Technical Help: recording analog music on computer

Subject: Technical Help
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Dec 01 - 11:49 PM

How can I, on a computer, record analog music (from a 4track for instance). I'd like to take my 4-track recordings and burn them to CD. I'm a new computer user...are there certain programs I should use/need to buy? Please help. I have a CD burner, Windows XP, and a Pentium III.

Thanks, Brian

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: Devilmaster
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 01:01 AM

well, first you have to locate your sound card on the back of the computer. You should hook your tape player or mixer to the line-in jack. Its going to be the same size as your earphone jack. 1/8 inch.

You will need some sort of sound editing software. Alot of people use Cooledit, but a good free one for starters would be Goldwave. Do a yahoo search to find it. Take some time to learn whatever editing software you use.

You will use this program to create wave files. (.wav) You will record with this software, as you play your tapes. (more technical stuff down below) After recording, you can use the editor to do such things as remove tape hiss, up bass or treble, stuff like that. (thats why i said learn whatever program you use.)

You said you have a burner. If you installed all the software for the burner, it should have come with a program to make cd audio disks. It will convert those .wav files that you made, into .cda files (CDA udio tracks) and burn the CD.

That's the simple version. To do properly and to ensure you take your recordings and convert them well, you will need to practice, and play around a bit. You will not learn enough in one night.

First off, CD audio files need a certain recording frequency to read properly. When you record your tapes, you will have to record at 44100 Khz, 128 Kbts, 16 bit stereo. When you open a new file for recording in your editor, it should ask what type of file.

In subsequent msgs, I will delve deeper into each step. It will take a bit to do, but keep reading.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: Devilmaster
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 01:14 AM

Ok guest, I'm back. First step. Hooking everything up.

Think of the computer just like an old tape recorder, with a few extra goodies. I recorded a band once, and did not control the mixing board. It was a live gig, recording for fun, and they set up the board like they always do. I just hooked my computer to it. All the computer does is record whatever comes out of the mixer. Needless to say, the recording was lacking a good mix.

I say that cause whatever you put into the computer, thats what it records. The fancy cleanup comes later, if at all possible. So lets hook up.

You have to hook whatever you are using as a source, (tape player, mixing board, record) to the computer's sound card. I'm hoping you have some computer knowledge. Find the line-in jack on the sound card on the back of your computer. This is where you will hook up. It will probably be a 1/8" jack. The same size as the jack for walkman headphones.

When I do recordings, I had to buy a stereo RCA jacks converted to a 1/8"jack. Couple of bucks at a Radio Shack.

You will have to find your volume control on XP. Go 'START', 'All Programs', 'Accessories', 'Entertainment', and click on 'Volume Control'

Just ensure that Line-in is not muted, and that the level is about mid-range.

Next msg, we'll look at your software.

steve

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: Devilmaster
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 01:28 AM

Ok, I mentioned Goldwave in my first msg. It's shareware, and a good starting point. Its not the best out there, but its free and relatively easy to learn over the stuff windows gives you.

I won't go into too much detail with it, cause if I just typed out what you have to do, my fingers would be sore, and you'd get confused. (Hell, I'd get confused first!)

So I'll just talk about it a bit. Goldwave is a wav recorder/editor. We'll use it to record your songs, into a format that your CD burner software will recognize, a wav file.(.wav) You will use this program to either record one song at a time, which is the best way for new users. This means, you will have to create a new wav file, at the right recording frequency, (44100 Htz, 128 Kbts, 16 Bit stereo) goldwave should ask when you first open a new file. It has to be at that frequency, or normal cd players will not recognize the cd when you're done.

Once you have created the file, you will hit record on the computer and then start your source.(tape) when one song is finished, stop both the computer and your tape.

To make it the right size, you will need to select the unused part of the wav file, (where no music is) and delete that part. This is to ensure you have no long blank spaces when you burn your cd.

Once you have the wav file to the right size, use 'Save As' and name your file. The name of the song usually.

