Recording a record to the PC

[yarvelling]

Audacity works very well for me!
Get used to the way it works and it's really quite straightforward....and a little feature in it's effects menu called "repair" - fiddly to use - but is brilliant for eliminating those bad pops and clicks on a record!!
And it's good for splitting tracks with precision, and then saving out to whatever format you want - WAV, FLAC, MP3, Apple formats.... very versatile And also allows input of data which is also saved

 

[Vinylmasters]

If you are looking for an easy to use program to record, and do simple click/rumble and hiss removal, track detection and volume adjustment - this is worth the $$:

http://www.coyotes.bc.ca/GrooveMechanic.html

 

[andyecon]

I can't recommend PureVinyl highly enough. I did comparisons between a Bryston BP-1.5 and PureVinyl's digital RIAA correction being fed through a Focusrite Forte USB interface at 24/192 and could not tell a difference. That's a crazy cheap way of getting an excellent phono stage that is infinitely more flexible than any other:

1. You can use dozens of correction curves for pre-RIAA records.

2. You can record on the fly. I listen to all of my records through this system, but the first time I play a new record I record both sides with a single click.

3. It can be had for REALLY cheap. I probably went overboard with the interface because I liked the way it looked and some of the features (you can change phase or switch to mono from the front panel), but even then the interface was only $315.

4. You can add whatever character you like. This ends up sounding very neutral, which is what I liked about the Bryston. But if you want to get a bit of hall sound you can add it with various plugins. Or if you have some recordings with sizzling high end, you can tame it with digital EQ. I never do this stuff, but it would be easy.

 

[lr11]

Thanks to everyone,

I have my work cut out for me.

 

[lr11]

Another question though,

I was planning on going from the head phone jack to the mic jack on the laptop. does any one see an issue with this.

 

[Elfasto]

If you check your sound settings for the OS the mic in will be a combo mic/line input, so no issues there.

As far as software, I use Audacity. WAY back in the Mac OS9 days I used ProTools Free, which really was an excellent piece of software. Unfortunately, it's unusable unless I have a PowerPC chipset and a copy of OS9.

 

[lr11]

Elfasto

Thanks

 

[datafone]

I used to use Wave Lab, but as I can't afford the latest versions I now use Audacity, easy straight forward program.

I also don't modify the capture, apart cutting the individual tracks.

 

[KevinCorr]

A lot of talk of software but no one seems to talk about analog to digital converters. There are millions of articles and posts on DACS but nothing on A/D.

 

[lini]

KC: I guess that's simply because of there being comparatively few pure A/D converters (and even less with USB output) compared to the pretty large number of D/A converters with USB input (most of which nowadays seem to be USB-DAC/headphone amp combos, though). Well, and "onboard" SPDIF inputs are quite a rarity at least on notebooks, so that for using an ADC with SPDIF output one would need an additional sound interface with SPDIF input anyway, so that for most people it makes more sense to grab a USB sound interface with both A/D and D/A converters right away.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[AvFan]

Most ADCs are found along with musical instruments and there are many good ones. I have and recommend Focusrite. A pretty inexpensive 2i2 USB version is all that is needed along with whatever software of choice. Firewire and Thunderbolt ADCs are available too.

 

[gusten]

KC: I guess that's simply because of there being comparatively few pure A/D converters (and even less with USB output) compared to the pretty large number of D/A converters with USB input (most of which nowadays seem to be USB-DAC/headphone amp combos, though). Well, and "onboard" SPDIF inputs are quite a rarity at least on notebooks, so that for using an ADC with SPDIF output one would need an additional sound interface with SPDIF input anyway, so that for most people it makes more sense to grab a USB sound interface with both A/D and D/A converters right away.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

Yes, I agree.

 

[dewdude]

I helped another AKer with this a few months ago.

My suggestion: ditch the PC for the recording side of things. There are loads that can go wrong with recording from a PC; not that it's not a fine solution if you already have the setup...I know I'd do it. But it can sometimes contribute un-necessary noise...as well as sometimes not having the worlds most accurate clock since it's having to process the input stream and write it to disk. Yes, this works pretty good...I've done it myself for years. But if you have to invest money in something to do this; you're better off not going the PC route for the recording.

Korg makes a couple of portable recorders; one you might find cheap on the used market is the MR-1. It's a HDD based portable recorder that's able to output 24/192 wav files *or* 1-bit DSD recordings (it is a native 1-bit ADC that's converted to 24/192 in hardware).

Guys, this thing sounds fantastic! It has to be some of the absolute best digitized vinyl I've ever heard. I've heard a lot of people who have tried to record vinyl; and while they may have great units...there's always something "lacking" in the typical computer ADC recording.

As far as software, you got options. Audacity is free and will probably do most of what you need it to do; but don't rely on it for any processing. The effects are "textbook" and not very developed compared to the more professional offerings.

