Nothing beats the sound of a great vinyl but in the age of the iPod, it's all about convenience. While your favourite LP holds an entire album, the latest mp3 players can carry your entire music collection. If you've got stacks of old records just lying around gathering dust, follow our step-by-step guide to digitize your music collection.
Getting started
Converting your records is a fairly simple process but first, you'll have to invest in some equipment. While it's possible to connect some record players to your PC, I find that using a USB turntable works best. It's simple, convenient and produces great quality recordings for a small investment.
Choosing the right turntable
A quick search of the internet brings up hundreds, if not thousands of different USB turntables. But which one should you use? There are a whole variety of different turntables to suit different needs - here are some of our favourites:
1. ION Quickplay (around £45) - Despite its modest price tag, the ION Quickplay is an impressive piece of kit. It plays and records 33, 45 and 78rpm records and offers exceptional recording quality, making this turntable incredible value for money.
2. Numark TTUSB (around £95) - Slightly more expensive, the Numark TTUSB includes some added features, such as adjustable pitch control and improved stereo balancing. Unfortunately it doesn't play 78s straight out of the box and requires some extra software (which is included) to do so.
3. Stanton T92 USB (around £240) - Aimed more towards DJs and audio-enthusiasts, the Stanton T92 has everything you need to capture professional-quality audio. With features such as key lock and a pitch range of ±12%, this turntable is ideal for DJs making the switch to digital.
Choosing your audio software
These days, most turntables come packaged with their own audio-recording software. The trouble is they tend not to be any good. Instead, I recommend Audacity - a free download that's considered the standard for most audio-recording. Whichever software you choose, you'll have to set it up to recognise your turntable - usually by selecting the Recording Device from a list. Thankfully, it's as simple as that.
Performing the conversion
Unlike ripping music from CDs, converting your vinyls is a fairly lengthy process and could take quite a while depending on your collection. Make sure you put aside some time for this - you'll be listening to every record from start to finish, so you might as well enjoy it.
When it comes to recording your audio, you'll want to make sure that all your equipment is in excellent condition. If you're using an old needle, change it. If your leads aren't up to scratch, invest in some new ones. You should also make sure your records are nice and clean - the tiniest bit of dust can ruin your recording.
Finally, you'll want to set your audio levels. Try to ensure they're as high as they can go while still staying 'in the green'. It's alright if they flicker into the red, but it should only be momentarily. It's very important to get this right - if your levels are too high, the audio could cut out; too low and you risk much louder residual noise (such as hissing and crackling).
With your equipment set up and ready to go, all you have to do is hit record…
Editing your audio
Now that you've captured that classic track onto your PC, there are a number of small things you can do to make it sound better:
1. Remove the silence at the beginning and end using Audacity.
2. Use noise reduction software such as Bias Soundsoap 2 to remove any audible hiss, clicks and crackling.
3. Adjust the track volume with MP3 Gain - a free tool you can use to normalize volume across your entire collection.
Although it might take a while, there are a whole range of benefits to converting your records. Listening to digital copies of your favourite records can prevent wear and tear on the originals and it's even possible to improve the sound quality using noise reduction software. Personally, I love being able to take my record collection with me wherever I go. Whether I'm in my car or working out at the gym, I can listen to my favourite LPs from the comfort of my iPod. Is it the same as listening to the originals? No… but then again, what is?
Source YN
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