Whether you grew up listening to records, or you recently discovered collecting and playing vinyl, the idea of recording your favorite vinyl records into your computer may have crossed your mind. Having a digitized version of your vinyl collection is useful for loading songs into portable devices and for having an archive of your favorite tunes in the digital realm. When captured properly, a digital recording of a vinyl record will sound vastly superior to a compressed MP3 file.
Besides, many of the albums that you find in thrift stores and garage sales aren’t even available to purchase as digital downloads. Most people hope that the vinyl-capturing process is as simple as pushing a single red button. Advances have been made to simplify the process of digitizing vinyl, but so far it's not as easy as pressing a button. Just as the act of playing a vinyl record requires a bit of effort on your part (taking the record out of its sleeve, placing it on the platter, putting the needle in the groove, etc.), the act of digitizing vinyl records requires your attention and care, as well.
Audacity is often included with USB turntables, USB cassette decks or USB. Make sure you have the current version of Audacity as the software provided on.
With a little bit of patience, your entire vinyl collection can be shrunk down to fit into your shirt pocket to travel around with you anywhere you go. Here are three ways you can capture vinyl into a computer: 1) Using an all-in-one; 2) Using a; 3) Using an to connect a turntable to a computer. The first method (using an all-in-one turntable/CD burner) is probably the easiest way to go. An all-in-one unit features both a turntable and a CD burner in a single device. You simply burn a CD of the vinyl in the unit itself, and then load the burned CD into your computer. Specific models worth checking out are the and the. Be forewarned that you may not be able to mark individual tracks using this method.
Can be less expensive than all-in-one units, but they require you to interact with a computer and software in order to digitize your records. The and the are inexpensive options in this category. Of the three vinyl-capturing methods mentioned, using an to connect a turntable to a computer requires the most technical know-how.
The plus side is that some audio interfaces can be obtained very inexpensively. If you go this route, you need to understand the difference between a “line-level” signal and a “phono-level” signal. Some of the turntables available today feature line-level outputs, but many only have phono-level outputs. To convert a phono-level output to line level, a phono preamp is needed.
This preamp utilizes the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) equalization curve. The process of creating vinyl records or “cutting vinyl” employs the RIAA EQ curve to reduce low frequencies and boost high frequencies to prevent distortion and skipping. The phono preamp uses an inverse of the RIAA EQ to decode the audio coming from the vinyl, generating full-frequency, line-level audio. If you already have a record player that you plan on using to digitize your vinyl, try to figure out what kind of output it has.
If it has an output labeled 'Line' or a headphone jack, you can get away with using an inexpensive audio interface. Your setup will look something like this: Some audio interfaces feature special phono inputs specifically for connecting record players. The is among the most affordable of these devices, and it connects to your computer via USB. The graphic above also illustrates how these devices connect to your computer. If you’re using an older record player, it's likely that the output is phono level. This means that if you plugged the output of your record player directly into the line-level inputs on a computer audio interface, the signal would not have been compensated for the RIAA EQ curve. One option is to buy a, such as the.
Such a setup will look something like this: If you have a stereo system at your disposal, you may not need an external phono preamp. Look at the back of your stereo receiver. If it has designated inputs for phono, then you're halfway there. Plug your turntable into the phono input. Most stereo receivers have outputs as well. People used to make copies of recordings with external cassette decks. Most stereo receivers were designed to route the audio coming in from a record player and send it to the 'tape out' to be recorded by the cassette deck.
In this case, instead of recording to a cassette deck, you will be recording to a computer. The setup will look something like this: No matter what method you use to connect a record player to a computer, you’re going to need audio software to record and edit the digital audio. B&H sells a full range of very capable, but if you’re on a tight budget, there’s a free audio-recording program available for Mac, Windows, and even GNU/Linux, called Audacity.
I recently recorded some vinyl into my computer with a turntable using Audacity. Below you will find a few pointers I can share from my experience.
Tips on Using Audacity Software When you open Audacity for the first time, trying to figure out how the software operates can be a bit confusing. You’re essentially looking at a blank box with a few buttons and controls at the top. If you’re using a USB turntable and it’s plugged into the computer with a USB cable and powered on, the first thing you want to do is adjust the preferences in Audacity. On a Mac, this is accomplished by clicking on “Audacity” in the top menu bar and selecting Preferences from the dropdown menu. With Audacity’s Preferences window open, you’re presented with a list of tabs at the top; the first option being Audio I/O.
