[hagatha]

Greetings,

I'm an old rocker... and I have several hundred albums, that have been well taken care of... I still play one now and again with my original Technics Turntable.

I would like to get some advice for getting a good reproduction in digital. I've read a little about USB turntables... but its the CODEC and file formats that confuse me...

What kind of hardware is needed?

File size is not really an issue with storage being so cheap...

Thanks
hagatha

SA5000's

 

[KurtW]

If you still have a turntable in good shape, there is no need to get a USB turntable which may not be nearly as good as the one you have. The sound will only be as good as the weakest link. You would then use your existing phono stage, built into a receiver or preamp or external. Then you need a sound card, and feed the output into the analog inputs. You would also need some editing program if you want to split the tracks up. There are several available for free. You then can also take the pops and clicks out which could make your records even sound better, as long as you used a program that didn't just filter them out. If you describe what you have now it would be easier to tell you want else you need. Of course there are also various services that convert LPs to digital, but they vary widely in quality and cost.

 

[Armaegis]

Since you already have a turntable, I would suggest just getting a usb interface with phono-preamp. Something like this for example: BEHRINGER: UFO202

 

[waterlogic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hagatha /img/forum/go_quote.gif Greetings, I'm an old rocker... and I have several hundred albums, that have been well taken care of... I still play one now and again with my original Technics Turntable. I would like to get some advice for getting a good reproduction in digital. I've read a little about USB turntables... but its the CODEC and file formats that confuse me... What kind of hardware is needed? File size is not really an issue with storage being so cheap... Thanks hagatha SA5000's

I do make some ripping of LPs which can not be found in CD redbook or otherwise...

In my experience, it only makes sense if :

1. Your LPs are in more than a good condition (not used too much, clean)

2. You can get hold of a high-end TT & cartridge & Phono amp i.e. maximum analogue reproduction quality possible. (USB TTs are mostly of mediocre quality and can be used to record in red book (CD) nominal quality only i.e 16bit /41.6 kHz, apart from the unsatisfactory output , etc. )

3. You have a lot of time and patience on your hands to do it.

Everything else is relatively easy (ok, there is some additional investment necessary, taken you already have a comp you will need a good external sound card and some solid recording & editing software)

What I use is :
Nottingham Audio Hyperspace TT, DECCA MM, BEDINI Q series phono stage.
MacPro & EDIROL (ROLAND) FA 66 external firewire interface (this can do up to 24bit / 192 kHz), Soundtrack Pro 3 software.

The ripping (recording) I do is in min 24bit/96kHz in AIFF . After cleaning the recording from clicks and pops (this is the most time consuming part of the process - this is why point. 1 - see above- is so important)). I convert AIFF into ALAC (apple lossless) or Flac. Voila - that's it.

Note: In my experience firewire interfaces work better than USB. (also I do not recommend the use of internal sound cards)

If you use a Windows machine, only the recording software would be different - the process itself should be identical . (you connect your PHONO PRE-AMP RCA outs to the sound card/interface RCA ins, set the signal level in your recording software and make the recording).

The last ripp I did was "Ben Webster meets Oscar Petersson (1959 recording)" - I did not removed the pops and clicks - the music and the original recording is soo good that I do not "hear" them...

BUT before you do a rip, you might want to do yourself a favour and save a lot of time. There are many very well done rips already on the internet in HiRez format by nice people (since you mention you're a rocker - you will be well served) . You only need to know how to obtain them...
PM me if you want some more insight as to how.

WL

 

[LFF]

Ripping an LP is never an easy thing if you want to do it properly. The least amount of time it takes me to do 1 full LP is 3 hours - and that is the very least. Some transfers have taken me weeks to do properly.

Waterlogic is completely right in points 1 -3. You need good components as well as the know-how. Both of these take time and money. The easiest route is to simply search the net and see if you can find these LP's on CD or as a grey market release. There are also other methods which I'm sure waterlogic has filled you in on. Most of the grey market releases suck. The generous DIY'er's on the net have results that vary from excellent to crap and everything in between. The other option, and certainly not the cheapest, is to send it to a mastering house for a transcription/transfer job. However, unless you're careful, the results can be expensive and mediocre. I have heard many transfers from various mastering houses and dedicated transfer sites and the results are usually piss poor. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[hagatha]

Thanks for the input... I do have the time (retired) to take on a project like this...

