want to consider something like DVD-Audio.

Since many Vinyl Collectors are also musicians, we tend to have nice 'recording sound cards', for example mine goes up to 192KHz, in our computers. These high-end audio sound cards lend themselves perfectly to recording DVD-Audio which is superior to SACD, and is about 4 times the resolution of a standard CD! Now, how would you like your LP's to go to DVD-Audio and sound 4 times better than a standard 'off the shelf' CD?

I thought that might pique your interst. For more info, this website I found seems to be just the ticket: http://www.tracertek.com

Have a look at DC6 (Diamond Cut) which has been around a long time, and also this link is especially useful in explaining how to go to high-end (audiophile) audio from your wax (vinyl): http://www.tracertek.com/faqs.htm
(check out the 3rd link down - 'A New Way of Thinking About Vinyl Restoration'. Kick back, and enjoy your high quality audio - SWEET...

Hey Bob, I've tried just about every method known to man, in converting my precious collection of vinyl, reel to reel, 8track and cassettes to cd's. The greatest thing to come out of a box can be found at DAK. Software that is incredibly easy to use, a wave editor that works. A hiss, rumble, click and pop removal program that actually works, and does a great job. Did I mention that it also includes a simplified method of separating the songs into individual items? Easy to convert wave to mp3 or the other way around. The wife bought the entire enchilada for me to quiet the grumbling under my belt.

Hey, I recently upgraded my turnatable and preamp to ones I found in an article at cnet called something like "Is Vinyl Dead." There are several options but I stuck with the low end of the high end audiophile turntables which was the Goldring GR1.2 and the Parasound Zphono preamp. Plugged it stereo and then into my Hercules Game Theater XP. I get near CD quality audio from it all. As opposed to the other old used turntables I've used. You should probably use a dry brush between playing each side. Some people blow the dust off their stylus but a soft makeup brush does the trick for me and its cheaper. I use my old turntable to clean the records because I don't want to wear down the belt on my new one. The good thing about the Game Theater is that it has a Analog to Digital converter built in and that takes the load off the processor and increases the sound quality. And your right audacity does a good job, if you have the right equipment. Most people have never heard their vinyl played back on the right equipment. From my experience it sounds like a CD player played through analog outputs. Like I said though I am listening to the low end of the high end. I hope this isn't too long of a comment, I just think this info might help some.

David touched on an important point. To connect a receiver to a turntable it must have a "phono" input. Many newer receivers don't. To connect a turntable to an "aux" or "tape" input a phono preamp is needed to provide the necessary RIAA equalization. Note - quality counts here! Also, the software I've been using is "Groove Mechanic". It does a good job of separating tracks and removing pops or hiss.

Great! I wore out a lot of vinyl learning to play music. Where can I find a good cheap pre amp for my phono. I bought a $10 Radio Shack one years ago after the pre amp section in my Heathkit AR 1500 went out on me. It was better than what was in the AR 1500. High end stuff is just not in my budget right now.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'd check Circuit City, Best Buy, or even Ebay.

Well Bob your guidelines will get people started but I had to smile at its lack of emphasis on audio cleanup. A straight transfer of a used/worn album will amplify every defect in the process from needle to CD.

For good results the software must include tools for both click and crackle removal as well as noise reduction algorithms. As I understand it Audacity does include some cleanup. I have an advantage of having Sound Forge 7.0a, Noise Reduction 2.0 and CD Architect 5.2, pretty pricey stuff but overkill for most users, including myself.

Regardless of the sophistication of the tools, new users will find cleanup of old audio to be as time-consuming, and as satisfying, as restoring Grandma's childhood photos with Photoshop. Just thought you should have emphasized cleanup more as it is a major component of the effort.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Some people like the "authentic" sound of the snap, crackle and pop. If your audio software has that feature, and you want to use it, go for it!

Dear Bob, Thank you so much. You have solved half of my problem. Is it possible for me to contact Conrad Laube to find out how to convert my reel-to-reel tapes to CD. Thank you again. Penny

EDITOR'S NOTE: Penny, the process is not so different for tapes. Plug your tape player into the stereo receiver and off you go!

My problem may be that I am 75! However, i have years and years of audio tapes which i would like to convert to CDs. The catch is that I have an Apple iBook and any 'converters I have found on the web only work with PCs. Is there any hope for me? I am not exactly techically-minded — in my first job, one of my duties was to light the gas lamps in the office; we didn't even have electricity. Thanks for any suggestions you may offer me.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Bill the Audacity software works on Macs, give it a try.

Hi, I'm fifteen and just got a Macintosh laptop, a G4, from my grand dad because he wants me to convert his record albums to CD since he's sick. I'm feeling overwhelmed. I don't think I can do this. I am not mechanically inclined.

Is there such a thing as a machine that will just do this for you if you have a Mac... you can just put on a record and it will just automatically go onto the CD and sound like the record? I read about a machine sold by DAK that will do this for Windows, but they don't do it for Mac. Please help if you can. I'd really like to do this for him.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, the he Teac GF-350 Turntable CD Recorder Player mentioned in the article requires no computer.