Tech: Recording from Vinyl

Subject: Tech: Recroding from Vinyl (LP`s)
From: GUEST,John Barden
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 03:48 PM

Greetings to all Mudcatters!

Mine is a technical question. I know the subject has been discussed several times about recording music from LP`s (vinyl) onto digital. I know there are several solutions by using PC software.

My problem is that I have a CD recording machine (for music only). It has a double tray system, one for playback of normal CDs and one for recording prrpose. This tray plays normal CD, CDR and CDRW discs. The latter discs can be erased and reused.

My problem is how to record onto CD from a record player. I have tried several methods and still have not found the answer. Do I have to use a computer with specific software?

Will really appreiate any info. on this.

Thanks in advance

JB

Subject: RE: Tech: Recroding from Vinyl
From:
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 04:10 PM

Not knowing the machine you are referring to, we can't be sure.

If your machine has a line-in, you could attach the line-out or Aux-out of your stereo (where your turn-table is connected), to that input of the CD Recoder machine.

Otherwise, if it doesn't, then your machine is probably some kind of duplicator so you can't copy an LP onto a CD with it.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 05:05 PM

Been recording regularly from vinyl to tape on my stereo, am about to get a Marantz cd recorder to add to the system. Anyone have this set-up?

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 05:13 PM

I'm one step behind you guys. I have several shelves of LPs (including some wonderful small-label folk stuff), and no turntable. I've been trying to find a turntable for some years now (obviously I haven't been trying real hard), and would eventually love to put at least some of my collection on CD. As I recall from the dinosaur days, turntables usually had two output lines, red and white, ending in RCA plugs. If I find a used one like that, will I need some kind of adapter to enable it to talk to the current generation of CD recorders/computers/audio equipment? Also interested in whatever wisdom appears on this thread for when I do find a turntable.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: GUEST,FFLC
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 05:30 PM

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 05:38 PM

Well I just copy the LP onto an audio cassette, and then feed from that through the line-in to the computer. Here is a webpage I wrote about it, and all the software needed is free, over and above tne basic CD-burning stuff, which is cheap enough.

There are probably better ways using more sophisticated equipment, which would produce a more hi-fi result, but this works OK for my ears.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: GUEST,FFLC
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 05:40 PM

Sorry for false start, new to this computer communicating.

Ref Guest Q, I have marantz DR6000, very good for making copies of lps. No regrets at all.

If you are making copies of whole lps, you will need to manually insert track breaks between the tracks. There is a button on my remote for this. This will need to be done in real time. If you dont you will end up with 2 tracks on your cd corresponding to side 1 and side 2 of your lp, so locating individual tracks will be a pain. I promise adding track breaks is well worth it.

You will then be able to enjoy your old, rare lps without fear of wear or damage. Good luck and happy listening.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 06:42 PM

FFLP, thanks. Always like to hear from someone who has proved it out.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Kernow John
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 07:20 PM

John
Couldn't get through to McGrath's page so I might be duplicating. This is the way I do it:
I run a lead with a 3.5 mm stereo plug on each end from the headphone output of my hi-fi to the line in of my computer. I use a program from DB Power amp called music converter which is a free download no pop ups or ads.
Make sure you start with the volume on your hi-fi down low.

Hope this makes sense, if not pm me and i'll take some photos and put them on my web page.

Regards
John

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From:
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 08:57 PM

Mark, depending on the turntable and the soundcard, you might need a preamp. (most likely). Preamps for turntables have something called RIAA equalization built-in, most amplifiers with an input for turntables will have it. This is a requirement when you deal with vinyl records.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 09:39 PM

Not all amps have the equalizer. Until I got my present set-up (Luxman with built-in phono provision and aux terminals) I had a phono pre-amplifier, "Equalization for moving magnet cartridge to line level," made by QED Discsaver in England. Both my turntables, one 33-45, the other for the old bakelite spinners, work with the Luxman, so I have been able to discard the equalizer.
The equalizer-phono-preamp requires a 12 volt power supply in order to plug into the "mains." The gadget, which is quite small, carryable in a coat pocket, didn't cost much, if I remember correctly.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From:
Date: 19 Jan 03 - 10:23 PM

