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What programs to record vinyl to computer?

mac-convert

mac-convert

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 2, 2006
608
0
Are we there yet?
Good day, and I think this is the correct place for this question.

I am about to launch a project to record about 200 plus vinyl records that I have and get them onto CD's. Some of these are about 45 to 50 years old. The equipment I have is the iMac ALU 2.4 and an ION turntable with with a USB connector, and the setup works good. I haven't upgraded my memory yet, but I will be going to the 4 Gigs this week. I also have external disks to hold the work till it's ready to go into iTunes.

I have used Amadeus Pro as a test to record onto the Mac, and have played around with SoundSoap 2 for filtering pops and scratch noises. I would like to get some good advice on what programs others have used. One thing I would like to do is record one side (or both) of the record, and then be able to split out the tracks, labeling them properly (and obviously the album also). I am not adverse to spending the money for the software, within reason. I would probably hesitate if it got past, say, $400 or so.

Again, I am not looking for excellence, but good results, and something to make the recording and labeling fairly easy. Also, I know that I will have to do a bit of editing to get rid of bad noises.

Thanks
 
I've just started a similar project with some albums that were recently given to me. I have been using an older version of Peak (version 4 to be exact) and it works fine. Bias makes Peak and Soundsoap IIRC, so there shouldn't be any compatibility issues. It also allows for the splitting of tracks, naming the regions etc.

It works for me, although I am not an expert at vinyl conversion, so there may be better/easier solutions out there. I already had Peak on my computer as I use it frequently in my other work, so I just gave it a go for the conversion. I just wish the workflow was a bit more simplified, but more recent versions may have fixed my nit-picky issues.
 
faintember said:
I've just started a similar project with some albums that were recently given to me. I have been using an older version of Peak (version 4 to be exact) and it works fine. Bias makes Peak and Soundsoap IIRC, so there shouldn't be any compatibility issues. It also allows for the splitting of tracks, naming the regions etc.

It works for me, although I am not an expert at vinyl conversion, so there may be better/easier solutions out there. I already had Peak on my computer as I use it frequently in my other work, so I just gave it a go for the conversion. I just wish the workflow was a bit more simplified, but more recent versions may have fixed my nit-picky issues.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback about Peak. I'll take a look at that also.

Cheers
 
Well, I am also in the process of recording a good portion of my 700+ vinyl collection. I've DJ for years and LOVE my vinyl but I'll have to part with them due to space and best of all Technology advancements (aka M-Audio's Torq). In any case, I've been using Audacity to record all my vinyl and for a free application it's great. On average my 12inch vinyl contain about 4 tracks. Two per side. The way I do this within Audacity is to start a new stereo track. I fill in the general information under "Edit ID3 Tags". I then proceed to record each track. Remember... after recording each track, make sure to Cue back the beginning before recording the next track or the next track will begin recording at the end of the previous one. Once you've recorded all the tracks, you can then highlight each track and select "Save selection as MP3" to save them out. Make sure to go to your preferences and set the MP3 quality before exporting. I usually set it to the highest MP3 setting (320).

One other quick note, before exporting to MP3. You might not be happy with the MP3 recording level and/or the occasional pop or click. I usually have a habit of running three filters before exporting to MP3. First would be the "Click Removal", Second "Compressor" and Third "Normalize". I usually get great results after running these filters. Another tip... you can run the filters on all the tracks by clicking on one track and then holding the shift key down while clicking on the rest BUT make sure to choose the longest track first OR the filter will only run as long as the first track you've selected. Strange I know but I've learn this the hard way. ;-)

I hope this helps in any way.


~e
 
Griffin's Final Vinyl is quite good.
There's Amadeus II as well (good noise eliminating stuff)
Audacity if you want free...
 
Thanks

I had tried Audacity and it wouldn't work, but that was a few months back. I simply had one helluva time getting it to just work. Maybe - maybe I will try it again.

Haven't heard of Final Vinyl, but I'll take a look.