RX4, while REALLY expensive; does about the best job of cleaning up a recording.

But I say go for an external record unit. You'll just get rid of all the possible problems that can occur during a PC recording.

 

[KHatfull]

I helped another AKer with this a few months ago. <snip>

...and I'd be that AKer.

I gotta tell you Jay's suggestion was spot on. I have completely enjoyed the use of my Korg MR-1 for ripping LPs. I picked mine up for $180 on reverb.com. I occasionally see them go for close to that on the auction site.

While I had never recorded LPs before I had done PC-based recording before and his point is exactly right: the external recorder does away with all the issues that crop up when recording from a PC-based sound card. I run a tape monitor out from my preamp right to the Korg, spin the LP, and just let it do it's 20 minutes. I can do anything on my PC while I'm recording without any fear of screwing up the rip whatsoever. And, I can bring the Korg anywhere I like and record...an added bonus.

I was originally recording to 24/192 WAV directly but now, just for the space savings with the masters that I always keep, I record to the 1-bit DSD and use Korg's AudioGate to convert to WAV for editing. It's just one more step and takes just a couple minutes per album side.

I'll also second the suggestion of RX4. It's quite literally amazing. Working in the spectral display you can see pops and clicks visually. When an LP is very clean I repair pops and clicks manually, just going through the side while listening in real time. You can actually see some that are otherwise inaudible unless you're listening VERY critically. The denoising module is extremely configurable. Do have a quick machine though, it's a hell of a lot of math. I bought a machine just to process audio on that has an SSD and HDD in it. I actively process on the SSD and use the HDD for temp storage before final product gets to my NAS and ultimately to CrashPlan.

I'm going to link a few songs that were done with the Korg MR-1 and RX4. I won't leave these up forever but if you grab them you can get a taste of what this thing can do. All 24/192 FLAC and no processing other than declick and denoise. A couple may be a little quiet, I need to do a better job of normalization on an album side. Forgive me for being a classic rock fan.

I'm still learning the Korg and RX4 but I get better and quicker every iteration. I couldn't be happier with how the Korg works and at the prices you can get them for compared to a real, quality internal sound card I don't know how you can possibly do better.

Oh, recording equipment: AT AT440MLa cart -> Onkyo CP-1057F TT -> Yamaha C-70 preamp -> Korg MR-1

Enjoy.

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - Secondhand News: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vj2idpbs6gh4ju0/01%20-%20Fleetwood%20Mac%20-%20Rumors%20-%20Second%20Hand%20News.flac?dl=0

Alan Parsons Project - I Robot - I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e6bd9yit7q38wx3/02%20-%20Alan%20Parsons%20Project%20-%20I%20Robot%20-%20I%20Wouldn%27t%20Want%20To%20Be%20Like%20You.flac?dl=0

Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle - Wild Mountain Honey: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5eqs021p0y25re9/03%20-%20Steve%20Miller%20Band%20-%20Fly%20Like%20an%20Eagle%20-%20Wild%20Mountain%20Honey.flac?dl=0

Boston - Third Stage - Hollyann: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nadw680vou2rwzc/Boston%20-%20Third%20Stage%20-%2010%20-%20Hollyann.flac?dl=0 (This LP was especially clean and dynamic...I get blown away every time I listen to this.)

 

[guest110]

Thanks for those files. Does the Korg MR-1 only sample DSD at 2.8MHz? Would love to see one that does 5.6MHz. I've been sampling at DSD64 (2.8224MHz), DSD128 (5.6448MHz), and DXD (24bit/352.8KHz) and swear I can hear a difference, but still playing around.

 

[KevinCorr]

Great thread, thanks for all the info.
I am off line until tomorrow so I have to study into this then.

 

[chink8ball]

My setup

This is based upon the last 12 months of digitising about 1,400 LPs to date.

I was an expat for 15 years, first in London and then in Asia with my LPs and main rig in US storage. The good news is that during that time, the digital process, hardware and software has improved massively and the cost/availability of storage has likewise improved.

I have about 4,000 disks, mainly LPs including about 300 12" singles/mixes/promos. I'm in process of downsizing and that includes my LPs.

Software- Using Vinyl Studio for recording, splitting tracks, attaching meta data and ripping into 192/24 FLAC files. JRiver Media for playback and library organisation.

PC desktop recording hardware- A to D conversion with RME Hammerfell HDSP 9652 PCI card (vinyl signal input, monitoring output and headphone output using their provided breakout cables). The card was cheaper than either the Benchmark or Mytek AD devices. I bought mine off EBay for $300. The Benchmark USB AD is rarely discounted and does not come up as a used item with any frequency. A lot of Myteks out there but have not heard either.