Q, I was saying that if the amp had a phono/turn-table input, it had the RIAA equalizaton built-in. If the amp didn't have this input, then chances are they it won't have the RIAA equalization.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Zhenya
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 02:26 PM

Here's another link that may be helpful:

Turning LPs into CDs or MP3s

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Strupag
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 03:54 PM

Hi Zhenya,
That was a really good link. I wasn't too happy about recording from LP to cassette as each analogue transfer causes a loss of quality(no offence MacGraw)
I'm off to download Music Match.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: GUEST,T.Mooney
Date: 26 May 03 - 06:06 PM

I recently purchased a package from an ad. on Sunday Times called "Audio Cleaning Lab 3.0 it cost some £20 sterling . Havn't gotten round to using it yet but it is meant to "clean-up" old vinyls as well as re-recording them (burner not included of course) but it consists of audio leads and CR software.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 26 May 03 - 08:26 PM

If you've got the turntable and so forth in the same room as the computer, of course you can cut out the additinal cassette stage; and as you say Strupag, that cuts the loss of quality involved in any additional recording stage. Just a matter of plugging the cable into the amp instead of the cassette.

But I've got the turntable and so forth downstairs and the PC upstairs, and heaving all that upstairs seems too much hassle to me, so a portable cassette recorder makes the journey instead - and I can't hear that difference myself anyway.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 27 May 03 - 03:37 PM

The Daily Telegraph are in the middle of a series of articles on this subject, couched in language suitable for the layman Bootcamp I hope this link works, although it may require my cookie! If it won't work search "The Daily Telegraph" Then "Connected" then "Bootcamp"

Nigel

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: artbrooks
Date: 28 May 03 - 02:11 PM

Will a 30 foot cable significantly deteriorate the sound quality? That's the distance, more or less, from my turntable and amp to my PC.

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jun 03 - 03:30 AM

artbrooks, in my estimation 10 metres or so of cable coming from REC OUT (as opposed to your speakers) should show no noticable difference. The output level from your pre-amp (REC OUT) is probably of the order of 1 to 3 volts - there's plenty of headroom available for possible attenuation. Just use a sensible sized shielded cable between your pre-amp, ie normal shielded cable.

I would expect that your result would be better and certainly no worse than going through the intermediate steps of recording to and playing back via cassette.

Cheers, John in Brisbane

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Nerd
Date: 06 Jun 03 - 03:55 PM

I also use the Marantz and have no regrets. I used to do it on my PC so I could clean up the sound, but I found that:

1) my CD burner on my computer was not very reliable

2) The hours spent finding the right amount of noise reduction for each track, etc, were tedious.

So I switched to the Marantz. I use it for LPs and my wife uses it extensively for field recordings. I figure if any individual album really needs the clean-up, I can just take the CD upstairs, clean it up, and deal with that pesky burner!

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 06 Jun 03 - 06:55 PM

Hi John

I think that audio cleaner is available in a lite version free.

Indeed I think I may have it or a link to it. Off to hunt.

Can't Richard Peel give you the answer? How is he getting the MP3s of Hazlitt back onto CD?

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: GUEST,Chris/Darwin at work
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 12:25 AM

The results you get will largely depend on the quality of the hardware and software you use. When I first started turning my records into CDs, I recorded onto a good tapedeck which has dbX noise reduction, with a similar deck next to my PC. Then I got a 15m cable, and that worked fine (except when my wife tripped over it!). The results were about 80% of perfect.

I have now set up my "studio". I got a "Nitty Gritty" record washing machine, which really cleans all that junk out of the grooves. The record then goes onto my old faithful Technics 1200SL turntable, which is connected via an amplifier to my soundcard.

After recording each side, I use CoolEdit 2000 to remove clicks and pops (about US$100 with all the add-ins). I then use another program called "Wave Repair" to break the tracks up and edit the individual tracks. Editing usually involves removing the odd pop that escapes CoolEdit, and fixing the lead ins and lead outs.

