Converting Vinyl Records to CD - Comments Page 5

Bob: I am going to let you make my mind up for me. After 3 days of visiting every site imaginable regarding the transferring of vinyl to CD, my head is about to explode. My main problem is I don't own a computer. So here is my question: If you were going to buy one product that will transfer vinyl to CD, which product out there would you purchase? I have read so many pro's and con's about these all in one systems that my head is about to explode and I wonder if any of them are worth the money. Thank you for your time. Try to keep me in the $200-$350 price range Bob!

EDITOR'S NOTE: The TEAC G-350 I mentioned is a great unit. But don't buy through the TEAC site (which redirects to Hamacher Schlemmer). You can get it on Amazon and elsewhere for around $250.

Hi, I have a turntable with the built-in RIAA pre-amplifier. What is my best option to connect to the PC. ie, on-board audio, PCI sound card? I have read these can result in noise. Is a USB turntable a good option? Cheers, Don

The do it yourself systems are convenient but they have some serious flaws both in the hardware and the process. There is an article about exactly that at http://reclaimmedia.com/article_at_home.html

I just wanted to add that if people have collections that are too large to convert to digital themselves, I own a small business that does the transfers to digital. We are for the people who have so much vinyl or so many cassette tapes that it would take too many hours/days/weeks/months to do themselves. We are for the people who have tried and thrown in the towel. We are for the institutions who want Library of Congress standards applied to every digital file we create and they need it in bulk and fast. We are for the radio stations and government departments, for the record collectors and the mix tape junkies who have bucketloads of music (I hope they've never actually been stored in a bucket). For example, we converted over 16,000 LPs for Santa Monica radio station KCRW. They said it woulda taken them 9 years to do it themselves. We did it in under 10 months. We are faster, cheaper and prove a higher quality than most people realize.

I just wanted to make sure you knew that something like what I do does, in fact, exist! http://www.reclaimmedia.com
Check out Reclaim Media

Thanks for letting me share!

If you still have a good direct drive turntable I recommend going to this web site http://dak.com/ and buying their mixer. It comes with software that works great and has a companion program that eliminates pop and hiss. You can also plug in a tape deck and convert cassette or reel tapes to digital. I have been using this hardware and software for several years, it works great. The software has so many useful features such as timed recording,equalization, and a batch converter to convert wav files to mp3.

I toss this out for those who may experience noise problems with their connections.

I still have my midline stereo system from the 80's and a very good turntable/cartridge combination. When I hooked the stereo to my 'puter, I experienced a lot of hum and related noise. Being an audiophile in my previous life, I went through all the various pieces in the audio chain: replacing the sound card, replacing connectors, upgrading to Monster Cables, even trying different ways to get the audio from the stereo. Always with the noise.

Apparently, I need an isolation transformer, sometimes referred to as a ground loop eliminator. The better ones are in the $60-70 range. Maybe I should have gone with the USB turntable, but they don't give adequate info about the type of cartridge (don't want those cheapie ceramic cartridges when I have one worth $80-100 in 1980 money) and I couldn't record from other sources such as tape and radio.

I've done a lot of conversions from vinyl to mp3 - I've been very successful using LPRipper/LPRecorder from CFB Software (an Australian company, I think).

I'm not sure if it will damage your computer (or other electronics in the chain) but I have received some of the nastiest (but not medically harmful) static electric shocks from messing with LP's and turntables. I would make sure that you ground your self out before touching any metal on the PC, turntable, amp and so on. I'm not talking about "shuffling your feet on the carpet" and touching the light switch, static shock, I'm talking about a mini-jolt that was heard through my stereo system, felt through my skin and a few times, I could see a mini spark bolting from my finger to a component. This has happened at several different places and on different equipment, so it was not a wiring issue.

one thing not in this article is how important it is to clean the records, a small bit of dust is like a large rock to a record and or needle. You can find many types of cleaning systems, but my question is which ones are good in all the different price ranges, and which one really work.

Using iTunes (and other Media Players), you can select an option to burn a music CD using the .mp3 file format rather than .wav. This makes it possible to fit ten or more original CDs on a burned disc, rather than just one. Some CD players will play this type of .mp3 CD, some won't. In Bob's article, he talks about needing to create an "audio CD" rather than a "data CD" when burning a music CD. Is there a way to burn an audio CD but use the .mp3 file format? If so, would more CD players be able to play an .mp3 CD?