Do this for each song. Name each song different though. And remember where the files are being placed. (usually in the same directory as the goldwave program) You will need to know this when you go make a burn.

And that's the next msg. See ya there.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: Devilmaster
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 01:41 AM

So, now you have a whole bunch of songs, hogging a good chunk of your hard drive, and your ready to make a cd. We hope. Well, maybe.

Brian, I can't stress enough that you will need time to play around with your wav editor. You really need to know what you are doing with that before you come to this step. Your wav editor will be primarily responsible for what your cd's sound like. Once you have a good working knowledge of the editor, you can really improve the original sound of your songs. Like I said in my first msg, you can take that wav file of a song, make it louder, make it softer, up or lower bass, mid and/or treble. You could make it sound like it was coming through a pipe, or just simply use it to remove some of the pop and hiss sounds that come from a tape or record.

But we are here. Once your files are the best they are going to be, you will use your burner software, (there are many) to take those wav files (remember where they are?) and have the software convert them to .cda and put them on your cd. You should have instructions for your software, or a tutorial that came with it.

Remember, Cd's have a limit. 650 megs or 74 minutes. Your burner software shouldn't let you go over this, but be cautious anyways. So using the cd creater software, you will tell it to create a Audio CD, select the files you want, and tell it to burn it.

Like the wav editor, you will need some time to learn it. But don't make CD's until you are really ready. No need wasting CD's at a buck or two a pop just to learn how to make one.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: Devilmaster
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 01:49 AM

So, final msg. (I think).

I haven't gone into much detail in these msgs, mostly cause typing would require me to type for the next few hours, to go over each click of your mouse and such.

Goofing around with your wav editor, seeing what everything does in the program to affect your song is the best way to learn. Take your time. Honestly, if your started today, it will take a couple weeks to get the wav files ready. It will be a lot of trial and error off the bat. You want to have the files just the right size, so there is enough space between songs, and so they sound right on the CD. Just think of it as 'post-production'

I hope I have given you some idea on how its done, and I hope it works for you. If you have any specific questions, you can email mehere

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: Devilmaster
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 02:09 AM

Here's a file that goes in depth more on how to record a wav file using goldwave.

Make a wav file

Goldwave will work on your computer. Don't worry about what she says there, she was talking about a really old computer.

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: Devilmaster
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 02:11 AM

And one more thing as I read her page. You only want wav files. Don't convert to Mpeg level 3(mp3) your burner software probably wont be able to convert mp3.

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 10:01 AM

Thank you sooooo much. THis gives me quite a bit of homework!

Thanks for your help...

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From:
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 10:08 AM

Guest. Here are some other threads related to your question (there are more, but I don't have time yet.) :

Analog to Digital Music
Transfer From Cassette s to CD-RW
Making CDs
Recording vinyl and 78s on CDs
Cassette to MP3s
MiniDisc Recorders
Home Recording Studio
4 Track Recorders

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: Don Firth
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 11:36 AM

Thank you GUEST for starting this thread and Devilmaster for the information and instruction, and George for the links!

I have a couple of boxes of open-reel tapes from hoots, concerts, and songfests back in the Fifties and Sixties and a four-foot stack of vinyl folk records from the same era. Fortunately my turntable is still functional, and a friend whose husband passed away recently gave me his good quality (and fully functional) open-reel tape recorder (mine fizzled out years ago), so now I have the equipment to do what I've wanted to do. I didn't yet know how to go about it. Now, thanks to you folks, I do.

Blessings all over you!!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 12:58 PM

Do a usersearch on Ivan B. and you will find a lot of good tips, in the threads above and possibly elsewhere.

(See FAQ [top of thread list] for how to do a Usersearch.)

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From:
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 01:17 PM

You're welcome, Don. MAy you have a great time revisiting your older material.

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 03:45 PM

OK, so it turns out my laptop only has a mic jack and not a line in...does anyone know how to go about putting a line in on the computer?

Looks like I better just call Sony...