When finished all this, you are ready to burn. Results are about 90% of perfect. If the record is in good condition, you can't pick the difference from the CD. Obviously, if the record is ancient, and was played repeatedly with a steel needle at 30 grams, then results will be far from ideal!

Finally, I scan the cover and any booklets, and use this to design the CD cover.

This is all a lot of work, and I only do it if I can't get a CD of the same record. Still, that leaves me with about 500 records to do!

Regards
Chris

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Dita
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 03:33 PM

My method is a bit of a combination of some of above.
I have a turntable, Cd recorder and a minidisc recorder on my system.
I record the vinyl on to minidisc, edit in track breaks at lesure then record on to CD. Sounds longwinded but good results.
Cheers, Dita

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 11:43 PM

G'day Mark Cohen,

I can't see that anyone answered your query about finding a turntable. I haven't needed to ... yet ... as a friend is supposed to be setting up to deal with our joint sets of vinyl - while I concentrate on tape. However I did notice that the local (Sydney, Australia) Tandy's stores have free-standing turntables .. specifically for input into computer sound-cards.

I didn't really examine them carefully (but will have to if my laggard mate doesm't get going on the vinyl!) and I think they incorporate a 'pre-amp', so the output is a stereo signal, already 'equalised' and ready to record with a program such as CoolEdit, which Tony in Darwin mentioned (and I also use). If I set up to do my own vinyl, I'll need to get a program to add breaks (or do so manually, which involves lots of data crunching!).

Ideally, a deck dedicated to this sort of transfer would have high quality, top grade stylus/cartridge, very low noise, accurate speed, variable speed control to 'fine-trim' pitches (and correct some fudging that went on in crowded recordings!), adjustable output controls for both channels ... and probably wouldn't come from Tandy's at Australian$128 (~ US$85, currently) ...!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Chris/Darwin
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 07:48 AM

Bob

Surprisingly, there are a lot of turntables on the market at present, if not in the department stores. Turntables are still big in the disco world, and any store supplying sound equipment into the professional disco market will carry a range. In Australia, Pro Audio in Canberra (the biggest Australian mail order company in the sound equipment market) has a range of middle range turntables and cartridges. Price range $600 - $1200 Australian. You can still buy my Technics 1200SL Mk2 - identical in appearance as my 20 year old model. Stanton is another big name. These are direct drive turntables with low noise, good speed control, and solid construction.

You want a reasonable magnetic cartridge - still a good range. The Stanton 500 series is popular in disco circles because of good sound and robust construction. I use one for poor records, tracking at about 3 grams, which minimises noise. They are less than A$100. I use an Ortophon MC1 for good records tracking at about 1.5 gm.

Do a search on Google and you will find $40,000 belt drive turntables if you want!! You need a truck to carry these around.

Tandy's el cheapo has poor noise (rumble) characteristics, and poor speed control (wow and flutter). It could even have a piezo cartridge, which doesn't need a pre-amp. If your record is anything like listenable you will hate the resulting CD.

The program Wave Repair I mentioned can automatically break tracks up, but it is easy to do it manually, and more accurate. The problem is that some records have a lot of background noise, which the program does not recognise as a break. If you raise the threshhold noise level, it may find breaks in quiet passages of the music. This problem is common to all similar software.

I use 768Mb of RAM, so can easily display and edit a 300Mb sound file. Memory is cheap. Display the file and you can see the breaks. Highlight a few seconds each side, listen and confirm that it is a break, then mark it by hitting the space bar. When you are finished, tell the program to break the file up at the marked breaks.

My old 500MHz PC took ages to do any processing, but I saved up for a 2.4GHz machine, which is pretty good at processing. Funny, we once wanted fast PCs for crunching spreadsheets!

Regards
Chris

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Bill D
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 05:01 PM

for a VERY detailed set of ideas and help on this subject, look here

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 08:46 PM

G'day Chris (Sorry for getting my Darwinians muddled!),

I know there are quite a few high quality decks out there ... including the $45,000 job I saw, a while back, with an 18 kilogram (=~40lb) glass turntable! I was responding to Mark Cohen's situation and suggesting something easily available at the less expensive end, as he simply wants to get his vinyl captured on CD-R.

