Help! My Vinyl is melting…really!

by Don Singleton
Tulsa Computer Society
From the September, 2007 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter

By Lou Torraca, President MOAA Computer User Group, HI www.the-tug.org Af06hi@gmail.com Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups.

If you have the same problem as I do, read on, a solution is available. I have hundreds, yup, hundreds of vinyl records, 78s, 33s, and even a few 45s stashed in my garage which is a pretty hot spot (no, not a WI-FI hotspot) a really hot spot. I’ve thought about converting them to cassettes (yes, I know, that was a long time ago), then to CDs and now to DVDs. I just attended a techie conference and one of the many presentations was on this very subject, so I paid lots of attention and took notes. The presenter also talked about how to convert other media, e.g. VHS tapes, but I’ll save that for another column.

OK, just to be sure we are all on the same page…this is a 78 Vinyl Record

and next, this is a bunch of 45s

and finally, some 33s which usually were what came in albums.

Now that we are on the same page, how do you convert all this to a CD or a DVD?

Here is a step-by-step tutorial with some examples of equipment and software, as well as some urls which you may want to take a look at.

This tutorial is designed to provide a few tips to help you get the music from your turntable to computer and ready for burning to CD. It doesn’t  cover the complex area of audio restoration in which software is used to clean up noisy records. Not to worry…I’ll point you in the right direction at the end of the tutorial.

Equipment needed The following equipment will be needed to produce a signal capable of driving a typical computer soundcard.

However, if you have lots of dough, you can get one for $1800!

Does look nice, but I can’t say whether it does that much better than the small 2 above.

Interconnecting cables

Turntable Cartridge

The turntable must be positioned on a solid level surface. The cartridge should be adjusted near the maximum recommended playing weight and the anti-skating adjustment checked. For best results you should use a magnetic type cartridge. If you change cartridge type make sure the cartridge matches the arm type. Crystal/ceramic cartridges are not recommended.

Stylus Care

Carefully clean the stylus before playing each side of a record. Always clean from the back of the stylus to the front and use some alcohol if necessary.

Your stylus should be regularly checked for wear as a worn stylus will permanently damage your records. A worn stylus should be replaced.

Record Cleaning

Vinyl records must be as clean as possible so that surface dust does not build up on the stylus. Always use a fine fiber brush to remove dust before each playing. If playing the record reveals high levels of background noise, or if the stylus becomes repeatedly clogged with dirt after playing, you may need to take additional steps. You could use a mixture of alcohol and distilled water to remove dust and dirt which is deep in the record grooves.

Pre-Amplifier

A pre-amplifier must be used to amplify the low level signal from the pickup to a suitable level for your computer’s soundcard. The pre-amplifier must provide RIAA equalization in order to ensure proper frequency response from the record.

Your system may integrate the pre- and power amplifiers into a single unit. In this case, it may be possible to utilize the tape output to send the signal to the soundcard. If your pre-amplifier has an adjustable output level, use it to ensure that the signal to the soundcard is not too high. If the output level is fixed, then use the gain control in the Windows mixer applet.

Interconnecting Equipment Most soundcards come with a 3.5mm jack as the line input connector. However, most hi-fi equipment use either phono or DIN connectors. You will therefore need to fabricate or purchase a connecting lead which converts between the two connector types. Make sure that all connectors are of good quality and that they all are seated correctly. Poorly fitting connectors can produce unwanted noise or hum.

Play The Record

Once you have all of the component equipment set-up, the next step is to play the record and save a digital copy on your computer. It is best to record one entire side of an album at a time. You will end up with two large digital files one for each side of the album. Your software should allow you to separate the music tracks prior to copying to CD.

Test Recordings

You should make a test recording to your hard disk, to verify that the sound card is not being driven too hard and causing distortion. Listen carefully for hum during silent passages between song cuts. It is a good idea to actually burn a CD in order to verify that all is well. For example, this will help ensure that your left and right channels are not reversed.

Setting the Recording Level It is important that the analog signal is presented at appropriate amplitude if optimum results are to be achieved. You don’t want too low or too high a recording volume. Sound recording software will provide a recording level meter which monitors the signal at the A/D converter input.

The sound level should be adjusted so that the loudest sections peak in the -3 to 0 areas of the bar graphs. However, some soundcards will distort at levels somewhat below this. In such cases, it is best to record at a lower level and then to digitally adjust the level after recording. (normalizing). If your pre-amplifier has an output level control, you should use this to adjust recording levels. In this case, set the applet control to maximum and adjust the recording level using the control on your pre-amplifier.

The Windows applet is located at Start/All Programs/Accessories/Entertainment/Volume Control. Select Options/Properties and then “Adjust Volume For - Recording". Make sure that the ‘Line’ check box is checked. This will enable a volume control for the soundcard Line Input. Now check the ‘select’ check box under the ‘Line’ volume slider. If necessary, you can use the slider to set the recording level. Next, open your recording program and adjust the recording level using the program’s level meters.

Vinyl Record Audio Restoration

Once you have successfully transferred recorded music from turntable to computer, you will probably want to use an audio restoration program to clean up the sound.   Most old vinyl records will have a certain amount of surface damage which will affect the sound. During playback, you may hear some surface noise and a number of click and pops. Particularly annoying are the repeating clicks which occur when the damage has spanned several adjacent record grooves and which consequently repeat once per revolution of the record.

Audio restoration software uses digital filters to help remove the unwanted noise. The one that all the “gurus” seem to like is Audacity and the good news is, it’s free! Here’s where to get it: http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Burning

Once you have recorded all the required tracks from an LP and removed any clicks, pops, scratches or whatever, it is a straightforward task to write the tracks onto a blank CD/DVD using your CD/DVD writing software. First decide if you want an audio CD/DVD or would rather make up an MP3 disc. A normal CD should play in any domestic player, but an MP3 CD needs a player that can cope with this format. They are now more widely available than previously, most domestic DVD players - some in car CD players and some personal CD players will play MP3 discs. The big advantage with MP3 format is that of capacity. A normal audio disc can hold say 20 tracks of average length (80 minutes or thereabouts), while an MP3 format disc can hold between 10 and 20 albums !! This is done using data compression techniques which result in much reduced file sizes with very little lost sound quality.

Once you have decided between the two formats, you can use your CD/DVD writing software to assemble a collection of audio tracks to be burned to CD/DVD. Don't forget to separate the tracks before burning.

Now for a few other options for the technically challenged (me included) and for the fiscally unlimited (more dough than u know what to do with.)

For the first category, an all-in-one like TEAC makes may be for you. For a bit more than $400, depending on shipping, this little gem will do most of the work for you and of course, for those with no equipment such as a turntable, it provides one. Check it out at: http://tinyurl.com/22x2jy

For the second category, here’s where you can go to have all the work done for you…at a price of course! http://tinyurl.com/34w8oj

BTW, I'd suggest you check the 'net for other possibilities as there are lots of places that feature both hardware and software for just this purpose. One of them is www.dak.com

That’s it for now. Remember, be safe out there on the ‘net, but have fun with all the consumer electronic goodies.

Aloha, Lou

This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).



For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here



Tulsa Computer Society 09/01/2007
Don Singleton, President