Digitizing vinyl

[leggo rocker]

All my efforts to record my LPs and 45s to digital format (to pop on the iPod) have produced crap results so far. Hum and lack of bass being the main problems.

Anyone got a foolproof method?

I get REALLY good results putting them on MiniDIc, and I guess I could even try take them off MD onto the CD or PC, but that's too many times through the compresser!

I DON'T use a Windoze PC anymore (virus hell) - I use an Apple Mac (virus immune) so if there are any fellow Mac using reggae buffs who have sorted it I'd like to hear their suggestions.

[bullit]

i use a tascam CDRW-750 linked up to the record out on my mixer, records everything directly to cd. As its through the mixer i can adjust however i want.

However there are cheaper options, you could buy yourself an mp3 player with a line in option and put them to mp3. you might be able to put them straight onto the mp3 player as wav.

or just get a super long lead and connect your deck (if it has line out) or mixer (if without line out on deck) to your apple, fairly sure theres an input you can use.
Download/buy a decent ripping app and rip them to your computer

Might be able to help you more if you cant do something with what i have said,

Bullit

[cazevedo]

I use an old turntable plugged into a battery-powered pre-amp and then plugged into my soundcard's audio-in.

With this setup I've been using Nero Wave Editor (packaged with the Nero suite) to record from vinyl. After recording (capturing) the song into Wave Editor, I use some of it's features:

- Remove clicks and crackle
- Reduce LP hiss
- Increase volume

I can record, edit and save a 3-minute song in 5 minutes.

Although it's called "Wave Editor", it will work with most audio formats (mp3, mp4, wma, wav, etc).

I'm sure there's numerous audio recording and editing software out there that will do the same.

I'm working on a Windows XP PC. My streaming radio broadcast is running on a W2K Server. They are both always patched, behind a hardware firewall and have anti-virus programs running. They run 24/7/52 (365 days a year). Neither have experienced an infection in over 6 years.

[robe619]

I've been using Steinberg Clean Plus 4.0 (which I believe is discuntinued now) and I've had no problems. It came with a preamp and software that assists the user in removing cracks and pops as well as an equalizer where you can fine tune the song for more (or less) bass, etc.

A couple of important tips: ground your turntable to the PC case (removes the hum), and play with your imput volume. Too high will distort the sound.

Rob

[leggo rocker]

I'm not at all worried by clicks and pops. I've been listening to them on vinyl for 40 years so what the hell.

I've bought a mixer ...

Thanks for the tips all, Not sure if grounding to a alu cased Powermac will work, will it?

The powermac has Optical in and out, so I can do very good real time rips from MD, and I'm told that DATA MDs are available.

[dubunion]

Hi,

If you're missing bass and drums and get hum, to me it sounds like you are missing a phono preamp (also known as RIAA preamp). To get decent sound of vinyl you need to feed it into such a phono preamp which turns the low level distorted phono signal into a clear powerful line level signal which you can record on your Mac (or PC, mixer, tape, md, or whatever). Any older stereo amp (say +10y old) has a phono input which does just that and includes a ground so that you don't have to ground anything on your mac's case.

The thing to do is to connect your mac's inputs to the connectors labeled 'tape record' or 'tape out' of your stereo amplifier while listening to the vinyl records on your speakers. Recording directly from the vinyl deck out without the correct preamp wil never give decent results.

Hope this helps - greetings!

[leggo rocker]

My amp(s) DO have phono stages, hence my ability to record to MD.

But I've stupidly tried digitising using a Griffin iMic which is 'supposed' to act as a phono stage. In fact, it's crap...

Time to wire up the amp directly to the MAC!

Thanks all!

[SkipG]

Toast software (Spindoctor) for Mac is excellent. Bass comes out great etc.

[leggo rocker]

Yes I have Spindoctor, that's what I've been using, will try again now I have better info on the technical set up.

Thanks all!