Ripping vinyl to MP3

[251]

Anyone out there have any experiennce with USB turntables? I want to convert lots of old vinyl to MP3 so I can play it on my IPod and computer. I'm not sure whether to buy a USB turntable, or just buy a converter for my old (like 25 years old) turntable. Any pitfalls to be aware of? Any brand recommendations for a USB turntable? Any other alternatives that will do the job?

Thanks in advance for your input.

A converter should work fine with your old turn table. I use a battery powered Radio Shack pre-amp & record with Audacity. A little bit of Audacity's Noise Reduction feature will clean up your transfers nicely. You can see the results on screen. A few tries should let you dial it in to suit your ears.

 

[Philbiker]

I recommend reading this thread, which covers the subject orders of magnitude better than the disaster that this has become.

 

[JamcoPasamerson]

Lets play a quality CD and a vinyl album both 10,000 times and through spectral analysis (if we even need it ) see which one is closer in quality to play #1.

I know which one my money is going on.

I would be happy to take that bet, so long as it includes the transfer of each to and from their perspective containers and players between each play while reproducing the atmospheric conditions and human variables that would occur over the time span it would take the average listener to play either ten thousand times. None of which would change the fact that every time audio is rendered to mp3 format it degrades the quality of sound.

Now if you'll forgive me I really do not have the time to debate this with you any further, so it looks like we will just have to agree to disagree.

 

[PhatBasstard]

I would be happy to take that bet, so long as it includes the transfer of each to and from their perspective containers and players between each play while reproducing the atmospheric conditions and human variables that would occur over the time span it would take the average listener to play either ten thousand times. None of which would change the fact that every time audio is rendered to mp3 format it degrades the quality of sound.

Now if you'll forgive me I really do not have the time to debate this with you any further, so it looks like we will just have to agree to disagree.

I didn't know Talkbass could reach to other planets.

FWIW, it doesn't seem to be me as the only one you're debating with.

 

[duff beer]

Everything degrades. Were you aware that due to shoddy manufacturing practices and poor materials many CD's degrade faster than vinyl even if you do not play them? Pull a CD of the shelf you haven't listened to since 1995 and see what kind of condition it is in now. This hole CD's last forever line is just another ploy by marketers who were trying to push their new product. Nothing lasts forever.



Yes there are, but the OP stated he wanted to listen to it on his computer. And even if he had not this would not change the fact that converting to mp3 will always cause a drop in sound quality.

A vinyl record degrades every single time it is played...and no one cares about a 25-year old argument that CD's don't degrade, because that's not the issue here. An electronic file NEVER degrades. And if one chooses WAV or FLAC, they get lossless quality that will never degrade.

The "warmth" you speak of with vinyl records (in another post) is nothing but altered sound. It doesn't improve sound quality at all, but some people who are used to it may find it more appealing. However, that doesn't make it any better.

 

[JamcoPasamerson]

no one cares about a 25-year old argument that CD's don't degrade, because that's not the issue here. An electronic file NEVER degrades.

There is nothing in existence that never degrades, if you do not believe me read 'A Brief History of Time' by Stephen Hawking. Electronic files are stored on hard drives, and what is the main component of a hard drive? A CD. Sure it's a high quality CD in a protective case, but a CD all the same and hardly infallible.

And if one chooses WAV or FLAC, they get lossless quality that will never degrade.

There is no format digital or otherwise that has "lossless"? quality. If you are digitally transferring digital files that is one thing but anything that involves the bouncing or recording of audio has some degree of loss. Negligible loss maybe, but loss all the same.

Yet again, the OP was not talking about professionally recording to WAV and listening back on Tannoy's here, he was talking about bouncing to mp3 and listening back on desktop speakers, which TO ME seemed kind of silly since he already has a far superior device with which to listen to them.

The "warmth" you speak of with vinyl records (in another post) is nothing but altered sound.

That warmth I was referring to was analog. Analog has a warmer more organic quality to it than digital due to it's different physical properties, just a fact. If you have any disputes with that take it up with Daniel Lanois and Tom Lord Alge as they are the ones who explained this to me.

It doesn't improve sound quality at all, but some people who are used to it may find it more appealing. However, that doesn't make it any better.

I never said it was better just warmer. I have nothing against digital I use it all the time. Each has it's own strengths and limitations. There are things you can do with analog you can not with digital and vise versa. There is no better or worse format it all depends on what you are going for.

