Dumpster --
It is generally recommended that you use a phono-preamp to amplify the
weak signal coming from a phonograph or turntable.
John Volanski, a sound engineer, writes that "the problem most people
encounter with a turntable is that its output can?t be plugged
directly into the line level input of any recorder. Most turntable
cartridges put out a signal on the order of just a couple of
milliVolts (mV). The turntable also can?t just be plugged directly
into the mic inputs on a mixer, recorder or computer, even though they
are setup to handle a signal with an amplitude of only a couple of
mV."
Volanski covers lots of the issues and provides background in this article"
AudioCourses.com
"Recording LP Albums On Your Computer," (Volanski, 2003)
http://www.audiocourses.com/article109.html
TurtleBeach, a supplier of a popular audio recording software package,
makes the same points here:
TurtleBeach Software
Advanced FAQ: Audio Burning
http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/kb_ftp/1146091.asp
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THE EQUIPMENT LIST
We'll assume that you have a working personal computer with a CD
burner, as well as a phonograph. Here's what else you'll need:
? phono pre-amp. They come in two flavors: USB interface and RCA
audio interface (which would go to your sound card). Both usually
come with appropriate cables but you may need a subminiature 3.5mm
jack or adapter to go into the sound card.
? audio recording software. This software has a wide range of
features and you may want to choose carefully -- and of course you
have to choose between Macintosh and PC software. There's freeware
that does a variety of things:
NewFreeWare.com
"Audio recording" search
http://www.newfreeware.com/search.php3?q=audio+recording&d=0&h=0&o=0&s=1
In my experience, you want to be able to do the following:
1. record into WAV, MP3 or WMA format
2. convert files to any format
3. cut a recording (digitize the entire side of an LP, then cut it
into the separate tracks)
4. perform noise reduction to eliminate hiss, pop and crackle
5. record at a minimum of 128kbps quality
? CD burning software, almost always supplied with the computer or CD burner.
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PHONO PRE-AMP
This piece of gear often comes bundled with the audio recording and
editing software that you're seeking. One Google researcher that I
know uses a pre-amp to go directly to the sound card, I prefer a USB
pre-amp as it's faster and easier to set up. The Terratec product
comes with software bundled to enable all of the functions I cited
above:
Terratec
"CD to Vinyl"
http://entertainen.terratec.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=198
A search on Google for "phono preamp" will return dozens of suppliers,
including rack-mount sized pre-amps for stereo systems.
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Once the recordings are made, you CD burning software should allow you
to make a standard stereo CD. This is done in WAV format, which
generally has files about 10X larger than MP3 files -- but has the
advantage of being usable in virtually all CD players.
----
Some final notes: on a similar question posed recently, several
commenters recommended some software-only solutions. They are covered
at the end of the following Google Answer. However, Till-GA and I
have both recorded hundreds of records using a phono pre-amp so the
recommendations above still stand:
Google Answers
"Record Player to Computer to CD burner," (Till-GA, Mar. 18, 2004)
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=317885
Google search strategy:
Audio recording software
Phono pre-amp
Phono preamp
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA |
