Vinyl to digital

[Motu]

So I got my record collection out of storage - damn,that's a bulky way to store music! There is some rare and interesting stuff in there though,and I'd kinda like to pick the bones of what I've got.

I'm a bit pissed off - last year I got a Sony MP3 discman,thought it'd be nice to be able to carry around a handfull of CDs with a fishbin of music on them.But it seems to have a problem,whether plain audio or MP3 only the first couple of tracks of CDs I burn will play well on it - they play perfectly on any other player,audio or MP3,changed my burner,burnt from other computers,but it's still the same.I've sent it back to Smith the Dick a couple of times but they say there is nothing wrong with it,it's the CDs I use,so I buy expensive CDs,but no improvment.It's turned out to be an expensive discman that can only play comercial CDs.

Now I'm looking at those MP3 players in the 10 to 20 GB range like Ipods - looking at some of them it says you can download direct onto them from a stereo or radio.So does that go in as MP3 or as a big huge pile of data? That way I could put some of my vinyl into a digital format.Is it gunna work or not?(I'm real dumb on this stuff).

[James Deuce]

It is definitely possible. There are a heap of guides on the Web, and this one is a good starting place.

http://home.insightbb.com/~stephenwmoore/Speakers/LP_to_CD.htm

[jrandom]

It stores the music as files in MP3 format. The portable players have wee little computer-style hard disk drives in 'em (either HDDs or solid-state flash memory, not sure which). You plug them into your puter and copy across what you want.

Seems like the iPod has its own internal encoding software to store MP3s, though, so you don't even have to pre-encode the music. Very nice.

I'd have an iPod if I could justify the expense.

[rodgerd]

So I got my record collection out of storage - damn,that's a bulky way to store music! There is some rare and interesting stuff in there though,and I'd kinda like to pick the bones of what I've got.

That way I could put some of my vinyl into a digital format.Is it gunna work or not?(I'm real dumb on this stuff).

It's certainly very possible to put your vinyl into MP3 (or other digital) format, although you'll need to use an amp (with the PC hooked up as a tape deck) or phono converter box to step the turntable's phono output to the right level to make it work. From there, record the record, and then slice into into songs, encode as MP3s, et voila!

Or you could cheat: since you've already paid for the music, borrow a CD version of the album (from the library, for example), and rip that.

[Yamahamaman]

I have backed up quite a few of my big black vinyl storage devices to the more compact CD Rom. I use EZ CD Creator software. The connection to the computer is via from the Stereo line-out to the computer soundcard line in.

[mangell6]

I have copied a number of my vinyl to CD and found that the CD writing software does make a difference. Did you change your CD writing software to something else. We currently use 'MusicMaker' which works really well and I also use CoolEdit to record and clean up those clicks, pops, etc.

I use a Technics turntable and a little Sony preamp straight into my LineIn. I copy the tracks as wav files to CD and then make them into mp3s. Need lots of disk space although vinyl is usually only 40-50minutes per disk.

WHat albums are we talking about, wome of us 'older types' might remember them, although a few of us may have short memories. :D
Mike

[What?]

Cd's sure are convenient - but I still prefer the sound from vinyl (assuming no scratches!!)

[MikeL]

Is MP3 really the way to go if you have a big vinyl collection? I've got at least 350 LPs which I have for a long time wanted to put onto another format. I briefly toyed with HiFi VHS but the cost was prohibitive and the wear and tear on the video player put me off. MD is a non-starter because of the compromises (ATRAC or whatever it's called does degrade the sound quality). Once I got a CD burner I thought I had the solution but I found the CDs wouldn't play in the car. Bought an MP3 recorder/player and it works well but has limited storage capacity so it's not going to take the place of a disk format. Have gone back to CDs and have replaced the car player with a newer one which has no problem reading them. Progressively copying my LP collection, but have encountered problems finding replacement styli. Had to buy a whole new cartridge and it's not nearly as good as the old one. Where can I get a good quality Ortofon, Shure etc. cartridge and replacement styli?
(Have a Linn Sondek which I was very proud of when I bought it in 1977. Cost me an arm and a leg in those days!)

[pete376403]

I've used Cool Edit Pro to clean up old vinyl recordings. It's a pretty time intensive process, and by the time you;'ve removed the last of the clicks and the pops, you want want to listen to that music again for a while.

mangell6 asked what recordings - how about "The Who - Live At Leeds" in original condition, all the inserts and bits that LPs used to come with. Found at Slow Boat records in Cuba St

[Motu]

I started out with vinyl because that's all there was,then in the early 90s when CDs finaly took off people were dumping their whole record collections,so I was picking them up for about 20c an LP.Time to get those albums I always wanted,or just say,hey,wonder what that's like?,or round off an artist collection with an album that never sold because it was crap.Got some coloured discs too,like a purple Deep Purple in Rock and a red Let it Bleed.Album covers are great too,lots of info and great art - wonder what happened to all Alice Cooper's paper panties that came with Schools Out?