Tandy do, indeed have a basic deck in stock for the job, at (~) Aust$138 (US$94) and can give a basic rundown on techniques and software needed. Any audiophile will suggest much flasher gear ... at a price to match - and that will probably come closer to the ideal spec. I suggested above.

What you say about manually locating and breaking up tracks is essentially what I have done with the cassette transfers so far (working in CoolEdit). If you have a powerful computer and lots of RAM ... and know what you want ... it works fine, without trusting some damned program to get it right. I just recognise that some people are not quite as obsessively driven as I am!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 09:57 AM

My brother has a PhD in electronic engineering and makes a decent living freelance in digital remastering so he should know his subject. He sends the following:

Vinyl to CD transfer

The process can be split into three stages - sampling, clean-up, and CD
mastering/burning. I don't know of your mate's level of knowledge about
the process, so I'll keep things as simple as I can.

1 Sampling

This means getting the file into the computer, in digital form, in the
first place. Now, more or less any PC will have some form of soundcard
installed, with a "line-in" socket - this can be used as the equivalent
of the "rec-in" input to a tape deck in the average hi-fi separates
set-up - the signal produced by the vinyl deck and the pre-amp in the
amplifier will be of "line level" i.e. of the correct sort of voltage to
produce digital signals which don't clip (digital distortion, unlike
analog distortion, is horrible and unmusical) but which are of
reasonable volume.

Assuming you have a decent hi-fi set up with such an output available to
a recording/monitoring system (e.g. tape deck etc.), it's also worth
making sure that: (i) you have a new and unworn stylus, (ii) there's an
earth/ground connection between the vinyl deck and the amplifier - these
will mean that the signal leaving the amplifier side of the set-up will
be of the best quality possible with the least interference from any
other components in the system, or from any wiring problems etc.

[N.B. I'm writing all this assuming that it's a PC system we're talking
about here - if it is an Apple Mac, most of the points will still stand
but there are some Mac-specific hardware and software issues I know
nothing about! So in that case, be advised to do a bit of reading up on
how Macs handle audio...]

On most basic soundcards, there are only I/O connections at the rear of
the machine near where the soundcard has slotted into either the
motherboard or the PCI bus. Also, I/O will typically only consist of
sets of stereo, 3.5mm input/output jacks - the size and type of, say,
Walkman earphone jacks - for line in/out, microphone and speaker
connections. If you're serious about doing a lot of this type of
transfer and clean-up work, it might be worth investing a couple of
hundred quid in a semi-pro type audio card, such as for instance a
Creative Labs Audigy 2 Ex - not only is the sound quality that little
bit better (and they often come supplied with some of the software
needed for clean-up) - but these come supplied with a thing called a
"break-out box" which allows the use of standard hi-fi type
interconnections i.e. a different DIN plug for left and right stereo
channels, colour-coded as they would be between the components of a
hi-fi separates system. Therefore for the computer novice music fan,
they might be a bit more intuitive to use.

As a slightly cruder alternative, it is possible to connect the
headphone output of an amplifier (typically a 6.5mm stereo jack, for
which 3.5mm adapters proliferate for little more than pennies) to the
line I/O input of a PC audio card using a simple stereo 3.5mm-3.5mm jack
cable - however, this tends to require more experimentation with audio
levels on the amplifier side and recording levels on the PC side, to
ensure that there's reasonable volume of signal with no clipping. If
there are no spare "rec-out" outputs on the amp, though, it can provide
acceptable results - it's just less dependable and predictable!

Okay, assuming you have now figured out how to connect the vinyl deck
via an amplifier to the sound card, the next stage is to transfer the
audio - I'm fairly confident all soundcards, including those bundled
with PCs, will come supplied with some piece of audio recording software
- it would just be a matter of hunting through what software came with
the card/PC until you find something capable of recording sounds.
However, for a large project involving a lot of transfer and clean-up
stages, it might be worth investing in a bit of dedicated software. I
use Cool Edit Pro 2 for all my audio clean-up processing - however, that
cost a couple of hundred quid, and that might be more than anyone would
want to spend on the process. However, there are often cheaper
alternatives, and sometimes you can get a cut-down version of the
software (without the myriad processing bells and whistles which
wouldn't be necessary for this sort of project) for much less money, or
sometimes even a time-limited demo as a free download. A good place to
look, for a start, would be www.syntrillium.com - you could find out
from there if there are any basic versions of Cool Edit available cheap
or free. Similar pro-level software is Sonic Foundry's SoundForge and
Steinberg's WaveLab - again, the respective companies' websites will
tell you about costs, cut-down versions, and possible freebies. I can't
vouch for the noise-reduction capacities of WaveLab or SoundForge
because I rarely use them, but just because I'm biased in favour of Cool
Edit doesn't mean everyone has to be...

