What is the easiest way to get my LPs onto my computer for conversion to MP3 tracks.?

Question

What minimum hardware and software do I need .I have a seperates Hi Fi system with turntable. Can I plug the Audio out from the turntable to the soundcard on my computer without any pre amplification or should I leave the turntable connected to the amplifier and connect the output from the amplifier which now goes to the input of the tape deck to my soundcard?

Answer 1

You'll need 5 things:
1 A turntable (stating the obvious I know)
2 An amlipfier with a phono input (increasingly rare but an external phone stage can be bought for only £20) and a tape loop. If you don't have this, you can use a headphone output (see later)
3 A computer with a sound card that has a line-in socket (you can use the mic-in socket if that's all you have)
4 A cable, usually a 2xRCA phono to 1x3.5mm jack
5 Some software (More later)

Assuming the turntable and everything else is already connected up, connect the cable to the computer using the line in socket and connect the other end to the Rec/Out socket of the tape loop on the amplifier. If your amp doesn't have a tape loop (most do and if it's got a built in phono stage it's really unlikely that it won't have), you can use the headphone socket with a special adapter or cable that converts from a standard jack plug to a 3.5mm mini jack. If you've got an '80's mini system with a turntable, it probably won't have a tape loop, but you can use the headphone jack. The cable or adapter can be bought from any electronics store (Maplins in the UK, Radio Shack in the US, can't speak for anywhere else), it also comes free with Audio Cleaning Lab.

There is a range of software out there ranging from the professional Cakewalk stuff through to the freeware Audacity. I use something called Magix Audio Cleaning Lab. It's a bit clunky to use, but has all the feature you'll need and at £20 is pretty cheap. They all work much the same way though.

Once the software is set-up and everything connected, just play the album/tape as usual and start the software, it should register an input from the line-in and you can digitise the input.

Remember that this is a purely analog process, so there will be no track markers, gaps or automatic fetching of track names like there is for CDs, you'll have to do all this yourself and it's a time consuming process. You can also use this set-up to record stuff from internet radio.

To answer your question about connecting the phono output directly to your sound card - No, the output levels are far too low, it needs to go through the tape loop as you've suggested.

As an alternative, you might want to consider downloading the album from the internet. There are P2P services such as eDonkey or Kazaa that will have most of the stuff already digitised, saving you a huge amount of time. The services are free and so strictly speaking illegal, but I suspect that if you have the original album and you don't share the download, then you will be OK (don't hold me to that though, I'm no lawyer).

Answer 2

You can connect the output of a cassette deck to your sound card's line input jack but you may need a pre-amp if you try to do this with a turntable unless you go through a stereo receiver or amplifier with a phono input.

To make the recording, I recommend a program I use called Magix Audio Cleaning Lab, available at Best Buy for about $40. Not only can you record from an analog source with it but this program has editing features that let you remove record clicks, pops and crackling, turntable rumble or tape hiss. After that's done you can use the mastering section to enhance the audio by optimizing the overall volume, compressing or leveling and equalizing, and more. When you're done with that, you can then export the finished project as a new WAV, WMA, MP3 or OGG file or burn it directly to a CD.

Answer 3

You could go that way, or you could get an interface from M-audio that has inputs for the RCA jacks that most phnographs come with. This is a pricey way to go but it works. Going straight thru from the turntable will probably not amplify enough, but you could try hooking it up and see how it goes. Record one track and then go back to check the levels.

Answer 4

I've connected my record deck to my line-in and recorded directly into a sound editor, just edit out the stylus clicks at the beginning and end, increase the levels to bring the volume up without clipping the waves and you're sorted.

You could equally take the output from your hi-fi but I don't know if it really makes a lot of difference, a lot of the power and bass comes from the speakers you use.

Answer 5

It should have a din socket with 5 pins. Get a lead to connect that to the line in on your computer and line out (3.5mm plugs). You then have much better computer sound - your stereo will replace your speakers. Your output from your stereo can be exported to your computer. I prefer to use my MP3 player that records to MP3 - that is really easy. If you record to your computer - you may have to record to WAVE - and then convert to MP3.

Answer 6

All I know is that you need to connect your turntable to you computer's line in, then use windows movie maker to capture the sound from your LP.

Answer 7

There's a great little and cheap device that comes with an accessory for Apple computers that does it. It works on PC's too. The part is a complementary component to a microphone. I bet if you go your local Apple store they'll have one.

Answer 8

I'd take the source from the amp,and just get some recording software

Answer 9

Buy iMic, it provides free software and converts analogue to digital. Just plug your audio line into it and USB it into your PC.

www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/