The Steel Guitar Forum

I've got a huge stash of nearly mint LPs (various genres) that I'd like to convert to CDs (as wav files).

I've also got an "Innovative Technology" Music Center that allows making CDs from cassettes (that works amazingly well) and also allows making CDs from LP's.

https://www.amazon.com/Innovative-Techn ... B0012U58P4


However, I don't trust the stylus in the units' tone arm to Not damage my LPs.

Is there a commercially available 'idiot proof' turntable that I can hook up to my computer and record my LPs, and then transfer to CDs as 'wav' files?

Or better yet, a commercially available Program that allows me to use my Home Stereo "Much-Better Higher Quality Stylus and Turntable" to record directly into my computer, and then convert those files to wav for making CDs?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

The Forum is a Great Resource !

Ron

Run the "record out" jacks of your stereo through an "audio interface" into the USB port of your computer. They are the same jacks that you would normally connect to your cassette deck's inputs. Then record the LPs using a program like Audacity (which is free - Google it). Audacity allows you to save as WAV, AIFF, or MP3.

I'm going through the same process, albeit with cassettes. I just ordered a Behringer interface that I think will do the trick. https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-U-Cont ... 0023BYDHK/

Thanks b0b !

If you want separate songs on the CD then save each song as a separate .wav file. If you just save one side of an LP at one time, for example, then all the songs on that side will be one file on the CD.

To really do it right requires a couple of actions. (1) record the song to the hard drive as a .wav. (2) edit the space or whatever at the front and end of the song (I keep 2 seconds at the start of each song) (3) "Normalize" the level of each song so they are all at the same volume level.

Burn the audio CD at the slowest speed of the burner drive for better compatibility with audio CD players. That is usually 16X on a SATA interface burner. However, if you have an old audio CD player that speed may still be too fast. Old audio CD players like slower burned CD's or they will skip when playing or even refuse to play. If that's the case a new audio CD player will be needed.

I have a bank of 5 PATA (IDE) interface burners that I use in my audio CD production. My burn speed "standard" is 8X and they will play in almost all audio CD players (from about 2000 on).

Finally DO NOT use paper labels on the CD's. Paper is known to flake off and damage CD drives. Just write on the CD with a magic marker. In my CD production set up I use ink jet printable CD-R's and have a special CD printer (Primera Bravo) to print on the discs.

I often slice up large multi-song recordings in Audacity to make separate files, but that takes a lot of time and computing power. It's easier if you can do what Jack says and record one song at a time.

Most of what I do comes from a little Zoom recorder that records a whole set on the bandstand. That's why I have to slice and dice. This Wine Country Swing album was sliced and engineered in Audacity: https://soundhost.net/2018/09/wine-country-swing/. It's a fairly simple program than can produce very good results.

Thanks Ron, bOb and Jack,

You've asked and answered some questions I have.

bOb,

How do you transfer your Zoom (H4n?)recording to Audacity in your computer?

Can you use the same Behringer interface?

Thanks, Greg

The Zoom records on an SD card which plugs into a slot on my iMac.

Greg -

I use my Zoom H4 and directly record files as wav......
Then transfer those files to computer and generate CD's from there.

The Zoom H4 also allows files to be recorded as mp3.....which I then transfer to computer and use "Switch File Converter" to convert to wav files and generate CD's from there.


???? for others following this Post -

Wonder if it would be possible for me to 'plug' my turntable (and much better stylus) directly into Zoom H4's Line In, and record my LPs as wav files?

Each song would not be a separate 'track' - but I wouldn't have to baby sit and create separate tracks as one complete side of the LP plays and sends its music to Zoom H4.

I could then create CDs per noted prior process(?)

I really appreciate everyone's input on this inquiry

Ron

Here's a link to the on-line manual for Audacity:

file:///C:/Program%20Files%20(x86)/Audacity/help/manual/index.html

Under "Tutorials" you can find step by step instructions for converting tapes and LPs to digital files.

Bill Moore wrote:Here's a link to the on-line manual for Audacity:

file:///C:/Program%20Files%20(x86)/Audacity/help/manual/index.html

Actually, that's a link to the copy on your hard disc. Here's the online manual. https://manual.audacityteam.org/index.html

You're right bOb, I should have noticed that.

there is a FREE program called Wavepad Sound Editor. Free for NON commercial use.

It will split your LONG files into single song files, based on the silence between the tracks. MP3 or Wave files. Works just fine !

Audacity does this as well, its pretty easy and straightforward. There are YouTube tutorials for Audacity.

I have an ION brand turntable with a USB out on my desktop PC rig. It came with a program called Easy Vinyl Converter or something like that. Sorry I am not downstairs at the moment. It is as easy as playing the record and then naming the tunes if you want after they are in your computer music library. I still use iTUnes.

I didn't search to see if the turntable and software are still made. It’s well over 10 years old. You can out as high quality stylus and cartridge on it as you want to pay for.

Bill Cunningham -

I scored an ION turntable thru Facebook Marketplace for $40.