Click on the Audio I/O tab and adjust the Device setting in the Recording area. You need to assign your USB turntable as the input source for the software in the dropdown menu next to Device. Click on the menu options and change this setting from Built-in Input to the USB Turntable setting. In my case, the Audio Technica AT-LP60 showed up on this menu under the somewhat strange name, “USB Audio CODEC.” If you’re capturing albums that were recorded in stereo (as opposed to mono records), there’s another key setting that you need to adjust in Audacity’s Preferences. Under the Audio I/O tab, in the Recording area, you need to change the Channels setting to: 2 (Stereo).
This way when you start recording a new album, Audacity will automatically create a stereo track and start recording the Left and Right stereo channels from the vinyl into the computer. Below the Recording area of the Audio I/O tab in Audacity’s Preferences there are a number of boxes. For my needs (which involved recording a vinyl record in my cubicle at work with no other home-stereo equipment and just a laptop and a pair of ), I checked the boxes for Hardware Playthrough, Software Playthrough, and Do Not Modify Audio Device Settings. Changing these settings enabled me to listen to the vinyl through my computer as it was recording. With these settings, when you click the Record button on Audacity’s main screen, the program should create a stereo track automatically and start recording the input directly into it. When you get to this stage, start recording in Audacity first, then start the record player and put the needle on the record. I found that I needed to turn up the input gain all the way in Audacity.
The input gain is the little slider near the top of the GUI next to the little microphone icon. The volume level still sounded kind of weak while I was recording, but upon playback it sounded better. I also turned up the gain on the stereo track itself during playback.
The stereo track’s gain is the little slider on the left side of the screen between the – and + signs. These adjustments really helped the overall volume of the recording and made it sound the way I hoped it would. Finally, once you're finished recording your record collection into your computer, try to refrain from throwing your albums away in the trash. There are thrift shops and secondhand stores that would gladly accept your records as donations. Why send all of that vinyl to a landfill when someone else (like me) may cherish it? If you have any more questions about digitizing vinyl records, please submit them in the Comments section, below.
Hi Douglas - Audacity is easily the most popular as it is compatible with Windows and Mac. But Goldwave offers non-destructive editing for your audio files. Goldwave is compatible with windows but not the Mac OS.
I would say that the Goldwave interface is easier to use for most folks. Audacity lacks dynamic equalizer controls and real time effects while recording.
Audacity does not natively import or export WMA, AAC, AC3 or most other proprietary or restricted file formats; rather, an optional FFmpeg library is required. GoldWave supports a variety of file formats for opening and saving audio files. You can open files in WAV, MP3, XAC, AIFF, AIFC and other formats. Files can be saved to WAV, MP3, XAC, AIFF, AIFC, IFF and others. Conversion between popular file formats is also supported, for both files you’ve recorded with the software as well as any you upload from other compatible sources. All in all, the choice of software is somewhat subjective. Audacity has the larger community of users and is updated more frequently.
Great how-to article, trading off cost and complexity. What seems missing is audio quality. LP owners are likely to be audiophiles and may be more interested in capturing the quality of vinyl than 'carrying their entire collection in a shirt pocket'. I would guess that USB turntables are, if not low-quality, at least undetermined quality. Using phono outputs direct to computer and doing RIAA EQ in the computer is another option placing the least number of devices in the chain. Anyway, I'm no expert myself, but would appreciate if any updates to this article included some facts and test data about converting LP tracks to high-quality digital files.
I have been merrily digitizing my lp's (did cassettes first, about 700, with no issues), using a TEAC LP-R550USB with direct line-in to my computer and Audacity 2.0.0 and saving as MP3 files. I traveled for four months and, when I returned, tried to resume recording, but I'm getting no input (just flat-line). I downloaded a newer version of Audacity (2.1.0), but have the same problem with it. I can't adjust the input slider, as it just slides back to zero; but I've had that problem all along and it never was an issue, because the turntable has a USB recording level switch that seems to override Audacity. Any thoughts or ideas?
I have 4,000 lp's to digitize and about 2,500 cd's after that and I'm only on 'FE' on the lp's, alphabetically. I bought this unit because it'll transfer cassettes, lp's and cd's as well, which is my next project.
I guess it might be the USB cable; but it worked fine before I unplugged it for the four months. Hi Julian - You will need an interface as the phono signal needs to be digitized before it is sent to the computer via USB. The is a flexible phono (turntable) preamp with a USB interface and digital connections. The USB Phono Plus is an ideal solution for quality recordings while digitizing old vinyl collections, connecting a turntable to a line input, or as a simple audio interface for your Windows or Mac OS computer.