I'm curious why wouldn't you use an internal sound card? And what kind of external cards are you referring to?

I sure I would have to get better cartridge for my TT, I'm sure the one on it is toast...

What kind of software do you use to separate the tracks, to remove the tic's & pop's...

My albums are in near mint condition... each album is in a sleeve designed for archive... and stored upright in box's, (made for this)... I'm proud of my vinyl collection... most are first runs...

Thanks
hagatha

 

[waterlogic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hagatha /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the input... I do have the time (retired) to take on a project like this... I'm curious why wouldn't you use an internal sound card? And what kind of external cards are you referring to? I sure I would have to get better cartridge for my TT, I'm sure the one on it is toast... What kind of software do you use to separate the tracks, to remove the tic's & pop's... My albums are in near mint condition... each album is in a sleeve designed for archive... and stored upright in box's, (made for this)... I'm proud of my vinyl collection... most are first runs... Thanks hagatha

What comp do you have Mac or Pc, what sound card ?
Standard internal sound cards are of mediocre quality (not sufficient for your purpose i.e. quality of the recording). Also the inside of the computer is a noisy environment (fan, etc). It is a good idea to isolate the card/interface away from the comp i.e. external sound card ( i am telling you all this from personal experience) connected by firewire or USB cable ( again I think firewire is better) . The one I use Edirol FA 66 firewire :
EDIROL FA-66 24Bit/192kHz FireWire Audio Capture :: Overview

Software : Soundtrack pro 3 (Mac Os X), - has declicking option built in.
There is also Pure Vinyl for Mac. Free of charge is Audacity etc.

PC: I am not familiar what software is best - maybe someone else can advise you better (there is much more choice for PC, though)

Again, if your turntable, cartrdige & phono stage are not good enough you will get mediocre results no matter your LPs are mint / new. (it will be worse than buying the CDs version.) Only a good cartridge will not be enough. The whole analogue set up has to sing !

When I do LP ripping I also turn off all apliances (washmashine, fridge, TV, mute the speakers, microwave oven etc), WIFI, etc. The phono stage /cartridge easily picks disturbances from the environment ... i.e. the TT has to be grounded properly or you will hear huum on your recording .

BTW when I really listen to music it is always vinyl. Not only the sound there is a huge ceremony with it - so I perfectly understand that you are proud of your collection.

Hope you can make use of the above ?

 

[Head_case]

This one is probably the highest quality USB vinyl turntable on the market:

I'm sure the dedicated sound cards are great, if you have all the time in the world (buy the CD too! Ho hum

)

After looking at all the options, I settled with recording onto my lossless Sony Hi-MD mini-player. You just connect the phono cables to a 3.5mm jack and hit the record button.

You can still soundshape, filter and remove the pops an crackles afterwards if you're so inclined. Personally, the convenience of Hi-MD recording from vinyl for the sound quality is good enough for me. I'd rather listen to the vinyl LP at home when I'm there, so I'm not after the ultimate 'vinyl rip'. Why bother when there's vinyl? A mini-disc transcript has got to be heard to be appreciated!

 

[waterlogic]

I use this :

AUDIOsuite NOTTINGHAM ANALOGUE - HYPERSPACE

No on/off switch. To start it you push the platter to stop it you use your hand again.

No USB .

 

[Acix]

Hagatha,

Two options,

1. First you'll need some sound card with line input. You also need some software to transfer the data to WAV or AIFF format (some of the software are free, and the pro soft can cost money). After you transfer and save the audio, then you can burn the audio files to CDs or just use them directly from your computer.

2. The second option is more expensive. You can give your collection to a professional like a mastering engineer, and they will do the same process and master each track individually, in addition to cleaning the tracks and removing clicks, scratches, pops and such.

 

[analogsonar]

turntable>receiver with phono stage>tape loop output to UCA202 (make sure your tape loop will output sound from phono stage)
or

turntable>ufo202

these behringer devices need no software and have decent A/D converters, and for around 25 bucks, it's a good deal-