Alternatively, these days more or less any "CD burning" package seems to
come with some limited sound clean-up tools, so it may very well be that
the simplest, in-built audio recording software will be good enough for
the audio transfer - for instance, I know that Nero, the CD burning
package I use, has some inbuilt sound cleaning routines, as will more or
less any package you can pick up for £40 down at PC World. It's all down
to how involved you want to get in the process - if you're happy to let
the machine try to sort things out for you as much as possible, and
aren't too concerned with understanding the mechanics of the process,
then keep it simple and cheap, use the PC's in-built sound recorder, get
Nero for the CD burning and let Nero worry about the whole thing;
alternatively, if you want to get really involved in the process of
cleaning up the sound and understanding exactly what processes are being
performed, it's worth spending a bit of cash on the decent hardware and
software and spending a bit of time in "trial and error" processing of a
few sample tracks, in order to become accustomed to the processes and
techniques involved.

Things to make sure of during the sampling process - (i) that the
correct channel has been selected for recording on the sound card's
software mixer (just as with taping via an amp where you'd have to make
sure you'd picked Phono/Aux/CD etc., you'll have to ensure you select
"line in" on the soundcard's mixing software before you start
recording), and (ii) that all recordings are made as 16-bit, stereo,
44.1kHz WAV files - WAV is the standard audio format for most audio
processing packages, and 16-bit stereo 44.1kHz is the CD standard. It is
possible to use higher quality recordings throughout the processing
stages and downsample to CD quality right at the end, but I wouldn't
worry about trying that - the gains achievable probably aren't worth the
extra hassle, certainly at novice level. (iii) - if you're trying to do
an entire album, do it as one big file - or, alternatively, one for each
side of vinyl. You can split the tracks up at a later stage and it will
make the processing easier and more convenient if you assume that any
noise is more or less consistent for the duration of an album or side of
an album.

2 Clean-Up

There are four significant types of audio 'interference' which might
apply to any sound signal sampled from either vinyl or cassette. (i)
Clicks/crackle, (ii) hiss, (iii) periodic interference e.g. mains hum,
(iv) distortion such as that from records with worn grooves. This last
one is more or less insoluble at least at consumer level, so if the
recordings are worn you're kind of stuck with them. Similarly if the
records are warped, causing low-frequency 'wow' fluctuations - these
problems are not completely insoluble at professional level, but there's
more or less sod-all the average hobbyist punter can do about them, so
forget it!

The other three types of distortion are all removable, at least to some
degree, even with the cheapest audio processing software. One thing to
always ensure is that you record plenty of "silence" - i.e. the gaps
before and after the tracks on a vinyl LP - either side of any track you
want to enhance - this "silence" will be vital in the noise reduction
process. In all three cases - clicks/crackle, hum and hiss - it is the
analysis of the periods of "silence" which provide the clues as to how
best to enhance the sound files. Software such as Cool Edit - and, I
assume, most of the other packages - can analyse this section of the
file, assume everything in there is 'noise', and strive to remove these
noises and anything like them from the entire signal, thus cleaning the
sound.

Many professional clean-up mastering houses use a system called CEDAR,
on workstations named SADiE, to do their clean-up; obviously this costs
a fortune and is out of the range of the hobby user, but their website
provides several excellent, concise articles on each of the different
stages of sound enhancement which explain the details of how and why
these are done far better than I could; I can't recall the URL, but
they're based in Cambridge as a spin-out company from Cambridge
University, and a web search on CEDAR and SADiE should help you find
these links.