Peak was mentioned, but unless Peak LE will work, they get really expensive once you start moving up the product line and the options. At least they have a trial package and I will download that later today.
 
eclipse525 said:
One other quick note, before exporting to MP3. You might not be happy with the MP3 recording level and/or the occasional pop or click. I usually have a habit of running three filters before exporting to MP3. First would be the "Click Removal", Second "Compressor" and Third "Normalize". I usually get great results after running these filters. Another tip... you can run the filters on all the tracks by clicking on one track and then holding the shift key down while clicking on the rest BUT make sure to choose the longest track first OR the filter will only run as long as the first track you've selected. Strange I know but I've learn this the hard way. ;-)

I hope this helps in any way.


~e
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip here. One problem I had while testing was applying too much filtering and literally wiping out all the sound quality along with the clicks and pops.
 
Trouble with recording quality in leopard

I've recorded vinyl to computer successfully in the past using CD Spin Doctor, a program that comes with Toast by Roxio. however, since upgrading my operating system from tiger to leopard, I now receive an electronic popping sound when I record. When I'm merely playing or testing for record levels, I have no problem - only when i begin recording. Looking into solutions, I saw reviews on the Apple site for the Griffin iMic, where a few users indicated they had the same problem when they converted to leopard. has anyone else experienced this and is there a solution?
 
DJJONES said:
you should record the songs dry with no efx or ne processing to it then take it over to cool edit or adobe audition to clean them up.
Click to expand...

That's what I was doing during testing so I wouldn't destroy the original recording. But what is cool edit, and I assume that adobe audition is from that same company that makes DW and Photoshop, etc?

Thanks

EDIT: Nevermind - I found out about cool edit and audition - thanks again.
 
chuckgriffith said:
DD,

I have no idea what your reply means. Can you explain it to a guy who is only so computer savvy?

Thanks,

Chuck G
Click to expand...

what i mean by recording dry is recording it thru a input on your mac or pc with out any effects like pop removal crackle removal stuff like that.
the reason why is because if you record a track or song from vinyl with a effect on it while you are recording there is no way to get the original recording back unless you record that song again.
another thing to becarful about when recording from vinyl into a a digital format like mp3 or wav is watching your levels. if you go over 0db into +1 db you will degrade your audio file becarful and record them at a moderate level to preserve the sound quality. most pcs and macs might have a input that takes the signal in below 0db which is good try to look for that.
if u have any more quesitons just ask ill answer them.
 
mac-convert said:
That's what I was doing during testing so I wouldn't destroy the original recording. But what is cool edit, and I assume that adobe audition is from that same company that makes DW and Photoshop, etc?

Thanks

EDIT: Nevermind - I found out about cool edit and audition - thanks again.
Click to expand...

audition and cool edit are the same programs basically. but there great because they have a ton of built in tools that can help you edit your song that you recorded and u can also record right into that program its a really great tool for anyone looking to do anything with audio.
 
mac-convert said:
Thanks for the tip here. One problem I had while testing was applying too much filtering and literally wiping out all the sound quality along with the clicks and pops.
Click to expand...

Depending on type of music you are recording and the amount clicks/pops, you will have to try different settings until you are happy with the results. I don't care what application you decided to use to clean it up, the recording is going to be affected and the results are never going to be what you're getting off the vinyl. Audition and Cool were mentioned and to be honest they are both good applications but not much of a difference overall. All the tweaking in the world might get you something you'd like but do you really want to spend a ridiculous amount of time on one track let alone albums upon albums. You need to either come to terms with decent translation or just purchase a CD (if available) and rip it.

~e
 
Thanks. I have come to terms with that. What I have on vinyl is not available anymore, so I am committed to getting this done. I also know I can't spend days just on one track. It looks like Peak LE with SoundSoap will be my tools to use. Not that bad on the pocket, and they are integrated, with some common settings for noise reduction. I can deal with album by album as they will more than likely have about the same for settings. If I do run across a bad track then I will always have the original rip of it to go back to and tweak.

Thanks to everyone who replied and got me thinking in the right direction and pointed out some software alternatives. Now, let's see, record an album, listen while it's recording, test some filters, listen some more - one albuma day, maybe two or even three if I am lucky. About 200 albums. What a project!
 
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