There are optical digital inputs and outputs, S/PDIF input and analog preamp outputs. Also featured is a headphone output, gain control and monitor level adjustment controls. A line / phono input switch allows for line or turntable signals to pass, and a low-cut filter switch eliminates hum, rumble and other low frequency artifacts associated with vinyl recordings. Please contact us via e-mail if you have additional questions. I have just bought (Jan '17) a new USB turntable - Teac TN 300 and hoped to use it through Audacity software into my Mac Mini but the turntable's output is too high so it is running into clipping distortion.
Apple computers do not have any level controls to reduce it, and the guys at Audacity do not have any reasonable solution other than to use the analogue RCA connectors which doesn't help at all, so do be warned if you intend using a Mac with Audacity you may end up with constant clipping distortion or a useless turntable! Hi Lori - The is a flexible phono (turntable) preamp with a USB interface and digital connections. The USB Phono Plus is an ideal solution for quality recordings while digitizing old vinyl collections, connecting a turntable to a line input, or as a simple audio interface for your Windows or Mac OS computer. There are optical digital inputs and outputs, S/PDIF input and analog preamp outputs. Also featured is a headphone output, gain control and monitor level adjustment controls.
A line / phono input switch allows for line or turntable signals to pass, and a low-cut filter switch eliminates hum, rumble and other low frequency artifacts associated with vinyl recordings. Please contact us via e-mail if you have additional questions. The article says 'There are thrift shops and secondhand stores that would gladly accept your records as donations.' However your right to make backup and alternate copies of the material, according to copyright law, is dependent upon your ownership of the original recording for which you paid. If you give that away, you also give the right to hold those backup or alternate copies to the new owner, and loose that right legally for yourself. Many people of course do cheat on copyright laws, but this is the legal situation as far as I can tell.
I am looking for a really easy method (for the technically challenged user) to copy my vinyl collection on to a USB stick to play in my car which does not have a CD player. I am using a Technics turntable connected to my new Onkyo TX-NR646 AV receiver via the phono jacks. The only Line-out I can see is marked as 'Audio output jack connected to the pre-main amplifier for multi-zone playback in a separate room' however there are a range of HDMI IN/OUT jacks for video/audio signals for connected devices. Of course it also has Phones jack in the front. Is there something I can buy that would allow me to transfer this music directly to a USB stick and if not and I have to do this via my laptop, what do I need and what connections would I be using? Thanks Dave L.
Hi Dave - Your receiver does not have a LINE out according to you. If your TT has a built-in preamplifier then you will not need an ouboard preamplifier to equalize its output signal. This is a quality all-in-one product that will work with just about any configuration: The is a flexible phono (turntable) preamp with a USB interface and digital connections.
The USB Phono Plus is an ideal solution for quality recordings while digitizing old vinyl collections, connecting a turntable to a line input, or as a simple audio interface for your Windows or Mac OS computer. There are optical digital inputs and outputs, S/PDIF input and analog preamp outputs.
Also featured is a headphone output, gain control and monitor level adjustment controls. A line / phono input switch allows for line or turntable signals to pass, and a low-cut filter switch eliminates hum, rumble and other low frequency artifacts associated with vinyl recordings. Please contact us via e-mail if you have additional questions.
Then go with a USB turntable. The process is virtually plug and play. The silver Belt-Drive Turntable is straightforward and completely automatic for vinyl enthusiasts in need of a turntable to complement their existing home-theater and stereo systems. Its fully automatic operation starts the platter when the tone arm is lifted, and brakes when the needle is positioned on its mount. The turntable features phono (turntable level) outputs, however a built-in preamplifier features line-level outputs for connecting to amplifiers without turntable inputs. The ATLP60USB features 33-1/3 and 45 rpm speeds.
The USB output allows you to digitize your vinyl collection directly to software, without an external audio interface Fully automatic operation with two speeds: 33-1/3 and 45 rpm Professional aluminum platter Included cables connect to your stereo or powered speakers Integral Dual Magnet phono cartridge with replaceable stylus Switchable built-in pre-amplifier with line-level RCA output cables.
Of course, we prefer listening to our vinyl as it was intended to be enjoyed, in its original state. But some folks like to catalogue their records digitally, or listen to them from their iPod on the train, or maybe just don't have the time and effort to track up a record the old-fashioned way (do those people exist?). For these types, we've got turntables with inbuilt phono stages with USB outputs that can be connected to your computer - the, the and the.
You can also use one of our USB enabled phono stages with virtually any table - just check out the. We recommend one of the most popular free, open-source audio editing softwares around -. You can of course use any other editing program you prefer, but it's easy to use, very versatile and, as we said, free. So first thing's first, you've. Second thing's second, we've got to connect everything.
