My mother has asked me to record some of her favorite records to CD for her. Many of these are out-of-print rarities and mostly foreign language LP's so I haven't had much luck finding them in CD format elsewhere. Also, these records have not been taken care of as well as I would have liked and have the unpleasant crackle-pop sound. Short of using a computer, which I don't have enough experience with, I was wondering where to start. Specifically,

- What type of CD recorder would you recommed? Most of the reviews of the major brands that carry these (Sony, Harman, etc.) are less than stellar. I'd like a unit I can use in the future for CD dubbing and other recording duties as well, something that will last. So I don't mind paying good money for this component.

- What can I do to minimize the crackles and pops? Is there a component that I can insert between the source and recorder to reduce these distortions?

- My record player has a constant hum that I understand to be caused by the motor of the turntable. I've borroed several record players and they all have this hum, albeit my own player hums the least. Is there any way to reduce the effect of this, short of purchasing a really expensive player?

My budget is sort of limitted for this, so if there are no inexpensive ways to solve these issues, feel free to say so. My record player is a Music Hall MMF1 from a few years back. It is connected to a more modern Harman Kardon 3480 receiver and Polk Audio RTi speakers. I don't currently have a CD writer, only a CD player. Everything is connected together using higher end AudioQuest cables and speaker wire.