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: Devilmaster
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 03:51 PM

well, if it has an actual jack, use that. I didn't realize that you were using a laptop. The only problem might be that the conversion might come out mono. Usually a mic jack is not setup to be stereo. (manufacturer decision) it might be, but might not too.

I suggested line-in cause alot of people use the mic jack for a microphone for web chatting. But it will work the same. Use just have to make sure Goldwave or whatever wav editor you use is set to record on the microphone.

Hoping for the best. Good luck.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Technical Help
From: GUEST,Folkmonster
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 04:47 PM

I've now posted my guide to doing this

here

FM

Subject: RE: Technical Help: recording analog music on computer
From: Bernard
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 11:10 AM

'Line in' and 'Mic in' have a considerable difference in gain... you may need to attentuate the signal before it gets as far as the computer, to avoid serious overload distortion. Insert a 10k resistor in series with each input channel to convert line level to mic. level... simple, but effective.

Another consideration is the inherent background noise a lot of computer sound cards have. This can sometimes be remedied by using the 'DC offset' facility in your software, or by recording 'silence', and using that as a 'template' for noise reduction. How you do this depends upon your software.

I have an old Soundblaster AWE32 (16 bit ISA) which is very 'clean', and I use a Soundcraft Folio Notepad mixer (which has RIAA EQ for vinyl), and Sound Forge. I'm happy with the results, so I'm sticking with it!

Subject: RE: Technical Help: recording analog music on computer
From: Devilmaster
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 03:54 AM

since someone else kinda brought it up again on another thread, just wondering if DonFirth or the Guest brian, had any luck with their recordings.

Steve

Subject: RE: Technical Help: recording analog music on computer
From: M.Ted
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 12:13 PM

I sort of assume, though GUEST didn 't say, that the recordings were his own(as opposed to commercial recordings)--also, it isn't clear what GUEST wants to do with the digital recordings--do you want to make CDs for listening, are you going to archive the tracks on CD and get rid of the tapes(a bad idea), or do you want to work with the tracks digitally?

Converting finished analog recordings to digital is relatively simple, but if your recordings are raw 4-track, you will have to do some sort of analog mixing before you feed it into your soundcard--(I am a Mac person, and not real familiar with the hard and software involved here, but I doubt that your laptop will allow for four analog tracks in, or that your software can accomodate them) making this a bit more involved a process than you might want to try to do, at least until you've gotten more familiar with your new computer--

Subject: RE: Technical Help: recording analog music on computer
From: Don Firth
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 12:25 PM

I haven't tried anything yet. My wife and I are involved with some other activities right now. She has whole bunch of photo stuff she's working on and we're just breaking in a new scanner and printer, so and I haven't had a chance to hook up the open-reel tape recorder (finding space for the thing in a crowded computer-room is part of the problem right now). Within a couple of weeks, though.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Technical Help: recording analog music on computer
From: GUEST,ghost
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 04:43 PM

This is just what I'm struggling with. My Nero brand program wizard walked me through the steps to simply copy a cd. The cd was of some of my own music from a live concert I had performed. The disc was already mastered and ready for reproduction. Unfortunately, when it was finished, the disc sound quality was not good. It dropped in and out, skipping around. I couldn't hear a single cut completely through without some problem or another hindering the play back. There's an anti-jitter selection that may have needed to be turned on during the process but I'm not sure what exactly went wrong with the attempt. This is not as easy as I thought it might be. ARG!

Subject: RE: Technical Help: recording analog music on computer
From: M.Ted
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 05:18 PM

Sometimes it is a good idea to copy the music files from the CD to your hard drive, then create the new CD from there--

Subject: RE: Technical Help: recording analog music on computer
From:
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 07:20 PM

I bought a copy of the annual Maximum PC magazine's Ultimate Guide to Digital Music and audio. Gives away lots of software for a price under $10.00.

There is also a magazine from England called Computer Music. It's bimonthly, I believe, and comes with a CD full of great software for about $20. Both are Canadian prices.

-

Subject: RE: Technical Help: recording analog music on computer
From: GUEST,bayou sam
Date: 04 Apr 02 - 07:56 PM

refresh