Converting Vinyl to Digital??

[43% burnt]

I have a large library of vinyl and I want to archive it all in digital format (mp3). Does anyone have any suggestions on a good method for doing this?

I have a very good analog turntable (Technics 1200) and I just bought a new iMac. What would I need to get started on this project with minimal investment using what I already have? I'm guessing software and some sort of interface.

I've been looking at a few cool gadgets like this Invalid Link Removed It looks pretty sweet, but I don't know If I really need it.

 

[lemur821]

Software is easy. You don't need anything fancy since you'll just be recording single tracks one at a time. You'll just want something that tells you if you're clipping (which means it's time to take the gain down a notch and record the whole thing over again), gives you a way to cut/paste an trim your captured audio, and which doesn't place silly limits on your sample rate/bit depth. Audacity would be good if it works for you, although I understand that the Intel Mac version is only in a pre-release state. Worth trying though.

If you're looking to archive it in digital format you may want to use a lossless compression format like FLAC rather than .mp3. It would be a shame to rip a lower-quality (even if it is good enough for everyday listening) version then lose the original vinyl. If you're just looking to have the music in another convenient place then .mp3 is a fine choice.

EDIT: Go with 24-bit recordings whatever you do. The difference between 48kHz and higher is negligible, but recording at 24 bits per sample will do good things for your noise floor.

I don't think that cheap USB turntable is going to stack up to what you've got coupled with a decent audio interface.

 

[WalterBush]

ART also makes a USB-ready device specifically for what you want to do. RCA ins, USB out, phono preamp in between. I think it even has a ground lug with switchable polarity. I don't believe it comes with software, but whatever Mac OS you're using probably has something that will do the job.

As well, BIAS and a few other software companies make software to remove the pops, clicks, and noise that show up on old or abused vinyl. Most are reasonably inexpensive.

If you're filthy rich, Millenium also makes a phono-preamp-processor device that does all of the above with hardware. They're hand wired, and go for $20,000. They're pretty sweet--my studio had one on loan for archiving a bunch of 78s. Too bad it had to go back.

Oh yeah, +1 on using the highest sample rate and avoiding mp3, or any other kind of lossy compression. You can always turn a .wav or .aiff into an mp3 later.