Recorded and made a CD out of Lloyd Green's old "Ten Shades of Green" LP

ION Turntable 'process' seems to be idiot proof and just what the doctor ordered.

Many thanks for the suggestion!

And now, back to the Lab!

Ron Funk

If you are copying vinyl records you need a phono preamp with an RIAA eq curve or it will sound like dog dodo going straight into a line input on your audio interface. You can get that RIAA curve by first going through a home stereo component that has a phone input and regular line output or they sell standalone phono preamps with a phono in/ line out.
If you got the curve just plug the line out into your audio interface line input and record it in DAW.
Those USB turntables they sell for copying records have the RIAA equalization curve already built in but most are really cheap turntables. If you have a thousand dollar turntable then you'll want to buy a good phono preamp to match the quality of the cartridge. They even make tube phono preamps.
Get a good cartridge and stylus and a turntable with a variable weight tone arm to avoid damaging records.
How do you know if you have a good turntable? A good one weighs 30 to 50 lbs. not 5 to 8 lbs. The reason for all the weight and a real heavy steel platter is to reduce vibration which severely affects the sound quality. A good cartridge will cost a hundred dollars or more. If you have a budget turntable you can get by by placing it on a separate heavy stand so it is isolated from speaker vibrations as much as possible. Don't have your turntable sitting on the same shelf with your speakers. What the turntable sits on needs to be solid as a rock. Part of my engineering chores was making commercial CD's with track switching from original master tapes and vinyl.

I use a Pioneer PL-990 turntable. The RIAA curve is built in and it sounds great. Works with any AUX input. It's a consumer product that won't break the bank.

I use my Marantz CDR300. Works good. Have also recorded radio programs from Hawaii on it. Marantz has newer models now that are better yet.
Wally Pfeifer

Doesn't anyone use Marantz equipment? I expected some comments but there were none. With the authorization of Harry Soria Jr,-I recorded a year of his radio programs from Hawaii and donated them to a college music department in Tennessee.

For anyone on a Mac, if you record an entire side of a vinyl record as one big WAV file, the program Fission from Rogue Amoeba can automatically detect the silence between tracks and split them up into separate files. It does other amazing things, too, well worth the fee if you deal with audio a lot.

Stop.

"I've got a huge stash of nearly mint LPs (various genres) that I'd like to convert to CDs (as wav files)."

I'm not totally tech up to speed here, but why do you want to convert them to WAV files and not MP3?

Aren't WAV files typically WAY larger than MP3 files?

If your only goal is to listen to the audio and not do any editing, you're going to be eating up a lot of memory.
And using up a lot more CD space.

ajm wrote:I'm not totally tech up to speed here, but why do you want to convert them to WAV files and not MP3?

Aren't WAV files typically WAY larger than MP3 files?

If your only goal is to listen to the audio and not do any editing, you're going to be eating up a lot of memory.
And using up a lot more CD space.

It does take up more space and a lil memory but you get the best audio quality, you can listen on any device, and you have a hard copy you can dump (b) it down to MP3 with. I usually go this route because I want the best sounding replica of my cherished LP but can still convert it and listen on my iPod like device. I have done this with new records and new old finds at the used record store, ( 45’s, 78’s, 8-Tracks, cassettes..) less wear on the vinyl. It does make a big difference if you have a good turntable and needle cartridge of course.

I’ve used the method Bob and others suggested earlier countless times, ( tape out, to DAW, then input into computer. Or straight into computer. ) there are many good programs to use, audacity, so on.. I have always used a probably now defunct program called Peak, it’s an editing program but you could ( I still can ) record the entire LP ( just let it run while you flip it ) then edit out the long silence, fade in the beginning needle drop and end needle pick up. It lets you put markers in between tracks and at the end and beginning, click markers to regions and export to CD, all the markers become separate tracks on the CD.. or if doing individual track as some have suggested using a program like TOAST you can order the tracks the way you want, name them, put more or less space between them, all kinds of good stuff.

I just got a pristine copy of Joni Mitchell’s Blue on the 50th anniversary last year and need to do this to that LP.

One program I frequently use to embed track name, artist name, album name and album covers to an audio file is MP3tag. https://www.mp3tag.de/en/

MP3tag is free but donations are welcome. The program is well supported and embeds the song data into the audio file following established standards.

There are versions for both Windows and Mac operating systems.

On my YouTube channel, I have done all the vinyl to digital conversions in VinylStudio Pro. I do them in 16 bit/48khz WAV files. It has all the de-noise tools you will need to clean them up if you want to, but you can also just do a straight transfer. There is a learning curve to doing the clean up but it can sound really good when you get them right.

https://www.alpinesoft.co.uk/VinylStudio/register.aspx

my YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX1Hmi ... gmQ3iMNrKQ

I used my free standing Tascam CD Recorder that I used at the conventions to record audio. Worked great. You can even set it to "track" at an empty space.

I still have a free standing Sony CD recorder that I never used and it is still in the box.

Anyone interested?