Everybody has their own opinions which is fine. Mine comes from my own personal experiences acquired over a 30 year career as a musician / audio engineer. Honestly my original post was meant to be more tongue in cheek than anything.

 

[JamcoPasamerson]

FWIW, it doesn't seem to be me as the only one you're debating with.

FWIW I wasn't the only one on this side of the fence either

 

[JamcoPasamerson]

P.S. Of course I realize the Stephen Hawking comment was WAY over the top. Just making the point that this thread is becoming a bit redundant. Everything that needed to be said has been said already, on both sides. Move on already.

 

[Philbiker]

Since we've seemed to drift quite a bit, here's a good time to post these articles which address the shortcomings of digital storage.

Invalid Link Removed

'Digital black hole' threatens your documents

 

[beggar98]

My wife bought me the Music Hall USB-1 Turntable for Christmas. I haven't tried ripping any vinyl to mp3 yet, but I like the turntable on its own. Music Hall makes nice equipment, and even though this is decidedly entry level it fits my needs and has made me a very happy camper.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Yeah...I did that with some vinyl too, stuff I couldn't find to download. Ion USB turntable worked fine for my needs, made a CD I could use on the road, or in the car or on the plane in a small player.

Sorry, the "superior vinyl" sound quality argument is just old tired pretentious crap. A few sound afficionados still insist on superior "tube" audio amps , too, but for MOST of us normal humans, we need to be able to take our favorite music with us.

Besides, the original poster wasn't asking if he SHOULD do it, that's his perogative... just the best WAY to do it.

 

[PhatBasstard]

FWIW I wasn't the only one on this side of the fence either

No, but you were clearly in the minority.
And the agenda you brought into this, without being asked BTW, had little to nothing to do with the OP's question or why he wanted to do it.
You just kind of jumped all over him in a belittling way with your crusade.

Plus, your reasoning for why some albums have never been transfered to digital was so beyond reality, no matter how many people you quote or name drop, it's hard to give any of your statements any real worth.

And lastly, when someone hasn't filled out their profile in over 8 months, doesn't pony up $20 for a supporting membership in that time, yet regularly sticks their nose in threads to seemingly argue for arguement's sake, they tend to get a label around here....(starts with a "T" and will "roll" right off the tongue. )

 

[major10th]

What? Why on earth would you want to do that? If you want those tunes on mp3 save yourself the trouble and download them. You listen to vinyl for that warm, analog tone which you lose when you convert it to digital media. Converting vinyl to mp3 and listening to it on your computer makes about as much sense as watching hi-def CGI movies on an old 4"X4" black and white TV.

While you point out a valid concern about the potential sound quality degradation that can result from A->D conversion, let's see if we can broaden your perspective a little:

• The OP said little about the specifics of his analog rig. For all we know, he has a 25 year old $49 turntable with a quarter tapped to the tone arm and a pair of speakers in need of a re-foam job. It may very well be that the needle drops sound better because, again, you know nothing about the quality of the OP's computer and it's associated audio setup. And, since the OP has not yet decided on the associated encoding equipment, you don't likely know the type of quality drops that he will be capable of achieving.
• Needle drops are done all the time and, when done correctly, can produce great results. Much depends on the quality and cleanliness of the vinyl, the quality of the vinyl recording, and the quality of the equipment used to do the transfer, and the encoded bit rate.
• Maybe, just maybe, the resulting digital files can be shared with friends and family in a way that the original vinyl can't. Not everyone has a quality vinyl rig, or a vinyl rig at all, for that matter.
• Needle drops can be played in places that you'd likely never be able to play the original vinyl records (e.g. in your car, at work, at friends houses, on the train, on a plane, on the moon).
• The resulting digital files serve as a potential backup, with the advantage of geographic redundancy (e.g. in the unfortunate event that the vinyl records maybe get stolen or melted in a fire). I highly doubt that the OP has two or more copies of each of his vinyl records.

These are some of the reasons why, on Earth, you might want to do this

 

[Emm9T]

A CD came with my turntable with software for that stuff... i haven't opened its little slip case once. Yeah I have a ton of vinyl that I don't have mp3 copies of, but with a 120gb little player, I'm never really in "need" of multiple copies of music. Vinyl is my #1 choice for home listening, and yes I carry around a cassette Walkman at school XD. Still, nothing beats the convenience of that mp3 player.