LP to MP3?

[Zaurusman]

Anyone doing this with just software? I'm looking for something fairly easy to use that'll record through the microphone jack and separate the songs out into files automatically, preferably. Don't need to "filter out pops and snaps" because I don't usually have any to filter.

Probably don't hear this every day, but I'm phasing out my CD's to do only MP3's and vinyl.

[mlsstl]

I've probably converted close to 1,000 LP records to digital format. I strive for a high quality so use Adobe Audition. I play the turntable through a phono preamp into the line input of the computer's sound card. (Note this sidelines into a range of issues. If the phono cartridge is moving magnet or moving coil it cannot be plugged directly into either the mike or line input of a sound card - it needs a preamp with RIAA equalization. If it is a crystal phono cartridge it can plug into the line in but the quality is very low. The mike input of a sound card does not provide the proper equalization.)

Once you've recorded the LP into the computer you can then process for clicks & pops (or not) and divide into tracks. The auto software for dividing tracks works OK when there is a clean break between songs but can have problems when tracks fade into one another or a song has a pause or two in the middle of a single track. I much prefer to create tracks manually.

At this point it does not matter whether you save to WAV, FLAC, MP3 or one of a number of other formats. Keep in mind that MP3 is a "lossy" format and there is a loss of quality - various parts of the audio signal are literally discarded during the encoding process.

[Mike Anderson]

At this point it does not matter whether you save to WAV, FLAC, MP3 or one of a number of other formats. Keep in mind that MP3 is a "lossy" format and there is a loss of quality - various parts of the audio signal are literally discarded during the encoding process.

I think you've contradicted yourself here. I'd say it doesn't matter whether you save to WAVE, FLAC or some other *lossless* format, but if you go to MP3, you're losing stuff.

If you're going to take the time and trouble to convert your vinyl, just got straight to a lossless format like WAV or FLAC. Heck, if you've got a high quality setup and plenty of disk space, I'd to save to a 24bit, 96khz format.

[royphil345]

Easiest way to get high-quality results with free software...

Download this http://www.freefilehosting.net/download/NjE1MTI=

It has a recorder. Record 16-bit 44 khz cd-quality wav files. Select your sound card as the source in the program. Select mic or line-in input in the recording section of your Windows Mixer and adjust the recording level. When you hit the record button it will let you choose a file name for the recording and select where to store the file.

This software is also the best I've seen for quickly and easily dividing the recordings into tracks. Like the other guy said... Any automatic track splitter is likely to make mistakes. Better to just do it manually. This program makes very quick work of it once you get used to it. Just click where you want the pointer to play from on the top (wide) or bottom (zoomed in) view. Hit the split button where you want your track splits. No need to stop or pause the playback. When you're done... Select "save" and where to save your tracks to.

I would also recommend lossless... Or at least burning a CD of the CD-quality wav files before you convert them to mp3 in case you ever want to use the full-quality recordings in the future.

To convert the CD-quality wav tracks to mp3... Download LAMExp http://www.free-codecs.com/download/LameXP.htm

It uses LAME, a very high-quality but free mp3 encoder. Load up your files and hit convert. The quality settings I use are: constant bitrate, 256 kbps, max algorithm quality, 44,100 sample rate, stereo. Many people use a 128 or 192 kbps bitrate to keep the files smaller. Quality really starts suffering though... You could select "average bitrate" and / or "joint stereo" to maybe improve the quality of 128 or 192 kbps files.

Average bitrate changes the bitrate during different parts of the mp3 depending on how complex a given passage is, with the chosen target bitrate being the average. Joint stereo I believe converts low frequencies to mono, allowing more information (less compression) to be used on the higher frequencies.

[PeruvianSkies]

What method are you going to use to playback the MP3 files? Or are you just doing this to backup your music?

[Zaurusman]

Thanks, guys. I've never done this before, so all these pointers are very helpful. I'll try out the free one this weekend.

I'm playing these on a Sansa e200, presently with three gigs. I use it at work when I'm not in meetings, when I go to the gym or out for a walk, and I'm thinking about the "base station" for it to more easily connect to my stereo with a remote. Also thinking about getting an FM modulator for the car when it warms up outside, too, so I can play it in the car without getting a whole new head unit with an input.

