Recording Records to your computer

One of the most common requests for help we get is on how to get your records converted to a digital format. This article gives you details of the products we sell to enable you to do this.

To begin with , if you don't have any form of turntable, the simplest and easiest option is to buy one of these USB turntables now available:

Numark TT USB Turntable

These are not DJ products, but simply plug into a USB port on your computer, and allow you to "record" to your hard drive - using either of the common audio file formats - MP3 or WAV. They are both supplied with Audacity software for making the recordings, and although neither of these decks can play 78rpm records, using a feature of the software, you can play a 78rpm at 45, then convert it back to the correct speed. Very clever.

If you have a turntable already, there are various options open to you, depending on the sort of sound quality you want to achieve, the sort of features you need, or the type of output your turntable has. Most turntables have a phono level output (around 5-10 mv) which is far too low for most audio devices to handle, so you need to amplify this signal to a standard line level to get it onto your computer.

The simplest way to do this is to use an external USB soundcard with a turntable input:

Citronic AC1 USB Turntable Pre-Amp

Both of these products will install as an external soundcard on your computer, and can then be used with any recording software - again, we recommend the Audacity software mentioned above. If you just want to connect a single turntable, then the Art Accessories product is probably best for you. If you're a DJ we'd recommend the ESI card, as it allows you to connect 2 decks, or a whole host of other products, and works will all the major DJ software packages. Both of these products offer a lot more than just a turntable interface - and both are versatile audio devices - see the product pages themselves for more details of the features of each product.

Skytronic Turntable Preamp

If you're prepared to spend a little more time getting everything set-up, then you can connect a line level signal directly to the line input on your computer soundcard (its usually blue or has an arrow pointing into a circle) but unless your turntable has a LINE OUTPUT (see below) you'll need a turntable pre-amp to sit between the soundcard and the computer:

You'll also need one of these cables to connect the output of the pre-amp to the input on the back of your computer:

2 RCA Phono - 3.5mm Stereo Minijack Cable

Then you simply need to make sure that your computers line input is turned up (in windows XP click the speaker volume on your task bar, click options>properties then select "adjust volume for" recording. Make sure LINE IN is checked, and then adjust the level on the LINE IN slide control.

Again, you'll need some form of recording software, such as Audacity, or you may find that your soundcard came with some form of recording software on the drivers CD. Alternatively you could look online for suitable software.

Several of the products mentioned above also come with vinyl "cleaning" software - either full versions or demos - which can be used to remove pops and clicks on old vinyl - more details on these software packages is available on line, or with the product.

Making the recordings

Firstly - spend some money on a new cartridge and stylus - it will make a massive difference to the sound quality you get on your recordings - especially if the turntable has been sitting in the loft for the last 20 years. For the best sound quality, we recommend an stylus with an elliptical tip.

Secondly - If you intend to record music to a CD, and will only store the files on your computer for a short time, then we'd recommend that you use WAV files - they offer the best sound quality as they have no compression, but they are very large, and it won't take long to fill a typical hard drive. If you intend to keep hundreds of tracks on the hard drive, then MP3 would be a better option, and these can also be burned to CD/DVD or transferred to an MP3 player.

Finally - stay legal - ensure you have the correct permissions in place before you make recordings of copyright works. If in doubt, contact www.mcps.co.uk