Help: Records to CDS

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 12:51 PM

Cool Edit Pro has an excellent $US30 plug in for converting to (and from) MP3 files & I think Cool Edit 2000 has something similar. But I wouldn't convert to MP3 unless I intend to leave it that way. There's a small (negligible???) quality reduction going to MP3, although you might find it acceptable if the original is an LP or tape.

Another option of course is to convert all your LPs to MP3 & burn to a CD ROM. You can get 10-12 hours of music on one CD ROM, & if you have a high quality sound system connected to your PC this makes a lot of sense. My PC is connected to my HI-FI, so I've done a lot of stuff this way. Make 2 copies so you have a backup. Otherwise it's a lot of music gone west if the CD ROM fails.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: paddyc
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 06:09 PM

What program do you use to save it as an mp3?

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: Musicman
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 12:57 PM

Sounds like alan has it all covered... I go direct from my turntable through a stereo phono preamp to the computer (line in on the sound card) I use CoolEdit 2000, it's great because you can trim the beginnings and ending of the song as well....

I always save as an Mp3 then use Adaptec Creator 4.0 to make the audio CD. It automatically puts in the spaces between each song....

Done alot of my albums this way, works great. Just make sure to select the correct input for you media controller...

Cool edit also works great for 'live' recordings using the computer mic.... that is how I have sent stuff to max for the radio show....

Musicman

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: GUEST,Sam
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 11:18 AM

If you need more signal/gain/volume from the source INTO your computer, use the headphone jack OUT, on your receiver INTO the LINE IN on sound card.

Works great for me.

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 10:58 AM

G'day,
I've been doing this for about 3 years now.

Here are the main steps:

1. Record on your computer while playing via your amplifier (Phono in, Tape out, thanks Alex, see below) into the LINE input of your sound card, not the microphone input.

2. Use your sound editing software to normalise (amplify to max level without distortion), BUT listen to the results, some songs may end up too loud.

3. Use whatever software you have to remove clicks & pops. Again listen to results, none of these do a perfect job. If you don't set them up right you may introduce unacceptable distortion.

4. Optional: do a noise reduction; reduces surface noise and noise from the original master tapes.

5. IMPORTANT Save each song as a separate file. Make sure there is some silence at the beginning and end of each song. Commercial CDs often have about 1/2 sec at the beginning & 2 sec or more at the end. Adjust to your taste.

6. VERY IMPORTANT Burn the CD in Disc At Once mode, NOT Track At Once.

Notes: Typically, an amplifier has a pre-amp section designed to accept a phono input from a magnetic cartridge. This provides both gain and frequency compensation according to the RIAA standard (briefly, bass boost & treble cut). Without it the signal will be much too low level, it will also severely lack bass and greatly accentuate the treble. You can normally utilise this by taking the tape out from the amp to the line in on the sound card.

Sound editing software normally offers several choices of file formats, e.g. mono/stereo, 8 bit/16 bit etc. but note that there is only one choice suitable for CDs: stereo, 16 bit, 44100 samples/sec. Use no other.

The software I use for all my audio recording/editing/processing is Cool Edit Pro. It has all the functions you need including click reduction, noise reduction etc. It may be overkill for this task though and a bit expensive. It's also a multitrack recorder if you want to set up a recording studio.

For the really technically minded, another trick of mine is to use a modified RIAA preamp. I've removed the treble cut portion of the circuit & record via this. Of course there is too much treble at this stage, but it also results in clicks, pops & noise being accentuated. Now it is easier for the software to find & reduce the blemishes. I then use Cool Edit to provide the treble cut portion of the RIAA curve which it does very accurately. The result is better noise & click removal.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: GUEST,Alex
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 12:17 AM

CD-Right came with my CD/RW and allows you to record directly from the audio in on the sound card. There are other similar programs - it depends how sophisticated you want to get and, as Rana said, how much time you want to spend cleaning up the pops and scratches. CD-Right allows you to go directly from the soundcard to the CD/RW without the hard drive step. You can copy the LP to CD in the time it takes to play the LP, but you end up with one (very long) CD track. To make a vinyl album look and have the same direct access to tracks as a regular CD, you have to record each track one-at-a-time, then allow the software to build an index when you are finished. This also allows you to eliminate certain tracks you didn't like ("Double Fantasy" leaps to mind) or reorder the tracks without regard to the hole in the middle. Plugging a turntable directly into the sound card is not recommended, due to the low signal level of a magnetic cartidge. It is better to run the turntable outputs into an amplifier Phono inputs then use the Tape outputs to the soundcard. This will get rid of any impedance mismatching by using the preamps and give you a nice signal level for your soundcard.

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: MMario
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 08:45 AM

if the record player has the correct outputs, yes. and it sound like it does...

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: Rana
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 08:43 AM

Hi Art,

You'll have to purchase a rewritable/recordable CD drive. These seem to be about $300 (Canadian) internal and about $450 external. You'll also be getting a good archive/back-up system for your computer.

To do a audio CD you'll need about 750 mb free on you harddrive to record the stuff using a program like audiotools (more if you need to edit the wav files such as scratch removal), Then you will have to burn it onto CD using the recordable CD drive. This can take about 3 hours with the one I have - 75 min for a test phase, 75 to actually write it (newer models might have 4x writing speed, mine is 2x but I have to use 1x to ensure it works), so one sets it up and goes to bed.

Rana

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: GUEST,art
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 06:38 AM

i didn't know you could do this,i've got sound blaster awe 64, till now i've been putting vinyl onto tape (upstairs where the record player lives)then bringing the tape down to the 'puter and playing it thru a tape deck.

can i go straight from vinyl to cd with soundblaster? i can't afford any more software

cheers

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: Rana
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 10:40 PM

Hi,

I started doing this as well.

I simply use the tape-out on my amplifier to the line-in on the computer - ie just as if it was a recorder.

You will need software to do the recording. There are a few on the net varying from about $30 - lots for the more professional ones. I have used Audiotools and can highly recommend it. I think it is around $30 which will get you the upgrades. There is a good web page and a bulletin board. Answers to questions are promptly answered - the support is excellent. The URL is:

http://www.btinternet.com/~amfish/index.htm

I also downloaded a program called POPFIX which was quite effective in reducing pops and clicks. Again it was around $30. There are others as well. You may want to explore some of the download libraries such as Lycos etc. To shop around

The software to burn the CD should come with the CD-writer.

Any good luck and I hope the above helps.

Regards Rana

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: paddyc
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 10:39 PM

oops

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: paddyc
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 10:39 PM

audio

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: paddyc
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 10:39 PM

audio

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: paddyc
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 10:39 PM

audio

Subject: RE: Help: Records to CDS
From: MMario
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 10:23 PM

As a "data" CD or an "audio" CD?

Subject: Records to CDS
From: paddyc
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 10:17 PM

I was planning on burning some old records onto cds. Anybody have any tips about this? How I should do it? My computer has a line injack on th eback so I was wondering if that would work out ok. Please post or e-mail [e-mail]