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BOOT CAMP 450 (14/11/06)
Vinyl and Tape to CD and MP3, part 1
In the past few weeks, and for no apparent
reason that I can see, there has been an increase in the number of requests for
information on how to convert vinyl LPs (and 45s and 78s) and cassette tapes
into MP3 files or transfer album tracks onto CD. In fact this has always been a
popular topic and I usually refer readers to Boot Camps 276 and 277, which
outline the process of making audio CDs from tapes and discs.
However, these articles were written more than
three years ago and whilst the general principles haven't changed there has
been a number of developments, notably the shift towards music downloading
music from the Internet, the phenomenal growth in the personal digital music
player market and new software that makes the job a lot easier so it is about
time for an update. See also this week's Top Tip.
Creating an audio CD or MP3 files from a record
or tape isn't especially difficult and you won't need any special (or
expensive) equipment or software but it does involve several separate steps so
be warned, there's no quick-and easy way to process a collection of several
dozen albums.
Almost any PC made in the last five years will
do the job, though, and it doesn't matter what operating system it uses, as
long as it's Windows 98 or later, Mac OS 9 or later or Linux. The only
stipulations are that it should have a CD writer drive and a couple of
gigabytes or more of free hard disc space.
We'll round off this week with an overview of
what is involved and make a start on hooking up the various pieces of equipment
we'll be using.
Stage one is connecting the record player or
cassette deck to the PC. Stage two involves converting the analogue sounds coming
from the disc or tape into digital data and storing it on the computer's hard
drive. In Stage 3 the data is edited and processed, i.e. splitting a continuous
recording of one side of an LP or tape into separate tracks and filtering out
the inevitable hiss, clicks and pops. In Stage 4 the finished recordings are
converted into either MP3 files, for copying to a digital music player, or
audio CD (CDA) files, which brings us to Stage 5, compiling the tracks and
recording or 'burning ' them onto a blank CD.
Connecting a cassette player to a PC isn't
difficult. Most hi-fis with built-in tape decks and standalone cassette players
have a headphone socket and many hi-fis also have a stereo line output socket
and either of them can be used. Virtually all PCs and laptops have a 3.5mm
minijack stereo line input socket, so to connect your hi-fi or tape player to
your PC you will need a stereo phono to 3.5mm stereo minijack or stereo
minijack to stereo minijack cable. These are very widely available from electrical
and electronic retailers, usually for less than five pounds. By the way,
there's no point spending more on super hi-tech cables with gold plated plugs,
it won't make an iota of difference in this particular application (or most
others for that matter, but that's another story...).
Unfortunately you cannot connect a turntable
directly to a PC. Some sources suggest using the computer's microphone socket
and sometimes it works but usually the results are quite poor due to a
mis-match between the output signal from the turntable and the PC's microphone
amplifier. There's no way around it and the only practical solution is to
connect the turntable to the 'phono' sockets on your hi-fi system and connect
its line output or headphone socket to the PC, like a cassette deck. However,
not all audio systems have phono inputs these days -- they are rarer than hen's
teeth on budget models -- in which case you will have to use a stereo 'phono'
pre-amplifier, which connects between the turntable and PC. They're a little harder
to come by but Maplin Electronics has a number of suitable models costing from
£25.
Next Week -- Vinyl and Tape to CD and MP3, pt 2
JARGON FILTER
MP3
Motion Picture Experts Group audio layer 3 -- digital audio
compression system commonly used to send files containing audio and music over
the Internet and for storing musical files in personal audio players
PREAMPLIFIER
Amplifier designed to boost the level of a weak signal to higher
level (line-level) and to match its electrical characteristics (impedance) with
the equipment it will be connected to
LINE INPUT/OUTPUT
Line 'level' is a set of agreed standards for audio signals
passing between various pieces of consumer electronic equipment, allowing, for
example, CD and DVD players, VCRs etc to connect to amplifiers and hi-fi
systems using their 'Line' input and output sockets
TOP TIP
You may have seen advertisements for a 'USB Turntable', designed
specifically for transferring vinyl recordings to CDs via a PC. I haven't tried
it and I have no reason to suppose that it doesn't do a good job, however, at
more than £100 it is a somewhat expensive solution to this problem.
The method we will be using needn't cost you a bean. You or a
friend almost certainly has a serviceable turntable sitting around somewhere
gathering dust. It doesn't matter if it's a few years old, most turntables were
sturdily built and apart from a worn stylus or drive belt there's really not
much that can go wrong with most of them. (Styli and drive belts for most
models are still available). If you haven't got one to hand you can find
turntables selling on ebay for a few pounds and I've seen models that once sold
for £100 or more going for a fiver at a local car boot sale. It's worth noting
that the USB turntable uses one of the best audio recording and editing
programs available -- more about that in part 2. It's an excellent choice and
it also happens to be the one we will be using because it's freeware and
available to anyone for the price of a one minute download (or however long it
takes your PC to download a 2Mb file).
---end---
(c) R. Maybury 2006, 0911
Part 2 3 4 5
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