If you're using a Phono USB turntable, connect it to your computer using the included cable - the USB-B end in the rear of your turntable and the USB-A end in your computer. You can use your turntable's RCA output simultaneously. If you're using one of our Phono Box USBs, connect your turntable to it with an RCA cable.
Then connect the Phono Box USB to your computer using a mini-USB to USB cable. Before you open Audacity, there are a couple of system settings that need to be edited:. On Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8: 1. By the system clock, right-click over the Speaker icon Recording Devices then right-click over USB Audio Codec 'Properties'. On the Advanced tab, in the 'Default Format' section, make sure the drop-down menu is set to '2 channel 16 bit 44100 Hz'.
On Mac OS X: 1. From Apple Menu System Preferences select 'Sound' and click on the Input tab 2. Select 'USB Audio CODEC' or similar as the input device and verify the meter shows input. If not, from the Finder, select Go Utilities and open Audio MIDI Setup. Click the Audio Devices tab, then select your USB device in the 'Default Input' and 'Properties for' drop-downs.
Choose '44100.0 Hz' and '2ch-16bit'. Now it's time to open up Audacity. The following is:.
Set the Audacity Project Rate in Selection Toolbar at the bottom left of the Audacity screen to 44100 Hz:. Use Device Toolbar to set the input (recording) and output (playback) devices and to set the channels to '2 (Stereo) Input Channels', as in the below example on Windows 7:. The output is set to the named speakers of the built-in computer sound device. The input is set to the USB device (usually called or including the phrase 'USB Audio CODEC'). Recording channels are set to stereo. These settings can also be changed in Devices Preferences.
Windows Vista and later call most USB external devices 'microphones' but Windows XP and earlier do not. Some higher-end USB recording interfaces may appear as their explicit manufacturer's name. From the Transport Menu click 'Software Playthrough' to turn it 'on' (the checkmark is shown when it is 'on'). This setting can also be enabled or disabled in Recording Preferences.
Software Playthrough lets you hear the turntable through the computer speakers when recording. It also lets you hear the turntable without recording if you turn on monitoring (see the next section below). Enable monitoring to set the recording level:. Turn monitoring on by clicking once on the microphone icon in Meter Toolbar. In Mixer Toolbar, turn up the left-hand output volume slider (by the speaker icon). Try to aim for a maximum peak of around –6 dB, which corresponds to around 0.5 on the waveform. You can always boost the level later with Effect Amplify.
Or Effect Normalise. After you have completed editing.
Now just press the red Record button in Transport Toolbar to start recording from the turntable. You can pause and restart the recording between tracks or sides with the blue Pause button, which keeps your recording on one track within Audacity. If you do want to start new tracks for different sides of the tape or LP on a new track in Audacity, press the yellow Stop button to stop recording, get the LP to where you want to go to, then press the red Record button in Audacity and start the player. The recording will now restart on a new track. When you have finished recording, press the yellow Stop button and save your recording into the Project you started by using File Save Project. Is recommended when recording vinyl, as any loud click will interfere with maximising the volume of the recording - the Amplify effect can't tell the difference between music and clicks. Select the entire track by clicking on the Track Control Panel or choosing Edit Select All then choose Effect Click Removal.
As a final step, since you were careful not to record too loud it is likely that your recording is not as loud as possible. To correct this you can use the Normalize effect. Choose Edit Select All to select all the track. With default Tracks Preferences, you may not need this step - all the audio in the project is selected if you choose an effect without first selecting any audio. Choose Effect Normalize.
Accept (for now) the default choices in the Normalize dialog and click the OK button. The volume is normalized to -1 dB, so leaving a little headroom below the maximum possible 0 dB level. Note that Normalize defaults to retaining the existing balance between stereo channels. However basic consumer-level equipment can often record with channels unbalanced. To correct unwanted volume differences between left and right, uncheck 'Normalize stereo channels independently'. When you are happy with your editing, you need to export the recording as an audio file such as WAV or MP3 that you can either play on your computer media player (for example on iTunes or Windows Media Player), or which you can burn to an audio or MP3 CD.
To export a single audio file, use the File Export. If you are planning to burn a CD with your exported files you should ensure that you use the export format 16-bit PCM stereo WAV, this should be the default if you have not changed it. Also ensure that your Project Rate is 44.1kHz (44100 - see the box in the bottom left hand corner of the Audacity window). So those are the basics of recording to your computer via your USB turntable.
We'd recommend using bigger WAV files when you export to retain as much sound quality as possible. Editing your audio with Audacity can get a bit more complex, which can be rewarding - check out their support manuals if you want to,.