I hear what you are saying Mike - same here.A stylus only cost a few cents,now you could buy a stereo for the price of one.Now that my CD MP3 experiment didn't work I want to find another way to get portable music.These 20GB players can hold a hell of a lot of music,and if I can put in music to MP3 straight from stereo off CD or vinyl without having to go through a computer first it would save time and hassles.

These are the sort of thing...

http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_detail.asp?id=11813883

http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_detail.asp?id=11899627

[James Deuce]

Straight to MP3 will sound like crap compared to vinyl. The Digital wave form is a square on or off signal, where an analogue signal is a sine wave. You'll lose heaps of the sound stage going straight to MP3. Get a sound card with an SPDIF interface (Dick Smith Electronics sell them for $50) and then you can plug the turn table straight in. Save them as wave files and clean them up. Cool Edit is a good one to use as it has functions specifically for taking hiss, pops, and crackle out without having to do it manually (though manually works better), and then burn straight to CD from the wave files you create with Cool Edit.

Then you can rip MP3s from the CDs and that way you have two backups of your vinyl. It is time intensive, but the MP3s created from the wav file will be much better quality than going straight from vinyl to MP3. Try to avoid normalisation because that tends to pump the whole signal up and cut out all the inaudible harmonics and dynamics that make vinyl "warmer" than digital media.

[riffer]

I copied some old albums that I had recorded back in the 80s and early 90s a while back, before all this technology got a lot better (about 6 years ago I guess). No illegality problems as I owned the copyright to the recordings :D

I found a good way to do it was to record to high quality tape first, through your stereo, then use the headphone socket out straight in to the input on the soundcard.

Make sure you get your levels right, as you can easily overload the input, clipping the sound and making it sound distorted.

[Motu]

Thanks Jim,that's the sorta stuff I need to hear,although with my hearing I couldn't probably tell anyway,then again it could souind even worse.I'll do it the hard way then.I will still need another MP3 player though,I feel like like going all the way with Dick the Smith because the Sony is not able to perform for the purpose I bought it for.or words to that effect.

[k14]

I have a Sony Net MD. They have a few advantages over the hard drive based players, like ipod etc, but they also have some disadvantages. The software that you use to copy onto the MD's is really buggy and only works properly half the time.

I paid $800 for mine 2 years ago and if i spent that much again on a MP3 player I would definately go for an ipod. They are definately the best you can buy at the moment and I am considering buying one when the finances allow. Just make sure you have the right plugs on your computer to upload the songs to the ipod.

Don't really know much about transferring songs from LP to MP3. I have downloaded virtually all of my 7gigs of MP3's off the net, so that could be an option for some songs you want, but I doubt all of them are out there.

[Posh Tourer :P]

Stylus can be bought from any DJ shops (as long as stylus = needle). They are kinda expensive, but DJs use turntables, so they stock all sorts of needles (sorry, styli). I dont know the names of any specfically, but look for any shop that sells DJ equipment and you should have a good chance

[pete376403]

Try here for a stylus for the Linn http://www.linn.co.nz/hifi.php

[What?]

Where can I get a good quality Ortofon, Shure etc. cartridge and replacement styli?
(Have a Linn Sondek which I was very proud of when I bought it in 1977. Cost me an arm and a leg in those days!)
The Listening Post, shops in Hamilton and Tokoroa, stock good cartridges and styli, and staff have good knowledge. There is/was a good shop in Auckland too, in High street from memory. I run a Linn table and Audio Technica cartridge.

[MikeL]

The Listening Post, shops in Hamilton and Tokoroa, stock good cartridges and styli, and staff have good knowledge. There is/was a good shop in Auckland too, in High street from memory. I run a Linn table and Audio Technica cartridge.

Thanks for the info. The last time I went to upgrade my cartridge I tried several places and found very little available apart from the DJ ones which I didn't think would be as good as my previous ones. Ended up buying an Ortofon but have been disappointed as the performance is definitely inferior to what I was using in the 70s and 80s. Of course there's always the possibility that my hearing has deteriorated...

[What?]

Yeah, Ortofon ain't what it was, but there is some very good gear available.
Considering what the "DJ's" do to records, I shouldn't think they use anything but the cheapest crap they can find...