Totally O/T

[Stuart]

Just started working my way through my many vinyl albums using my Philips audio CD recorder to burn them to CD-RW so I can MP3 them.  Unfortunately the CD recorder has just died on me - laser failure I reckon seems to be common.

So, any audiophiles out there can tell me the easiest way to go vinyl to MP3?  I'd like to avoid one of those crappy USB turntables as I have a quality turntable already, and don't particularly want to buy another CD recorder if I can avoid it.

Any help appreciated.  Thanks,

Stuart

[Captain Colonial]

How is your enlisting turntable connected to the failed CD burner?

[Stuart]

Phono leads into amp, CD recorder connected to tape output of amp.  So I have a pre-amp stage output or a headphone output from the amp.

Just reminded myself about some recording freeware called Audacity, but don't know whether it's as simple as connecting amp outputs to laptop mic input (or whether I could fry my sound card).  And then I guess I have to listen to each album all over again to split to tracks - seems an even more arduous way than I've been doing it via CD.  At least with the CD recorder I could change the track number when it changed on the LP.

[Hammy]

I'd look to see if I could download directly or as it's old stuff the CD version may be very cheaply available .

Going analog  via the PC has lots of opportunity to make the copy a poor job unless you have a very fancy card.

[Captain Colonial]

If your laptop sound card has a Line In (not the Mic jack), you should be in business.  This seems a good guide with free software.  Audacity is good, but a little complex for what you want unless you really want to play with the recordings.

[Captain Colonial]

Just to add Hammy has a valid point too.

[Stuart]

Thanks guys.

It's just an old Dell Latitude with standard sound card (SigmaTel) so guess not great.  I've got it working in stereo using Audacity via the mic input OK but you're right it don't sound great - I thought it was 'cos I had just recorded the radio.

Buying CDs or downloading not a real option as I have 300+ albums!

Looks like I might have to find another CD recorder then?

[Dibby]

I'd look to see if I could download directly or as it's old stuff the CD version may be very cheaply available .

Going analog  via the PC has lots of opportunity to make the copy a poor job unless you have a very fancy card.

^ This.

Have a look on the net and download them, instead of MP3, have a look into flac format files. Especially high bit-rate 24bit-96kHz for vinyl. MP3 compresses audio and there is a drop in quality, especially from vinyl. 24/96 Flac files contain a lot more information than MP3 and are closer to the old, rich, characterful sound of vinyl.

300+ albums will be heck of a lot quicker to download than to record them all! You'll be there for months recording them but could download 300+ albums in a couple of days ... it's not that big a task, I currently have 10,000+ albums on a 2TB hard drive that cost £60.

Some download sites are a bit of a grey area, but if you own the vinyl and someone has already ripped the vinyl into a high bit-rate flac file then I'd have no problem downloading it rather than buy all the music you already own in another format but up to you and your conscience whether you'd be up for downloading ... bit like some people are happy breaking the speed limit.

[Stuart]

Dibby thanks,

Know all about FLAC as I run a Squeezebox with c. 20,000 songs on a 500Gb hard drive that cost me £40.  Purpose of me burning the vinyl to CD was to stick it on the Squeezebox.  

It's the cost of downloading that makes it a a non-starter.  What would it be, a couple of grand of I don't hit the hookey sites?  No way am I spending that.  Some of them are 40 years old and obscure too so I ain't gonna find them online.  But of you would like to recommend some sites off list.......

Thanks for the contributions guys.  

Stuart

[Dibby]

Could you butcher the Squeezebox with a big multi-TB drive? Could make a fun project and whopping storage space

I was thinking along the lines of the more shady sites, don't agree with nobbling music but I also don't agree with the marketing strategy of charging people again and again for music you've already bought because like you say, it'll cost you a fortune for a worse quality copy. Until the new digital laws go through it's technically illegal to convert it yourself from vinyl to MP3 but it's all personal preference where people draw the line on legality.

Can't mention specifics on where to find music on the forum here but there are sites out there that hold humungroid collections, right from rare early 1900s records