Recording from LP to CD.
This part of the site shows how I've recorded many of my 'Old' 70's and 80's vinyl LPs onto CD.
For you music guys with lots of old vinyl.
I've found a really good piece of software which like the advert says "Does exactly what it says on the tin". In this case that is recording from LPs to digital WAV files which can then be put onto a CD which lets me record my old LPs and take them away with me to listen to offshore. It relies on a PC with a soundcard (any old soundblaster type clone will do - I use Turtle Beach) and a CD recorder. The software is available at the following website:-
Anyway they do a trial version which you can take away for free and try. If it doesn't work then you simply don't buy the paid up version. There's also a whole lot of hints and tips out there on the WWW which will help you get the best from your system. (Type "record from LP to CD" into the search engine of your choice and see what comes up.) In fact there is a whole industry out there doing all sorts of weird things, like playing their LPs under water??? Whatever gets your goat.
Essentially you connect up your turntable, amplifier and speakers to play the LPs as you would
normally. Then you find out what the required input level is to your soundcard. There are two
prevalent standards, one old and one new. The old version is DIN which is 200mV and will probably
not be what your soundcard requires. What it will probably need is Line, which is
500mV.
Unfortunately your amplifier, like mine, is probably from the era when the DIN standard was the
norm and as a result the output for recording is too feeble to really take advantage of the
benefits of the CFB software and your sound card. This problem will create a slight compromise to
the quality of the system.
If you have the correct Line output of 500mV, then you simply connect the Line output from your
amplifier to the Line input to the soundcard and follow the CFB instructions.
If you have the older DIN standard output then you need to connect a cable to a speaker output
on the amplifier and adjust the volume accordingly. The method is fairly crude and simple. If,
when you record, the sound distorts, then the volume is too great, turn it down. If, however
it doesn't distort, turn it up till it does and then back off a bit. Select the highest volume
you can get without distortion.
The quality compromise comes from the fact that the speaker output will not be quite as clear
as the pre-amp output. The best option in this case is to build a pre-amp specially designed,
complete with RCAA input section, to connect your turntable directly to the soundcard.
Best of luck!