I can, though, briefly explain how Cool Edit does these, and this might
be mapped over to other bits of software...

CLICK / CRACKLE REMOVAL
From the "Process" menu, analyse the size, duration and pitch of any
clicks. Then select the entire wave and "apply" - this will remove or at
least reduce any similar clicks from the signal. As with all processing,
it's not foolproof, it will sometimes false-trigger on bits of signal
you want to keep, and there will be some massive clicks you can't get
rid of. Them's the breaks! Trial and error and trying a few different
permutations is the answer to getting the best results.

HUM/"NOISE" REMOVAL
Works by subtracting unwanted frequencies from the signal. Do this
BEFORE hiss (random noise) removal - again, analyse a section of
'silence' and apply the results to the whole signal. Any periodic noise
will be removed.

HISS REMOVAL
Works by only allowing signals above a certain threshold level through -
so low-level hiss gets cut. In application, basically, see hum removal!

Advice for all noise removal stages - try out different levels of
processing and leave it a day or two before listening to them properly,
the gap will give your ears a chance to come to the processed signals
and judge them relatively fresh. Also, be wary of applying too much
processing - I know to my cost from some stuff I did a couple of years
back that it's very easy to be seduced by how much crud you're removing
from the signal, which leads you not to notice that you're removing some
parts of the signal which would be better left in there - sometimes
leaving a bit of hiss is better than processing so heavily that you
remove all treble, 'presence' or 'air' from the signal! The results can
be a bit 'glassy' or lifeless. These might sounds like pseudy words, but
if you try it you genuinely will know what I mean! Another tip, more
applicable to cassette than vinyl but valuable from my own experience
nevertheless, is that it's often a good idea to boost the treble of the
signal prior to any other processing - that way even if you
'over-process' by accident there's still some high-frequency content
there providing a bit of detail. Also: make absolutely certain that
there is no low-level 'signal' (i.e. desired content = music) in the
section of file designated for analysis/processing purposes as "silence"
- this will SERIOUSLY screw up the processing. Gaps before/after/between
tracks ONLY! Another tip: any processing involving removal of any bit of
the signal content will be far more obvious as disadvantageous on quiet
sections of music than on loud sections - so test out any possible
processing options on both. For instance, accidental 'over-processing'
will become more obvious if a track fades out - suddenly the frequencies
start to drop out halfway through the fade, resulting in a sharper fade
than intended and the aforementioned 'glassy lifelessness'. Trial and
error again, it's the answer to everything!

3 CD burning / mastering

A new PC will almost certainly come supplied with a CD-R drive; if not,
they cost less than £100 these days from PC stores. There are almost too
many cheap/free software packages out there for controlling the burning
of CDs - PC World has dozens for £40 or so, and in any given month there
will probably be a PC magazine in WH Smith with one given away free on a
cover CD. I prefer Ahead Nero, but the new version of Cakewalk Pyro also
looks interesting. I dislike EasyCD Creator, mainly because it had the
habit of making my PC crash or hang, and I understand that's not unusual
for that package - however, it's out there too if you want to look at
it. The help packages and manuals with any of these will explain how to
operate them in better detail than I can - they are designed to be
extremely user-friendly. Advice - keep signals as loud as possible
without clipping (peaking above 0dB), and if you're transferring one
album to one CD, don't adjust the volume or EQ of individual tracks -
adjust the volume of the whole album at once, as the album will (or, at
least, should!) have been mastered to keep levels reasonably consistent
over the course of the disc. If you're compiling tracks from different
sources to make up one CD you might have to experiment a bit more in
order to keep the CD reasonably consistent in level, but the latest
packages will allow adjustment of volume and even equalisation of
individual tracks, and even cross-fading between them if you want.

[N.B. "Mastering" of CDs, as understood professionally, is a black art I
could spend the whole day trying unsuccessfully to explain - if it's
just stuff for home use, as long as it sounds good to you, it's fine!]

Subject: RE: Tech: Recording from Vinyl
From:
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 11:06 AM

Wow! Quite a bit to wade through. Thanks, Weerover. Going to go and digest it now.