I've ripped my CD library into .mp3's and .wma's, and the quality is "good enough" through inexpensive ear buds for casual listening to my ears -- for now, with this hardware. I always have the vinyl to play at home when I really want to listen to music.

[Zaurusman]

Download this http://www.freefilehosting.net/download/NjE1MTI=

I don't think that link's complete or, at least, it's not working. Would you mind reposting it, please?

[jrhymeammo]

I don't think that link's complete or, at least, it's not working. Would you mind reposting it, please?

I also had troubles with that couple of months ago. Gosh Phil, what good are you?

[mlsstl]

> I think you've contradicted yourself here. I'd say it doesn't matter whether you save to
> WAVE, FLAC or some other *lossless* format, but if you go to MP3, you're losing stuff.

Sorry, I didn't explain myself well. When I said "it doesn't matter" the reference was that it is no more work to save to a lossy format than a lossless. The software doesn't really care which of the formats you use to save your work.

It appeared the original poster had already decided that MP3 is good enough for him (though I prefer the lossless FLAC format.)

[royphil345]

I don't think that link's complete or, at least, it's not working. Would you mind reposting it, please?

It works for me...

You just hit the view / download file button.

Let me know if you still can't get it. What happens when you try? I'll try a different free file host. The one I used last time had some very confusing ads to navigate around and they've been down for over a week...

Try this one too. http://www.badongo.com/file/2046772 They make you wait 15 seconds to read their ads. Then, you have to enter the text you see in the box and hit the download button... I hope... this time...

[wgriel]

I haven't noticed if anyone has touched on this or not, but if you record through the mike input, you will be recording in mono. You have to record through a "line in" input to get stereo, and if you are using a notebook computer, it probably doesn't have one.

I solved this buy purchasing a USB device that does - there are several of them on the market, and they are not particularly expensive. Here are some examples:
http://www.usbgear.com/USB-Sound.html

Bill

[royphil345]

I haven't noticed if anyone has touched on this or not, but if you record through the mike input, you will be recording in mono.
Bill

Wow.... I just tested it, and the mic input on my Soundblaster is mono... I didn't know that. I've read about alot of people using their mic inputs to record vinyl when they had no line-in input. Just assumed they knew what they were doing. Maybe some are stereo? These people are likely recording one channel of the turntable's output to both channels of a recording.... and not even noticing... Very sad... LOL

Looks like one of those USB devices or even a slightly higher quality external sound card may be called for if you don't have a line-in jack. I also forgot to mention that you will need a phono stage between the turntable and computer, or you can plug the turntable into a receiver with phono inputs and plug tape-outs from the receiver to the computer.

[basite]

I use the recording program that came with my soundcard, I record vinyl records in 24/96, then I save them in wav, then I process them in another program, when it's needed... most records I have are in a good state, and I won't process a whole lp for that one pop...

just leave it untouched, just clean your records well....


Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[wgriel]

Wow.... I just tested it, and the mic input on my Soundblaster is mono... I didn't know that. I've read about alot of people using their mic inputs to record vinyl when they had no line-in input. Just assumed they knew what they were doing. Maybe some are stereo?

While I could be wrong, I doubt that any are stereo, simply because a microphone is a single channel device!

I also forgot to mention that you will need a phono stage between the turntable and computer, or you can plug the turntable into a receiver with phono inputs and plug tape-outs from the receiver to the computer.

Good points - I've done my recording by going through the tape out of my receiver to a USB device hooked up to my notebook computer.

Bill

[mlsstl]

> I won't process a whole lp for that one pop...

That is one of the neat aspects of Adobe Audition. You can zoom in and remove the one or two clicks without having to process the whole record. You zoom into the area with the click, highlight the few ten-thousandths second around the click and press the button for the single click removal. It really is fascinating to hear a beloved LP without that click or pop in the spot where you'd grown used to hearing it.

[royphil345]

While I could be wrong, I doubt that any are stereo, simply because a microphone is a single channel device! Bill

Yeah... I've bought some cheap, mono computer mics with 3-section stereo plugs on them though. That was part of the reason I never questioned all the people who said they used the mic input to record vinyl. I assumed the jacks were stereo and the mics were hooked up to both channels of a stereo plug so they'd work right... Turns out, that just doesn't seem to be the case...