Storage- For Vinyl Studio you can specify what drive to store your recordings and what drive to store your processed recordings including meta data (track details and album art). I have my recordings on a 3TB HDD (about 2TB used to date) in the desktop and the processed recordings are stored on a NAS, 16TB in Raid 0 giving me about 7.4TB with complete back up. I've been using WD Red, 3 and 4 TB drives. One already failed in the NAS, less than 12 months old so backup/Raid are key.

Front end hardware, VPI 16.0 recording cleaner, SOTA Star, SME V, Benz Micro Glider SL, Bob's SUT to Audio Research PH3SE and then directly into the RME card.

Playback hardware, USB cable from PC to Wyred4Sound DAC2.

My learnings are meticulous cartridge setup is a must as are clean records and stylus. Also, do not set your recording levels too hot. Digital overload is not the same as analog overload. I do not set the Vinyl Studio software to include the RIAA curve as this is already part of the Audio Research PH3SE.

When you get it right, you will hear it and all the time, and effort becomes satisfying.

Agree with all on the steep learning curve. Other interesting things are new portable devices needed for playback, not all streaming capable hardware can take 192/24, etc. Also, I am on WIN 7, both desktops and a laptop. My wife's world is MAC, laptop, pads and phone. Sorting out compatibility for both increases mental activity.

Oddly, I just bought another SOTA Star (cheap as the pump is missing) and a JVC UA 7045 arm so I can do some cartridge swapping/comparison.

 

[robgmn]

...and I'd be that AKer.

I gotta tell you Jay's suggestion was spot on. I have completely enjoyed the use of my Korg MR-1 for ripping LPs. I picked mine up for $180 on reverb.com. I occasionally see them go for close to that on the auction site.


I'm going to link a few songs that were done with the Korg MR-1 and RX4. I won't leave these up forever but if you grab them you can get a taste of what this thing can do. All 24/192 FLAC and no processing other than declick and denoise. A couple may be a little quiet, I need to do a better job of normalization on an album side. Forgive me for being a classic rock fan.

I'm still learning the Korg and RX4 but I get better and quicker every iteration. I couldn't be happier with how the Korg works and at the prices you can get them for compared to a real, quality internal sound card I don't know how you can possibly do better.

Oh, recording equipment: AT AT440MLa cart -> Onkyo CP-1057F TT -> Yamaha C-70 preamp -> Korg MR-1

Enjoy.

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - Secondhand News: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vj2idpbs6gh4ju0/01%20-%20Fleetwood%20Mac%20-%20Rumors%20-%20Second%20Hand%20News.flac?dl=0

Alan Parsons Project - I Robot - I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e6bd9yit7q38wx3/02%20-%20Alan%20Parsons%20Project%20-%20I%20Robot%20-%20I%20Wouldn%27t%20Want%20To%20Be%20Like%20You.flac?dl=0

Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle - Wild Mountain Honey: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5eqs021p0y25re9/03%20-%20Steve%20Miller%20Band%20-%20Fly%20Like%20an%20Eagle%20-%20Wild%20Mountain%20Honey.flac?dl=0

Boston - Third Stage - Hollyann: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nadw680vou2rwzc/Boston%20-%20Third%20Stage%20-%2010%20-%20Hollyann.flac?dl=0 (This LP was especially clean and dynamic...I get blown away every time I listen to this.)

Just for fun and edification, I downloaded the Boston and Steve Miller tracks and tried to run them through AudioDiffmaker, compared to files ripped direct from CDs that had the same tracks.
I wanted to hear what was different between them.

Unfortunately, it couldn't time-sync them (maybe due to speed variation of the vinyl playback versus rock-steady CD play speed?).

My next test is going to be a comparison of the Hi-Res file versus that same file after it's been knocked down to 44.1.

Results to follow!

 

[vinyl fiend]

After recording into wavelab, I bump the gain up to about Zero db. -3 to -6 db always seems a little low. At the Zero level, there are spikes here and there, which amounts to clipping. i haven't noticed them as audible, but I haven't really scrutinized it either. Right now, my process is destructive, in that, I convert program material to Mp3. I just don't have the disc space for wavs. I would like to cull some of my LP collection, but I can't until this digitizing thing gets sorted out.

 

[robgmn]

After recording into wavelab, I bump the gain up to about Zero db. -3 to -6 db always seems a little low. At the Zero level, there are spikes here and there, which amounts to clipping. i haven't noticed them as audible, but I haven't really scrutinized it either. Right now, my process is destructive, in that, I convert program material to Mp3. I just don't have the disc space for wavs. I would like to cull some of my LP collection, but I can't until this digitizing thing gets sorted out.

Why not burn to disc, then convert to mp3 for space saving?
Down the road, when you have more disc space, you could rip your CDs to FLAC if you wanted.