transfer of lp records to digital media
mdshualy -- Mon, 11/03/2008 - 13:23
what's a good way to transfer 3000 lp's [not all at once] to a hard drive? A simple inexpensive way.
what's a good way to transfer 3000 lp's [not all at once] to a hard drive? A simple inexpensive way.
Hello,
The next issue of TAS will have an article on just this subject.
Many printers used to have this sign on their walls:
Fast, cheap, good - choose two.
I'm afraid the same applies to LP transfer. Any way you choose will involve the real-time playing of every record to bring them into the digital domain. Minimum time - 45 minutes per LP. Then you will have to add meta-data (names and info) and do some editing. Minimum per LP - another 30 minutes at least. If you are going to have to put in at least 1 Hour and 15 minutes per LP why not do it at a quality level worthy of your time?
My article will go into your options at each stage in the work-flow chain.
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
Thanks so much.
first blush thought...
smart smatt smart.
If I need to transfer just a handful of LP's, any simple, effective way? Is the DAK an option?]
Been running Technics into Marantz Integrated amp w/ phono preamp and into a Pioneer CD burner and then rip the CD unti the hard drive.
Many Thanks
Moshe
Running a phono cart into a receiver which has a phono preamp and then running the signal out of the receiver's tape out into a digital recorder or CD burner is certainly a viable way to digitize LPs.
Once the LP is in the digital domain its easy to bring it into your computer for further editing or clean-up.
Sonic weak links - the quality of the phono cartridge, phono preamp, A/D in the recorder or burner, and the amount of noise/scratches on the LP from previous plays and/or age.
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
Hi Mr. Stone, I read with interest your article converting lps to digital files in tas issue 191. Can you comment on which A/D recorders are available at 24 bit 96khz and preferably 192khz and those that will support dsd. I am aware of the Alessis Masterlink 9600 ( but how does one offoad to a computer) and Tascam DV-RA 1000HD(but the tascam seems complicated and requires balanced connections for 192khz.) I am interested in the highest quality transfer from lp to digital for a computer novice. I have 3,000lps and a decent phono setup - vintage sota cosmos/vacuum; 2d or 3rd generation graham tonearm and benz ref cartridge with siltech wires to arcsp10mkII preamp. for a number of years i have been using an older phillips redbook recorder for sharing lps with friends and for automobile. they sound about the same as purchased cds; perhaps a little warmer, but do not compare with the higher res formats. Any suggestions you can provide about the analog to digital conversion process including computer storage software would be a big help. Thanks alot.
If you include computers in the category of 192 khz recorders you have a myriad of options since merely adding a pro-level soundboard to your computer turns it into a high rez recorder. that's what most professional studios use. If you have a Mac the Apogee unit is a very nice rig for 2-channel high resolution recording.
The Masterlink has been a 96/24 standard for stand-alone recorders for several years now. Marantz also makes a 96/24 Stand-alone portable unit that I've used with great success. I've reviewed the Alesis multi format unit and it delivers excellent results, but you must archive to either hard drives or proprietary CD format since its hard drive has a limited size.
If you are indeed a computer novice a stand alone unit will be less intimidating, but eventually you will have to transfer your digital files over to a computer for editing and refinement.
As I mentioned in my article Audacity is a free software package that is available for both the Mac and PC that is a great starting point for computer editing (and for most two-channel work all you will ever need.)
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
thanks for the information. are you familiar with Korg MR2000s? I just learned that it is a dsd stand alone recorder 80gb hard drive usb and it comes with conversion software to other pcm formats. Have you heard anything about it's sound quality, ease of use and freedom from glitches? thanks
I've used the Korg MR1000 for recordings. It's set up quite logically and comes with nice conversion software.
The sample I had occasionally had disk-write errors, but this is not common.
The MR2000 will certainly do the job for you.
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
Thanks alot! gordon
Wouldn't it be better to use a USB turn table plugged directly into computer (I have seen some turntables like that)?
------
Computer Adaptor
No,it would not.
USB turntables are made for a very low price point and use inexpensive parts and are designed for folks who will be happy with a MP3 file. For higher quality transfers a USB turntable will not cut it. The built-in A/D are not nearly as low in noise or high in resolution as a good stand-alone A/D or what you will find on even a modestly-priced pro sound card.
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
So how does the Korg MR2000S sound? It seems to be in a league all my itself. Are there any competitors to this product on the horizon? USB 3.0 has been out for a year and some consumer products are beginning to support 3.0 so I wonder if Korg will update the hardware this year and call it the MR3000S. The USB 2.0 interface seems to be its only weakness if it can be called a weakness at all.
Is it true that AD and DA converters add their own coloration to the sound? If the same analogue signal were passed through 6 different AD converters to create a 24-bit 192 kHz file, burned to CD and then played back through the same DA converter, would they all sound different because of coloration added by the different AD converters?
Korg folks mentioned to me that if there is enough interest in Digital Extreme Definition ( 24-bit/384 kHz ), they will be able to upgrade Audiogate to support it.
According to Korg, I will be able to convert vinyl to 1-bit and then use the MR2000s to play back the file directly through the tape input of my preamplifier and set up playlists instead of downgrading the sound quality to a CD format for my player.
My system is composed of Balanced Audio Technology ( BAT ) vacuum tube components plus SOTA Cosmos vacuum platter TT with ET 2.5 linear arm and Lyra Titan i cartridge played through Audio Physic Avanti V speakers using custom designed speaker cables and interconnects with 101% conductive copper XLR connectors and driven with 100 Amp electrical service.
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