Anybody have any luck with those links yet? That CD Wave Editor program is really worth having. The recorder is easy to use. Quality just as good as any other... You can do all of the track splits on an album side in about a minute with minimal practice. Guy developed it just for that purpose.

[Zaurusman]

Anybody have any luck with those links yet? That CD Wave Editor program is really worth having. The recorder is easy to use. Quality just as good as any other... You can do all of the track splits on an album side in about a minute with minimal practice. Guy developed it just for that purpose.

I tried it again this evening and it worked this time. The first time it said the file could't be found or something of that nature; I was at work though and we have moderate site blocking enabled on our internet firewall. Thanks for posting that; makes this a lot easier.

But before I can try it, yep, need a USB sound card for my notebook. Glad you caught that, Bill, 'cause I assumed they were stereo the same as most everyone else! Cool site, too.

One last question, I think. I could run RCA's out of my receiver's tape out jacks, but my turntable has a pre-amp built in that I'm just not using. Any reason not to just power that pre up and go directly into the computer from the 'table?

Thanks, guys.

Tibor

[emorphien]

I did this recently for a friend, converting an old record of Winston Churchill speeches that his grandfather in law (who was in WW2) got years and years ago.

I just cobbled it together by running out the tape monitor on my NAD integrated amp and in to the microphone jack on the front of my computer. I then recorded in Audacity and split it in to tracks. Haven't done any processing to clean it up but Audacity can do some of that too.

[royphil345]

No reason not to use the built-in unless you prefer the sound of the other or the recording level is better... I've been using a permanent setup using tape-outs from my receiver. Haven't even tried hooking the phono stage straight to the computer to see if anything comes out better or worse...

Glad you got that file. Good luck!!!

[basite]

> I won't process a whole lp for that one pop...

That is one of the neat aspects of Adobe Audition. You can zoom in and remove the one or two clicks without having to process the whole record. You zoom into the area with the click, highlight the few ten-thousandths second around the click and press the button for the single click removal. It really is fascinating to hear a beloved LP without that click or pop in the spot where you'd grown used to hearing it.

I do that, trust me, if it's a really annoying pop or crack (from a scratch or so) then I cut it out, I do that with my recording program, it's really good for that...


I don't record much records, I rather play them as a record...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[royphil345]

What I'm working on now is trying to find some software that will label / tag the files without alot of typing.

I've noticed that 99% of the time, after I separate the tracks and put an album on a CD... The CDDB search function on CD ripping software will be able to correctly identify the album and tag the tracks. I'm trying to find something that will do this if I just put all the files from an album somewhere BEFORE creating a CD.... so the CD text on my CDs will read correctly without me manually labelling / naming all the tracks... and I don't want to pay for it... LOL I've found a couple programs that seem possibly capable of this. Still haven't tried them out...

[3db]

Anyone doing this with just software? I'm looking for something fairly easy to use that'll record through the microphone jack and separate the songs out into files automatically, preferably. Don't need to "filter out pops and snaps" because I don't usually have any to filter.

Probably don't hear this every day, but I'm phasing out my CD's to do only MP3's and vinyl.

I don';t know if it's any good or not but it is novel .

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/8be8/

[royphil345]

I don';t know if it's any good or not but it is novel .

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/8be8/

It would work.

Obviously, A better table, cartridge, separate phono stage, and audiophile grade D/A converter / USB interface like the M-Audio Audiophile would give better results.

Guy said he already had a table and preamp, so starting from scratch wasn't recommended. All he really needed was free software and a USB interface.

The software included with the table for recording, editing and mp3 conversion is just Audacity, a freeware recorder / editor / LAME front end for creating mp3s that anyone can download. Audacity could be used with any analog or USB interface between a turntable and computer.

This table appears to be the exact same one sold under the "Ion" name for a little less $. http://www.amazon.com/Ion-iTTUSB-Tur...&s=electronics

[Kran30]

You need a good audio editor, i used Fleximusic audio editor. It's simple, has more than enough features for what you're doing and has never crashed on me.

[emorphien]

I'd start with Audacity. It's free and it works quite well. If it's not for you then spend money on something.